X-Files, Twin Peaks, Arrested Development, Full House - with so many revivals being put into development on top of the already existing onslaught of adaptations and remakes, it’s easy to understand why many view the television industry as having fallen victim to the “what’s easy to sell” mentality rampant in the feature film market. It seems every day new ideas are being pushed aside for “safe” choices that shut out creativity and innovation. However, this isn’t true. In fact, there are still plenty of original concepts floating around the small screen, but in order for that to remain the case, the IP overload narrative is one that must be perpetuated.
Yesterday, at its uprfront presentation, USA announced ten new series it had put into development. Of those ten series, nine were of the scripted variety. Of those nine, seven were original concepts. Yes, of the latest development cycle at the NBCUniversal owned network, the name of the game was originality first, adaptation second (even if one of the two adaptations [Erik Kripke’s Amped] has the best shot of moving forward). And USA isn’t alone. We’ve already discussed repeatedly how, How to Get Away with Murder and Empire caused a drastic shift in which shows made it to the pilot stage in this year’s development cycle at the big five, and none of this is even addressing the amount of original material already produced and slated to launch including the upcoming UnRealat Lifetime, Sense8 at Netflix NFLX +2.61%, Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll at FX, Blunt Talk at Starz and Angie Tribeca at TBS… just to name a handful without doing much digging.
But, while there are far more original shows being thrown into development and production than many realize, it’s also clear where the buzz of these developing projects is being pointed. Audiences aren’t talking about the upcoming Aquarius at NBC or Mr. Robot at USA. They’re talking about Twin Peaks’ revivallosing David Lynch as its director. They’re talking about the Supergirl costume for the character’s new CBS CBS +0.57% series. They’re talking about which fan-favorites are set to return for the X-Files reboot. There’s little buzz being given to the massive slate of original programming being churned out to the public… and this is great news because it means all these original concepts can work in their own little bubble and ultimately go into the game without heavy expectation which ultimately will be their greatest advantage.
Empire was considered such a massive hit because there was little performance expectation running behind it. Fox didn’t really care if the show did a 2 or 3 in demo because it didn’t think it was going to perform half as well as its actual big push, Gotham. When the show began with nearly a 4 in demo and grew week-to-week until topping out at nearly a 7 rating before factoring in time-shifted viewing, that’s when the network realized it had something special. Empire was left alone to do what it needed to do to succeed because it was expected to be a moderate hit at best. Ultimately, this is what leads to success for any show regardless of its network.
Through the act of leaving series alone, they’re able to push forward untouched and unhinged. They’re allowed to develop naturally, away from the peering eyes of network oversight and, more importantly, fandom. While Fox execs are going to worry heavily about next season’s Minority Report, the in-developmentStudio City will be ignored. While CBS works to build-up its new Criminal Minds spin-off into something worth a series order, it will more than likely forget it even has a show called Sneaky Pete in the works at all. Sure, some may view this as a disadvantage, but it’s not. The less expectation any Hollywood project has – be it TV or film – the higher the likelihood it is that the project will ultimately be considered a success (just ask the team behind John Wick). Less expectation means less demand to perform at a high level which means greater chances of survival in the highly competitive world of small screen entertainment.
Fans and analysts alike will throw their eyes of interest behind the hot new adaptation or revival because it’s easy fodder – this analyst included. It’s easy and safe to discuss why six new episodes of The X-Files can be a success or failure and what it means for the industry. But what’s the argument for a show no one’s heard of before from a writer that’s had no breakout success outside word of mouth from those in the know? How can one truly spin the potential of something new? You can’t… so you don’t. Television is as fertile and nurturing of original programming as ever, there are simply too many content producers in need of material for it not to be, so don’t mistake a lack of press, buzz and fan-service for a lack of originality on the small screen.
