With Netflix and Amazon leading the charge, television networks are quickly realizing that streaming is the future. Particularly for traditional standbys like CBS, seeing audiences cut their cable cord and consume content elsewhere, when they want it, and how they want it, must have been an eye opener. The simple fact is that outlets will have to get on board, or be left behind, and CBS is going head first into the streaming world with CBS All Access. So far the service is mostly a library of the network’s catalog, with a couple pieces of original programming including “The Good Fight” and the upcoming “Star Trek: Discovery.” However, that’s about to change.
In a move that certainly puts their rivals on notice, CBS All Access has ordered some new shows, featuring some high profile names. The first one to catch our attention is “Strange Angel,” which will have David Lowery direct and executive produce, along with Ridley Scott‘s Scott Free Productions. It will tell the true story of Jack Parsons, a rocketeer and devotee of occultist Aleister Crowley, and will be based on the book by George Pendle. Here’s the synopsis:
ROCKET SCIENTIST KILLED IN PASADENA EXPLOSION screamed the headline of the Los Angeles Times. John Parsons, a maverick rocketeer who helped transform the rocket from a derided sci-fi plotline into a reality, was at first mourned as a scientific prodigy. But reporters soon uncovered a more shocking story: Parsons had been a devotee of black magic.
George Pendle re-creates the world of John Parsons in this dazzling portrait of prewar superstition, cold war paranoia, and futuristic possibility. Fueled by childhood dreams of space flight, Parsons was a leader of the motley band of enthusiastic young men who founded the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a cornerstone of the American space program. But Parsons’s wild imagination also led him into the occult- for if he could make rocketry a reality, why not magic?
With a cast of characters including Howard Hughes, L. Ron Hubbard, and Robert Heinlein, Strange Angel explores the unruly consequences of genius.
Next up, pals and producers Will Ferrell and Adam McKay will be bringing “No Activity,” an American adaptation of the Australian crime comedy series, that essentially plays like “Narcos,” but with jokes.
Lastly, Craig Zobel (“Compliance,” “Z For Zachariah“) will direct and executive produce the mystery thriller “$1,” which will see a bunch of small town characters all connected by the titular monetary note, with the story revolving around a multiple murder.
It’s a big move by CBS All Access, and it’ll certainly be interesting to see how it all plays out.