As an entertainment editor, the question I get asked even more often than “How are you?” is “What should I watch?”
It’s a privilege to be able to watch things in advance, know what’s good and what’s not, and be able to give advice to friends and loved ones on how best to spend their precious time. But lately, that’s been uncomfortable. The answer to the question “What should I watch?” is… not much.
After years of hearing about the era of #TooMuchTV and the rise of prestige television, we find ourselves in a rare lull.
House of the Dragon has just finished its second season. Limited series like Baby reindeer, RipleyAnd Fellow travelers aired their last episodes a long time ago. From presumption of the innocent has received a lot of attention for its shocking finale. It would be wise to Shogunthe best TV series of the year. If the loud discourse about the new season of The bear didn’t inspire you to watch it, I don’t know what else it will. And Hacking aired a perfect season, which also ended in June.
While there are plenty of great TV shows to catch up on, there’s nothing exciting or thrilling on right now. The water cooler is empty.
After an explosion in content, production has actually dropped this year. According to FX CEO John Landgraf, whose “State of the Union” on the explosion in series is a must-read for entertainment journalists, production dropped 14 percent last year. While 600 series were released in 2022, the number dropped to 516 last year. To be clear, that’s still so many showsBut it also corresponds to the well-known cliché: so many channels, but there is nothing to see.
There is much that justifies this decline.
First, there was a 148-day scriptwriters’ strike that delayed production on most shows, and we’re now seeing the effects of that in a period of a few weeks where no exciting new seasons are premiering on television.
Additionally, content spending has been massively cut across most platforms (except Netflix), and combined with network TV’s dwindling pilot seasons, this means there are fewer series to watch than we’ve been used to in recent years.
One of the reasons the current lack of good TV options is so striking is because it’s been a fantastic year for television. It’s also been relentless, with sometimes dozens of new shows premiering every week.
But it’s not as bad as you might think.
As already mentioned, it would be wise to be aware of Shogun, the InnocentAnd HackingThe season of House of the Dragon may be boring, but HBO’s true gem, Industryreturns on Sunday night. If you like this show, which is often compared to Successionthen you’re in for a treat. And then there’s all the great reality TV that’s currently airing.
One of the hottest pop culture conversations right now is the question of what to do about The Real Housewives of New Jerseywhich produced a finale that was both epic and suggested that the show, at least in its current version, has hit a wall. Also on Bravo is the series that started it all, The Real Housewives of Orange Countyis currently broadcasting its best season in years. There is also The Real Housewives of Dubaiwhich has every chance of achieving cult status in its second season.
Only murders in the building returns on August 27, so it’s only a short wait. And the fall TV schedule is incredibly strong, especially the new FX series The English teacherby far the funniest and best new show I’ve seen this fall. NBC’s St. Denis Medicalwith Wendi McClendon-Covey, David Alan Grier and Allison Tolman is very, very funny. And there’s a new sitcom coming with Reba McEntire!
We’re just so used to a flood of new content that it feels a little strange to be twiddling our thumbs, at least this week, waiting for some great TV to come along again. Thankfully, that’s happening soon.
