It’s been over five years since Disney purchased 20th Century Fox, which included many assets, including Hotstar, Searchlight Pictures and FX.  The addition of 20th Century Studios to Disney’s lineup has resulted in a major shift in the company’s television and theatrical releases, drastically increasing the amount of films and shows being created.

FX is often referred to as a crown jewel within Disney, as the studio creates some of the most critically acclaimed shows for both linear channels and streaming services like Hulu and Disney+, such as “The Bear”, “What We Do In The Shadows”, “English Teacher” and “Shōgun”.

During a recent interview, Disney Entertainment’s co-chairman, Dana Walden, she was asked about the success of FX in the last year, to which she replied:

Well, I really have to credit Bob with the vision. John and I have worked together for the past almost 30 years, but it was really Bob who saw an opportunity to take this brand — I mean, for John and his team to have established FX as a brand that stands for really premium content on a basic cable tier was a pretty extraordinary accomplishment. And I think Bob was a fan, and he understood immediately what John could do if he had the resources. Remember, this was a pretty bleak time for basic cable. Subscribers had already been cutting the cord. Young viewers in particular were leaving the cable ecosystem, and that was making it harder and harder for John to manage a budget that enabled him to take those really big swings. So it was fortuitous that at that exact moment, Bob stepped in and said, “I have a vision for a streaming future, and there is a place for a premium general entertainment brand like FX.”

And as soon as we walked onto the Disney lot, you could feel a shift in the creative community in the way they regarded an opportunity to work with FX, and what shows should be pitched there. And FX immediately saw the opportunity to protect this brand and fortify it going into the future and take swings on shows like Shōgun that, frankly, in its old version — FX at Fox —  the economics would never have worked. So it has all come together to have created a brand that I believe will stand the test of time. It stands for quality, it stands for a certain type of programming, and subscribers know it when they see it.

FX was quickly established as a core component of Hulu in the United States with the launch of FX On Hulu in 2020, and since then, it’s provided many of the most popular shows on the streaming service.  Internationally, FX shows are exclusive to Disney+, and following the launch of Hulu On Disney+ in the United States, these iconic shows have an even larger audience.

The FX series, “Shōgun”, was one of the most expensive shows created by FX, Dana was asked if the success of the show makes it easier to take chances with bigger budget projects:

Well, as you know, Shōgun season two is coming, so it’s a portfolio of projects. And that’s always been the strategy. That’s certainly what we’re trying to achieve on the general entertainment side overall, which is, we are producing shows like Shōgun or Nine Perfect Strangers or where Handmaid’s Tale is right now. And we’re also doing The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, and a series of highly successful documentary series. And that’s our job, which is to fill a steady pipeline of content at a variety of different price points.

Alien: Earth is a big shot for John, and I’ve actually seen the first three episodes. It’s excellent and it feels huge, and we’re grateful to Alan and his side for letting us engage with that IP. But if you are going to trust one person in one team with beloved IP, I would say John’s about as good a bet as any. So, we are going to continue taking shots at all levels.

Roger’s Take: FX has become a very important clog in Disney’s streaming empire, often resembling how HBO is regarded as a premium studio for adult drama, FX offers Disney+ and Hulu subscribers a range of high-quality drama shows, which are very different from the shows made by Marvel, Star Wars and Disney.

What do you think of FX?  Let me know on social media!

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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