AMC, HBO and Showtime .......... Troubling times at Cable powerhouses

AMC vesus Showtime versus HBO

.... AMC

This week, AMC canceled The Killing—again—after what many people considered to be an improved third season. Also, the network announced that it's moving forward with a previously proposed, Saul Goodman-centric Breaking Bad spin-off (which is apparently being set up as a prequel). And yet, all I keep wondering is, what in the heck is actually going on at AMC right now?
After the debuts of Mad Men (2007) and Breaking Bad (2008), AMC was quickly labeled a new power player in cable TV, but it seems clear by now that either A.) AMC executives have a different vision for what they want the channel to be, or B.) those execs really don't know what they're doing. In case you've forgotten, here's what AMC's been up to in last few years:
– Engaging in prolonged and oftentimes public contract negotiations with Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner and Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan
– Dragging its feet on a Season 3 renewal for Hell on Wheels because of various production issues
– Canceling The Killing after Season 2, then reviving it, only to now kill it again.
– More or less firing yet another The Walking Dead showrunner by parting ways with Glen Mazzara, the guy who righted the series' ship after the very public ousting of Frank Darabont in 2011, seemingly over budget issues.

For a channel that once appeared to be positioning itself as the next HBO and the latest cable channel to dominate annual awards shows, that's a weird chain of events. And looking forward isn't such a promising exercise. The ratings for Low Winter Sun are not good, even with the monster Breaking Bad lead-in; they're sub-Killing level. Pretend that Low Winter Sun gets canceled, joining The Killing on the scrap heap. Breaking Bad will be over forever in three weeks, and Mad Men is set to wrap things up for good in less than a year. That means, come September 2014, four of the shows AMC aired on Sunday nights just one calendar year earlier will all be gone. 

If you're keeping score at home, that leaves AMC with a handful of reality programs, Hell on Wheels, the now-in-development Better Call Saul, a few interesting upcoming series Turn and Halt & Catch Fire, and zombie king The Walking Dead. The reality programs do well enough to survive, partially because AMC needs the content. Hell on Wheels is a steady performer and it's doing well on Saturdays. Better Call Saul is not going to be Breaking Bad 2.0. And the new shows seem interesting on paper—Halt & Catch Fire stars Lee Pace and examines the 1980s tech boom; Turn is about the American Revolution—but AMC's decision-making and development in the years since Breaking Bad's debut don't instill me with much confidence.

So really and truly, that leaves the network with The Walking Dead, which is literally the best property to be left with in this kind of situation. It's a ratings behemoth, a social media powerhouse, and a show where the "quality" doesn't matter to a large chunk of the audience. Theoretically, AMC can ride out the post-Mad Men and post-Breaking Bad era almost exclusively on the decaying shoulders of The Walking Dead. But immediately jumping into a Breaking Bad spin-off is only going to bring on the unfair comparisons, possibly further damaging the network's brand in the future. Not every situation is the same, but it's telling that we haven't seen HBO try to spin off its big properties, nor have we seen such a tactic at FX. The worst part of this is knowing that, if Better Call Saul or the other new shows also fail, AMC could possibly even shuffle toward a The Walking Dead spin-off. Walking Dead: Miami? 

AMC should try their hand at a proper comedy, or at least dramedy. There seems to be too big of a focus on stylized character pieces, period pieces, and other serious things. That, combined with their weird reality output, (and I like Comic Book Men) puts out an inconsistent tone with no middle ground.

Another thing they could try is focusing a bit more on genre shows, The Walking Dead is their biggest commercial success, so why not build a block or two around aliens, time travel, and all that good stuff?
I have no idea what AMC can do, but I know staying off the bad press for a while would be a good change. Stop firing showrunners. It just makes the network seem unstable.

While not at the same level as AMC, it's interesting to note that both Showtime and HBO aren't thriving as much as they once were either, particularly when it comes to critical acclaim.

.... SHOWTIME

  There's not a single drama on Showtime at the moment, perhaps other than Shameless, that looks like it will go on for another three plus years (which is ironic since that's there longest running drama. Dexter's final season has left a lot of people cold. I quite enjoy Homeland, and am eagerly anticipating season three, but the backlash from viewers about season two was quite strong, don't know how long it can last if it continues to slide down in quality from a critical perspective (although Dexter did, so who knows?). I like Ray Donovan too, but I was surprised by its early renewal. Are the ratings that great for this? I know its reception has been mixed so this one is up in the air, but unless it does something amazing next season and generates a lot more buzz I can't see it lasting.

As for the comedy side of things on Showtime, while I enjoy Californication, it hasn't aged well. Nurse Jackie seems to be a bit of a sleeper hit, I don't watch it, but I think it has gained a little more praise as its continued, but again, there's not much buzz there. One good think about Showtime though (if you see it as a goof thing) is that its obvious that shows that get the ratings for them, stay on the air, seemingly regardless of declining quality if you look at past shows like Weeds. I know about Episodes (which i watch), Web Therapy ( don't watch) or House of Lies ( i watch), but other then Episodes which at least gets buzz around Emmy time, there's little discussion or critical praise for these shows.

Coming up, Masters of Sex looks like a potential hit for the network, but I'm worried about its content and how it will be perceived by the media. Cable's already considered television with boobies, and I'd want Masters of Sex to be something more than that, but I'm not sure if it can. Penny Dreadful looks good, but seems off-brand for Showtime. The Affair and Trending Now looked average from their loglines, but big names have been drawn to these projects so hopefully it means there's some substance to them. While I know The Vatican is based in modern times, I thought Showtime would have learnt from The Tudors and The Borgias that interest in those sorts of institutions and societies isn't all that big, and it looks like it'll be expensive to make...

What does everyone else think about the future of Showtime?

.... HBO

 As for HBO, other than Game of Thrones (it's own The Walking Dead) it hasn't got all that much doing great things for the network.

True Blood and Treme's next seasons will be their last, leaving The Newsroom as its only other drama. It's gets a fait bit of buzz sure, but not for the right reasons. Boardwalk Empire also recently started its new season but based on the lukewarm attention its receiving, that in itself goes to show that its losing steam too.

On the comedy side of thing Eastbound & Down is also finishing up, and who knows when (or if) Curb Your Enthusiasm will be back. Veep gets good buzz around Emmy time too, much like Showtime's Episodes, but other then that, when do people hear about it? And then there's GIrls, which gets a fair amount of buzz too, but like The Newsroom, for all the wrong seasons.

HBO at least has a lot in development. The drama front seems a little scarce though, True Detective seems like the only potential hit and the only one going to series at this point in time. Ryan Murphy's Open may get some buzz, much like Masters of Sex, it'll be for the wrong reasons. There's little info on The Money and The Missionary but their loglines don't inspire. The Leftovers could be a big hit too, in the vain of The Walking Dead but minus the zombies, but it'll have to be good.
Westworld is intriguing, but I'm not sure how it'll work on HBO.

There are a lot of comedies in development too. Hello Ladies is the only one going to air thus far, and it doesn't look that that exciting to me. Getting On looks like HBO trying to copy Nurse Jackie. Silicon Valley looks a lot like the Amazon pilot Betas. Togetherness could be okay, but the premise is basic, so it'll have to be well written. Looking will garner similar attention to Open, and may be HBO's attempt as a funny Queer As Folk.

What does everyone else think about the future of HBO?