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CBS Television Studios announced today it will launch a totally new
Star Trek
television series in January 2017. The new series will blast off with a
special preview broadcast on the CBS Television Network. The premiere
episode and all subsequent first-run episodes will then be available
exclusively in the United States on
CBS All Access, the Network’s digital subscription video on demand and live streaming service.
The next chapter of the
Star Trek franchise will also be
distributed concurrently for television and multiple platforms around
the world by CBS Studios International.
The new program will be the first original series developed specifically for U.S. audiences for
CBS All Access,
a cross-platform streaming service that brings viewers thousands of
episodes from CBS’s current and past seasons on demand, plus the ability
to stream their local CBS Television station live for $5.99 per month.
CBS All Access already offers every episode of all previous
Star Trek television series.
The brand-new
Star Trek will introduce new characters
seeking imaginative new worlds and new civilizations, while exploring
the dramatic contemporary themes that have been a signature of the
franchise since its inception in 1966.
Alex Kurtzman will serve as executive producer for the new
Star Trek TV series. Kurtzman co-wrote and produced the blockbuster films
Star Trek (2009) with Roberto Orci, and
Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) with Orci and Damon Lindelof. Both films were produced and directed by J.J. Abrams.
The new series will be produced by CBS Television Studios in
association with Kurtzman’s Secret Hideout. Kurtzman and Heather Kadin
will serve as executive producers. Kurtzman is also an executive
producer for the hit CBS television series
Scorpion and
Limitless, along with Kadin and Orci, and for
Hawaii Five-0 with Orci.
Star Trek, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary in
2016, is one of the most successful entertainment franchises of all
time. The original
Star Trek spawned a dozen feature films and five successful television series. Almost half a century later, the
Star Trek
television series are licensed on a variety of different platforms in
more than 190 countries, and the franchise still generates more than a
billion social media impressions every month.
Born from the mind of
Gene Roddenberry, the original
Star Trek
series debuted on Sept. 8, 1966 and aired for three seasons – a short
run that belied the influence it would have for generations. The series
also broke new ground in storytelling and cultural mores, providing a
progressive look at topics including race relations, global politics and
the environment.
“There is no better time to give
Star Trek fans a new series
than on the heels of the original show’s 50th anniversary celebration,”
said David Stapf, President, CBS Television Studios. “Everyone here has
great respect for this storied franchise, and we’re excited to launch
its next television chapter in the creative mind and skilled hands of
Alex Kurtzman, someone who knows this world and its audience
intimately.”
“This new series will premiere to the national CBS audience, then boldly go where no first-run
Star Trek series has gone before – directly to its millions of fans through
CBS All Access,” said Marc DeBevoise, Executive Vice President/General Manager – CBS Digital Media. “We’ve experienced terrific growth for
CBS All Access,
expanding the service across affiliates and devices in a very short
time. We now have an incredible opportunity to accelerate this growth
with the iconic
Star Trek, and its devoted and passionate fan base, as our first original series.”
“Every day, an episode of the
Star Trek franchise is seen in
almost every country in the world,” said Armando Nuñez, President and
CEO, CBS Global Distribution Group. “We can’t wait to introduce
Star Trek's next voyage on television to its vast global fan base.”
CBS All Access
offers its customers more than 7,500 episodes from the current
television season, previous seasons and classic shows on demand
nationwide, as well as the ability to stream local CBS stations live in
more than 110 markets. Subscribers can use the service online and across
devices via
CBS.com,
the CBS App for iOS, Android and Windows 10, as well as on connected
devices such as Apple TV, Android TV, Chromecast, Roku players and Roku
TV, with more connected devices to come.
The new television series is not related to the upcoming feature film
Star Trek Beyond which is scheduled to be distributed by Paramount Pictures in summer 2016.
