NBC knows that today's viewers prefer to binge-watch their favorite shows, so the network is giving the people what they want with the new series, "Aquarius."
NBC announced on Wednesday that it will release all 13 episodes of the drama series, starring David Duchovny, on NBC.com, the NBC app and VOD on Thursday, May 28. That same night, "Aquarius" will air its two-hour premiere on TV.
The move is unprecedented for a broadcast network, but mimics the strategy used by video streaming sites like Netflix and Amazon Prime. But unlike those other streaming services, NBC will only make "Aquarius" available for four weeks from the premiere date.
The entire series has already been produced and edited, which made it available to release all at once.
"With 'Aquarius' we have the opportunity to push some new boundaries to give our audience something no broadcast network has done before," NBC Entertainment Chairman Bob Greenblatt said in a statement. "I appreciate the enthusiasm we've gotten from the producers of the show and our partner Marty Adelstein of Tomorrow Studios to launch this series in a new, forward-thinking way."
"Aquarius," a work of historical fiction, follows Sam Hodiak (Duchovny), a decorated World War II veteran and Los Angeles homicide detective in 1967 during the height of the counterculture and Vietnam War. In his search for a young runaway, he and his younger partner Brian Shafe (Grey Damon) get on the trail of the infamous career criminal, Charles Manson.
"Aquarius" will premiere on Thursday, May 28 at 9 p.m. on NBC.
