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‘Bloodline’ leads Netflix’s prestige TV for 2015

As if prestige TV drama fans weren’t already spoiled for choice.

From the creators of Damages, and the studio behind Hannibal and Masters of Sex, comes the newest Netflix online series, Bloodline.

A ground-breaking collaboration with Sony Pictures Television, Bloodline joins the ranks of other Netflix Originals prestige dramas, like Lilyhammer, House of Cards and Orange Is The New Black.

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Helmed by Kyle Chandler (The Wolf of Wall Street, Argo) – who plays John Rayburn – and starring Sissy Spacek (Big Love, Deadfall), Linda Cardellini (Mad Men, New Girl) and Australian actor Ben Mendelsohn (The Dark Knight Rises, The Place Beyond The Pines), Bloodline is a psychological thriller that begins when the black sheep brother of the Rayburn family returns home to his three adult siblings, revealing old wounds and secrets long thought buried.

You still have plenty of time to submit your leave application and save for a new sofa to break in while you binge watch. The entire first season of 13 episodes will be available in March 2015, following the same release model as House of Cards and season four of Arrested Development.

If you’re a fan of House of Cards or Ray Donovan, this will be the show for you in 2015.

Watch the teaser trailer here:

Bloodline also heralds a bold new direction for content makers; one which allows high-quality TV to find a home in any part of the globe.

With the last decade witnessing a boom in prestige drama titles – like Mad Men, The Sopranos, Downton Abbey, Deadwood, Homeland, The Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, House of Cards, Game of Thrones et al – this new deal between Netflix and Sony Pictures Television comes as no surprise.

Kevin Spacey

The new series Bloodline will join Kevin Spacey’s House of Cards on Netflix.

The first partnership of its kind, while both companies have produced their own television content in the past, this new deal will serve as a model for future collaborations. The timing couldn’t be more perfect.

The ease with which television is now distributed makes it less of a risk for those in the distribution chain, meaning content makers have a greater opportunity to sell to markets previously viewed as a risk. You can thank internet streaming media for expanding those horizons.

While new Australian-made TV has always enjoyed a buoyant level of success (Underbelly, Satisfaction, Mr & Mrs Murder, Offspring, Summer Heights High, Kath & Kim, to name a few) – either on free-to-air or pay TV – it has usually been cheaper for Australian television stations to buy content from overseas, chiefly America or Europe.

Ben Mendelsohn

Aussie actor Ben Mendelsohn joins the cast of Bloodline.

Considering screws are tightened on local TV and movie production on an almost daily basis, this trend looks likely to continue. But given we now have improved access to international titles, like those mentioned above, this situation may not be as dire as it sounds.

Local streaming media on-demand companies Quickflix and Ezyflix have both indicated they have no immediate plans to produce their own content for local distribution. But considering recent movements in Australia’s online streaming media providers over the last 12 months, don’t discount the possibility in the future.

For now, deals like Netflix and Sony Pictures Television’s will ensure our unabated lust for drama, gripping stories and flawed anti-heroes does not go unchecked, and viewers stay glued to the small screen.

Bloodline is released in March 2015. Check back closer to the date for how to watch it in Australia.

Topics: Netflix
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