Netflix is continuing to expand their library of original content this week as they have reportedly picked up the U.S. rights to the new Ricky Gervais series Derek to be released sometime next year. The show will join Lilyhammer, David Fincher’s House of Cards, Eli Roth’s Hemlock Grove, Jenji Kohan’s Orange is the New Black and the fourth season of Arrested Development as exclusive programming that will only be available through Netflix in the U.S. (Derek will still be available via Channel 4 in the U.K.). Here is what Gervais had to say about the announcement:

“Netflix is the future. TV habits have already changed drastically over the last 10 years and this is the next phase. People want their favorite shows on demand whether they are homegrown or not… As an artist you want the fruits of your labor to be seen by the largest number of people possible without having to compromise the product. This deal gave me the freedom and the huge potential viewers of the Internet but the production values of film and TV. They also made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. Come on, an artist gotta eat man.”

The pilot episode for Derek aired earlier this year and drew some criticism because it appeared to be making fun of mentally challenged folks. The show stars Gervais as a sweet but naive man who works in a nursing home (Karl Pilkington also plays the home’s caretaker). While I wasn’t a huge fan of the first episode, I am somewhat curious to see how it works when fleshed out into a full series.

On a related note, although Ricky Gervais’ writing partner Stephen Merchant isn’t involved in Derek, he is busy working on an comedy pilot of his own for HBO called Hello Ladies (based on his own standup special). Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky (The Office) co-wrote it with him. If that’s not enough, they also have three one-hour An Idiot Abroad specials coming later this year featuring Karl Pilkington and Warwick Davis. Are you looking forward to Derek and what do you think of Netflix’s first foray into original programming?