“Star Trek: Discovery” will now launch in May 2017 instead of January on CBS All Access, TheWrap has learned.
“Bringing ‘Star Trek’ back to television carries a responsibility and mission: to connect fans and newcomers alike to the series that has fed our imaginations since childhood,” executive producers Alex Kurtzman and Bryan Fuller said.
“We aim to dream big and deliver, and that means making sure the demands of physical and post-production for a show that takes place entirely in space, and the need to meet an air date, don’t result in compromised quality,” they continued. “Before heading into production, we evaluated these realities with our partners at CBS and they agreed: ‘Star Trek’ deserves the very best, and these extra few months will help us achieve a vision we can all be proud of.”
This will no doubt come as a huge blow to Trekkies across the world, who have been eagerly awaiting the show since it was announced last year.
As originally planned, the premiere episode of “Discovery” will air on CBS, with all subsequent episodes available in the U.S. exclusively on CBS All Access. Each episode of the series will be available globally within 24 hours of its U.S. premiere, presented on Netflix in 188 countries and through Bell Media platforms in Canada.
“Star Trek: Discovery” is produced by CBS Television Studios in association with Kurtzman’s Secret Hideout, Fuller’s Living Dead Guy Productions and Roddenberry Entertainment. Kurtzman, Fuller, Heather Kadin, Gretchen J. Berg, Aaron Harberts, Rod Roddenberry and Trevor Roth will serve as executive producers.
If it’s any consolation for “Star Trek” fans (though not likely), CBS also set the premiere date for “The Good Wife” spinoff that will also air on All Access.
The new show that will bring back original series stars Christine Baranski and Cush Jumbo will launch in February, with the premiere episode airing on CBS and then moving exclusively to All Access. The series will pick up one year after the series finale of “The Good Wife.”
Robert and Michelle King, creators and executive producers of “The Good Wife,” will return as the showrunners and executive producers of the spinoff. Phil Alden Robinson co-wrote and will executive produce the premiere episode along with the Kings.
Ridley Scott, David Zucker, Liz Glotzer and Brooke Kennedy will also serve as executive producers. The series will be produced by CBS Television Studios in association with Scott Free Productions and King Size Productions.