James R | On 04, Jun 2015

Amazon has released a new audio commentary for its original drama series, Transparent.

The show, which stars Jeffrey Tambor as Maura, who has spent her life as Mort—the Pfefferman family patriarch, became the first online show to win a Golden Globe for Best Drama series this year. Before the second season arrives later this year, though, Amazon is hoping to encourage people to re-watch it with a new audio commentary from creator Jill Soloway and stars Jeffrey Tambor, Judith Light, Gaby Hoffmann, Amy Landecker, and Jay Duplass.

It follows a similar move from Netflix last year, which introduced audio commentaries for House of Cards. Indeed, Amazon is increasingly positioning itself as a major streaming contender, announcing eight additional, original series to premiere in 2015 and early 2016, including kids’ shows (Wishenpoof!, Just Add Magic, and The Stinky & Dirty Show) and adult dramas Hand of God, Mad Dogs and The Man in the High Castle, comedy Red Oaks, docu-series The New Yorker Presents, and, of course, Transparent Season 2.

“People are always coming up and asking me questions about how the show came together,” says Soloway. “With this audio commentary, they can hear it for themselves, whether we’re reminiscing about the technicalities of production or just showcasing some of the chemistry we shared.”

Curious how Jeffrey Tambor’s line, “My whole life I’ve been dressing up like a man,” came about? It was inspired by a reaction from one of Jill’s friends to the news of her own parent’s transition.

The scene in episode four where Ali and Sarah have their first post-Maura discussion? That was Amy Landecker and Gaby Hoffmann’s first scene together. The dialogue was based on Jill’s actual conversation with her sister Faith, a staff writer, and was used as an audition scene.

To listen to the new commentary, Prime members in the UK and US can look for the “audio commentary” version of the programme. For more behind-the-scenes trivia, you can also read our interview with Soloway and Tambor.

Transparent is available exclusively on Amazon Prime Video, as part of a £5.99 monthly subscription.

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