What sizzled, fizzled on the small screen
TV was tumultuous in 2016: More streaming apps, more delayed viewing, and more shows led to a dizzying year. Our take on some noteworthy trends:
TRUE-CRIME RISE Decades-old crimes came to the fore. FX’s American Crime Story:
The People v. O.J. Simpson offered a fictionalized account of the NFL star’s murder trial, while ESPN’s documentary O.J.: Made
in America painted a detailed portrait of Simpson’s life, career and the case. The case of JonBenet Ramsey was revisited by three TV projects on the 20th anniversary of her death; CBS’ version pointed the finger at her brother. Netflix’s Making a Mur
derer, released last December, reverberated when its subjects, Brendan Dassey and his uncle, Steven Avery, fought for acquittals. And the all-crime Investigation Discovery network ranked among cable’s top 12. TIME TRAVEL TEST It was a clever conceit in Back to
the Future and TV’s 50-year-old drama The Time Tunnel, but this year’s crop of time-travel dramas fizzled. NBC’s Timeless and CW’s
Frequency will finish out their short runs early next year. Come spring, two more tries, ABC’s Time After Time and Fox sitcom Making History, will try to make viewers forget the past. SUPERHERO STARS Just when you though the Marvel and DC universes couldn’t expand further, TV found a way. Netflix has premiered Marvel’s
Luke Cage, its third of five planned Marvel series, joining ABC’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (though Agent Carter was canceled), and made plans for FX’s Legion, Freeform’s Cloak and Dagger and ABC’s
The Inhumans, due next year. CW picked up its fifth DC Comics series, Supergirl, from parent CBS, and AMC’s Preacher and Fox’s Lucifer surfaced. NBC will try a half-hour comedy,
Powerless, in 2017. DIVERSITY DEVELOPMENTS In a year that saw the #Oscars SoWhite campaign criticize Hollywood for movies that were too lily-white, TV painted a different picture with a record number of major roles played by a diverse array of actors. Eighteen series had diverse leads this fall, up from six in 2011. But the progress wasn’t entirely altruistic: Programmers say they recognized the economic value of reaching a growing audience of minority viewers. AWARDS SHOW FATIGUE Continuing a recent trend, awards shows are losing viewers. In 2016, the Oscars, Emmys, American Music Awards, Country Music Association Awards and MTV’s Video Music Awards were at or near record lows.