blue cheap

Some producers, especially in the unscripted arena, are parking blue-chip (industry jargon for “premium”) and instead going “blue cheap” — it’s a phrase I first heard a few months ago from a distribution exec, and it’s gaining wider usage as shorthand for shows that have a high-end sheen but can work with lower budgets, sometimes by clever uses of technology or user-generated content.

'Blue Cheap': 4 New Ways of Making TV Only Look Expensive Manori Ravindran 2025