For reasons beyond my understanding, I awoke to an email from Showtime offering me free streaming access to their original television shows. An awards-season freebie. Today, of course, is Apple Cult Convocation day, which comes with increased whispers about Apple commissioning their own original television series.

The Showtime screening system gives access to ten different programmes. Just a week or two back, John Landgraf, who runs FX, was declaring that there is simply too much original television, predicting that the number of original scripted series in America will pass 400 this year. I’m assuming that this includes streaming, and therefore Netflix, Amazon… and, perhaps soon, Apple.

Apple doesn’t have the best record with its limited steps into “programming.” Gifting everyone’s phones with U2, for example, blew back on them. As much as I joked about that, I still believe Apple and U2’s intentions were relatively pure, and I imagine it taught valuable lessons.

I don’t necessarily believe in the “excess” argument. I do, however, suspect that Apple/U2 expresses things about Apple culture, as might the rumours that they briefly negotiated with the TOP GEAR team before they signed with Amazon. Original programming expresses company culture.

As a media industry worker, I’m interested in the notion of Apple releasing original scripted work. But, as a writer and viewer, I’m maybe more interested in whether or not a technology and consumer product company like Apple has a culture that enables new cultural speech. The only excess we really need to be uncomfortable about is that of empty air and stale breath.

 

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