How 2025 Rewrote Hollywood’s Playbook for Leaner Scripted Shows | Analysis

Anyone working in television will tell you that the Peak TV era has come and gone. But in 2025, a leaner new normal for Hollywood’s scripted programming came into focus as the industry and viewers bid farewell to the big-budgeted hits of yesterday’s business model.

The most high-profile of those conclusions this year is Netflix’s “Stranger Things,” arguably the biggest piece of original programming to come out of the streaming era. A sci-fi saga with horror flare consisting of 42 episodes produced over 10 years ...