UK Comedy ‘Catastrophe’ Hits Facebook Before Coming To Amazon Prime

Catastrophe, a British comedy series written by and starring Rob Delaney and Sharon Horgan, is coming to America. It will arrive for Amazon Prime subscribers on Friday, June 19th, but before it gets there, it is taking a quick detour to Facebook. The premiere episode of Catastrophe will be available on Facebook for 48 hours before it heads to Amazon.

Adweek calls Catastrophe’s Facebook debut a “virtual screening party,” with an official event serving as a jumping-off point for potential viewers. As part of the event, the show’s stars are interacting with fans in order to drum up support. Delaney, for example, launched a poll question asking respondents how excited they are about Catastrophe. Choices include “Moister than an oyster” and “oh frig off rob.”

Social media interaction is certainly one of Delaney’s strong suits. The American comedian is best known for his Twitter feed, where he has more than a million followers.

The premiere episode of Catastrophe is available through a separate Facebook page hosted by Amazon.

In Catastrophe, Delaney and Horgan portray lovers who are forced to stay together after an unexpected pregnancy complicates what was supposed to be a weekend fling. The show has been well received in the UK, where it has been picked up for a second season.

Critically-acclaimed British shows are hot commodities for streaming video platforms; Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon have all acquired the distribution rights for foreign programs and presented them for American audiences. With Catastrophe, Facebook has gotten in on the fun–albeit briefly.