Five weeks after it unveiled a quintet of fresh pilots and asked for feedback from its viewers, Amazon Studios has green-lit two new shows. It has announced full seasons of psychological drama Hand of God and 80s period comedy Red Oaks.
Hand of God will be the third hour long series Amazon has picked up. Directed by Marc Forster, it stars Ron Perlman as a corrupt judge.
Red Oaks, meanwhile, provides much lighter fare. Produced by Steven Soderbergh and directed by David Gordon Green, it is a coming-of-age story set at a country club in the 80s. The cast includes a number of familiar faces, including Paul Reiser and Richard Kind.
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“We are excited to get working on full seasons of Hand of God and Red Oaks,” said Roy Price, VP of Amazon Studios, in a release. “These shows come from some of the most talented creators in the business. Customers loved the pilot episodes and we can’t wait to hear what they think of the entire series.”
Hand of God and Red Oaks both scored an average of 4.4 out of 5 stars from viewers, tying for the highest rating among Amazon’s new pilots. Two other entries–Jay Chandrasekhar’s Really and Mena Suvari thriller Hysteria–did not make the cut. Ironically, the pilot that received the lowest rating among viewers could still get picked up. Amazon has ordered more scripts from The Cosmopolitans, a dramedy with Adam Brody and Chloe Sevigny that only received an average score of 3.5 out of 5.
The new pickups will join Amazon’s existing lineup of original shows, which it culled from three separate pilot competitions. Alpha House, the only remaining survivor from the first pilot season, will soon begin its second season. The first show from the second pilot season to debut was Transparent, which recently arrived to rave reviews. Three other series–Mozart in the Jungle, Bosch, and The After–will soon follow.
With Hand of God and Red Oaks added to its library, Amazon will continue to crank out pilots. We’ve already received some information about some of the shows from the fourth pilot season, which looks as if it will broaden Amazon’s horizons even more.
