Amazon Studios is now reaping the stories it sowed this summer as part of its pilot season, green-lighting two shows with “ick” in the title, and two shows that have euphemisms for penis in their titles. (Conveniently enough, that is only three shows all together.) The retail giant’s production arm has ordered The Tick to series, following a successful and darkly funny pilot premiere. The series stars Peter Serafinowicz as the titular superhero, who’s just a bit more unhinged than Patrick Warburton’s version. Serafinowicz is joined in the cast by Jackie Earle Haley, Griffin Newman, and Yara Martinez.
Jill Soloway’s streak continues, as I Love Dick joins Transparent in the ranks of Amazon Originals. The half-hour comedy stars Kathryn Hahn and Griffin Dunne as a married couple that becomes obsessed with Dick (Kevin Bacon). Based on Chris Kraus’ novel of the same name, I Love Dick explores “stories of love and desire,” while also starring Bacon as some kind of accidental guru. Soloway directed the pilot, and she executive produces the series with Transparent collaborator Andrea Sperling.
Finally, Jean-Claude Van Damme has roundhouse-kicked his way onto the small screen with Jean-Claude Van Johnson. The Kickboxer star plays a fictionalized version of himself in this meta-comedy: He’s an actor by day and a retired secret-ops agent by night. His code name is “Johnson,” suggesting that the first season, which will see the operative return to government-overthrowing action, could be filled with dick jokes. Van Damme produces the series with Key & Peele’s Peter Atencio and The Man In The High Castle’s David W. Zucker.
In the Amazon Studios press release, head of half-hour series Joe Lewis said “these pilots were vast in scope, disruptive in tone, challenging in story and sometimes even funny. It’s rewarding to see customers embrace them in such a huge way. We can’t wait to premiere these series next year on Prime Video.” The three series will have their proper premieres in 2017, and all three pilots are streaming on Amazon Prime now.