With so many dark shows on Televisions, network execs plan on changing future Tv Shows by lightening things up a bit.
With the conclusion of ‘Breaking Bad,’ TV may be nearing the end of the age of ultradark shows.
This recent decade has been marked by hit series like ‘Dexter,’ ‘True Blood,’ ‘Game of Thrones’ and other grim and violent shows, but network execs see things lightening up a bit, according to the NY Daily News.
The FX President, John Landgraf commented on the recent era of dark TV shows.
“I can’t imagine a protagonist darker than Walter White,” says FX President John Landgraf. “I think that’s end of the road for out-darking each other.”
Landgraf’s network regular fare includes “Sons of Anarchy” and “American Horror Story,” both of which have some of the darkest and disturbing story lines on television. Such as American Horror Story Coven which features a slave owner who takes pride in decapitating and torturing slaves.
But, FX is not alone in the dark series on Television many argue that the popularity of ‘The Sorpranos’ illustrated a desire for anti-heroes, a new age of violent and morally complex TV dramas.
When asked about level of violence and darkness in Breaking Bad, the show’s creator Vince Gilligan remarked that it was the also the bits of comedy that made the show successful.
“If our show didn’t have a sense of humor,” says Vince Gilligan, creator of “Breaking Bad,” “it would be unwatchable.”
That’s why shows as dark as “Deadwood,” “The Walking Dead” and “Game of Thrones” all have sprinkles of comic relief. The question is whether, after shows have gone so dark, viewers might need even a little more room to exhale.
“I think we’re now seeing some movement back away from the extreme edge,” says Showtime president of entertainment David Nevins. “I don’t think you can keep going further to the left of what Bryan Cranston did on ‘Breaking Bad.’
“I’m sure somebody will figure out and maybe I’ll figure it out how to go to the left of him, but there’s also interest in more in the middle.”
Overall, there should be a dramatic shift in the type of dark TV shows, as FX President plans to tone down the violence. It will be interesting to see how this will affect actors and the roles they are portraying.
