Amazon Gives "The Man In The High Castle" Full Season Go-Ahead

Amazon has given the go-ahead for a full season of The Man in the High Castle, with the first episode of the Philip K. Dick story being Prime Instant Video's most popular pilot so far. The pilot trial has several other winners, too, with a total of five shows being tested through the on-demand service and finding favor among viewers. It's no small project, either, with contributions from such established names as Ridley Scott, Shawn Ryan, and Frank Spotnitz all involved.The Man in the High Castle imagines an America where the Allied Forces lost World War II, with the 'States portioned up between Germany and Japan. Within that dystopian alternative timeline, freedom fighters from both coasts struggle to overthrow fascist occupation, amid growing tensions between the Germans and the Japanese as Hitler's health fades and his successors hover in the wings.

Meanwhile, Mad Dogs, The New Yorker Presents, Just Add Magic, and The Stinky & Dirty Show have also been given the green-light for more episodes. Amazon says the first of those should start to show up later this year and then into 2016.

In addition, Amazon Original Series Mozart in the Jungle will get a second season, set to debut early next year. Gael Garcia Bernal, Saffron Burrows, Lola Kirke, and Malcolm McDowell will all return to their roles from the first season.

Amazon takes a crowdsourcing approach to commissioning new shows, putting out a range of pilots for its US, UK, and German viewers, and then deciding which should get more cash based on viewing figures and ratings.

While at times controversial, the process has nonetheless seen some gems rise to the top. Transparent, a series about a transgender parent and her awkward interactions with a dysfunctional family, won several Golden Globe awards earlier this year.