Netflix was recently the victim of a hacking that resulted in the leak of never-before-seen Orange Is the New Black episodes and the movie Handsome. Now, it seems that the hacker or hackers aren't quite done releasing content before official premiere dates. Episodes of Steve Harvey's new ABC summer show Funderdome have hit the web courtesy of the entity known as The Dark Overload.
Eight episodes of Funderdome were posted on the torrent site Pirate Bay ahead of the official premiere, which is set for Sunday, June 11. ABC has not yet released a statement about the incident, but the episodes of Orange Is the New Black were posted after Netflix declined to pay a ransom to The Dark Overlord. Money could be the motivating factor in the Funderdome hack, although a public demand for funds does not seem to have occurred. Deadline reports that the Orange Is the New Black episodes are thought to have been pilfered from a Hollywood post-production facility last year; something similar could have happened with ABC.
The leak delivers on The Dark Overlord's threat from last week that ABC may "be up next." The hacker or hackers also claim to have obtained copies of episodes from CBS, IFC, Fox, NatGeo, and more. While we don't know how accurate such claims are, the leaks for Netflix and now ABC prove that The Dark Overlord doesn't bluff. The next network that finds its name mentioned by The Dark Overlord may want to start preparing for something unpleasant.
That said, if ABC was going to have episodes of a series leaked, Funderdome probably isn't the most disastrous. Orange Is the New Black is a popular drama that ended its previous season on a cliffhanger, so the leak of Season 5 could have major consequences for Netflix. Funderdome is a competition reality series that won't exactly feature week-to-week cliffhangers or major serialized plots. If anything, all the buzz that will be generated by the hack may motivate more people to tune in to live episodes. ABC obviously won't be celebrating the fact that its brand new series was leaked by a hacking entity calling itself "The Dark Overlord," but at least it wasn't the Grey's Anatomy and Scandal finales last month.
We can only wait and see if The Dark Overlord strikes again. If you want to catch Steve Harvey in action on Funderdome the legal way, the series premieres on Sunday, June 11 at 9 p.m. ET on ABC. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for the latest in TV news, and don't forget to check out our summer TV premiere schedule to discover all your viewing options now and in the coming weeks. Be sure to drop by our rundowns for cable/streaming and broadcast TV renewals and cancellations as well. If streaming is more your style, our Netflix premiere schedule will help you out.
