Netflix hires Chernin exec

Netflix has bolstered its comedy credentials with the appointment of an industry veteran from Chernin Entertainment.

Jane Wiseman was most recently senior VP of comedy at Los Angeles-based Chernin where she helped produce shows including New Girl for Fox.

She has now been named senior exec of original programming at Netflix, reporting to original programming chief Cindy Holland.

The appointment could signal a bigger push into original comedy for Netflix, whose homegrown efforts in the genre so far span Arrested Development – arrived in completed form from 21st Century Fox – and comedy-drama Lilyhammer.

Prior to Chernin, Wiseman was senior VP of comedy development at NBC and Universal Media Studios, working on shows including Up All Night and Whitney, and before that was director of comedy development at Fox where her credits include Arrested Development.

Meanwhile, Netflix has picked up streaming rights to Breaking Bad spin-off Better Call Saul. Subscribers in Europe and Latin America will be able to watch the upcoming series “within days” of its broadcast in the US, while those in Canada and America will gain access to the show after it finishes its first season on AMC Networks.

The show, which is being produced by Sony Pictures Television, features character Saul Goodman played by Bob Odenkirk, who first featured in hit series Breaking Bad – the success of which has been attributed to its availability on Netflix.