Lately, the trend '2026 is the new 2016' has taken over the Internet. If one was to take the trend literally, it would involve a TV landscape before the mass shift in original programming from cable to streaming. Here is a look at a few streaming originals, and where they would be airing if they aired in 2016. Let me know what you think in the comments!
Landman2026: Paramount+
2016: MTV
If it were 2016, Landman would be airing on MTV, Viacom's go-to scripted network for cable dramas. That would put it on the same network as Teen Wolf and Scream. The series is co-produced by MTV Entertainment Studios, after all.
Like Scream moved to VH1 and The Shannara Chronicles moved to Spike, it's quite likely Landman would have moved to Paramount Network upon its rebrand from Spike in 2018. That would then put it on the same network as Yellowstone, which launched the same year.
The streaming service now known as Paramount+ was around in 2016 as CBS All Access. However, this predates CBS Corporation and Viacom's re-merger, as well as the launch of original programming on CBS All Access. This makes it virtually impossible for Landman to have aired on the service in the 2016 TV landscape.
Verdict: Since scripted programming was starting to be phased out at MTV in the mid-2010s, Landman easily could have been left behind. It almost certainly would not have been successful as it is as a Paramount+ original.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
2026: Disney+
2016: ABC
An adaptation of the book series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians is having a successful run on Disney+. It's one of their three non-Hulu ongoing dramas, and one of two confirmed to return for a third season. However, Disney+ did not launch until November 2019, leaving the 20th Television-produced show needing a new home if the year was 2016.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians is a family-friendly, TV-PG show much more likely to air on broadcast than cable. However, FOX's shows at the time were predominantly rated TV-14, making Percy Jackson an awkward fit for the network. It more likely would have aired on ABC, possibly as a bridge series for Once Upon A Time on Sundays. The Disney-synergy series was at the time one of few TV-PG dramas on broadcast television.
The budget for Percy Jackson would be drastically smaller than the actual $12-15 million budget it has on Disney+, which would significantly affect how the show's reception. Ratings would likely be mediocre at best, not quite enough to justify what would still be a budget on the higher-end of the scale for broadcast television. If it were to be renewed for a second season, it likely would not have made it to a third.
King of the Hill
2026: Hulu/Disney+
2016: FOX
One of the perks of the streaming era is shows that probably would have been canceled (think Days of Our Lives and Love Island) are allowed to have extended runs and even potentially grow in popularity. The downside is streamers also have a habit of hoarding revivals of linear TV shows that could very well have aired on linear television. King of the Hill is one of the latest examples, with the long-running FOX show getting revived by Disney's Hulu.
King of the Hill is a pure revival creatively, but the show is now owned by Disney due to Disney's acquisition of 21st Century Fox in 2019. In a 2016 landscape, King of the Hill would still be a 21st Century Fox property, and as such would almost certainly air on the same network it called home for its original run from 1997 through 2010.
A King of the Hill revival on FOX could have been the much-needed show to help them expand animation. It may have saved them the awkwardness of Son of Zorn in 2016, and could have been a solid companion with Universal Basic Guys today. It's plausible a King of the Hill could have had an extended run on FOX.