HBO at the TCA: On the death of 'Enlightened' and the bright future for everything else

By Joe Tranchina ·

HBO "Enlightened"

If there's one thing to be learned from HBO CEO Richard Pleper's stop on the TCA 2013 press tour, it's that the premium network is sitting pretty at the top. Though competition in the field is constantly growing and ever-changing (like the recent threat of Netflix), HBO considers itself an individual superpower of a network, concerning itself with its own programming and assuring its audience that there is plenty of room for anyone looking to work in their field.

In truth, much of the conversation at the TCA surrounded the fate of most of the network's series, including Game of Thrones, True Blood, Boardwalk Empire, and Newsroom. Basically, the network would need to sustain several years' worth of tremendous losses in viewership to have to concern itself with a ratings-based schedule. Meaning, if the execs at HBO want a series to stay, it will stay.

That brings my to the conversation surrounding the recently cancelled critics' favorite, Enlightened. HBO promises that the fate of the lauded series, which maintained a small dedicated core fan base while still struggling in the ratings, was only cancelled because they felt Mike White's story had run its course, denying the show's creator a third season surrounding a court case. Treme was also cut mostly due to what seemed like a general lack of enthusiasm.

HBO "GIRLS"

The network's lowest rated series at the moment is the comedy, GIRLS, which still manages to draw in over 5 million viewers a week when digital numbers (like those from HBO GO) are taken into account. To put things into perspective, a network like Starz would consider that a massive game-changing success. HBO plans on giving four new series a go; a show about three gay men living in San Francisco, a comedy from the creators of Big Love, Getting On, and Hello Ladies.

Lastly, HBO's Pleper, along with president of programming Michael Lombardo, answered a question on the sense of an overwhelming amount of male voices in dramatic programming and whether or not their recent female-driven comedy series will ever lead the network to try more female-centric dramas. HBO is a network that can afford to sit and wait for great programming to be handed to it. It isn't in a constant search for specific kinds of series; however, the female audience is still tuning in, especially when it comes to Game of Thrones.

Via A.V. Club


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