Screw 'Peak TV' - I'm Watching Every New Show In 2016

Yes, there was a lot of new television in 2015. If you read more than one or two pieces about TV this year, you've seen the stats: 409 original new scripted TV shows, as well as a thousand or more reality and unscripted shows, made-for-cable movies and one-off specials. As my television critic brethren often mention, this is entirely too much television for any one person to watch. Much less watch & review.

And, yet...I'm going to try.

As 2015 draws to an end, I was thinking about what personal and professional goals I wanted to tackle in the New Year. And it occurred to me that as someone who writes extensively about TV and the media, how could I ignore the biggest challenge of 2016. Just how much television can one person watch (and review) in one year?

We're going to find out together as I take on a formidable task. To watch and review at least one episode of every new scripted series that premieres in 2016. I'm also going to do the same for as many unscripted shows as possible, along with any made-for-cable movies.

While it's difficult to accurately predict the number of shows that will be covered in this challenge, I can make some ballpark figures. I'm assuming that the number of new scripted shows will top 2015's total, so let's figure at least 409. And with several times that number of major unscripted and reality shows, the total tally for the year could easily top 1,500.

Here's how it's going to work. This frequently updated list of upcoming premieres gives you an idea of what I'll be covering. And while each review will have its own stand-alone page, beginning on January 1, there'll be a page on AllYourScreens that aggregates and links to each review. It'll be a page that will be updated throughout the year, so you can easily bookmark it to keep track of my pain.

As for other questions, here's a handy FAQ that hopefully help fill in some of the blanks:

What's your criteria for which shows you're going to be covering?

Simply put, I'll watch and review every new scripted series that premieres in 2016 on any broadcast or cable TV channel. I'll also include the new scripted shows from Netflix, Amazon and Hulu. Plus other streaming outlets, if the project warrants it. Generally speaking, I wouldn't commit myself to reviewing every five-minute long scripted series running on YouTube. But if Crackle or any other outlet has a new scripted series that is of a traditional length, I'll try and add it as well.

What non-scripted shows will you be including?

This is a bit tougher to define, since "non-scripted" covers a lot of ground. I plan to include everything that's on any of the networks that isn't sports, a talk show, live music or breaking news. That means the new shows from everyone from Travel and HGTV to POP! and Up TV. I'm going to err on the side of covering everything I can, but feel free to call me out if you think I missed something worthwhile. I'm anticipating this will include easily include nearly 1,000 non-scripted shows, but the truth is that I won't know the scope of this until I'm well into 2016.

This is all a stunt, right? You're just trying to drive traffic to your site?

Well, yes, I do hope people read these pieces. If not, I'm going to feel like a real idiot. But I'm mostly interested in the challenge of it all and the opportunity to provide a unique snapshot into what a year of television looked like in 2016. I also suspect there might be a book idea in here somewhere, but that's just a random thought right now.

What's the biggest obstacle that stands in the way of pulling this off?

The amount of viewing and writing involved is daunting. But between writing for my own web site and doing freelance work, I probably averaged 5,000 words a day in 2015. So it's certainly possible, even when allowing for the time required to watch it all.

The biggest professional challenge is just getting access to everything I need. I already get tons of advance screeners for review and have a top-of-the-line cable package. That will help me stay ahead of the wave and stay current with the stuff that I can't get ahead of time. But there are likely to be some shows that I just don't see in time and if you notice I've missed something (no matter how small the network), reach out and let me know.

The personal challenge isn't a small one, either. I'm married and have a ten-year-old son with Asperger's. Balancing time with them against the time needed for work is also tough. So I don't take this time commitment lightly,

The one aspect I haven't quite figure out yet is the financial impact of this idea. There are so many hours in the day. And committing to cover every one of the 100 new variations of HOUSE HUNTERS means that I'll have less time for paying freelance work. So that should be an interesting juggling act.

But I'm serious about doing this and I hope you'll follow along and keep me honest throughout the year. I can always be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or at Twitter at @aysrick.

Cross your fingers for me. This is going to be quite a ride.