If you think “Mad Men” or “Boardwalk Empire” or “The Wire” or “The Sopranos” are just frighteningly good and have a spare 3 minutes or so today, listen to Edward Jay Epstein’s appearance on All Things Considered, where he explains–using common sense and economics–why the more sophisticated entertainment is now appearing on paid and cable television instead of at the movie theaters. The reasons are fascinatingly simple.
Dr. Epstein, a Harvard PhD and movie-industry insider, has been observing the economics of Hollywood for many years (from within), and recently published a book called The Hollywood Economist: The Hidden Financial Reality Behind the Movies with Melville House.
The author’s website archives much of his work on Hollywood and its absorbing economic behavior.