In a landscape of spin-offs, prequels, sequels, and reboots, TV, and film are today tied together in a way we’ve never quite seen before. As eager studios mine their best IPs for every shred of tie-in (and cash) we see more and more works make the jump from the Silver Screen to the little one- although, in the streaming era, the distinction is blurry at best. Today we enlisted the expert help of Brandon Blake, one of the best entertainment lawyers and no stranger to getting IPs in front of the right audience, to give us a little insight into the tangled web of modern IPs, and finding a niche among them.
The Star Wars phenomenon
Nothing perhaps illustrates the tangles of modern IP more than the Star Wars franchise. Since it landed in Disney’s hands, we’ve seen it grow from the 2 preceding film trilogies, an often-forgotten Christmas special, and a handful of animations to a giant web of movies, live-action series, and animations. Nor are all of these ‘direct’ spin-offs of the core Skywalker saga- The Mandalorian is arguably the most successful spinoff series to date, and has near nothing to do with the original films. Yet it’s on the small screen that the IP itself is shining.
The lure of the library
In the streaming era, library content is king, and can be a compelling drawcard for new subscribers in itself- just look at all the Friends and The Office fans. Mining their content library for new spinoffs can be lucrative for streamers. And it avoids the risk of putting fans off by ‘rebooting’ a beloved classic they’d rather not see touched.
There was a time of day where you would never get a ‘big budget’ TV series. Now, for high-value IPs like Game of Thrones and Star Wars, they’re practically mandatory. And those big budgets mean big risks could come with big losses. With the streaming wars only getting hotter, it’s a smart way to offer people new takes on franchises they already love. This brings not only the safety of a ‘known’ franchise to lure in subscribers, but also offers them some much-needed escapism into universes they already know. The Millenial, as has been demonstrated over and over, lives and dies by nostalgia.
It’s a smooth business move. But does it mean there’s no room for indie productions and new originals to thrive on TV? Not quite- but it does change the landscape. The question is, why tell new stories which may bomb when you can expand universes you know people already love?
The case for originality
How on earth do you pitch a new idea in this landscape? There’s a hungry boutique streaming market, for one. And certain mainstream streamers still release high-quality originals. Hulu, Apple TV+, and FX, among others, remain dedicated to nurturing new talent. All types of TV are still being made, and where there is demand, someone will supply it. Yet it can feel like eking out a life in the ‘cracks’ between the endless IP of bigger studios and parent companies.
At the end of the day, the voracious mouth of streaming may well be the savior of original ideas, however, not the killer. Streaming is competitive, and it demands constant creation. No matter how many Game of Thrones or Star Wars spin-offs we see, they represent only a few hours of content each year. A new IP, one that can be nurtured into 100s of hours of content in the future, won’t be turned down if it has value.
Instead, it’s wiser to think of these familiar properties as the gateway for new audiences. They may be what pulls a subscriber to a specific service, but when they look for more, that’s when original titles can shine. Few people spend all their time rewatching classics and new takes, after all, no matter how much they love them.
While it can seem like the encroachment of the ‘blockbuster’ into the TV space has changed the landscape, it’s really on the viewer. If people want to see more original stories, then they need to support them -talk about them, hype them, and get them seen. In the end, what streamers will make is what their audiences want to see, and nothing more.
