Though Netflix offers a lot of incredible programming on their platform at the moment, you’ll want to keep a close eye on their latest. The dark comedy Maniac just received a 10-episode straight-to-series order, with Emma Stone and Jonah Hill set to star and Cary Fukunaga (True Detective season one) attached to direct every episode. I think we may have found your next favorite show right here.
As reported by Variety, the upcoming series, inspired by a popular Norwegian show from last year, centers on a guy (Hill) who lives a fantasy life in his dreams while locked away in a mental-institution with a fellow inmate (Stone). Expect a more fantasy-based One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest than Sucker Punch, though. With these many high-profile people already attached, this looks like it could get House of Cards-level popularity. And while no writer is attached at the moment, expect that to change very, very soon.
In addition to Netflix producing, Maniac also comes from Paramount TV and Anonymous Content. This is the second straight-to-series project Paramount and Netflix have co-authored together, having already put paper-to-pen on the upcoming Selena Gomez-produced 13 Reasons Why, which has Tom McCarthy (Spotlight) on-board to direct some episodes. Hill, Stone and Fukunaga are all attached as executive producers at the moment as well. Fukunaga and Netflix are already familiar with one another, having distributed Fukunaga’s last film, Beasts of No Nation, in the fall. However, this marks the first Netflix project for both Hill and Stone, and their first regular TV debuts. Well, I guess if you’re not counting Allen Gregory. This is not the first time they’ve worked together, however, as they both starred in 2007’s Superbad.
And, of course, this is just one of many, many, many, many, many mouth-watering projects coming from Netflix in the next year-or-so. To list them all would be futile. You’ll know about them when they start popping up as recommendations on the site. You know, after you’re done trying to catch up on all the other original shows they have on their site right now. Have I mentioned how much good TV there is out there? Because there’s a lot of good TV out there, especially from Netflix. It’s insane. It’s truly insane. It’s enough to drive someone into a madhouse.
