What the fuck happened to HBO? They used to be the kings of television no more than 10 years ago...

What the fuck happened to HBO? They used to be the kings of television no more than 10 years ago, but now their lineup is beyond pathetic.
Poorly written mistery dramas for the Lost audience like Westworld and Leftovers.
Series gone to shit like GoT and True Detective.
Pure unadultered shit like Girls.
Only decent things they have are some comedies, like Veep and Curb.
What the fuck happened?

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>mistery

stopped reading there

HBO is still unironically the best. FX and Netflix are closing the gap, but they're still not number 1.

More competition with similar production values (and premium cable swearing/nudity) makes HBO's shows stand out less

Fargo is miles better than anything HBO currently has, and so is the Americans.
Netflix is a mixed bag but overall it beats HBO in both quality and quantity.
And what about the new Twin Peaks going to Showtime? That seems like a massive fuckup on HBOs part, you'd think that kind of project would go to them.

GOT is still one of the best shows on and westworld isn't bad. curb is coming back too. i can't think of any other channel that can compete with them. i thought for a minute amc would but they couldn't keep it up after breaking bad

also
>poorly written mistery
>mistery
kill yourself

>And what about the new Twin Peaks going to Showtime?
CBS Corporation, which owns Showtimes, owns the rights to Twin Peaks.

Came here to post this.

HBO led the way. Then FX started with more mature shows like Nip/Tuck early on. Then came AMC who started the rise.

Didn't help that Hollywood has gotten worse and worse over the past 10 years which just so happened to be the beginning of the ascent of good television.

Now you've got Amazon and Netflix joining in.

There a whole lot of good shows out there now so it's likes being at a buffet. HBO puts out some really good stuff but some shows that would have been considered above the norm are now meh in comparison to all the choices you've got now.

>GOT is still one of the best shows
You seem lost, redditor.

They still have awesome shit. No one talks about it

It's not HBO, its you. You became an insufferable asshole.

I hear this crap for everything, from movies to videogames.
And it's bullshit, mass entertainment is objectively getting shittier.

Fargo>True Detective>The Leftovers>American Crime Story>Westworld>The Americans>Game of Thrones>The Strain>American Horror Story

It's close, but I'd ultimately give the win to HBO. I feel like The Americans is decent in terms of execution, but it's ultimately just another antiheroes-leading-double-lives drama.

This is all personal opinion though.

The Leftovers is pure kino

This

Television has gotten so much better though depending on your source.

Movies have gotten worse though since every time they take a chance audiences don't go for it since it's costs nearly 30 dollars just to see a movie with another person.

Video games a mixed bag since it's still a purely evolving market.

Forgot to mention The Young Pope. If that counts for HBO as well (I believe it was a joint production) then it's a no-brainer. Easily the best new drama this year.

>True Detective that high
If S2 never happened, maybe. And at the moment it's as good as dead.

>GOT is still one of the best shows on

YOU kill yourself numale. GoT is worse than TWD at this point.

Like, way worse.

>Television has gotten so much better though depending on your source.
It peaked during the last decade, and now, with Mad Men over, nothing reaches the quality of the best shows of the golden age of HBO.

TD season 1 was one of the best seasons of television of all time. And season 2 wasn't nearly as bad as anyone said it was. I'd say it's earned it's place.

I'll still be there for you
youtube.com/watch?v=dqCfld0js7k

TV destroyed low-to-mid-budget film, as improving technology and rising budgets companies to make TV shows with the production values of most films. Makes it very hard for people to justify paying an extra $15.

(I kind of wonder it it was ER which started it)

What went wrong?

Thank you for proving his point

Turns out middle-aged men wanking themselves over classic rock has a very limited audience.

As literally 3 networks learnt at once (Roadies, Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll, Vinyl)

leftovers is kino fuck u man

>GOT is still one of the best shows on
stopped reading right there

>GOT is still one of the best shows
Honestly end yourself. GOT has been shit for the last 2 seasons and will be worse judging by the leaks.

I dunno, that's like saying that only people interested in the advertising industry would be interested in Mad Men.
Vynil even had gangster subplots.

thats because it was supposed to cover the introduction to a new genre in the era of rock and roll

3 shows around similar concepts were all huge bombs that all got dreadful ratings. Some concepts just don't appeal to people.

No, Vynil was good and had a decent plot they were going with. The other two were trash. One by a washed up actor who thinks he's still relevant, the other no one literally knew was on.

I said literally nothing about the quality of the shows, user. Just that absolutely no-one was watching them. If anything, Vinyl was the biggest bomb as they invested $100m in the first season plus a shitton of marketing money.

>tfw they cancelled Boardwalk Empire for this shit
>and they've greenlit it for a second season despite terrible ratings

It was such a mess. I was ready to ignore the critics, but I struggled to get through it. It did seem to right itself in the end and I suspect the writers would have crafted a far better season 2, as they knew what worked and what didn't.

Can't believe how sloppy Scorcese's direction of the pilot was. Unbelievable.

except The Leftovers isn't about the mystery, or 'mistery' as your retarded fucking ass put it

Really? I thought it got cancelled.

Nope. They cancelled the second season. They did that with The Brink too. And a few others, I think.

So why even bother investing your time in a new HBO show when they're going to pull the rug from underneath you?

HBO aren't the pinnacle of television anymore. In fact, aside from a few mini-series, HBO hasn't been synonymous with great television in years - especially since GoT has turned to shit. They don't run a monopoly anymore.

FX and AMC have become HUGE. Cinemax and Netflix are bringing out great content too. We're finally seeing some competition and when I think of great television, it's not HBO that comes to mind.

It's good for the consumers, bad for them. They ran the gamut until the late 2000s when the regular cable networks started contending with them.

HBO is complete and utter shit now.

Every show has the same edgy feel, like they're trying to recapture something from before. Make something new.

I hope they start taking more risks then. Doubt it though.

>Passed on The Walking Dead
>Passed on Mad Men

lmao.

Boardwalk Empire was just as bad.

Thing is, HBOs subscriber numbers are higher than ever. Their cultural impact may have declined but the revenue is still there.

Be more nervous about small cable networks than HBO, especially with ratings declines and cord cutting factored in. Even big names like FX are finding it tough to get viewers outside of AHS. USA and Freeform (lol) originals are legit dying.

Mainly because the creator was flip-flopping on it from S2 onwards. Vinyl's first season is dogshit in comparison.

No one who owns a tv cares about dad rock

AMC got lucky twice with MM and BB but it has nothing watchable now.

They do, it's just that age group is only interested in staged reality TV shows they watch with minimal attention after getting home each day to numb the growing discontent.

I think a lot of that is due to them offering out HBONow, which lets people catch up on shit like Sopranos in a month rather than buy the exhorbitant DVDs.

That aside, their subs might be up, but that will change when GoT inevitably ends. Nobody is going to give as much of a shit about a prequel.

I've said this to a number of people and it truly is a shame. It's as if they're being rewarded for their safe, middle-of-the-road pap.

>It's Always Sunny has been shite since s07, yet it's never been more popular than it is now.

>American Horror Story has been on a sharp and steady decline since the end of season 2 and it's never been more popular.

>Game of Thrones hasn't been great for 2/3 years and it's more popular than ever.

>The Walking Dead has been dogshit for YEARS, yet it's never been more popular and the fans are just as brain dead.

Preacher was bafflingly crap. That's what you get when DUDE WEED LMAO writes and produces a show.

I will say, Better Call Saul is great.

I'm really liking what Starz is putting out

>Ash vs. Evil Dead
>Black Sails (last season though)

People used to go to HBO who could pick and choose the best projects. Now it's a fairer fight, especially with Amazon/Netflix. HBO also has a long-standing reputation for dysfunctional development making it incredibly for bought projects to get on air (something crazy like 1 in 25 shows they bought in early development made it on the air as of a couple of years ago) and for being complete starfuckers.

I know it's not high art but I really like Into the Badlands. Martial Arts is such a neglected genre I'll take basically anything, but it's nice to watch a show that has good camerawork for action scenes besides, not the jump cut bullshit every visual medium has become plagued with because of Bourne.

THANGS CHANGED RICK

Are you telling me I should watch ItBL? Because it's only 6 episodes and I'm running out of shows to watch.

Yeah, Amazon are carving a name for themselves too

>Distribution rights for The Neon Demon and other indie films - buy for cost and profit, giving filmmakers instant 'green zone'
>Producing more and more high-quality shows: Goliath, Transparent (critical darling), Bosch.

I think they'll do great in the future.

What has HBO got after GoT? The Leftovers is ending next year. Girls is ending. Ballers is shit. They cancelled The Brink and Vinyl ($100m cost).


Show died when shane did

Absolutely if you like action at all. ItBL is only 6 episodes, but because of that there is no filler (arguably there is a lack of certain plot points and exposition common to lengthier seasons, for better or worse). There is at least one major fight per episode, all of them kickass in some way or another. And it's already been renewed for a second season in 2017 (10 episodes this time).

Again, it won't change your life, but it was such a beautifully refreshing show in a sea of mediocrity and safe plays.

My guess is HBO bets on a Dark Tower series depending on how the movie does.

Outside of that, I imagine they'll spend years trying to recapture Game of Thrones by doing random popular fiction series.

>Goliath, Transparent (critical darling), Bosch.
Never even heard of these.

Downloading it now.


Yeahh and it seems other networks are trying to capture the GoT phenomenon. I doubt it can be done.

The Americans is true kino

That is one of the best shows on television.

The Leftovers is great

>What the fuck happened to HBO
Women and cucks. I wish I was joking.

Ma nigga. I love shows like this. Show the players lives off the field. Also Based The Rock

>game of thrones
>westworld
>true detective

oh wow they only have 3 top 5 shows :DDDDDD

The story in BCS is interesting however I cant stand the shitty strip mall or the cold corporate settings. Puts a bad image of USA in my mind

>magically sitting down onto an erect dick
when will this meme end?

>What has HBO got after GoT? The Leftovers is ending next year. Girls is ending. Ballers is shit. They cancelled The Brink and Vinyl ($100m cost).
Unironically, Westworld and Last Week Tonight (remember: unscripted shows are cheap as FUCK and can go on indefinitely).

Also, more people than you might think subscribe for the films

But they are definitely short on content.

it's The Deuce coming soon?

not saying it'll be good, but it's something

While i agree with GoT going shit, Westworld looks pretty good so far and it's probably their new flag show. Granted that Hopkins and Harris are the stronger bet there and what carries the whole thing though.

I think the "problem" if you want to call it that is that other networks took the hint and leveled their game, which is actually good for us.

Both VIkings and Black Sails topped GoT a long time ago not to mention one time shows like Strange and Norrell or this season even Stranger Things did so with no budget.

Even tier 2 shows leveled their game like twelve monkeys, the expanse, Daredevil, Jessica Jones or the man in the high castle... and the horizon has stuff like Y the las man, a series of unfortunate events and even a Dark Tower show coming our way on different networks.

I think it's pretty sweet to have this many alternatives not depending on a single company. If anything this situation will push HBO to top themselves.

Not too long ago there wasn't many shows with the kind of budget to pull this kind of stuff...

>GOT is still one of the best shows
you got me

How funny is it that Black Sails s2/3 is some of the best action/adventure on tv. Enjoyed the last two seasons way more than I've enjoyed GoT in a long time.

Also, Banshee's Season 3 is probably the best action season I've seen in years. So much fun.

Seriously, Black Sails got better than GoT by season 2 and the only reason it was not the best show that season where Vikings and Strange and Norrell.

This season however they really took the price since Vikings dropped on quality and Westworld, as good as it looks, is on it's first season thus is unable to deliver a climax of that level since we are still not fully invested on the characters.

Westworld could have taken the best new show but i think that goes to Stranger Things. They did so much with so little that i am still amazed.

I thought the latest season of Vikings was a HUGE departure from the 3rd season. And they're zoning out Ragnar, which I understand in a way, but he's the charismatic center of the show, I don't like the shrill women on the show personally.

Stranger Things was TRASH though. I'm genuinely surprised that resonated with so many. I wanted to like it, I was hyped, but man if it wasn't some of the most middling television I've ever seen.

I'd recommend Banshee because we have similar taste. Go and enjoy some pulpy grindhouse action that has a heart and knows what is it. Something which a lot of shows, including GoT doesn't understand.

yeah there's a lot of retards out there that will eat up anything

What the fuck happened to Sup Forums? It used to be the cutting edge of everything now its just autistic people reposting endlessly as part of their daily routines.

You grew up.

HBO is nothing but gratuitous nudity and swear words now. That's their only hook.

Take this content out of their shows and no one would watch them. Let's face it, shows like Game of Thrones and Westworld are god awful.

I might try out Banshee if only for Eliza Dushku. Thanks for the recommendation.

As for Stranger Things i mostly liked the concept of the upside down. The aesthetics of that place where really beautiful and i've always liked the idea of worlds behind mirrors and shadows and all that even if they add nothing new. It's basically the same thing i liked about Fringe back in the day.

The show was not perfect or anything but i think it was better than both current GoT and Vikings... granted Vikings is losing edge and current GoT is trash but i think there is merit on topping two shows like that with a show about a missing kid, Christmas lights, old tropes and references to the 80 and whatnot.

Eastbound and Down was the last good thing from HBO

>More Mature
>Nip/Tuck

>What went wrong?

HBO being too cheep for pay for actual 70’s music and the music industry being too greedy to sell the music for a reasonable price.

HBO blatantly milking the story for multiple seasons instead of getting on with the story; by the time it got interesting, the season was over.

Not enough Juno Temple.

Too much Gip Rossetti doing coke (I get it already!).

>Boardwalk Empire was just as bad.

I just rewatched it a couple of weeks back and it was a good series, the only problems was believing any chick would be romantically interested in Steve Buscemi and HBO time skipping a fucking decade in the story, just so they could end the series sooner.

I was 20 when I found Sup Forums in 2003.

>GoT is bad meme

Kys neckbeards.

Well, he had money, taste, connections, and didn't hit women. That gave him a pretty huge edge on most people.

Young pope is miles better than fargo. Young pope is fucking great.

>Cinemax bringing out great content too

Do tell, pls.

>GOT is still one of the best shows

Jump off a cliff, please.

it's in top 4 all time best shows

>GOT is still one of the best shows
People like this keep the show alive.
Please do everyone a favor and shut up.

Why does HBO persist on using the same opening sequence for every new show.

It started with True Blood
>True Detective
>The Jinx
>The Leftovers
>True Detective season 2
>Westworld

Stop. I get it, abstract, dramatically lit tableaus in super slow motion are cool, especially when accompanied by moody music. If I have to watch a 20 second music video before every program, I would prefer they at least vary the aesthetics between programs.

Boardwalk Empire was just poorman's Sopranos set in the 20s.

>muh mother issues
>muh father issues
>muh moody bitch of a wife
>muh sitdowns
>muh gang-scheming
>muh token jew moneyman
>muh gore
>muh introspectives
>muh musical montages

The show offered NOTHING new. Steve Buscemi is an awesome actor and I love him to death, but he can't fucking lead. The guy that played Rothstein should've played Nucky.

Daily reminder that Rome>GoT

bump

>tv ever good

the rise of numales and feminists

not even memeing

The Knick. Probably some of the best television the last couple of years.

The Night Of did the exact same thing, lol. I agree, there's not much originality there.

But the Leftovers did change their opening after S1. It's a lot more unique now just due to the song choice.

Look through HBO original programming catalogue and you will notice a large assortment of trash with the ever so slightly visible shine of worth mixed in.

>ctrl+f
>no spawn
>hbo thread
Pretty damn good cartoon, makes me wish hbo did more animation