Cable TV can survive the streaming wars. AMC chief Sarah Barnett explains how

AMC Networks is no Netflix. Sarah Barnett is clear on that.

A little more than a year into her tenure as president of the consortium, which includes AMC, BBC America, Sundance TV, IFC and production arm AMC Studios, the sure-footed Brit is careful not to identify the streaming giant by name. But it's hard not to hear "Netflix" - or the names of competitors Amazon Prime, Hulu, Apple TV+ and Disney+ - in Barnett's explanation of why top-tier creators and stars are still drawn to her networks: "I don't think people want to go to places where yours is one of thousands of shows."

Pure scale may not be Barnett's mission, but that doesn't mean she's hesitant about doubling down on what works. After launching the acclaimed "Killing Eve" in her previous role as the chief of BBC America, in 2019 Barnett oversaw the simulcast of its second season on AMC, which led to an 87% rise in viewership. She's also a booster for the expansion of "The Walking Dead" universe, which will soon include a second spinoff, "World Beyond," and at least one feature film distributed by Universal. She and the franchise's lead creative, Scott Gimple, aren't necessarily going to stop there, either.

"We're plotting a lot more ambition for this," she says. "I think there are endless stories to be told in this universe."

While Barnett argues that the blockbuster zombie property has unfairly become a standard-bearer for "the rise of hollow-genre programming," she admits that the AMC brand - once defined by Golden Age dramas like "Mad Men" and "Breaking Bad" - is "in an evolutionary phase," and the network's forthcoming projects suggest a departure from its recent horror-heavy slate. Among new series in the works are "Quiz," about a British couple accused of cheating on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire"; "For Life," an anthology Barnett pitches as "'Black Mirror' for love"; courtroom drama "61st Street";