It turns out The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt really can’t be broken: After NBC opted not to go forward with the Ellie Kemper–led fish-out-of-water comedy from 30 Rock producers Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, Netflix has swooped in to buy the first season of the series — and order a second season for good measure. In a late Friday press release, NBC basically admitted there was no room at the Peacock for Kimmy: “We have a very drama-heavy mid-season schedule,” said Robert Greenblatt, who oversees both the NBC network and sister studio/Kimmy producer Universal Television. Of course, NBC could have found some physical room on its lineup for the show — it’s not like its Tuesday or Thursday comedies are setting the world on fire. But network execs likely figured there was little chance a quirky comedy from the 30 Rock brain trust would stand much of a chance on NBC right now, given the network has zero real comedy hits (and Parks and Rec is headed into its last, probably low-rated season). Enter Netflix, which doesn’t have to worry about ratings and can now associate itself with Fey. As Greenblatt noted, “It’s an instant win-win for everyone.” All 13 episodes of the first season of Kimmy will launch on Netflix in March.
