The (Short-Term) Future Of Television

No Game of Thrones until 2019? A Trump cartoon series?! A forecast of TV seasons to come.

- Natalie Abrams & James Hibberd

LIKE THE GROUP FIGHTING TO SURVIVE ON The Walking Dead, TV execs are constantly adjusting to a new normal—and the present is no exception. In the politically charged world of 2018, where only the most beloved shows live to see another season, new trends are emerging as networks attempt to keep up with the times.

THE WAITING GAME

Some of TV’s best shows are making us wait longer than ever for new episodes, with several fan favorites skipping 2018 altogether. Networks explain it’s the price we have to pay for increasingly cinematic storytelling. “The reality of how ambitious these productions are and how sought-after some of the creators are, it means you’re going to have longer cycles,” says FX CEO John Landgraf, who let Atlanta creator and star Donald Glover take an extended hiatus to play Lando Calrissian in Solo: A Star Wars Story. “I don’t think it’s optimal, but it beats changing the show-runner and having it suck. If you ask me, ‘Would I rather have Game of Thrones back earlier or would I rather have it be good?’ I would rather have it be good.” Here are five hits that won’t be returning anytime soon.

GAME OF THRONES

HBO has finally confirmed that the eighth— and final—season of the fantasy drama won’t air until 2019. Spending more than a year to make just six episodes has to be some kind of industry record, but show-runners David Benioff and Dan Weiss have long been determined to increase the series’ spectacle every season and deliver a final run that satisfies even its most demanding fans. Season 1 actor Jason Momoa, who recently visited the set, assures that season 8 will be “the greatest thing to ever air on TV.”

STRANGER THINGS