19. HBO's Legacy and Future Question: In 1999, when HBO began to win all those Emmy Awards for fictional, series TV shows, it seemed possible that the pay cable outlet would fundamentally alter the nature of American television. The difference between HBO programming and that offered by the networks was often quite striking. For example, short-runs of fiction shows of 13 episodes, sometimes airing in the summer months, offered a direct challenge to the network programming model. On the other hand, many of HBO's signature shows relied more on the ability to swear and show nudity than on some more important difference. Now HBO seems unable to match its initial innovation (The Comeback is not quite Sex and the City, for example). Furthermore, basic cable networks are offering both innovative imitations (Oxygen's women-centered "cringe-com" Campus Ladies as a re-articulation of Curb Your Enthusiasm) and arguably more compelling fare (the first two seasons of Sci-Fi's Battlestar Galactica strike me as just as compelling as even the best seasons of The Sopranos, never mind the gangster show in its latter-day tailspin). This round table will address the historic importance of HBO's shift to series programming and the potential for its future by addressing the following questions: Did HBO at the height of its series television innovations deserve the critical acclaim it received? How important were shows like The Sopranos and Sex and the City? What will HBO's role in the future of the industry likely be? Can HBO continue to churn out successful shows that foreground their difference from the rest of the televisual landscape? |