TV Drama: 2016 Year in Review

Mansha Daswani spotlights some of the drama trends from last year, which saw a record number of scripted original series across broadcast, cable and streaming platforms.

“Peak TV” officially joined the media lexicon in 2015—that year, FX Networks chief John Landgraf made headlines when he declared that there was “too much” scripted television on air. FX Networks-commissioned research found that there were 409 scripted titles across the U.S. landscape in 2015. Fast-forward 12 months and Julie Piepenkotter, the executive VP of research at FX Networks, confirmed that U.S. scripted hasn’t peaked yet. “Peak TV was once again far from peaky in 2016, with a record 455 scripted original series across broadcast, cable and streaming sources.” That marks an 8-percent gain on 2015 and a whopping 71-percent increase since 2011.

Most (181) were on basic cable, followed by network TV (145), streaming (93) and then pay cable (36).

The fact that there was so much drama coming out of the U.S., though, wasn’t the only game-changer in 2016; indeed, European scripted’s light grew even brighter, Turkey’s exports broke new ground, Latin American broadcasters innovated with “super series” and several Asian dramas are being formatted across the globe. (Notable examples: Nippon TV’s Mother becoming a Turkish hit and ABC in the U.S. ordering a murder mystery based on a Korean series.)

What else can we discern from a review of the big stories we covered in our drama resources this year?

In the quest for breakout hits, producers are eagerly snapping up book rights as they look for new ways to clamber through the clutter. Some of the productions in the works include adaptations of Michel Bussi’s Le Temps est Assassin (Time is a Killer), Maria Semple’s Today Will Be Different (starring Julia Roberts in her first TV role), Swedish author Jan Guillou’s best-selling Hamilton books, Chloe Benjamin’s The Immortalists (with that deal sealed before the book was even on shelves), Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, Robert Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land and John le Carré’s The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (on the heels of the critical and commercial success of AMC/BBC’s The Night Manager). Plus, BBC inked a significant deal with Agatha Christie Productions for seven new adaptations of the author’s work over the next four years.

Networks and producers are even dealing directly with famed authors—James Patterson has an agreement with ID and Harlan Coben set up his own outfit with the U.K.’s RED Production Company. Margaret Atwood also had a fruitful TV year, with Alias Grace and The Handmaid’s Tale both heading to screens in 2017.

Similarly, the reboot/spin-off/inspired-by trend persisted throughout the year, with mixed degrees of success. Some of the projects in the works for 2017 are a Sons of Anarchy spin-off, a Snowpiercer series, new versions of Knight Rider and Dynasty, an adaptation of The Lost Boys and Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan for Amazon. Star Trek: Discovery and a Good Wife spin-off are part of CBS’s efforts to make its All Access SVOD service a must-have subscription. And Twin Peaks fans will be eagerly awaiting David Lynch’s return to that story this year on Showtime.

Dramas inspired by true events and significant personalities remained a hot commodity in 2016, most notably led by FX’s The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story. There are plenty more in the wings for 2017, including dramas about El Chapo and Albert Einstein.

While serialized shows made the most headlines, the demand for compelling procedurals remains high—some of the market’s biggest have come to an end (think Castle) or will end soon (Bones). Several companies are looking to fill that gap in the market. Entertainment One’s Ransom begins rolling out in 2017 with RTL, CBS, TF1 and Global as anchor partners. RTL and TF1 are also on board NBCUniversal International Studios’ new procedural drama series, Gone, based on Chelsea Cain’s novel One Kick.

What else will we be keeping our eyes on this year? Netflix’s global production strategy, as the platform steps up its localization efforts around the world. We’ll also be eagerly watching the now-global Amazon Prime on the heels of its big investments like Deutschland 86. And how will HBO fill the gap left by Game of Thrones (the most-pirated show in the world), which will end with season eight?

Co-production is still the word of the moment, even though the very nature of drama co-pros is in a constant state of flux. How will alliances shift and evolve as broadcasters and platforms look to control as many rights as possible?

For those making and selling drama these days, there’s much to be excited about. The genres in demand are as diverse as the countries providing shows to the global market. Episode counts and durations are in flux as storytellers play with the freedom afforded them by online platforms. Master showrunners like Ryan Murphy, Shonda Rhimes, Dick Wolf and Steven Moffat still command a lot of airtime, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for new breakout talent (à la the Duffer Brothers with Netflix’s summer binge hit Stranger Things). But in an era of peak TV, there are challenges ahead. As Rebecca Eaton, the executive producer of Masterpiece on PBS, told me early last year, “What will be the fate of all this product? How will the audience, even with time shifting, be able to manage it? It does seem a little unsustainable to me, and I speak from a focus group of one, myself, just trying to keep up with the [shows] I want to watch. With all this drama, I don’t know how anybody can keep up in the numbers we need them to keep up.”

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