Tina Fey’s ‘Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’ Moves from NBC to Netflix, Renewed for Season 2

Netflix keeps adding to its reputation as a savior of cancelled shows, most recently picking up a fourth season of ‘Longmire’ after A&E’s cancellation, but their latest acquisition proves even notably weirder. Prior to ever even airing on NBC, Tina Fey-Ellie Kemper comedy ‘Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’ has set a March 2015 premiere on Netflix, where the show has been picked up for two full seasons.

Originally slated for a midseason NBC launch, ‘Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’ teamed Tina Fey back with ‘30 Rock’ co-creator Robert Carlock for the story of a woman (‘Office’ vet Kemper) who leaves behind her 15-year life in a doomsday cult, and starts over in New York City. Now scheduled to debut its first 13-episode season on Netflix in March, the comedy also stars ‘30 Rock’ vets Jane Krakowski and Tituss Burgess, along with Lauren Adams, Sara Chase, Sol Miranda and Carol Kane.

So, what happened? Had NBC intended to cancel the series before its premiere, only for Netflix to step in? We’ll let NBC Entertainment Chairman Robert Greenblatt explain:

When the opportunity arose for Tina Fey and Robert Carlock to premiere their new show on Netflix with a two-season commitment, we decided this was the best possible scenario to launch this captivating new series. While it was originally developed for NBC, we have a very drama-heavy mid-season schedule so we’re thrilled about this Netflix opportunity; it’s an instant win-win for everyone, including Tina, Robert, and Universal Television.

We’re already talking to these extraordinary creators about new development for NBC, but meanwhile, everyone here from Universal Television will do everything possible to see that Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt becomes a long-running hit on Netflix.

Netflix continually cements its status as a home for unique original programming, though this certainly proves a surprising choice, given we’d seen or known so little about ‘Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’ to begin with. What do you think? Was Netflix smart to  order two seasons of a Tina Fey-Ellie Kemper comedy that NBC might not have been able to market? We don’t even have a trailer to show you, because that’s just how they roll!