Residue.

TV It's the end of the month and as ever the always useful New On Netflix UK is collating new additions to the streaming service's database which on this occasion includes Residue, a three part sci-fi genre series starring Natalia Tena, best known as Osha in Game of Thrones (Walder's friend) (well, ok, Hodor's friend). The rest of the cast is a selection of character actors from GoT and Who and the like.  It's written by John Harrison from the Dune tv mini-series and I was entirely intrigued because it doesn't seem like something which has been on television already.

That's because it hasn't.  Residue was created without a broadcaster attached utilising an indie film funding model.  As TBI explains, Matador Television produced the series on-speck hoping to sell the rights to broadcasters or if that fails as a film.  It is self contained apparently but they're hoping that if it's a success for international sales to allow for a second, longer series.  Content distribution has previously handled their films which is presumably one of the reasons it's now turned up on Netflix.

Is this something new or has television been independently produced in this space for a while and we've actually been seeing this stuff on terrestrial tv already but with us assuming it was a channel commission?  Is television like this also being produced but going unseen in a similar situation to the glut of films which were produced and shelved during the initial glut of lottery funding?  What especially interesting is that its three one hours which don't easily lend themselves to commercial stations (unless alternative edits have been produced).