[opendtv] HBO: The Tough Act TV Tries to Follow


HBO: The Tough Act TV Tries to Follow

By BERNARD WEINRAUB
September 25, 2004

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 24 - Can HBO keep soaring?

Despite this cable channel's extraordinary dominance at the Emmy 
Awards on Sunday night, HBO executives insist that the best is yet to 
come. Rival television executives, perhaps thinking wishfully, say 
they are not so sure.

They note that HBO's most prestigious and popular drama series, "The 
Sopranos," will not be eligible for Emmys next year because it will 
not be shown again until 2006. HBO's most popular comedy series, "Sex 
and the City," has completed its run. And other cable channels, 
notably Showtime, have begun to play on the same creative turf as 
HBO.But Chris Albrecht, HBO's chairman and chief executive, said he 
was confident that the channel would maintain its leadership. 
"Everyone is always saying, 'What next?' " Mr. Albrecht said in an 
interview. "We've been answering that 'what next?' question for a 
long time."

On Sunday HBO won 32 Emmys, far more than any other nominee, and 
almost double the number it won last year. "Angels in America," the 
Pulitzer Prize-winning drama by Tony Kushner, which HBO turned into a 
two-part mini-series, won 11 Emmys, breaking the mini-series record 
(nine) set by ABC's "Roots" in 1977. At the same time, after 
consistently losing to NBC's "West Wing," "The Sopranos" finally won 
as best drama series.

Among the HBO series returning this season are the acclaimed dramas 
"The Wire" and "Six Feet Under," as well as "Deadwood" and 
"Carnivale," which have had mixed receptions. Its comedies include 
"Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "Entourage." None of these shows have yet 
gained the audiences of "The Sopranos" or "Sex and the City."

...

http://nytimes.com/2004/09/25/arts/television/25hbo.html

 
 
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