Chapter 4
Niche is the New Mainstream
The digital television revolution has been a boon to creators and storytellers. Across the board, every interview I conducted with today’s trailblazing writers, producers, and showrunners highlighted the creative liberation of working with digital networks.
Having frequently also worked in broadcast and basic cable networks, their most commonly expressed sentiment was no longer feeling beholden to overnight Nielsen ratings. Hallelujah! Now their nascent series have more time to percolate and find a core group of loyal fans.
Many also expressed liberation from what had been a high degree of micromanaging at the linear networks. Marta Kauffman, co-creator/showrunner Grace and Frankie, probably summed it up ...
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