Picture: BBC / HBO
Netflix in the US has lost out to HBO in the bidding war for the big British series of the year, Gunpowder. The series starring Kit Harrington has been widely praised, but it may be coming to Netflix in other regions.
The three-episode series is a limited run order and as a result has already finished airing on the BBC in the United Kingdom. Kit Harrington stars and produces the show as he plays Robert Catesby and retells the famous gunpowder plot from the 17th century.
The acquisition by HBO is a natural fit, given Kit is widely known on the network for his well-known role in the Game of Thrones series, Jon Snow. Kit said in a statement: “Three years ago, Daniel West and I conceived and began developing ‘Gunpowder’ with Kudos and Ronan Bennett.” adding, “We are now thrilled to share this unique story with the U.S. audience. I can’t think of a better place to do that than my home at HBO.”
HBO will be airing the series through December and will then carry the show on its streaming services, HBO Go and HBO Now. The first episode is scheduled to air on December 18th.
Netflix does carry some BBC shows exclusively, as well as several co-productions in the works for 2018 and beyond. Some of its exclusive shows include Sherlock, Luther, and Peaky Blinders, while some of the co-productions it’s currently working on include The Last Kingdom, The Worst Witch, Watership Down, Requiem, Collateral, and Black Earth Rising, to name a few.
Other Netflix regions may be luckier when it comes to gaining the streaming rights to the show, including the United Kingdom. The BBC tends to drop its older content on Netflix UK a year or two after it aired and other regions may drop sooner.
In the meantime, Netflix has a special limited-run series airing in November called Godless, which should be on everyone’s radar.
