Like many industries around the world, the dream factory of Hollywood has been closed for business for most of 2020 – and even as it staggers back to its feet at reduced capacity, we’ve only just begun to see the impact on film and television. After the unprecedented era of plenty that gave us both Peak TV and a surge in tent-pole film-making, are we headed for a content desert?
Maybe not quite a desert, at least when it comes to TV. There were 532 scripted shows in 2019, so if only 400-something made it to air in 2020, that’s still more than even the most binge-happy housebound viewer could take in. When the pandemic first hit and TV production ground to a halt, Rolling Stone’s chief TV critic, Alan Sepinwall, was bracing for a drought that never came. “I kept moving the goalposts,” he says. “ ‘Oh, we’re probably going to run out of things when we get to July,’ or ‘Fall will definitely be a trouble spot because the broadcast networks won’t have anything ready.’ The amount of programming so far has slowed but certainly not stopped.”
For the steady flow of entertainment thus far, we can thank the quick thinking of TV execs like WarnerMedia’s Brett Weitz, who found himself staring at a 500-hour hole in the schedule when live sports shut down. “You have two options,” he says. “Curl up in a ball and just never come out of whatever cave you’ve crawled into, or stand side by side with your teammates who are brilliant programmers and brilliant marketers and reconstitute the air.”
Esta historia es de la edición February 2021 de GQ India.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición February 2021 de GQ India.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
THE FUTURE SOUNDS LIKE AT EEZ
The Coachella-slaying, multi-language-singing, genre-obliterating members of Ateez are quickly becoming load-bearing stars of our global pop universe.
DEMNA UNMASKED
He's the most influential designer of the past decade. He's also the most controversial. Now the creative director of Balenciaga is exploring a surprising source of inspiration: happiness. GQ's Samuel Hine witnesses the dawn of Demna's new era, in Paris, New York, and Shanghai. Photographs by Jason Nocito.
Inside the undercover adventures of a full-time fraud sleuth.
HOW TO MAKE A FORTUNE AS A PROFESSIONAL WHISTLE-BLOWER
A LIFE OF FASHION
In an extensive conversation, the menswear icon discusses his rise, his mistakes, his triumphs, his retirement, and what the future holds for him and his beloved brand.
IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE WITH GEORGE & BRAD
They've spent three decades living intertwined lives at the inconceivably glamorous height of Hollywood. Now, having crossed the threshold of 60, they're more comfortable than ever throwing bombs, dispensing hard-won wisdom, and, yes, arguing about who had the better mullet in the '80s.
ALEXANDER THE GRITTY
One of India's most creative chefs comes of age.
Penning History
Montblanc marks 100 years of its iconic Meisterstück with new writing instruments inspired by the 1924 Olympic Games.
Royal Enfield Forges a New Path
Say hello to the company's most cutting-edge roadster.
Arooj Aftab Owns the Night
The Grammy Award-winning artist, fresh off a Glastonbury set, speaks to GQ about her new album, Night Reign, from the ideas that led to its conception to its genre-defying collabs with Elvis Costello, Kaki King and more.
Louis Vuitton's New Beat
The luxury maison's latest addition to the Tambour line reiterates its commitment to watchmaking and craftsmanship.