Being a TV executive sounds like a dream job. Even yours truly, the TV critic, used to think it sounded peachy. The power to create content, to make or break careers, to change lives and change how viewers interpret the world.
Not so, these days. Don't want that job. The business culture, technology and constant controversy about the culture inside entertainment make everything frighteningly fraught.
The landscapes of technology and business are shifting so rapidly. Half the world wakes up every day prepared to be gobsmacked by the latest twist in the tumult of the Trump era. But new twists don't often have a direct impact on most people's lives and jobs.
A TV exec arises each day to find out about another disgraced actor, writer or producer. Or about another new streaming service. Or a dozen new series being announced by Netflix. Or about a giant corporate communications body is about to swallow smaller fish.
John Landgraf, the chief executive of the FX Network, knows all this only too well. Famously, he takes a pensive view that borders on the lugubrious.
Speaking here on Friday at the TV critics press tour, Landgraf opened with this: "I've increasingly found that understanding the changes impacting TV has required thinking about the even larger changes happening across the landscapes of technology, information, and business. Thinking about last year, 2017, brought to my mind the first words of Charles Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities: 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.' Information technology and the internet are rapidly transforming almost every aspect of our lives, some for better, some for worse."
FX, part of the Fox organization, is a small player punching way above its weight in this era of acclaimed and galvanizing longform TV storytelling. It's a basic-cable channel with advertising and reaches 90 million homes in the United States. Yet, it ranks third behind HBO and Netflix in terms of awards and entries on best-of lists.
The big breakthrough came in 2014, when FX received 45 Emmy Award nominations, with Louie, Fargo and American Horror Story: Coven receiving multiple nominations. Since then, there's been The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story, Feud: Bette and Joan, Better Things, Atlanta, The Americans, and more awards for Fargo and Louie.
But, think about it – Louie is the work of Louis C.K., now disgraced following sexual-misconduct allegations. He is also co-writer and co-producer on Better Things. FX cut all ties with him and conducted an investigation to discover if there was any misconduct on his FX shows. There wasn't, Landgraf says, but a huge creative force at the channel is gone.
One recent day, Landgraf found out that a complex $52.4-billion (U.S.) deal that had Disney acquiring parts of 21st Century Fox meant that FX will be under Disney control if and when regulators approve the deal.
To anyone, FX's menu of challenging, adult-oriented programming seems a poor fit with Disney's long-established family-friendly brand.
Landgraf is optimistic, as he must be, professionally, about the deal. "In some ways, it's odd that FX and Disney's brands are so different from each other. But it's a good thing."
Hope springs eternal in TV, but then there's the threat of Netflix, which wants to own the world of TV content and seems to have the money to achieve that. Netflix always makes Landgraf a little angry and a little mystified. "Netflix is a money-losing enterprise," he says. "It's losing money, but gaining market share."
In 2015, Landgraf notoriously coined the phrase "Peak TV" and said there was "too much television." He predicted a downsizing, as broadcasters and cable adapted to streaming services and original content from online services. Landgraf eventually speculated that the number of original, scripted series might reach 500 a year in 2017. On Friday, he said that by his calculation, the number was 487 for the 2017 calendar year.
"FX has 74 competitors," he said, almost dolefully. But he says he finds the challenge bracing. "Ironically, I've become so concerned about our shrinking attention span and dwindling tolerance for dissent that, as much as I very much want audiences to watch FX's carefully curated and highly contextual television shows, I'm now glad when anyone takes the time to watch even one of our competition's television series, as long as it demands their sustained attention and challenges their knee-jerk perceptions."
FX unveiled Ryan Murphy's followup to his O.J. drama, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, which will premiere later in January. Also touted was the highly anticipated second season of Atlanta, the final season of The Americans and a new Danny Boyle/Simon Beaufoy mini-series, Trust, which is an ambitious take on J. Paul Getty and of the kidnapping of John Paul Getty III. And, newly announced Mayans MC, a sort-of spinoff from Sons of Anarchy.
An embarrassment of riches or shows crying out for viewers and attention? The TV executive can never be sure these days. Anything can happen. And these days, it's usually not anything good if you're a TV exec.