Guest lecture by Amanda Lotz on the emergence of original, scripted series by U.S. cable channels. Though widely lauded for reinvigorating the creativity of U.S. television, these series began less auspiciously. This lecture examines the production histories of some of the first of these series and assesses what lessons can be learned about how changing competitive norms yielded different strategies for programmers and the challenges of enacting different strategies. Although series such as La Femme Nikita, Oz, Monk, and The Shield are less well known than subsequent series such as The Sopranos, Mad Men, and Breaking Bad, they paved the way for these shows by upending the long dominant “broadcast paradigm” in the United States.