John Landgraf, the long-serving chairman of FX Networks, made the following comment at the Television Critics Association: “There’s simply too much television.” Remarkably, he made that statement in 2015 when there were 400 original scripted series. That number rose to 600 in 2022 but has been receding since then, although still well above 400. It is impossible to keep up. Not including the broadcast channels, there are more than 50 streaming services available in the U.S. The good news is that there is something for everyone; the bad news is that it’s essentially impossible to wade through everything, leading up to my point. It’s impossible to keep up.
My latest thumbnail sketches include series that premiered as long ago as last summer and as recently as last week. It seems to be a case of diminishing returns because few of the new offerings rise above the mediocre. And of course, this is always just my impression; a glance at Rotten Tomatoes will illustrate the wide range of opinions on offer.
