James Poniewozik

It doesn't have the quirks and bumps and idiosyncrasies that mark a show that you are going to remember and will stick with you for a long time.

It doesn't have the quirks and bumps and idiosyncrasies that mark a show that you are going to remember and will stick with you for a long time.

Uh, Palme Royale on Apple TV. There are no doors on the back of the Palme Royale.

Uh, Palme Royale on Apple TV. There are no doors on the back of the Palme Royale.

Exactly. Who among us does? The cast was absolutely loaded. Kristen Wiig, Laura Dern, Carol Burnett. It looked fabulous. And if you watched the whole thing, you probably forgot that you'd seen it a week later.

Exactly. Who among us does? The cast was absolutely loaded. Kristen Wiig, Laura Dern, Carol Burnett. It looked fabulous. And if you watched the whole thing, you probably forgot that you'd seen it a week later.

So I think of the prestige television era as the era beginning around the turn of the 21st century, when you had the emergence of a lot of new cable outlets, ones like HBO. that in order to distinguish themselves in the marketplace, started taking big bets on unusual shows that they had freedom to produce that traditional broadcast TV didn't. And a classic example of this is The Sopranos.

So I think of the prestige television era as the era beginning around the turn of the 21st century, when you had the emergence of a lot of new cable outlets, ones like HBO. that in order to distinguish themselves in the marketplace, started taking big bets on unusual shows that they had freedom to produce that traditional broadcast TV didn't. And a classic example of this is The Sopranos.

Right. On NBC, ABC, you couldn't do a show about a kind of sympathetic mobster. On HBO, you can.

Right. On NBC, ABC, you couldn't do a show about a kind of sympathetic mobster. On HBO, you can.

We get The Wire. We get Breaking Bad. I am the one who knocks. People like Martin Scorsese start making TV series. Actors like Glenn Close start starring in cable TV series.

We get The Wire. We get Breaking Bad. I am the one who knocks. People like Martin Scorsese start making TV series. Actors like Glenn Close start starring in cable TV series.

TV was, you could argue, the premier popular art medium of its time. And also, it's now big business. Netflix, which used to be the company that you got DVDs from in the mail, starts making original TV programming. You look great. I mean, who knew you could rock orange? And then it ultimately is joined by Amazon. We don't need cops like you anymore, Bush. By Apple. Hey, how y'all doing?

TV was, you could argue, the premier popular art medium of its time. And also, it's now big business. Netflix, which used to be the company that you got DVDs from in the mail, starts making original TV programming. You look great. I mean, who knew you could rock orange? And then it ultimately is joined by Amazon. We don't need cops like you anymore, Bush. By Apple. Hey, how y'all doing?

I'm Ted Lasso. Disney. Guilty of being the god of mystery. Paramount.

I'm Ted Lasso. Disney. Guilty of being the god of mystery. Paramount.

And that creates this money gusher directed at starting up a lot of new shows in order to create enough content for these platforms to produce a lot of prestige-y looking thumbnails when you get to the home screen of the app. And what is serving up those thumbnails to you? It's the algorithm. It's deciding what you are likely to click on and keep watching to generate those viewing hours for them.

And that creates this money gusher directed at starting up a lot of new shows in order to create enough content for these platforms to produce a lot of prestige-y looking thumbnails when you get to the home screen of the app. And what is serving up those thumbnails to you? It's the algorithm. It's deciding what you are likely to click on and keep watching to generate those viewing hours for them.

And that creates a different kind of incentive. That's not the kind of incentive where you're like, oh, I'm going to create a drama about a mobster in New Jersey because people haven't seen that before and it'll be so surprising they'll watch it.

And that creates a different kind of incentive. That's not the kind of incentive where you're like, oh, I'm going to create a drama about a mobster in New Jersey because people haven't seen that before and it'll be so surprising they'll watch it.

It is, I'm going to generate something that kind of reminds you of that show that you watched about the mobster in New Jersey, so that you'll click on that and watch our streaming platform for a little longer. Each man in the 101st Airborne would be going home. You loved Band of Brothers back when it was on HBO.

It is, I'm going to generate something that kind of reminds you of that show that you watched about the mobster in New Jersey, so that you'll click on that and watch our streaming platform for a little longer. Each man in the 101st Airborne would be going home. You loved Band of Brothers back when it was on HBO.

All right, Apple TV is going to give you Masters of the Air, which is more boring, but it's good enough for now.

All right, Apple TV is going to give you Masters of the Air, which is more boring, but it's good enough for now.

You liked Big Little Lies on HBO.

You liked Big Little Lies on HBO.

Okay, we'll make Apples Never Fall, another Leanne Moriarty novel. Not as distinctive or original or surprising, but probably good enough for now.

Okay, we'll make Apples Never Fall, another Leanne Moriarty novel. Not as distinctive or original or surprising, but probably good enough for now.

It's this tsunami of familiar, safe content that results in just a deluge of mid-TV.

It's this tsunami of familiar, safe content that results in just a deluge of mid-TV.

Well, I think it's definitely a danger for the TV industry. You know, I think if you have a lot of same-seeming stuff out there, you run the risk of just oversaturation of the market, which in fact is what we seem to be experiencing now. I mean, I don't think that the artists of television have gotten less creative. Yeah.

Well, I think it's definitely a danger for the TV industry. You know, I think if you have a lot of same-seeming stuff out there, you run the risk of just oversaturation of the market, which in fact is what we seem to be experiencing now. I mean, I don't think that the artists of television have gotten less creative. Yeah.

I think that it is more difficult in this environment to pitch off-the-wall, idiosyncratic and personal ideas. You know, something like Fleabag, which was an amazing show that really represents a risk for a programmer that is responsible for answering to boards and all the people who've put up all this money.

I think that it is more difficult in this environment to pitch off-the-wall, idiosyncratic and personal ideas. You know, something like Fleabag, which was an amazing show that really represents a risk for a programmer that is responsible for answering to boards and all the people who've put up all this money.

You know, talent always finds a way out. There are times in the history of any medium when it gets a little more difficult for talent and originality to find its way. But artists want to create, even when all the forces of money and business and the culture and technology are pushing against that and trying to smooth out the bumps. And that's what gives me hope.

You know, talent always finds a way out. There are times in the history of any medium when it gets a little more difficult for talent and originality to find its way. But artists want to create, even when all the forces of money and business and the culture and technology are pushing against that and trying to smooth out the bumps. And that's what gives me hope.

One show this year that I absolutely loved and could recommend unreservedly was We Are Lady Parts. It is this fresh, irreverent, screamingly funny British sitcom about a band of female Muslim punk musicians.

One show this year that I absolutely loved and could recommend unreservedly was We Are Lady Parts. It is this fresh, irreverent, screamingly funny British sitcom about a band of female Muslim punk musicians.

Part of what works so well about We Are Lady Parts is that it is very much a story that is about trying to make original, outspoken art under the constraints of working for a big entertainment corporation.

Part of what works so well about We Are Lady Parts is that it is very much a story that is about trying to make original, outspoken art under the constraints of working for a big entertainment corporation.

Another show that I really liked and is so original that I almost have a hard time characterizing it was Fantasmas, which was a comedy on HBO this year starring the comic funny person, Julio Torres.

Another show that I really liked and is so original that I almost have a hard time characterizing it was Fantasmas, which was a comedy on HBO this year starring the comic funny person, Julio Torres.

I think a term I used for it was sketch fantasy about a young man trying to rent an apartment in New York. It's kind of this surreal stream of consciousness look into his imagination and the workings of his mind. Julio, you need a new apartment. And to get a new apartment, you need proof of existence.

I think a term I used for it was sketch fantasy about a young man trying to rent an apartment in New York. It's kind of this surreal stream of consciousness look into his imagination and the workings of his mind. Julio, you need a new apartment. And to get a new apartment, you need proof of existence.

It's the opposite of mid-TV. It's not trying to be familiar or safe or, you know, kind of a turn-your-brain-off experience. It's a surprising, fun show that makes you pay attention because it's so original.

It's the opposite of mid-TV. It's not trying to be familiar or safe or, you know, kind of a turn-your-brain-off experience. It's a surprising, fun show that makes you pay attention because it's so original.

That's one thing I love about television is that it's a medium that ideally is very responsive to changes in the culture and shifts in the currents. And it's a way for different voices that you may not have encountered before to percolate through and kind of shift your perspective. So talent will out. Talent will out. It may take a little longer sometimes than the others, but talent will out.

That's one thing I love about television is that it's a medium that ideally is very responsive to changes in the culture and shifts in the currents. And it's a way for different voices that you may not have encountered before to percolate through and kind of shift your perspective. So talent will out. Talent will out. It may take a little longer sometimes than the others, but talent will out.

Oh, thanks for having me.

Oh, thanks for having me.

Mid-TV. Yeah. It's not great. It's not terrible. It's just mid-TV. Explain what you mean by that. Mid-TV is okay TV of the present that kind of reminds you of great TV of the past. It's, you know, got a famous cast. It was shot in fancy locations. It's sleekly produced. It's tasteful, but it's just not especially memorable.

Mid-TV. Yeah. It's not great. It's not terrible. It's just mid-TV. Explain what you mean by that. Mid-TV is okay TV of the present that kind of reminds you of great TV of the past. It's, you know, got a famous cast. It was shot in fancy locations. It's sleekly produced. It's tasteful, but it's just not especially memorable.