Tina Fey's Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Moves From NBC to Netflix

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is making a big move ahead of her 2015 debut.

The new sitcom from Tina Fey, which was originally ordered to series by NBC, will now premiere on Netflix instead, the streaming service announced Friday.

The series, Fey's first since the acclaimed 30 Rock ended in early 2013, stars The Office's Ellie Kemper as Kimmy, a woman who escapes from a doomsday cult and starts life over in New York. 30 Rock alums Jane Krakowski and Tituss Burgess, as well as Lauren Adams, Sara Chase, Sol Miranda and Carol Kane (The Princess Bride) round out the cast.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt was picked up by NBC in May, but held for midseason. Although the comedy was expected to debut on the network sometime in early 2015, it will now premiere exclusively on Netflix. Additionally, Netflix has already picked up a second season.

"We are thrilled to have the opportunity to debut Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt exclusively on Netflix, which has proven to be such an outstanding place for distinctive, original programming," Fey and executive producer Robert Carlock said in a statement. "Happily, we will still collaborate with our longtime partners at Universal Television to fulfill Netflix's two-season order. We grew up at NBC and will continue to develop broadcast projects with them as well. We found the inspiration for this series in Ellie Kemper's shining all-American face, and we know that she and Kimmy Schmidt have found their best possible home at Netflix."

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Added Cindy Holland, Netflix's Vice President of Original Content: "The very construct of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt -- its offbeat premise, hilarious and rich characters and serialized storytelling -- make it a perfect Netflix comedy series. Tina and Robert's unique comic voice and sensibility come through in this series and we could not be more excited to present Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt exclusively to Netflix members around the world."  

This is the second comedy and third overall project that NBC has dropped ahead of its debut in recent months. In late August, the network pulled the plug on the Wizard of Oz-inspired event series Emerald City. NBC then shut down production on the Will Ferrell-produced space-race comedy Mission Controlin October.

"When the opportunity arose for Tina Fey and Robert Carlock to premiere their new show on Netflix with a two-season commitment, we decided this was the best possible scenario to launch this captivating new series.  While it was originally developed for NBC, we have a very drama-heavy mid-season schedule so we're thrilled about this Netflix opportunity; it's an instant win-win for everyone, including Tina, Robert, and Universal Television," NBC Entertainment Chairman Robert Greenblatt said in a statement. "We're already talking to these extraordinary creators about new development for NBC, but meanwhile, everyone here from Universal Television will do everything possible to see that Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt becomes a long-running hit on Netflix."

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