A few words about the so-called “death of Scripted TV” because, you know, oversaturation has set in.
Except that as this article points out, it hasn’t:
by Michael Schneider
As HBO ponders expanding its volume of series, FX is also looking to grow its programming stable beyond just drama, comedy, and limited series. FX Networks CEO John Landgraf, who has often lamented the state of “too much TV” in these peak times, admitted Friday to reporters that “the number of series I’ve seen announced just this week, including ours, alone makes me suspect that the ‘Golden Age of Television’ has become the ‘Gilded Age of Television.’”
Like HBO programming president Casey Bloys, who assured reporters at the TV Critics Association press tour that HBO is cognizant of maintaining its quality brand while expanding its offerings, Landgraf said FX continues “to be deliberate focused and specific about our brands even as we expand the scope of our programming.”
“We hope you will feel we’re making sincere efforts to have the FX brand actually provide value to consumers who are trying to navigate the vast sea of options with the highest quality programming,” he said. The network currently releases around 15 series each calendar year, but Landgraf is looking to increase that output by branching into factual programming, increasing output in animation and exploring additional genres.
Landgraf noted that Netflix dominated the Emmy nomination tally in drama, comedy, and limited series by submitting 39 different programs. In comparison, HBO submitted 15 and FX submitted 10.
“We and HBO remain almost exclusively focused on the best in TV quality as we invest in programming,” he said. “As happy as we are with our batting average its clear that to move beyond the 50 or so nominations we’ve been getting and closer to the 100 or so like HBO and Netflix, it’s clear we have to produce more than three categories.”
Meanwhile, Landgraf — who issues a “Peak TV” tally at the end of the year — shared his midseason report, noting that there have been 319 scripted series so far, up 5 percent from 305 last year. Here’s the chart:
