More than doubled since 2012
Record number of US series in 2022
The number of new and continuing English-language series in 2022 has peaked at 599. That’s according to the annual count of screenplay series on streaming, cable, and broadcast networks in the United States.
The number of new and continuing English-language series in 2022 has peaked at 599. That’s according to the annual count of screenplay series on streaming, cable, and broadcast networks in the United States. (archive image)
This was done by the television researchers from FX Research (from the Disney group). Accordingly, the number of “Original Scripted Series” rose by 40 (plus 7 percent) last year, as reported by industry services such as “Variety” and “Hollywood Reporter” on Thursday (local time). Apart from the pandemic-hit 2020, the total number of series has been increasing in recent years. It has more than doubled since 2012.
FX boss John Landgraf noted that production of fictional series has slowed in the second half of 2022 from the rapid pace of the first six months, when more than 350 series had already been released. This could be a sign that the actual peak of the series hype has now been reached in 2022.
A number of large media companies had recently canceled new seasons for cost reasons. Netflix, for example, canceled the continuation of the expensive production “1899” by the German “Dark” makers Jantje Friese and Baran bo Odar.
The FX researchers no longer break down their balance sheet by classic TV or streaming. The statistics only include US productions and English-language series, i.e. no international productions or, from a US perspective, foreign productions such as the Netflix hit “Squid Game” from South Korea or German series such as “The Empress” or “Barbarians”. The list also does not include children’s programming or short-form content.
(SDA)