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March 18, 2008 2:28

HBO's Road Not Traveled

Posted by James Poniewozik | Comments (4) | Permalink | Trackbacks (0) | Email This

With your most critically acclaimed drama just having gone off the air, the writers' strike having choked up the pipeline for new material, and the competition ready to debut a number of new and returning shows, you'd think you'd be anxious to get some new shows—any new shows—on the air. Not if you're HBO, apparently. The network has confirmed that its long-trumpted Lily Tomlin comedy Twelve Miles of Bad Road, having already shot six episodes, will never see air—not on HBO at least. (The producers are reportedly shopping the real-estate comedy around, to networks including Lifetime.)

Well, HBO's entertainment chief must have a lot of other options up her sleeve, right? Probably would! If they still had one! See, in other HBO news, entertainment president Carolyn Strauss left over the weekend after two decades at the network.

For somebody's sake, True Blood had better be really worth the wait.

[Update: On a more somber HBO note, the sudden death of Anthony Minghella comes as HBO plans to put its series The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, whose pilot he directed, into production.]

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Reader Comments (4)

Chris Kw.:

THis has not been a good week for HBO.

@James

Can you bring up old Robo-posts? Because last summer there was one about the future of HBO. I wrote about a long comment defending the network and its rebuilding process. But now I would like to take that position back.

I can no longer defend this channel that seems to enjoy getting low ratings. Don't the people their realize that they won't have any summer programming besides the mini-series "Generation Kill." How bad could the show have been? Or did HBO feel that the it was too network(y) for its brand?

I am sure Alan Ball would be little more worried if he hadn't already had a relationship with HBO. But for all the other producers out there looking to make deals with HBO, what is going through their heads right now?

Nothing good can come from cancelling a show that had been in development for nearly two years.

Posted by Chris Kw. | March 18, 2008 3:36 PM

James Poniewozik:

@Chris

That would be

http://www.time-blog.com/tuned_in/2007/08/vacation_robopost_has_hbo_lost.html

As for 12 Miles -- I haven't seen it, can't judge. But if you commit to a series to the point of making six episodes (would have been more if not for the strike), and THEN change your mind, something is wrong. Even if it's a casualty of the Straus regime, why reverse the last entertainment chief's decision if you've got nothing to replace it with?

[That said, not sure this is entirely unprecedented there. I believe Tom Fontana's Baseball Wives and Richard Linklater's series were pretty far along when HBO dropped them--not entirely sure of the specifics on either, though.]

HBO has noted to me that Entourage and Big Love are returning. Ahem, someday.

Posted by James Poniewozik | March 18, 2008 3:52 PM

beerbaron:

Good thing they passed on Mad Men, huh?

I really wish someone would put Entourage out of its misery -- that show is becoming the new Arliss.

Posted by beerbaron | March 18, 2008 4:26 PM

Bemused:

On the subject of HBO, did anyone see last night's twist coming on "In Treatment"? It kinda bummed me out. I'm trying to avoid a spoiler, but let's just say I wish it had happened on another night of the week.

Posted by Bemused | March 18, 2008 5:04 PM

About Tuned In

James Poniewozik writes TIME magazine's Tuned In column, about pop culture and society. Tuned In, the blog version, is about the stuff we used to call "TV," whether it's in your living room, on your computer or--once the networks figure out the technology and line up the advertisers--in your dreams themselves.