How the TV industry can reinvent itself in response to coronavirus

Vulture

Release Friends on HBO, encourage shared viewing as much as possible and reinvent the TV schedule. Those are among five proposals Josef Adalian offers for how television could change in response to people staying at home under coronavirus quarantines. "The entire TV business has come to a halt because of the coronavirus pandemic, and nobody has the slightest notion when or how it will start up again," says Adalian. "(See also: the rest of America.) But before the people who run linear TV networks and streaming services start dealing with the very real and very serious implications of closing down the industry, their first task at hand is figuring out how to adjust their programming to match a viewing landscape dramatically different than even just one week ago. So far, not much has changed in TV, save for most talk shows going on hiatus and a lot more news programming. That’s a good thing, since preserving a sense of normalcy matters in unsettled times. Soon, however, networks will use up their backlog of most original scripted series. Shows that were set to premiere in coming weeks, like FX’s Fargo, will get pushed for various reasons, while others already airing this season simply won’t return. And as virus-related news becomes ever more grim, while more Americans inevitably are forced to shelter in place, sticking with reruns or long-planned streaming premieres will seem inadequate. TV, be it streaming or linear, can do much more to help the country get through this crisis."

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