FX grows into sizable Fox sibling

Hot cable network's in the black with attitude

By STUART LEVINE

FX's eclectic slate includes 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia,' 'Nip/Tuck,' 'The League' and 'Sons of Anarchy.'

For years, FX had been focused on becoming "the HBO of basic cable," as its execs have often stated. Yet these days, the cabler is starting to challenge even its Fox broadcast sibling for prominence and profit-making for News Corp.

FX is poised for a growth spurt during the next year as it adds three dramas and three comedies to its sked, with the goal of reaching 11 original primetime skeins in 2011. John Landgraf, FX prexy and g.m., and his team have had a remarkable run, giving series pickups to six out of six pilots produced this year.

The cabler is hitting on all cylinders this fall with the strong ratings growth for motorcycle-club drama "Sons of Anarchy" in its second season, while outre laffer "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" is pulling its best numbers to date in its fifth season.

To be sure, as primetime's No. 5 cabler in adults 18-49, FX still has a ways to go to approach the numbers of Fox, which has won the season for five years running. But it's doing just fine in collecting coin.

According to industry research firm SNL Kagan, FX's operating revenue is estimated at $812 million this year, and it's expected to climb to $892 million in 2011. In two years, FX's subscriber base is expected to top 100 million homes.

As strong as FX is at the moment, Landgraf and Co. are bumping up against the biggest challenge for any network programming: finding the next generation of signature shows to replace outgoing favorites.

By the end of 2011, stalwarts "Nip/Tuck" and "Rescue Me" will have wrapped their runs. Hence, this year's development binge, which will result in the cabler airing roughly the same number of scripted hours next year as big brother Fox.

"We would've been happy with three new shows, but at the end of the day, we're tenacious when we get something we believe in," Landgraf says.

So far, FX is off to a good start, with "Anarchy" moving into the melodrama-and-mayhem territory staked out for years by "The Shield," which ended its seven-season run last November. The biker drama starring Ron Perlman and Katey Sagal is pulling significantly higher numbers (an average of 3.7 million viewers) in the Tuesday 10 p.m. slot than "The Shield" did this time last year.

The success of the edgy original programming strategy forged with the dawn of "The Shield" in 2002 has driven FX's growth and made the cabler a major profit center for News Corp.

FX will contribute still more to News Corp.'s bottom line in the coming years as syndication coin for "Always Sunny," which inked a healthy off-network sale to Comedy Central last week, rolls in. "Anarchy" is looking like a syndie contender too, if its numbers hold up.

But FX's reigning prestige player, "Damages," starring Glenn Close, is more critical darling than ratings hit, landing the cabler in the Emmy Awards mix with consecutive nods for best drama series and two consecutive drama actress wins for Close.

Landgraf is ready to gamble with the tonal qualities of the new crop. The first of the half-dozen new skeins is "The League," a single-camera comedy about guys who take fantasy football a bit too seriously; it's set to bow Oct. 29. Up next in January is "Archer," an animated laffer about a secret agent who doesn't get along well with others.

"This isn't the same FX as before," Landgraf says. "We have a new generation of shows coming, and I'm proud of our risk-taking and originality."

As the volume of original fare increases, FX may be forced to consider changes to the lean-and-mean exec structure and the careful scheduling patterns that have worked well for the cabler to date. The linchpins of Landgraf's creative team have been Nick Grad, exec veep of original programming and a seven-year FX vet, and senior veep Eric Schrier.

"What works really well for us (is that) there's not too many of us," Grad says. "We can all be of one mind with things. At other (nets), they need a lot of bodies, but you end up with a more diffuse point of view. I'd much rather do it this way, even if we're running on fumes."

Scribes and producers appreciate the fact that there's a clear and well-articulated vision for what the network wants, undiluted by committee.

"FX doesn't have to be all things to all men," "Rescue Me" creator/exec producer Peter Tolan says. "The parameters in which they work are much more narrow."

That focus helped FX triumph in a five-way bidding war with other broadcast and cable outlets for upcoming drama "Lawman," a contempo Western starring Timothy Olyphant.

"Their vision was the same as ours," says Sharon Hall, exec veep of drama development for Sony Pictures Television, which also produces "Rescue Me" and "Damages."

"Once we commit something to film, we're really deliberate about it," Grad says. "We don't have that many slots to make pilots. These aren't rash decisions, and that's why we have such a good batting average."

Shawn Ryan created "The Shield" when he was an unproven drama showrunner. He's now reuniting with FX as exec producer of comedic drama "Terriers," about a pair of private eyes with maturity issues targeted to bow next summer.

"They don't make something unless they're completely passionate about it," Ryan says. "John (Landgraf) said to me, 'You're not competing against other pilots, but you're competing against yourself' in making the best show."

The pilots FX does produce are done at bargain prices. Upcoming laffer "Louie," starring Louis C.K., cost approximately $250,000, well below the typical broadcast budget of $800,000.

Due to the adult nature of its shows, FX airs all of its original skeins at 10 p.m. That might have to change down the road due to an overflowing pipeline, but the timeslot has worked well -- especially this year, as NBC's shift to "The Jay Leno Show" has resulted in less drama competish.

FX's plan is to stick with Tuesday and Wednesday as drama nights, while "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" and "The League," and presumable "Archer" and "Louie," to play on Thursday.

Although the new slate marks FX's most concerted effort, this isn't the first time the net has tried to ramp up its comedy output to complement "Philadelphia." "Starved," a black comedy about people with eating disorders, lasted only seven episodes in 2005, while last year's "Testees" never found an audience.

"I'm very bullish and confidant we'll get there with comedy," Landgraf says. "We're a little bit more rambunctious than some of the premium brands (Showtime, HBO), and I see us as the premium brand of basic cable."