Now that AT&T’s Audience Network announced that it would be ceasing operations earlier this year, TV fans have been wondering where the shows that were branded as originals to the cable network would go. It seemed like a move to HBO Max would be the best bet, given AT&T’s merger with Warner Bros., but one of the most popular programs from Audience, Mr. Mercedes, is actually going in a different direction. It was announced on Monday that Mr. Mercedes would be moving over to NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming service as an exclusive.
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Three seasons of the Stephen King adaptation have already aired on Audience Network to solid reviews from critics. The problem is, most TV fans never really had the chance to watch it. That will change this fall as Mr. Mercedes moves to Peacock while Audience becomes a preview channel for HBO Max.
The first two seasons of Mr. Mercedes will be released all at once on Peacock on October 15th, giving new fans a chance to binge the early installments. The third season will be released sometime in the future, premiering as a Peacock original series.
This isn’t the only instance of a series moving from a lesser-known network or service to a more established home in recent memory. Amidst the struggles of YouTube’s originals, Karate Kid sequel series Cobra Kai was purchased by Netflix. The first two seasons were released this past month and have remained one of the most popular shows on the service. The third season, which has already been filmed but was never released on YouTube, will debut as a Netflix original in 2021.
A similar situation has unfolded with L.A.’s Finest, a Bad Boys spinoff series that has aired exclusively on Spectrum. While it remains on Spectrum for the time being, the first season is going to be released on FOX this fall, making up for the lack of network programming due to COVID-19 shutdowns.
Mr. Mercedes stars Harry Treadaway, Brendan Gleeson, Kelly Lynch, Jharrel Jerome, Mary-Louise Parker, Holland Taylor, Justine Lupe, Breeda Wool, Scott Lawrence, Ann Cusack, Jack Huston, Tessa Ferrer, Maximiliano Hernandez, and Nancy Travis.
Peacock, unlike most other streaming services, has a tier of free programming for folks to enjoy without a subscription. The shows branded as Peacock Originals offer a couple of episodes on that free tier, but require users to subscribe in order to watch the rest.
Are you looking forward to checking out Mr. Mercedes on Peacock? Let us know in the comments!
