China’s Wanda Group Agrees To Pay $2.6B For AMC … 
Weinstein Clarifies ‘Sapphires’ Remarks; Best … 
How Agencies Did At This Year’s Upfronts: New … 
BOMBS AWAY! ‘Battleship’ Sinks To $25.3M … 
‘Lawless’ Premieres As The Weinstein Company … 
David Guarascio And Moses Port To Run … 
‘Beasts Of The Southern Wild’ Co-Writer Lucy … 
Fox Searchlight Fetes ‘Beasts Of The Southern … 
D.V. DeVincentis Sinks Teeth Into ‘The Night … 
Universal Buys ‘The Disciple Program’ As Mark … 
‘Madagascar 3′ And A ‘Big Brother’ … 
UPDATE: Facebook’s Big IPO Trading Day Results In A … 
UPFRONTS 2012: The Year Of Underdogs, Comebacks & … 
YRF’s Uday Chopra To Finance Nicole Kidman-Starrer … 
Cannes Swirls With Talk Of Convergence Between Distributors … 
TNT & Lifetime Looking At Cancelled CBS Drama … 
Women Dominate Early Competition Films As Marion Cotillard … 
Doug Liman Reacts To ‘I Just Want My Pants … 
Disney Sets Jesse Wigutow To Script ‘Peter And The … 
Anthony Mackie In Step With ‘Runner Runner’ 
Should You Buy Facebook? A Few Things To Consider Before … 
It’s now official. HBO just announced that Carolyn Strauss is leaving her longtime gig (though the pay channel took great pains to claim she would get a fat production deal). ”Everyone felt this was the right time,” an insider told me about her firing because the pay channel has lost all its sizzle. Heck, HBO hasn’t had a new hit series in, like, forever. The pay channel was going to announce the shake-up Monday, but then I broke the news Saturday. Not only will there be a new President of HBO Entertainment hired but also a new Head of Series, I’m told.
I’ve been complaining ad nauseum that Hollywood is waiting for Time Warner chief Jeff Bewkes, a one-time head of HBO, to make a bold move to rejuvenate the ossified pay channel. There was profound disappointment when he replaced HBO chairman/CEO Chris Albrecht after a scandal with two insiders since the company already was filled with execs who seemed to have jobs for life. What’s been needed is new blood and fresh creative leadership. As for Strauss (pictured with Larry David, left), I’ve already reported that she’s been phoning it in for a long time while doing business with what seemed like just the same six people. Made president of HBO Entertainment back in February 2004, she’d been at HBO since 1986. 
Finally, Richard Plepler, HBO Co-President, and Michael Lombardo, President of Programming Group and West Coast Operations, made a move to end that. ”I think this is a very decisive step for Richard and Michael,” a source analyzed. HBO axed its unpopular comedy czar, Bob Crestani, back in November. And the next shoe to drop should be the overrated Colin Calender (a legend in his own mind who recently rejected an offer from Walden Media to develop a new production slate and team).
Nothing would please Hollywood more than if Showtime were on the verge of whacking the hubris out of HBO. Certainly, Showtime has more distinctive programming right now, even if it can’t market its way out of a paper bag — unlike HBO. Problem is, HBO has nothing to sell. Look how many HBO series have tanked: John from Cincinnati, Rome, Deadwood, and Carnivale all had their plugs pulled prematurely. They passed on Mad Men. Critically acclaimed The Sopranos, The Wire, Six Feet Under, Oz, Sex In The City have expired. And replacement series like Tell Me You Love Me and In Treatment are like watching pain dry. Even the once-fun Entourage now sucks. As I’ve said again and again, HBO needs to once again make the kind of unique and even dangerous programming that can’t air on basic cable or commercial networks. That’s what defines pay television. I say shake up the place, get rid of everybody, and start all over.
Previous: I’ve confirmed there’s an HBO shake-up. Tipsters tell me that Carolyn Strauss may be exiting. The change does not affect Colin Calender though he had been approached by Walden Media. (See HBO Needs To Wise Up, Or Get Whacked)
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
Loading ...
Bob Greenblatt is the most underrated exec in the business, and has beat HBO at their (in their minds, at least) own game. HBO is utterly bereft of quality, interesting programming (FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS, mentioned in a post above, is inane and I can’t see how anyone beyond stoned college freshmen get a thing from it) and has been for a while. I agree that Colin is very overrated, the movies have been weak and they drive the creative people insane with their hovering, destructive interference.
Truth be told, Chris Albrecht is very missed at HBO. Carolyn was used as the fall person. HBO had a very good run at the top, and they forget who got them there. Shame on Plepler and Lombardo!
Yeah, Colin Calender is not getting this job. The word on the street is that folks along the lines of Katherine Pope, T. Sherman, Dede Gardner are in the running. It’s interesting that the new HBO team let Strauss’ departure get out of the bag before they had a replacement lined up. They’ve barely interviewed anyone for the job.
I, too have seen all the 12 Miles episodes. A friend let me borrow them and I was in love! I am shocked that these two idiots would not put this show on the air with all of the crap HBO currently has playing. I have gone from watching everything HBO produced to not being able to get through two episodes of any of their new shows. I had been telling people that HBO FINALLY had a new hit show that was about to air. Silly rabbit…
These guys are obviously morons! Bring Chris”Boom-Boom” Albrecht back as he obviously knew what he was doing. I hope 12 Miles finds a new home. It’s too good not to. Tell them to call Showtime!
Jeez, “Mark Jefferies,” calm down. Step outside your PC hothouse and read the comments with an open mind. You might learn something about the general audience beyond Los Angeles.
“Scurmudgeon” wants movies from HBO. As a slang term, a lot of people use the word “gay” to denote something overly precious or, well, “artsy fartsy.” I didn’t read their comment as homophobic.
“Cactus Jim” seems to have no problem with the First Amendment. He just doesn’t want to give any money to Bill Maher. I’m a Democrat and I don’t want to give any money to Bill Maher, either.
And as for “All Aboard! Rosie’s Family Cruise,” did anybody sign up for HBO so they could watch someone else’s f’ing Bahaman vacation video, gay or straight? It’s a symptom of how boring HBO has become.
“It’s interesting that the new HBO team let Strauss’ departure get out of the bag before they had a replacement lined up.”
I heard she quit in anger on Fri. People were talking. Lombardo likely worked Saturday to bury the hatchet/stanch bad publicity by convincing her to “transition” into that fat production deal.
For you guys that don’t know much about the show 12 Miles of Bad Road, here is a link to a trailer done by some guys at HBO that loved the show – of course that would cover all but about 3 people.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTPtTjn5z_o
Still Disgusted in NY
‘Rome’ was a marketing failure and nothing more. It was as quality a show that has ever been on television and had everything in it to win the ratings gold…graphic sex, graphic violence and great craftsmanship. Go to any site where ‘Rome’ is being discussed(including Pirate Bay) and you will find people are essentially blown away by the quality of it. HBO didn’t bring the audience to it, and the audience would have LOVED it if they did.
Don’t get me started on Deadwood…what HBO did was a travesty. Big Love though, is reaching Sopranos quality IMO.
Missed CactusJim’s comment:
Uh, wingnut America already has 99% of the television programming out there dude. Let us high-falutin’ book learnin’ types have ours mmmmmkaaaay.
All I want to know is, who nixed Mad Men? After all Matt Weiner did for you guys? AIEEEEEE!
I have had it with all the repeats. How many times do I have to watch old Real Sex shows.
Any network that would cancel Inside the NFL has proven it lacks management skills. Good Bye HBO
HBO is headed for the downfall it deserves. Chris Albrecht was the only good thing it ever had in a top post. It’s all bean counters and severely challenged egomaniacs now. To hell with them.
I too, saw all 6 episodes of ” Twelve Miles of Bad Road” at a friend’s house. For a series they’re not going to air, HBO is apparently pretty loose with the DVD copies. Anyway,it wasn’t just good, it was F***ING Brilliant, hilarious, sweet,sad,sentimental,all the things really great story telling can be. Rolling laughing on the floor one minute and tears of sentiment the next. That ” Designing Women” lady can write comedy.
Are the pin heads at HBO out-of their- F***ING-minds, this show would have saved their collective butts after the drivel they’ve been presenting and pretending was worth watching. I might be stupid but I think “Tell Me You Love Me” is just plain poor quality pornography. I saw the sodomy episode and I have to tell you I am grateful my children were not in the room. It was not entertaining,just totally disgusting at the 14 yr old boy level of sniggering fascination.
The two disasters in the making should be fired immediately and someone from HBO should beg the “12 Miles” producers,cast,etc for forgiveness. And on bended knee plead with them to make more episodes not to mention start airing the ones they have already made.
How can Time/Warner afford to place so loose with investor cash, making multi-million dollar decisions based on the total lack of acumen of the two dopes in charge? Where is Chis Albrecht when we need him?