Yahoo announces two new original comedy series

Yahoo is looking to expand its online video offerings with two new original series, the company announced Monday.

The two new half-hour comedy series will come from producers Paul Feig, Mike Tollin and Bryan Gordon. And more than previous Yahoo original productions, such as the Ben Stiller-produced “Burning Love,” these series will seek to compete with other TV-style original online series, like the offerings from Netflix and Hulu.

“Other Space,” from Feig, is a science-fiction comedy about a group of intergalactic explorers who find themselves trapped in a hostile parallel universe much more dangerous than our own. The eight-episode season will chronicle the crew’s attempts to get back home. Sort of like “Star Trek: Voyager” meets “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.”

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“Sin City Saints,” from executive producer Tollin and director Gordon, is set in the front office of a fictional pro basketball expansion team in Las Vegas. The series also has an eight-episode order and will follow the exploits of the team after its purchased by a Silicon Valley entrepreneur.

The two series will be available sometime in 2015 online through Yahoo Screen, through Yahoo Screen’s mobile app or on regular TV through Apple TV or Roku.

The original series expand on Yahoo’s efforts to improve its comedy programming online. Last year, the company gained exclusive rights to “Saturday Night Live’s” vast archives of material, going all the way back to 1975.

The New York Times said Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer would be unveiling the two shows during a presentation at Lincoln Center in New York on Monday night.