10 thoughts on “WTFrock Is Happening With Historical Drama These Days?

  1. I don’t think airing TV productions from the U.K. helps very much. The majority of them – but not all – seems rather mediocre to me. Including the highly popular “Downton Abbey”, “Poldark” and “Victoria”. Personally, I think the Golden Age of British period drama ended by the end of the last decade. And here in the U.S., I’m getting tired of promising period shows barely making it past their first or second seasons. It’s becoming almost the norm. Let’s face it . . . television period drama is not what it used to be on both sides of the Atlantic and for different reasons.

  2. The article was both intelligent and thought provoking.
    I agree with your premise that PBS is, has been and will be the major source of ‘Frock TV’. And I, also, urge everyone that can afford it to contribute to their local PBS station. Especially now with a Nouveau riche uncultured idiot occupying 1600 Pennsylvania Are.

  3. What those execs miss is that niche shows are what people lose their sh*t over. People are fanatical about their thing, whether it be frock flick, fantasy or sci-fi. If it is done well people will buy everything to do with it (Merchandising! where the real money from the movie is made)

  4. Buffy season one? When she falls madly in love with the vampire/stalker/pedophile? one of those is scary enough not to get all three (what where we all thinking?). As for the rest, Jeff is not in it for art or even entertainment, but purely for the $$$. AND it has to sell globally. So, not taking risks, not having a vision, kill creativity right and left… Probably why we have remakes after remakes of stuff that came out only 20 years ago. I dunno, I thought the original ideas where the ones that set people on fire, but I’m obviously not working in the entertainment Industry. That bottom line is sacred stuff, baby… Just, in certain businesses, it can’t the end all or you shoot yourself in the foot. Oh, well, I have DVDS…

  5. Agree with your premise. Appallingly, my local PBS station, KQED, has pretty much eliminated its own local broadcasting even though its one of the biggest stations viewer wise. They are moving to non-union labor for much of their non-broadcast work – podcasts, etc. So, even though I love the PBS commitment to the niche TV, unless they decide to pay livable wages via union jobs, they are not getting my support.

  6. I know it’s not a historical and therefore likely not on your radar, but Amazon just did invest in what may prove to be its Games of Thrones by buying the rights to continue the best sci fi on TV in the form of The Expanse.

    1. I don’t know The Expanse, but many think that Amazon’s purchase of tv rights to Lord of the Rings is an attempt to have their own Game of Thrones.

  7. If PBS dies, I assume the BBC will continue making costume dramas, and simply open them up for streaming in the US through a private streaming system (Brit Flicks?) or sell the rights to Netflix. But yes, if you want to see free bonnet flicks on television, PBS is the horse to bet on.

  8. Good post! Bezos is kind of a douche anyway, so add this to the pile! Late last year Amazon got the rights to make a ‘Lord of the Rings prequel’ to contend with GoT, which I don’t think many LotR fans were too enthusiastic about.. On the whole I feel like more could be done with period tv shows, I feel like it’s usually 19th century book adaptations, something in the 20th century or something dark and gritty. All three are fine, but I’d love to see more variety in the subjects being chosen, but maybe that’s just me :P

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