FX chief John Landgraf unveils latest annual drama findings

John Landgraf

John Landgraf, FX Networks and FX Productions chairman, has unveiled the latest findings from his company’s annual scripted survey.

It found that there were 532 scripted drama and comedy shows on US television in 2019, up 7% on the year previous.

The data was compiled by FX’s research team and unveiled during the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour, where Landgraf predicted that the total would again rise in 2020.

“Given that the streaming wars are now at hand, that total will increase substantially this year, which to me is just bananas,” he said.

FX originals including Cate Blanchett-starring Mrs America and Alex Garland’s Devs, with the network’s series set to soon appear on sibling streamer Hulu, part of the same Disney family that FX now belongs to.

That 532 figure marks a return to surging growth for scripted originals, which increased by just 1.6% in 2018, although Landgraf predicted at the start of last year that 2019 would be a boon year for new shows.

The veteran exec, who first released the scripted originals research five years ago and coined the term ‘Peak TV’ to describe the meteoric growth of originals, added that his network would “continue to take the opposite approach,” with a focus of quality over quantity.