The New York Times has a piece on the statistical quest for a sure thing box office hit. Meanwhile, The AV Club pans Netflix’s original series, very much grounded in algorithms, Hemlock Grove: “The genius of Netflix’s computer-programmed, demographic targeting approach to TV is that it doesn’t need to create amazing, or challenging, or even particularly memorable shows. So long as the company can manage a product that’s just a little better than average, it will reach its customers with series that are less the result of creative minds working to tell stories, and more the efforts of aiming for that sweet spot of passive attention and mild entertainment.”