Leaving Amazon Studios in 2017, despite my disputes with the accusations, the future of the larger industry appeared bleak. Over the past year, major studios, from Warner Bros. to Paramount, have been hit with layoffs and write-offs. The legacy broadcast business, once the industry’s mainstay, is now considered non-essential, as stated by Disney’s CEO Bob Iger. HBO, known for its TV excellence, had its name abruptly changed to Max when they introduced the streaming service HBO Max. The allure of streaming, a business model that captivated the entire industry, has proven to be costly and not as enjoyable as anticipated. Disney+ has experienced consecutive subscriber losses for two quarters. Amazon faced disappointment with its “Lord of the Rings” series, which had lower-than-expected viewership numbers. Additionally, the looming presence of artificial intelligence adds further uncertainty. When people do return to work, they will seek safe and guaranteed hits.
However, to fully grasp the peril of prestige TV, we must go back 30 years to its inception with “The Larry Sanders Show.” Introduced by HBO in 1992, the show received 56 Emmy nominations over the following six years. Although it wasn’t a hit by broadcast standards, it became a topic of discussion in trendy circles. Many of its key writers and producers, including Judd Apatow and Steve Levitan, went on to greatly influence TV and film comedy. “Sanders” was a single-camera sitcom without a laugh track, featuring self-aware celebrity cameos and clever meta-dialogue. It was real, harsh, and hilarious.
Buoyed by the critical acclaim, cable TV outlets such as HBO, Showtime, and FX expanded in the late ’90s to produce edgier shows like “The Sopranos,” “Sex and the City,” and “Oz.” Airing on pay cable allowed these shows to surpass FCC restrictions on language, sex, and violence, and they fully utilized that creative freedom. From a business perspective, those interested in shows like “Sanders” and “The Sopranos” were more likely to pay extra for a subscription TV service. Thus, the era of prestige TV began. The slogan “It’s not TV. It’s HBO.” summed it up perfectly: Prestige TV aimed to be “filmovision” – as dark, true-to-life, or shockingly violent as necessary. It was unconstrained television.
When streaming platforms started producing their own shows, they followed a similar model. Netflix made waves with “House of Cards,” “Orange Is the New Black,” and “BoJack Horseman,” while at Amazon we introduced “Transparent,” “Fleabag,” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” The goal was to gain attention and accolades – and it succeeded. In 2015, “Transparent” became the first streaming show to win a Best Series award at the Golden Globes. By 2021, streaming platforms dominated the majority of outstanding comedy and drama Emmy nominations, with shows like “Ted Lasso” (Apple TV+) and “The Crown” (Netflix) taking home the awards. However, none of these shows achieved the massive audiences of network hits like “The Big Bang Theory” or “Dancing With the Stars.”
Now, the pendulum is swinging back towards shows with lower prestige but higher viewership. On Max, you’ll find a mix of “Game of Thrones” and “Succession” alongside “House Hunters” and “Dr. Pimple Popper.” While there are still occasional edgy exceptions like “The Bear” and “Squid Game,” there has been a surge in conventional programming such as tween shows and true crime.
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