Producer Greg Berlanti’s deal is the largest deal of it’s kind in traditional TV history. The stage is set, and the talent is getting locked in place, but is it actually good for traditional TV?
Berlanti currently has 14 live action hit TV shows on the air, most of which are currently traditional TV:
- The CW- All American, Arrow, Black Lightning, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash, Riverdale and Supergirl
- CBS- God Friended Me and The Red Line
- Netflix- Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
- DC Universe- Doom Patrol and Titans
- Lifetime- You
What universe do most of those shows take place in? The DC Universe! The deal which is estimated to be $300+ Million will keep Berlanti’s creative juices flowing in the orbit of Warner Bros., and that means DC too, until 2024. As he is the brainchild of much if not all of DCs and The CWs Arrowverse, it’s a great deal for Warner Bros to keep this talented guy, away from the likes of Amazon or Netflix and others.
It’s also a great move by Warners Bros. since they want to spruce up DC Universe and have it become a go-to destination for DC fans. With Berlanti on board, it looks like they aren’t going to mess up what works, on TV anyway… So we’ll have to see in ten years if Berlanti can translate his TV success to DC Universe success. Berlanti won’t just be tied to the DC Universe however, since he will have free reign to work with whatever platform he desires. His home and credit however, will be Warner Bros.
It’s said that the type of deals that those streamers made with Shonda Rhimes and Ryan Murphy are only going to get more common in this brave new media world.