Word of the Day
Vacillate (v., VASS-ill-eight)
To be indecisive about something. Well, maybe not quite that. It's not always going back and forth. It could be yes, yes, and no, no at the same time. It might be that. I don't care. Whatever.
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How FX became TV's best, most reliable network
Few television writers are as good as Alan Sepinwall on a good day. The man practically invented the episodic recap format that dominates coverage now, wrote a couple books on TV, and is a terrific journalist.
About a week ago, Sepinwall dropped a fantastic, well-researched, strongly written column about how John Landgraf has guided FX into being TV's best network:
In a business where network notes are viewed somewhere on a continuum from self-parody (fueling a great Twitter account) to pure evil, Landgraf and his team have developed a reputation for giving feedback that their writers and directors not only don't mind, but actively welcome, because the FX staff has a knack for making the shows better, whether they're pointing out an unexplored theme in a story like Landgraf did for The Americans or reminding their creators about the core of the story they started out telling.
"It's not always the case that you feel like the executives think as hard about the art that goes into television as they do about the business of it," says You're the Worst creator Stephen Falk. "It's a network that's operating from a place of artistic largesse and success, so even if they have to compete against $6 billion of Netflix money, the notes never feel like they're coming from a place of fear."
Because of that support, as well as the uncanny knack that Landgraf, FX presidents of original programming Nick Grad and Eric Schrier, and others have had of late in picking and developing the right projects, FX is on as hot a streak as any outfit in the TV business at the moment.
Good journalism makes The Dailies happy, and this certainly qualifies. Read the whole thing.
JournalismTVLeadershipFXHow to manage creative profesionalsHot streaks