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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: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 02 2015, @01:49AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 02 2015, @01:49AM (#231086)

    Those stargate shows went on forever...

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 02 2015, @01:59AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 02 2015, @01:59AM (#231092)

    Not anymore, unless you count Dark Matter as a stargate show.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 02 2015, @12:31PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 02 2015, @12:31PM (#231222)

    Those stargate shows went on forever...

    Except for SGU, the one with the most potential. :(

  • (Score: 2) by quacking duck on Wednesday September 02 2015, @01:52PM

    by quacking duck (1395) on Wednesday September 02 2015, @01:52PM (#231258)

    Those stargate shows went on forever...

    The first series, SG1, tried wrapping up several times: Seasons 6 (kind of), 7 and especially 8. They just kept on getting renewed, and having to up the stakes higher and higher with more powerful enemies. Then in the 10th season when they actually planned the plot to extend to another season, they got cancelled, and had to wrap up that storyline in a TV movie.