FX
This is pretty bizarre news, if it’s true, because there’s no denying that FX is one of the best networks on the air right now. Where some networks like AMC have one or two good shows, FX hits on all cylinders with awesome dramas like Sons of Anarchy, hilarious comedies like Archer and Louie, and whatever the holy hell American Horror Story is. The only bad show on the network is Charlie Sheen’s Anger Management, and if they make enough money off of that to pay for the good shows more power to them. But a recent report from Broadcasting & Cable might indicate that they’re planning on messing with a very winning formula.
The report says that as soon as this September, Fox (the owner of the network) will launch “FXX,” targeting younger viewers or what is currently being referred to in marketing jargon as “millennials.” That network will get all of FX’s existing comedy series. Some of those seem to be a great fit – Archer, It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, The League and Anger Management all skew comfortably to the younger generation. But it’s really hard to see how Louie, a show that’s entirely about how awful it is to be an old man and watch yourself dying by the minute, appeals to this demo. Subscribers to the network will
Meanwhile, back on FX, the network’s tentpole dramas like Sons of Anarchy and Justified as well as upcoming shows like Powers and The Americans will stick around, bolstered by the usual Fox-owned movies and TV shows that currently fill up the network. There’s some precedent for this, as TBS and TNT are sort of split along the same lines, but I don’t know if FX will be as must-watch of a network with only three or four good shows on it. And seriously, “FXX?” I guess it just lays the groundwork for the all-porno “FXXX” to launch in 2017.