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posted by LaminatorX on Wednesday September 02 2015, @12:30AM   Printer-friendly
from the diamonds-in-the-coal-pile dept.

John Koblin writes in the NYT that there's a malaise in TV these days that's felt among executives, viewers and critics, and it's the result of one thing: There is simply too much on television. John Landgraf, chief executive of FX Networks, reported at the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour that the total number of original scripted series on TV in 2014 was 371 and will surpass 400 in 2015. The glut, according to Landgraf, has presented "a huge challenge in finding compelling original stories and the level of talent needed to sustain those stories." Michael Lombardo, president of programming at HBO. says it is harder than ever to build an audience for a show when viewers are confronted with so many choices and might click away at any moment. "I hear it all the time," says Lombardo. "People going, 'I can't commit to another show, and I don't have the time to emotionally commit to another show.' I hear that, and I'm aware of it, and I get it." Another complication is that shows not only compete against one another, but also against old series that live on in the archives of Amazon, Hulu or Netflix. So a new season of "Scandal," for example, is also competing against old series like "The Wire." "The amount of competition is just literally insane," says Landgraf.

Others point out that the explosion in programming has created more opportunity for shows with diverse casts and topics, such as "Jane the Virgin," "Transparent" and "Orange Is the New Black." Marti Noxon, the showrunner for Lifetime's "UnREAL" and Bravo's "Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce," says there has been a "sea change" in the last five years. "I couldn't have gotten those two shows on TV five years ago," says Noxon. "There was not enough opportunity for voices that speak to a smaller audience. Now many of these places are looking to reach some people — not all the people. That's opened up a tremendous opportunity for women and other people that have been left out of the conversation."


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  • (Score: 2) by Dunbal on Wednesday September 02 2015, @06:08PM

    by Dunbal (3515) on Wednesday September 02 2015, @06:08PM (#231375)

    Oh and another thing since you got me started on that subject, I don't think those shows that just take stuff from the internet (or before the internet, from people's home videos) and put it on television "content" either. Seriously. The best bit is when I've already seen those videos and know exactly which watermarks have been "blurred out".

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  • (Score: 1) by Francis on Wednesday September 02 2015, @06:37PM

    by Francis (5544) on Wednesday September 02 2015, @06:37PM (#231382)

    I get that, unfortunately, we seem to be in the minority. I briefly enjoyed the Real World for a couple seasons back when the reality TV thing was a bit less transparent, but I stopped watching those well before Survivor and the whole industry blew up.

    There's some good scripted TV shows that come out, but it's hard to find a series that lasts long enough to invest myself in. Often times they're canceled before they have a chance to find an audience. I remember years back liking Cupid, later I found that there were more than just the 3 episodes I watched aired, but for some reason it got moved on the schedule with no notice and I'm guessing a lot of people didn't follow it past the move. Others like The Cape, have a really good premise and world, but aren't allowed enough time to get an audience.

    Movies are a bit more honest. They pick it up for one movie and that's probably it. You might get a sequel, but you usually have an idea as to whether or not that's even a possibility when writing it.

    • (Score: 2) by Dunbal on Wednesday September 02 2015, @09:11PM

      by Dunbal (3515) on Wednesday September 02 2015, @09:11PM (#231452)

      Oh I won't say there are no good TV shows. Gotham I quite like. Breaking Bad was awesome. Everyone raves over Game of Thrones - personally I've never seen it. But be honest, we (millions of people) are paying $50+ (or in my case with HD channels, etc $100+) per month to these people, every month. And MOST channels ALSO have ad revenue, when they manage to actually sell some space in between the endless repeated sperg about the "new" show they've been repeating all season. At $100+ a month I should have a hard time choosing between blockbuster shows to watch, not spend hours channel flipping to see if there's anything good on to finally settle on that episode of that show that I've already seen 5 times.