WI: The Sopranos flops

What would the entertainment industry look like if The Sopranos flopped or just never took off? Would we have shows like Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead?
 
Breaking Bad No, probably not. The Walking Dead? Maybe, but it would be closer to the comics.


Well, I think The Sopranos gave HBO its first big public boost. Without it, the whole channel might not be as much of a competitor with the Big Three as it is now. On the other hand, maybe it could commission an earlier Game of Thrones? ;)
 
Pre-Sopranos I believe AMC was pretty much just playing classic movies, I don't think they had any original programming?

As for Showtime it looks like the series they were playing pre-Sopranos were mainly horror and sci-fi reboots of earlier shows
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_programs_broadcast_by_Showtime

As for The Walking Dead I think the above post is on the money about the comic book feel. No Sopranos and I think "The Walking Dead" (if ever made into a TV serial) becomes a "monster of the week" show with zombies that doesn't delve much into the characters and ends up playing late night on the Sci-Fi channel. Game of Thrones might end up as a "grittier" Xena: Warrior Princess :D:p
 
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Rush Tarquin

Gone Fishin'
Well, one hugely important effect is that I probably wouldn't be watching any TV (or downloading it, whatever) anymore. These are pretty much the only shows I watch (and not very regularly) apart from when I'm feeling nostalgic/masochistic and check out what's passing for The Simpsons these days.
 
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