5. Audiences Have Embraced Edgier Fare
Finally, audiences are beginning to reward creators and networks for thinking outside of the box -- for trusting the audience to keep up with complicated story arcs and sticking with questionable moralities. There are three shows that immediately come to mind. First, HBO's Game of Thrones. For so many reasons, this show shouldn't have made it this far. It's fantasy and that's rarely been greeted with cheers on television. It's dark and depressing with an amazing amount of brutal violence and it's HBO's biggest hit right now. GoT contains the largest cast I've ever seen on a television show and the most complicated set of plots to boot. The whole production is put together which so much love and confidence that I believe it's rubbed off onto the audience. This is a big win for us. Second, FX's Sons Of Anarchy. Are you guys watching this? I know I am and it's a rarity in that it has consistently gotten better every season. What started off cool, became more entertaining and then moving. It now stands tall among the very best shows currently on air and is absolute poetry to behold. Who thought a show about a band of outlaw bikers would work? It's now one of the most watched shows in cable history. This brings us to the third show. AMC's The Walking Dead. I'm not even going to ask if you watch this because I know you do. I know everyone does. It has positively shattered every cable record known to man. It routinely beats the pants off of broadcast network shows and by the way, that's a first for the industry. Let's make sure we're clear on this. A show about zombies is the most watched scripted show on television. Thanks tv viewers for finally growing a set of balls.