James Poniewozik

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.