Why Does HBO Hate Me?
HBO, for a few years, was home of the best original programming the small screen had to offer. But then Six Feet Under grew so annoyingly bizarre that I had to stop watching it because I disliked (or hated) every single character. I never watched Sex in the City but I guess it was good or I would have never even heard of it. Sopranos was in full bloom and was arguably the best show on television period. Deadwood’s first season began and the “best show on televison” crown suddenly had a challenger.
And then things started going downhill. Deadwood was getting better, as was Carnivalé. But it was time for Sopranos to end. Instead of letting it, HBO decided to string it along on life support even after it became painfully obvious that the crew in charge of the show wanted to be elsewhere.
Carnivalé could have ended nicely but instead it was cancelled between seasons, ending with a cliffhanger that never should have been written, let alone aired as the final moments of what had once been a great show. This was the first time HBO screwed me (and every fan of one of their original series) but it would not be the last.
Six Feet Under ended so well that it made up for a few seasons of crap, completely redeeming the show in by eyes. That was the last time I saw an HBO series end well.
Rome was also great and also ended early but at least the producers knew this in advance and were able to squeeze a couple seasons of material into the second and final season. Deadwood’s producers were promised at least one season that was then taken back in exchange for a pair of 2-hour HBO movies that would be used to wrap things up. HBO did this so the Deadwood writer (and many others involved with Deadwood) could begin working on a replacement for the Sopranos slot while Sopranos wastes away in a coma and finally ended in a baffling anticlimax that almost made you forget how terrible the final 2 seasons were, 2 seasons that were made up of 1 season of material and a half season of filler.
So the Sopranos replacement began and, boy was that weird. John From Cincinati had problems (most of which were due to non-actors in costarring roles ruining their every scene) but how it was ever supposed to replace Sopranos is beyond me. It was much too smart for the masses. And then HBO shortened the first and only season of JFC from 10 to 8 episodes. So the show that cases the premature death of Deadwood was itself dead in the water. But at least those 2 Deadwood movies were still on the way. And then they cancelled those.
So of the 8 HBO original series I have watched, here is the score:
2 have not ended (Curb and Entourage)
1 ended well
2 ended early but were given notice
1 ended badly 3 seasons late
1 was cancelled between seasons with no real ending
1 was cancelled as the final season was wrapping up but the producers were promised 1 movies that were later cancelled.
So, except for 2 ongoing series and Six Feet Under, I don’t see a single successful and complete series from HBO. You could say Sopranos was complete but those last 2 seasons were insulting at best and the ending was worse.
So tell me, why should I bother watching True Blood? Given HBO’s track record, I have to assume that the series will end badly. Fool me once, shame on you. I don’t even want to think of what fooling me 5 times means…
Tags: TV
September 6th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
I completely agree with this. HBO has nothing left to offer it’s viewers. I was a major Carnivale fan, and was incredibly disappointed at it’s untimely cancellation.
I couldn’t help but notice that HBO only has 2 remaining shows, both of which suck ass – there’s really no point in even subscribing to HBO anymore when there are far better shows on prime time television who aren’t scared to run 8 seasons worth of material or with Showtime coming out of the woodwork with their own set of original series.
Even the selection of movies being ran on HBO are tired or overplayed, back to back – and the “On Demand” HBO is actually wasting space with things like “The Making of [insert movie title here]“. It’s ridiculous.
I think HBO underestimates what it’s viewers want. They assume that all we want to see gratuitous sex and infidelity, violence, money, drug usage, fast cars and high fashion – and maybe that’s what sells for the majority. Personally, I think Carnivale got the shaft because it didn’t contain enough of those things, instead it contained a story line that involved thought and emotion – couple those qualities with a storyline that forced you to question of the existence of higher powers that lie far beyond our comprehension as mere humans… I guess the majority would rather see a pair of tits. It’s really upsetting to me.
I can only hope that someday HBO will let Daniel Knauf complete his story the way it was meant to be told or atleast let him have his story back so that he can find someone who will.