Amazon’s IMDb Launches Original Series ‘UnMade’ About Comedians’ Rejected Hollywood Pitches

By Todd Spangler

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – IMDb, the Amazon-owned entertainment database, has premiered its latest original show: “UnMade,” featuring Rainn Wilson, Nick Cannon, Kristen Schaal, Reggie Watts and other comedians discussing early pet projects that were never produced, until now — sort of.

In each episode, one of the guest comedians recounts a project they created and pitched back when they were unknowns in the industry. “UnMade” brings scenes from their treatments to life to show Hollywood what might have been.

released the first three episodes Wednesday, Jan. 16, with Jay Chandrasekhar, and sharing their never-produced projects. Future guests will include Nick Cannon, Bobby Moynihan, Tig Notaro, Paul Rust, Reggie Watts and “Weird Al” Yankovic.

For IMDb, the show is another expansion into original video content, joining other original series including “The IMDb Show,” “So Far,” “No Small Parts” and “Casting Calls,” as it looks to boost user engagement (and, by extension, ad revenue). It also dovetails with IMDb’s Freedive free, ad-supported entertainment channel , launched last week, which offers a collection of licensed library movies and TV shows to stream for free (alongside IMDb’s originals).

In the first episode of “UnMade,” Rainn Wilson (“The Office”) reveals his pitch for a series called “Assisted Living,” in which two slackers inherit a retirement home. Schaal’s episode takes viewers behind the scenes of her film “Avant Garde,” which she crafted during a college screenwriting class, and Chandrasekhar’s never-made project is “Mickleberry: Cat in Space,” following the adventures of a cat astronaut.

“Excited to add this credit of authentic genius to my IMDb page,” Schaal quipped in a comment provided by the company.

IMDb will release new episodes of “UnMade,” which will run 5-8 minutes each, weekly on its website (at imdb.com/unmade ), iOS and Android apps, and the Freedive channel. The short-form series is produced for IMDb by Electus’ Big Breakfast and was co-created by Luke Kelly-Clyne and Steve Marovitch of Big Breakfast.

“‘UnMade’ provides fans with a comedic new perspective on how the industry works, and why certain projects get made — or don’t,” said Steve Bernstein, GM of IMDb Video.

Pictured above (l. to r.): Rainn Wilson, Nick Cannon, Kristen Schaal