Ray Richmond is contributing to Deadline’s coverage of TCA.

Today was HBO’s executive session at TCA with co-president Richard Plepler and programming president Michael Lombardo. First, they confirmed that the fantasy drama series Game of Thrones will premiere in Spring 2011. “It’s a genre we’ve approached somewhat cautiously,” Lombardo admitted. “Nerither of us are particularly fans of the genre. But the two writers are so smart and so talented [that] it wasn’t the genre we responded to but the storytelling.” Added Plepler: “What it’s really about is power: who gets the kingdom, who gets the throne. You forget where you are very quickly and find yourself immersed in the storytelling.”

On other subjects:
– The pair confirmed that the The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series is “not dead at all” and may “possibly” have two movies in the offing.

– David Milch’s new show about the horse racing world, Luck, begins shooting in October with Dustin Hoffman attached to star in his first TV series. “We weren’t in these seats when John From Cincinnati was developed,” Lombardo said. “David had such a clear vision for the [new] show. It’s a world he knows. There’s a confidence in the storytelling that’s enormously compelling. He came up with a great [pilot] script. There’s no question we’re taking the journey with him. It’s enormously accessible to non-horseracing people.”

– The new documentary on Bruce Springsteen licensed last week,  entitled The Promise: The Making of Darkness on the Edge of Town, is an in-studio look at the production of the iconic 1978 album. (Toronto Sets Springsteen Documentary As Opening Act) “The fact this footage has been sitting in a vault and no one has seen it for more than 30 years is just extraordinary,” Plepler said of the 75-minute documentary that will premiere on the pay channel in October.

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