Netflix Looking to Take On ABC’s Horror Show ‘The River’

Netflix has its eye on ABC’s freshman drama The River, which is facing cancellation. Netflix is already in talks with 20th Century Fox TV about possibly picking up Terra Nova, which was recently cancelled by Fox, for a second season.

It’s being reported that the push for original content by the streaming giant is making them more willing to take risks on what they see as quality programming.  Netflix is currently negotiating with The River producer ABC Studios about the possibility of continuing the thriller/horror series.

It is being stressed that the talks are merely exploratory at this point and that the show has not officially been cancelled by ABC. Even though The River has not been officially canceled by ABC, it is widly considered a foregone conclusion.The talks are also part of a larger conversation between ABC Studios and Netflix for other undisclosed properties.

The River was never a big ratings win for ABC, finishing its mid-season run with a 1.4 18-49 rating for its season finale. On the other hand, heavily serialized genre series like The River have been highly successful on streaming services like Netflix. The River, like  Terra Nova, was more often viewed as a DVR recording rather than when it aired live. DVR ratings are usually a good indication of how many viewers would prefer to watch the show on their own timetable instead of watching it the night it airs, which would almost directly translate to the popularity of the show on Netflix.

It will be interesting to see what shows will appeal to Netflix to give new life to their flat lining series.

We’ll have more info as Netflix gets closer to finalizing a deal.