In December the service went into a free limited beta, which NBCUniversal’s Evan Sharpiro compared to the soft-opening of a restaurant, saying “space is limited and we might ask for your patience while we work out our service.” Evidently things went fairly smoothly, as the service launched as planned on January 7.
Offering a mix of classic programming and original content, Seeso casts a wide net over the world of comedy. Existing programming ranges from older classics like Monty Python’s Flying Circus and The Kids in the Hall to newer favorites like 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation, and The Office. For fans of British comedy, The IT Crowd, The Mighty Boosh, Fawlty Towers, A Bit of Fry and Laurie and the original U.K. version of The Office are all available.
Original content currently includes Before the Morning After, Dave & Ethan: Lovemakers, and The UCB Show from Upright Citizens Brigade founders Amy Poehler, Matt Walsh, Ian Roberts, and Matt Besser, while upcoming content includes HarmonQuest from Community and Rick and Morty creator Dan Harmon. Live streaming comedy shows from The Barrel house in San Francisco are another key part of the lineup.
While plenty of the existing programming is available on other services, Seeso seems to be betting on the combination of original content, a low monthly price, and no ads to draw cord-cutters in. Offering next-day viewing of Saturday Night Live plus late night shows from Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers is another key advantage.
With the service still in early stages, Seeso isn’t yet available on all platforms. You can watch the service on the Web and apps are available for both iOS and Android devices, but at the time of this writing it isn’t yet available for Roku, Amazon Fire TV, or Apple TV devices. It shouldn’t be too long of a wait, however, as the Seeso about page reads that it is “coming soon to all devices.”
