Over the last few years, it's become increasingly clear that FX has become something of a sleeping giant to the television game. A network once primarily known for It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia and showings of films once HBO and Starz were done with them now regularly produces an incredible variety of excellent television, to the point where my favorite shows of the last 4 years (Legion, Atlanta, and Fargo) were all FX programming. It's incredibly surprising to see a network that once offered very little now offer so much in the way of variety.
Perhaps it's because of the creative control these shows are given. Very little oversight is given into how these shows are made, enabling auteurs like Ryan Murphy, Noah Hawley, and Donald Glover to create works of brilliance of which there is very little on other networks. The recent addition of riskier content, such as profanity and nudity, has given these creators even more free reign than they had before. Even AMC, which prides itself on daring programming, tends to have a specific type of show that it markets, alongside meddling in these projects. (Just ask Frank Darabont.)
Morally complex white guys, if you were wondering the specific type.
Much like HBO, FX really has something for everyone. Don't like Legion? Watch Atlanta. Don't like Atlanta? Watch Archer. Don't like Archer? Watch American Horror Story, or it's even better spin-off American Crime Story. It's the wide variety of quality programming that has enabled FX to keep up with the rise of Netflix and other networks in the golden age of television.
So, yes, I believe that it is in on the way of becoming the next HBO, and will arguably surpass it by having something for everyone.
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