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Can’t get enough of the cybercrime drama “Mr Robot”? When the next series lands, you’ll be able to see new episodes on Amazon here in the UK straight after they’re first shown on US telly.
Created by Sam Esmail, “Mr Robot” stars Rami Malek as troubled computer expert Elliot Alderson. Elliot is recruited into a society of hackers led by Mr Robot (Christian Slater) who is bent on deleting all debt records in a digital revolution. Season 2 will air next year, and each episode will pop up on Amazon Video shortly after it has been broadcast in the US.
“Mr Robot” is one of the most talked-about US shows of the year. Unusually, the series premiered on online services before it was shown on TV, racking up nearly 3 million views and even earning a second series order before it even went near a TV aerial.
Amazon scored a coup last month by securing the UK rights to the show. All 10 episodes of the first series are available for Amazon Prime subscribers to watch right now for free, and for non-members to buy. Season 2 episodes will be available on a weekly basis once the series starts transmission on US broadcaster USA Network. The exact air date for next year’s season has yet to be confirmed.
“Mr Robot” is the latest skirmish in the battle between streaming services like Amazon and Netflix to offer hot new TV shows and movies exclusively to subscribers, whether they’re from broadcasters in other countries or produced by the streaming services themselves.
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Amazon’s first foray into screening new episodes at the same time as the US came with ” Vikings” in 2013. Streaming rival Netflix has done something similar with ” Breaking Bad” and its spin-off ” Better Call Saul“, while Sky Atlantic also shows new HBO and other US shows immediately. Although this kind of exclusive deal means you aren’t able to see certain shows without a subscription to the relevant streaming service or TV channel, it does mean that subscribers to those services don’t have to wait months for the show to cross the pond. Plus, it should cut down on the desire to pirate those shows.
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The news about “Mr Robot” was revealed by Russell Morris, Marketing and Merchandising Director of Amazon Video in the UK, at a screening for the hotly anticipated new show “The Man in the High Castle”. “High Castle” joins the award-winning “Transparent” alongside “Bosch”, “Hand of God” and others in Amazon’s lineup of original TV shows funded and distributed by the company.
Each of those shows began life as part of a slate of pilot episodes offered to viewers to vote on which ones they liked — and in fact, “High Castle” was Amazon’s most-watched pilot so far. “The Man in the High Castle” premieres on 20 November — coincidentally, the same day Marvel superhero series “Jessica Jones” shows up on rival streaming service Netflix.
Access to Amazon Video (formerly Amazon Instant Video, née LoveFilm) costs £5.99 per month, or comes with a £79 per year Amazon Prime subscription that also gives you free delivery. Unlike Netflix, Amazon Video allows you to download shows and movies to watch without an Internet connection.
