Netflix picks up Cobie Smulders’ series return, ‘Anne of Green Gables’ adaptation

Netflix is clearly busy when it comes to their pickups this morning! So far, the streaming giant has already picked up two different series, and we’re not even at 11:00 a.m. just yet here on the West Coast.

Let’s start here with “Friends from College,” a show that immediately excites us based solely on its cast. We’re talking about Cobie Smulders in her first series-regular gig since “How I Met Your Mother,” Keegan-Michael Key of “Key & Peele” fame, Fred Savage coming off of “The Grinder,” and the perpetually-underrated Nat Faxon from “Ben and Kate.” Annie Parisse of “The Following” and Jae Suh Park (“The Mindy Project” are also on board.

The comedy has Nick Stoller (who also worked with “The Grinder” behind the scenes, and the premise here is simple enough: Former Harvard students meeting up to realize just how successful / unsuccessful they have become over the years. As of right now, the first season will consist of eight half-hour episodes. Part of the appeal here for Key, Smulders, and other cast members may be that they get to do an exciting project, and still have time for other things.

“Anne of Green Gables” – Meanwhile, the service is teaming with the CBC in order to revive one of the most iconic stories in Canadian literature. Moira Walley-Beckett (“Breaking Bad”) will, per Deadline, helm an eight-episode first season that will follow in part the familiar story while also incorporating many new elements along the way. Given that there are so many other versions of this out there already, it’ll be interesting to see how this one stands out — or if it does.

Stay tuned, as we’ll have more news on these shows as it starts to come out! You can also sign up over at this link to secure some other TV news on everything we cover via our official CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: Netflix.)