‘The Weekly’: FX “Strongly Considering” Renewal, Eyes Shift To More Topical Content
The Weekly, FX’s documentary TV series from The New York Times, is 23 episodes into its original 30-episode run.
With the end of the initial order coming up, the network will have to make a renewal decision soon so the series can remain in continuous production, FX Networks chairman John Landgraf and FX Entertainment President Eric Schrier told Deadline.
More from Deadline
“We are actively discussing it, trying to figure out where to go next, what to do next,” Landgraf said. “We’re definitely strongly considering extending that run. We haven’t come to a final decision yet.”
The executives admitted that mounting the ambitious production has been a learning experience as an organization like the NYT that traditionally connects breaking news and investigative journalism to print has to adapt to doing that for television.
Episode 23 of The Weekly, The Gallagher Effect, released on Dec. 27 proved an eye-opening experience. Under the current agreement, which is not expected to change going forward, FX premieres a new episode of The Weekly on Sunday night, with Hulu posting it online at midnight the same night.
The Gallagher Effect, which featured interviews with Navy SEALS who had made accusations that had leaked, was released earlier, Friday night, on Hulu as the story was developing.
“It was not breaking news but it was new material that was breaking on an existing story,” Landgraf said. “It had positive impact on the amount of press coverage and the amount of viewers… There is something about news — the more relevant and topical and of-the-moment it is, the more its consumed. That’s what we have learned, and they figured it out how to do that more through the process of doing these shows.”
If The Weekly is renewed, the format will remain the same but there will likely be stronger emphasis on more topical stories going forward.
“We are learning a lot, the team at the Times is learning a lot what makes the best version of a TV show” Schrier said. “We are talking actively about what it is, and how we are going to proceed forward.”
Best of Deadline
Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Solve the daily Crossword
