‘Last Kingdom’ is Netflix’s latest binge-worthy British TV series

Netflix

• The latest hit British TV series from Netflix is “The Last
  Kingdom,” and its third season dropped on Monday.
• The series first premiered on BBC networks in 2015, and its
  second season was co-produced by Netflix.
• The third season was an exclusive production of Netflix,
  highlighting the streaming giant’s successful strategy of
  acquiring British shows and making them available to a wider
  audience.

 

Netflix’s strategy of acquiring hit British TV shows and
introducing them to a global audience has already found success
this year with “The End of the F—ing World” and more recently “Bodyguard.” Its
latest, “The Last Kingdom,” premiered its third season on Monday.

“The Last Kingdom” moved from a BBC series in its first season,
to a co-production with Netflix it its second, and finally to a
Netflix exclusive in its third.

Netflix describes the series, which
has an 87% Rotten Tomatoes critic score, like this:
“As Alfred the Great defends
his kingdom from Norse invaders, Uhtred —
born a Saxon but raised by Vikings — seeks to claim his ancestral
birthright.”

READ MORE: ‘Bodyguard’ is the latest hit
British TV show that Netflix has streamed to American audiences,
and it has a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes

The New York Times said “The
Last Kingdom” can fill the gap between now and when the final
season of HBO’s “Game of Thrones” premieres in April.

“If you’re looking for something to fill the ‘Game of
Thrones’-shaped hole in your heart until the final season
runs next year, consider trying this fictional drama
series about the formation of England,” the Times
said.

The first season of “The Last Kingdom” premiered in 2015 on
BBC Two and BBC America, and is based on Bernard Cornwell’s
“Saxon Stories” series of novels about ninth-century
Britain.

The show’s first two seasons were comprised of eight
episodes each, while the third is 10. It highlights Netflix’s
confidence in its British TV strategy, and audiences’ positive
response to the series so far. The strategy benefits both
Netflix, which attracts new subscribers, and British television,
which finds new fans it wouldn’t have if limited to British
networks.

Executive producer Gareth Neame told The Guardian in April
that the series “didn’t break through” until Netflix co-produced
the second season with BBC and streamed it to a wider
audience. 
The third season was an exclusive
production of Netflix, according to The Guardian.

“Their mission seems to be to back storytellers and let
them get on with it,” Neame said.