A couple of weeks ago, I got a text from a friend—someone who’s both personally and professionally invested in the state of television and does their level best to keep up. “Wait,” the message read. “Did Barry come out? I haven’t heard a word about it.” That same day, the HBO black comedy aired its fourth episode of the season (out of an eventual eight). Barry was halfway through its latest chapter, and at least one fan didn’t even know it had started.
The question felt emblematic of the past few months in TV. Even by the standards of the past decade, the spring of 2022 has seen a flood of new releases. These shows differ in form, genre, and tone, but they tend to share a certain set of characteristics: highbrow, star-led, and hosted by either a streaming service or a premium cable outlet.
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