Ok, this thread is meant for the devotees and followers of good tv series. So, if you don't know the first thing on this subject or are afraid of reading more than one sentence at a time, you probably shouldn't even bother. 
As I've noticed there are a lot of people here who like a good series/show. And some years ago that meant almost automatically watching HBO. Wistfully and nostalgic I recall the days, when HBO ruled the earth (so to speak ). "Oz" (1997-2003) certainly paved the way for what would follow. And remembering the fine programming, that started with "Sex and the City" (1998-2004) and "The Sopranos" (1999-2007), continued with excellent shows like "Six Feet Under" (2001-2004), "Band of Brothers" (2001), "Carnivàle" (2003-2005) and culminated in "Deadwood" (2004-2006) and "Rome" (2005-2007), a programming, that ultimately carved HBO's name in the stone of tv history, I have to wonder, will HBO ever be able to reach this level again after the deep swamp they've been wading through the last years?
Let's face it. The crises was already showing, when great shows like "Carnivàle", "Deadwood", and "Rome" where cancelled rashly or for really silly reasons while promising projects like "The Pacific" wer pushed back and back and back again. "Carnivàle", which was originally contemplated for up to five seasons, was surprisingly cancelled because it wasn't as successful as "The Sopranos" or "Sex and the City". A mistake, as it later turned out to be, because the high quality of the series made it a magnet for fans and critics likewise. The same thing happened with "Rome". HBO wanted the fast success and underestimated the long term effect. The series was cancelled after the first season. The second season was only shot to compensate the enormous costs of the first season. The storylines of seasons two and three had to be pressed into one shortened second season, leaving many fans and critics a bit disappointed. Nonetheless the series was a huge international success like "The Sopranos" or "Sex and the City". HBO had made the mistake of becoming set only on the US-market and persisted on this, ignoring the international (especially the British and German) market and their international partners (like Premiere), who had helped make them rich and successful. "Deadwood" was cancelled for an even more ridicolous reason: the showrunner didn't feel like it anymore and wanted to do a show about surfers. Consequently, HBO lost one of it's last good shows. The only remnants of the "high times" are "Entourage" and "The Wire".
The projects started since then like "Flight of the Conchords", "John from Cincinnati" or "Big Love" had their moments and their fans, but none of them reached the heights, sustained the quality, had the charisma of their predecessors. All of them crashlanded sooner or later. "Big Love" and "Flight of the Conchords" (whose initial success I actually never understood) took a nosedive over the last weeks, "John from Cincinnati" plunged already in it's first season.
But now, suddenly, there's hope. "True *****" has been surprisingly well received so far and more projects are in the making. "The Pacific" finally is in production. Contracts have been signed with Michael Bay and Jerry Bruckheimer. They're supposed to produce a show called „******* Cowboys“ about **** smuggeling and trafficing. John Wells has been assigned to adapt the British tv series "Shameless". Martin Scorsese and Mark Wahlberg are working on a project called "Boardwalk Empire" about Atlantic City with Steve Buscemi in the lead role.
So, what's up with HBO these days and will they get their act together? And what do you think of the former HBO series compared to the latest?
As I've noticed there are a lot of people here who like a good series/show. And some years ago that meant almost automatically watching HBO. Wistfully and nostalgic I recall the days, when HBO ruled the earth (so to speak
). "Oz" (1997-2003) certainly paved the way for what would follow. And remembering the fine programming, that started with "Sex and the City" (1998-2004) and "The Sopranos" (1999-2007), continued with excellent shows like "Six Feet Under" (2001-2004), "Band of Brothers" (2001), "Carnivàle" (2003-2005) and culminated in "Deadwood" (2004-2006) and "Rome" (2005-2007), a programming, that ultimately carved HBO's name in the stone of tv history, I have to wonder, will HBO ever be able to reach this level again after the deep swamp they've been wading through the last years?Let's face it. The crises was already showing, when great shows like "Carnivàle", "Deadwood", and "Rome" where cancelled rashly or for really silly reasons while promising projects like "The Pacific" wer pushed back and back and back again. "Carnivàle", which was originally contemplated for up to five seasons, was surprisingly cancelled because it wasn't as successful as "The Sopranos" or "Sex and the City". A mistake, as it later turned out to be, because the high quality of the series made it a magnet for fans and critics likewise. The same thing happened with "Rome". HBO wanted the fast success and underestimated the long term effect. The series was cancelled after the first season. The second season was only shot to compensate the enormous costs of the first season. The storylines of seasons two and three had to be pressed into one shortened second season, leaving many fans and critics a bit disappointed. Nonetheless the series was a huge international success like "The Sopranos" or "Sex and the City". HBO had made the mistake of becoming set only on the US-market and persisted on this, ignoring the international (especially the British and German) market and their international partners (like Premiere), who had helped make them rich and successful. "Deadwood" was cancelled for an even more ridicolous reason: the showrunner didn't feel like it anymore and wanted to do a show about surfers. Consequently, HBO lost one of it's last good shows. The only remnants of the "high times" are "Entourage" and "The Wire".
The projects started since then like "Flight of the Conchords", "John from Cincinnati" or "Big Love" had their moments and their fans, but none of them reached the heights, sustained the quality, had the charisma of their predecessors. All of them crashlanded sooner or later. "Big Love" and "Flight of the Conchords" (whose initial success I actually never understood) took a nosedive over the last weeks, "John from Cincinnati" plunged already in it's first season.
But now, suddenly, there's hope. "True *****" has been surprisingly well received so far and more projects are in the making. "The Pacific" finally is in production. Contracts have been signed with Michael Bay and Jerry Bruckheimer. They're supposed to produce a show called „******* Cowboys“ about **** smuggeling and trafficing. John Wells has been assigned to adapt the British tv series "Shameless". Martin Scorsese and Mark Wahlberg are working on a project called "Boardwalk Empire" about Atlantic City with Steve Buscemi in the lead role.
So, what's up with HBO these days and will they get their act together? And what do you think of the former HBO series compared to the latest?