Billboard: How does MTV define itself nowadays? What does it stand for? MTV president Stephan Friedman believes part of the answer lies in serialized scripted series. “Because the world is dark and complicated, the audience wants complicated entertainment,” he said. MTV has high hopes for “The Shannara Chronicles,” a lavish TV adaptation of a series of swords-and-sorcery novels, debuting in January 2016. The production is said to be the most expensive in the network’s history. “The show looks spectacular,” said one former programming exec. “But we’re all wondering if it means the death of the brand.”