Borrowing a page from Netflix, NBC announced that they are going to release all 13 episodes of their new show Aquarius following the series network premiere.
Aquarius, starring David Duchovny, will air its two-hour premiere on May 28th. Then the entire series will be available for viewing on NBC.com and other VOD platforms, according to Variety. NBC Entertainment Chairman, Bob Greenblatt said in a statement, “With Aquarius we have the opportunity to push some new boundaries to give our audience something no broadcast network has done before.”
All 13 episodes will remain online for four weeks while the show will continue to air Thursdays at 9 p.m., according to Entertainment Weekly. In addition to offering the show through linear broadcasting and VOD platforms, NBC made an arrangement with advertising partners for limited interruptions so that the live broadcast will have the same commercial breaks as that the VOD will have, according to the statement.
The move is an attempt to appeal to binge-watchers. “We are fully aware how audiences want to consume multiple episodes of new television series faster and at their own discretion, and we’re excited to offer our viewers this same experience since all 13 episodes of this unique show have been produced and are ready to be seen,” Greenblatt said in the statement.
Aquarius is set in 1960s Los Angeles and will follow an LA detective (Duchovny) as he tracks down Charles Manson (Gethin Anthony).