Kevin Reilly had a great time running TV during the Peak TV era. Now he's in AI.

"Peak TV was great, and Kevin Reilly had a great seat during the Peak TV era. Reilly steered programming at networks including NBC, Fox, and FX during the boom, which was fueled first by cable, and then by competition from streaming. That era is over, and it's not coming back, Reilly says. Which helps explain why he's in AI now."

"TV is an endangered species. People aren't watching it, and don't want to pay for it. And the companies that own TV networks are trying to find someone - anyone - to buy them. But not that long ago, lots of us were reveling in the "Peak TV" era - a time when inventive TV programming was plentiful and, crucially, popular. A time when you could watch "The Sopranos" on HBO, "Friday Night Lights" on NBC, and "The Shield" on FX."

"When I got to network television, there were still these rules, like "the good guy always wins" and "people don't want to watch depressing things on television." And then cable, when I went to FX, that was really one of the most fun chapters of my career because it was the very early days of basic cable. All of a sudden, we started doing"

Peak TV produced abundant, inventive, and popular scripted programming across networks and basic cable. Kevin Reilly led programming at NBC, FX, Fox, and Turner during that boom, overseeing series such as The Sopranos, Friday Night Lights, and The Shield. The boom was fueled first by cable expansion and then by competition from streaming services. TV viewership and consumer willingness to pay have declined, leaving networks struggling and owners seeking buyers. That run ended in 2000 when Reilly was re-organized out of what was then called WarnerMedia, and he later became CEO of Kartel to help big brands use AI. Early basic cable relaxed traditional network rules and enabled riskier, creatively ambitious shows.

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