While Amazon's first slate of original series mostly fizzled—perhaps because it still hasn't picked up Onion News Empire—the online giant is resolute in its plans to do to the television industry what it's currently doing to the publishing industry, picking up three new comedy pilots.
The first is from cousins Jason Schwartzman and Roman Coppola, plus Broadway writer/director Alex Timbers (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, The Pee-Wee Herman Show), and explores the seamy world of sex and drugs backstage at the symphony. Mozart In the Jungle will be based on the memoir of oboist Blair Tindall.
The Outlaws, from Jon Weinback (30 For 30) and Jeremy Garelick (the upcoming Police Academy reboot the world's been clamoring for), will follow the players and coaches of a professional football team. There isn't much information beyond that, but if it's a pratfall-based comedy, assume it's about the New York Jets; if it's a dark comedy, the Buffalo Bills.
Former United States Of Tara showrunner Jill Soloway (who also wrote for Six Feet Under and Dirty Sexy Money) has created the third show, called Transparent. Jeffrey Tambor (who was also great in this other Amazon show called Onion News Empire) stars as a man who reveals a secret to his family, which Soloway promptly spills: "The patriarch is actually being reborn as a matriarch." Which sounds like the direction Tambor's arc on Arrested Development was heading anyway, so at least he'll be on familiar ground.