text: Behold one of the champagne problems in the age of Peak TV: There’s simply too much worthy content to consume, and fewer reasons to sample the worthiest of them as they air in their timeslots.
  Let’s begin with statistics recently cited by FX’s president John Landgraf. After his network's researchers counted up the number of series that have debuted and are expected to debut in 2016, Landgraf expects the total number of adult English language scripted premieres to land somewhere between 430 and 450 by year’s end. Again, that’s only scripted and only English language.
  Before Landgraf dropped that bomb, NBCUniversal’s president of research and media development, Alan Wurtzel, revealed that 54 percent of viewers they surveyed won’t start watching a show if they don’t have access to prior episodes. No wonder! “That’s a big deal,” Wurtzel told critics. “And I think that everybody in the business has to take heed of that [number] because it’s a huge issue.”
  Wurtzel's research team gleaned his data from a July study that targeted 18- to 64-year-olds who watch at least one hour a week of TV programming on any device.
  For the networks and producers premiering new shows over the next few months, that number, 54 percent, presents an additional headache on top of the already existing challenge to stand out in a crowded marketplace.