Netflix is in the midst of a correction, and released about 130 fewer originals in 2023 than it did the previous year. Its one show in contention for outstanding drama series at this year’s Emmys, “The Crown,” has already ended. Although the miniseries “Beef” cleaned up, we can expect even fewer original scripted shows in Netflix’s future, as the streamer shifts toward reality-based material such as documentaries, stand-up, talk-shows and sports.
HBO is having its own issues. Back at the dawn of the prestige era, “The Sopranos” battled NBC’s “The West Wing” every year for the title of outstanding drama series. It finally won in 2004, initiating the reign of HBO, which culminated in a record 12 Emmys for “Game of Thrones” in 2015 — a feat it repeated in 2016 and again in 2019. In 2023, HBO had a whopping four shows up for outstanding drama series, including the eventual winner, “Succession,” as well as “The White Lotus,” “The Last of Us” and “House of the Dragon.”
This might seem like proof that the original disrupter is back on top. But there’s a problem: The HBO we once applauded as the avatar of quality programming no longer exists in its previous form. As a result of the current mania for mergers, WarnerMedia, which owned HBO, merged with Discovery in the deal that created Warner Bros. Discovery. In the process, its streaming arm was rebranded. HBO Max, its new moniker, was reduced to, simply, Max, a hollow handle suggesting, at best, “more” or “most” — but certainly not quality.
HBO’s programming is now diluted by appearing alongside shows like the upcoming reality series “Human vs Hamster.” As strong as HBO’s slate of Emmy nominees for outstanding drama may have appeared, “House of the Dragon” is a prequel, “The White Lotus” is an anthology series, “The Last of Us” is based on a video game and “Succession” has ended its run.
If you’re looking for an existing contender to challenge these fading giants, don’t get your hopes up. Mr. Hastings boasted that his biggest competition was sleep, but he was wrong: His competition is the blizzard of streamers that followed in his footsteps. Their goal is the biggest and broadest audience possible, unleashing a race toward the mainstream. No longer is there a discernible difference between disrupters and disrupted. Netflix’s recent hits like “The Crown” could easily have been produced by a network. Some of its other hits were. “Young Sheldon,” still going strong on CBS, is available on Netflix.