CoverStory Triple Threats Tackle Television Slash — and burn? Shows featuring a lone person as creator/ exec producer/star are blazing hot, but such a gamble for networks comes with risks By Michael Malone [email protected] | @BCMikeMalone

WHILE MANY WOULD GIVE just about anything for a job in Hollywood, some of the industry’s emerging players have no less than three of them. Shows featuring triple threats — one per- From ‘Goldbergs’ to ‘Girls’, and Beyond son as the series creator, executive WHY THIS Shows featuring triple-threat talent, to producer and star — are dominating MATTERS be sure, have been around since the early the television landscape like never Nets are hungrier than ever days of television. Family comedy The before. They’re winning over view- for top talent in this peak Goldbergs, which aired from 1949-56, had ers, and awards judges, with a one- TV universe, and are willing Gertrude Berg in the three roles, while Los to give the right creatives in-a-million voice that some say only extraordinary power. Angeles cop drama Dragnet saw Jack Webb comes through when the show cre- as its triple threat. Jerry Seinfeld’s landmark ator wears these multiple hats. comedy Seinfeld dominated the 1990s, and Season three of Insecure has kicked off, which Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm and Lena Dun- means Issa Rae, creator, executive producer and star, ham’s Girls pulled it off more recently. is a busy woman. Rae plays Issa Dee, who struggles But it doesn’t appear there have been as many triple- to find her way through work and love in Los Ange- threat shows on the air at one time as there are to- les. Exhausting as it is, playing the multiple roles on day. The modern era of such series likely got going a series gives it a truly distinct perspective, she said. with the FX comedy Louie, starring Louis C.K. The “There’s a sense of purity, of authenticity,” Rae said. future of Louie is uncertain after Louis C.K. admit- “It’s a unique look inside the mind of the creator.” ted to sexual misconduct last year, but FX contin- With viewers, and networks, seeking more diverse ues with the triple-threat trend. Series with such a voices, and a younger generation of creators having setup include Atlanta, Baskets, It’s Always Sunny grown up multitasking on YouTube, there’s a consider- in Philadelphia (FXX) and the Australian series Mr. able number of current shows with a triple-threat tal- Inbetween, a half-hour drama with Scott Ryan play- ent at the helm. Those include Pamela Adlon’s Better ing a criminal for hire and a dad. Things on FX, Lil Rel Howery’s new Fox comedy Rel, FX Networks CEO John Landgraf said truly stand- Frankie Shaw’s SMILF on Showtime, Aziz Ansari’s out shows need a “perfect match” among writer, ac- Master of None on Netflix, and a bulk of the slate over tor and filmmaker. Those ideal triptychs are rare. If it at truTV, including At Home with Amy Sedaris and turns out that one person can do all three roles, he triple-threat shows is a generation of creators who Adam Ruins Everything. said, creating a hit show gets a wee bit easier. grew up on YouTube, and learned to write, shoot, Marissa Ronca, executive VP and head of program- “What we’re finding now is, it’s got to be best-in- produce and star in their own short works. Before ming at truTV, likes these shows because they are en- class acting, best-in-class writing, best-in-class film- Insecure, Issa Rae did the YouTube series Awkward tirely unique amidst the packed peak-TV landscape, making,” Landgraf said. “Very, very few people are Black Girl. Similarly, Broad City was a web series she said. “There’s definitely a sharper point of view, at that exalted level in all those disciplines. You try from Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson before they since it comes from such a pure place,” Ronca said. to create partnerships, which can work. But it’s awe- created, and starred in, the Comedy Central series “They are uncopiable — nobody else can make At some when you have someone who can do it all.” of the same name. Home with Amy Sedaris.” Likely the largest factor in the preponderance of “YouTube allows people to develop their voice and cast themselves as the central star. You get 100 million followers and you get picked up by HBO,” said Dr. Jeffrey Jones, executive director of the Pea- body Awards. “Young people come up with the pro- “There’s definitely a sharper point of view, since it comes ducer mindset.” from such a pure place. They are uncopiable — no one Online video platforms, whether it’s YouTube or Vimeo or Facebook, can give networks looking to hire else can make At Home with Amy Sedaris.” talent a comprehensive look at a creator’s varied skills, and a peek at whether audiences dig the work. “For us — Marissa Ronca, executive VP and head of programming, truTV on the buying side, it provides proof of concept right

away,” said Brad Gardner, senior VP of development TVland Folger/Showtime; Claire Anne Marie Fox/HBO; Mickshaw/Fox Inc. Ray Networks, Entertainment Turner Jon Pack/©

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