FX Is Gunning For HBO (And Netflix Is Next)

These TV times, they are a-changing. FX started off its presentation at the Television Critics Association‘s 2018 summer tour with a session from its CEO John Landgraf. And kicking it off, the man who coined the phrase “peak TV” walked back one of his criticisms about the limits of the television bubble, explained how this current TV landscape has contributed to “narrative exhaustion.” He also outlined FX’s plans to expand and diversify its content while still maintaining its lofty bar for award-winning programming.

The short version? If FX wants to keep up with Netflix and HBO when it comes to awards game, it needs to diversify.

“The number of new series I’ve seen announced this week — including ours — alone makes me suspect that the golden age of television has become the gilded age of television,” Landgraf began. He noted that over the past three years there have only been three programers that have consistently achieved 50 or more Emmy nominations — Netflix, HBO, and FX (NBC didn’t clear the 50 nomination mark in 2016). In 2018, FX achieved its 50+ nominations through 10 series. Conversely, HBO’s high nomination count came from 15 programs and Netflix’s came from 39 programs.

“To put it another way, FX received an average of about five nominations per submitted program in scripted series categories as did HBO,” he said. “However as happy as we are with our batting average, it’s pretty clear that for FX to move beyond the 50 or so nominations that we’ve been getting and closer toward the 100 or so nominations of HBO we’re going to have to produce shows in more than just three programming categories (drama, comedy, and limited).”

Landgraf noted that FX currently has 25 series in its stable, though the network only has 15 shows on the air. In the future FX will be exploring more projects when it comes to animation and docuseries. However, Landgraf later noted that he’s also interested in expanding the brand to include variety shows, specials, and late night as well.

This was a different FX than the network that has appeared at TCAs past. Instead of focusing on the rise and likely eventual bust of peak TV or  how streaming services’ very open pockets have hurt television, Landgraf’s session primarily focused on how TV’s growth related to FX. So far in 2018, premium cable has increased its output of scripted shows from 19 shows to 27. Streaming has jumped from 52 shows to 76. (It should be noted that both network television and basic cable saw a decrease in scripted shows released in 2018.) In order for FX to keep up with its premium cable and streaming peers on the awards front, the cable network needs to expand its focus.

Though Landgraf has noted in the past that the bubble of great television is close to bursting, this session saw less panicked and more reflective presentation. “One of the things that’s driving this extraordinary level of investment in television content and other forms of content right now is this kind of this epic battle between very large companies that are now going to be in the streaming business,” he said. “I think as long as that competition is very hot, as long as those services are scaling up, there’s likely to be a very substantial increasing investment in scripted series.”

“I think my earlier estimates that peak TV would have peaked are wrong now. I think it’s a ways away,” he said.

However, that doesn’t mean Landgraf has stopped focusing on the limits of this era of television. The CEO warned of “narrative exhaustion” and predatory economics. “I once said to this group that I think there’s too much television. But now I think that’s too narrow. There’s too much story,” he said.

Back in January, Landgraf started his executive session with a number — 487. That was the number of scripted shows that premiered during the 2017 television season, a 7 percent increase in scripted television from 2016’s 455 shows. At the rate 2018 is going, it seems likely that this year is on track to beat that shockingly large number. Only time will tell if a more diversified FX will push the network to the levels of HBO and Netflix, but with two new series announced today as well as a fourth season of Fargo, it’s off to a good start.