How great is HBO

[shnikey]

Band of Brothers, Sopranos, Curb, Sex and the City; great TV and and great DVD's. Why can't other channels produce suck quality shows? Anyways, I just wanted to give thanks to the DVD gods for HBO material.

-Shnikey

[larphillips]

Originally Posted by shnikey

Band of Brothers, Sopranos, Curb, Sex and the City; great TV and and great DVD's. Why can't other channels produce suck quality shows? Anyways, I just wanted to give thanks to the DVD gods for HBO material.

-Shnikey

It takes a few different things, most of which are in short supply in Hollywood - Great scripts, freedom to present what you want, the guts to trust the show creators, and money.

I've held onto my HBO subscription for this very reason, even when times were tough and money was tight.

Don't forget Oz, The Larry Sanders Show, Carnival, and many of the great docs in the America Undercover series.

[KSC2-303]

HBO puts out great products (Band of Brothers, Sopranos, Oz, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and a myriad of movies too), but their DVDs are...over-priced and lackluster.

If HBO could drop their TV series season box set prices to the median price and include better extras on their movies (Mainly their movies, but some of their TV series could use more bonus material), I'd be so much happier.

[moviezzz]

Gotta agree over the DVDs being overpriced.

But also have to say some of the shows are overpraised. SEX AND THE CITY has had some very off seasons. SOPRANOS last season wasn't its best. BAND OF BROTHERS went downhill after a couple great episodes. CARNIVALE was unwatchable. Not to mention K STREET which I watched, but in a train wreck sort of way. Just awful.

I think SIMPSONS, BUFFY, SPORTS NIGHT, SEINFELD, KING OF THE HILL were more consistent.

[larphillips]

Originally Posted by KSC2-303

HBO puts out great products (Band of Brothers, Sopranos, Oz, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and a myriad of movies too), but their DVDs are...over-priced and lackluster.

If HBO could drop their TV series season box set prices to the median price and include better extras on their movies (Mainly their movies, but some of their TV series could use more bonus material), I'd be so much happier.

Band of Brothers was nicely loaded. Tenacious D and Mr. Show were too.

Curb and Larry Sanders were put out by another company.

As for price, it IS high, but they sell and sell well.

[shnikey]

What more extras do you want? Sopranos has featurettes, commentaries, interviews; Band of Brothers has documentaries, video diaries, making of; Sex and the City has some things. I think those are pretty good extras. I do not feel that the prices are that bad ~40 for Sex, ~80 for Sopranos, and ~80 for Band; seems fair to me. You say you want more extras for less money, it takes money to produce all that crap though.

-Shnikey

[KSC2-303]

Alias is $40-50 with many more extra material than HBO for nearly half the price.

I'd say the average TV series is $40-55.

The average HBO series is $70-100.

As for the features, that was mainly ment towards their movies (Conspiracy and When Trumpets Fade are two HBO titles I held off on because they're bare bones), but the Sopranos is fairly bare bones (sans commentary) too.

That might be due to the fact it's hard to come up with extra material for an ongoing series vs. a 1 shot show, movie or mini-series, but still.

I'm also irritated how Oz, a show that's been finished and off air (no new material) for like, a year now, gets about 1 season a year when we get new Sex in the City every 10 minutes.

[larphillips]

Originally Posted by KSC2-303

Alias is $40-50 with many more extra material than HBO for nearly half the price.

I'd say the average TV series is $40-55.

The average HBO series is $70-100.

And the average TV series has basically made its money already through sales to the network, ad dollars, and the ability to move more units due to network TV exposure than HBO series. Plus, the HBO series cost a LOT more to produce.

[KSC2-303]

Originally Posted by larphillips

And the average TV series has basically made its money already through sales to the network, ad dollars, and the ability to move more units due to network TV exposure than HBO series. Plus, the HBO series cost a LOT more to produce.

I agree, network tv has a lot more audience to deal with, but people also believe "if I can see it for free on tv, why pay for DVD?" HBO, however, is a premium service, so you pay either way to see it. I don't have HBO, but I do own Oz 1 and 2, all 4 Sopranos, CYU 1 and am contemplating SFU.

As for HBO costing a lot more, I disagree. That might be true in the case of the Sopranos and possibly Sex in the City, but on average the network TV cast gets paid exponentially more than HBO cast.

Gandolfini is the exception to the rule.

EDIT: I forgot to say that the HBO series that take off probably do as well in ratings as their network counterparts.

[larphillips]

Originally Posted by KSC2-303

As for HBO costing a lot more, I disagree. That might be true in the case of the Sopranos and possibly Sex in the City, but on average the network TV cast gets paid exponentially more than HBO cast.

Actually, that is a fairly rare event that a network TV personality makes more in basic salary. In fact, due to the large casts and heavy demands of an HBO series, an HBO actor makes a lot more up-front. Network TV stars get their perks in the form of large bonuses, syndication deals, and scalable contracts. The Sopranos was a rarity in that cast members were able to renegotiate, and that is due to the fact that they all worked past their original contract. HBO usually lets the series drop off after contracts expire. HBO contracts tend to be pretty rich up front, with very little on the back end.

[larphillips]

Originally Posted by KSC2-303

EDIT: I forgot to say that the HBO series that take off probably do as well in ratings as their network counterparts.

HBO ratings don't even scratch UPN numbers.

[AKA]

Originally Posted by larphillips

Curb and Larry Sanders were put out by another company.

Larry Sanders was, but Curb Your Enthusiasm is, indeed, being distributed by HBO.

[larphillips]

Originally Posted by AKA

Larry Sanders was, but Curb Your Enthusiasm is, indeed, being distributed by HBO.

Ah, good call. Sorry about the misinfo.

[MrTony]

Aside from The Sopranos, the other HBO series I'm really getting into is The Wire. I would be ecstatic if it received a DVD release, but I'm not holding my breath. While many of the other series mentioned have either become cultural sensations (Sopranos, Sex and the City) or attracted a stong cult following (Oz, Carnivale), The Wire just hasn't gathered that much attention. But there is going to be a third season this summer, so HBO obviously has some faith in the series.

[manigrasso]

For obvious reasons to some, I ain't touching this one. Not with a 10 foot pole that Kim Cattrall used as a martial aid.

[larphillips]

Originally Posted by MrTony

Aside from The Sopranos, the other HBO series I'm really getting into is The Wire. I would be ecstatic if it received a DVD release, but I'm not holding my breath. While many of the other series mentioned have either become cultural sensations (Sopranos, Sex and the City) or attracted a stong cult following (Oz, Carnivale), The Wire just hasn't gathered that much attention. But there is going to be a third season this summer, so HBO obviously has some faith in the series.

The critics looooove The Wire. And it is just beginning to get big buzz after the very strong second season. It'll come... maybe not right away, but it will get a release.

[MrTony]

Originally Posted by larphillips

The critics looooove The Wire.

Ah yes, the third category of HBO series: critical darlings. That would be at least consistent with that other Baltimore-based police drama, Homicide.

[mikenyc]

Originally Posted by larphillips

HBO ratings don't even scratch UPN numbers.

This is the truth.

But one thing the public doesn't know is the hard work they put into presenting a technically excellent viewing product. Whatever they broadcast, be assured, it meets the highest technical specifications, before it is broadcast.

Maybe someday this will be made public.

[tic-tac]

Um... Did anyone else besides me like The Mind of the Married Man?

[Notoriousaurus]

You can't bitch about price unless you are a Star Trek: TNG fan or a X-Files fan. I want both of these series but I am NOT willing to sell my soul to afford them

[Marq]

Originally Posted by MrTony

the other HBO series I'm really getting into is The Wire. I would be ecstatic if it received a DVD release

As would I. Most HBO series are shown on a Canadian station eventually, but The Wire is one of the few that has yet to be exported, and is probably the one (along with Curb Your Enthusiasm) that most interests me currently airing on HBO.

[Istagi]

Originally Posted by Notoriousaurus

You can't bitch about price unless you are a Star Trek: TNG fan or a X-Files fan. I want both of these series but I am NOT willing to sell my soul to afford them

Damn straight brother.


I only got the first two seasons of STNG and the first 4 of X-files. Those things are like giving up your first born. damn. I also want Babylon 5.

[larphillips]

Originally Posted by tic-tac

Um... Did anyone else besides me like The Mind of the Married Man?

Sorry, not me.

[shnikey]

Good point with the X-Files pricing. I think that HBO shows are in the middle. I guess it just comes down to taste. I feel that the HBO shows are worth what they are asking.

-Shnikey

[tic-tac]

Originally Posted by larphillips

Sorry, not me.

Guess that's why it is no more! :p

[larphillips]

Originally Posted by tic-tac

Guess that's why it is no more! :p

Sorry man... I'll do better for you next time, I promise.

[EPKJ]

Originally Posted by moviezzz

Gotta agree over the DVDs being overpriced.

But also have to say some of the shows are overpraised. SEX AND THE CITY has had some very off seasons. SOPRANOS last season wasn't its best. BAND OF BROTHERS went downhill after a couple great episodes. CARNIVALE was unwatchable. Not to mention K STREET which I watched, but in a train wreck sort of way. Just awful.

I think SIMPSONS, BUFFY, SPORTS NIGHT, SEINFELD, KING OF THE HILL were more consistent.

I could not agree with you more. I like Sex And The City, but it seemed to lose focus at some point. The Sopranos had a terrible fourth season which essentially could have been a daytime soap opera. You are only the second person who noticed the decline in quality of Band Of Brothers after the first two episodes. It was like a different series from then on. HBO is innovative, but HBO also has some independent producers who have run amok.

By the way, HBO has also done some great movies. The most recent example which stood out was The Gathering Storm.