HBO Pours Some Fresh Milch
Well, that was quick. John from Cincinnati aired its last episode Sunday, and, never one to resist a Christ parallel, David Milch has risen again three days later to start work on his next series for HBO, according to Variety:
Sources said the creator will develop the project about a Vietnam veteran who returns to the U.S. in the early 1970s and joins the New York City police force. Story is loosely based on the experience of longtime Milch collaborator and fellow "NYPD Blue" exec producer Bill Clark, who is developing the show with Milch.
OK, so on the one hand: David Milch + New York cops = peanut butter + chocolate, etc. On the other hand: not quite as mind-blowing a concept as JFC, or the series concept Milch had pitched HBO before Deadwood, about Roman cops in the time of Nero. But we saw with Deadwood what remarkable things he can do with period drama, and as for this period, the hints he dropped in JFC with Vietnam Joe seem to indicate there is a thing or two he's dying to say about it. I'm hoping they shoot it here in NYC.
For HBO, there has to be strategic appeal to the idea. Yesterday, Tuned In commenter Rebecca said,
I watch HBO because I like watching charismatic men trying to kill each other. These new shows (JFC, the show about couples therapy) leave me cold. With Rome, Deadwood, and the Sopranos gone, all I have left is The Wire.
And that's gone after one more season. With a stable of domestic drama Big Love, couples-therapy drama Tell Me You Love Me, and yet another therapy drama, In Treatment, on tap, HBO may want something just like this to butch itself back up a bit.
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1
I still do not undertand why Deadwood and Rome have been canceled. Both shows were exceptional. What has bappened to HBO? What did they do with all the bright creative minds. Its like they are trying too hard now. Maybe they were upset that the ratings did not equal Sopranos or Sex in the City, but what possibly could? Even Sopranos took a couple of Seasons to become a pop culture hit and by then the show suffered a decline from the first few seasons. They are too quick to pull the plug and they forget the paying vieweres really invest time into each series.
HBO is getting soft. Good point, it seems that all we are watching these day is couples therapy.
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2
I happen to be like both soft and hard stuff. I don't think that mob wars make for inherently better story material than relationships. (Of course The Sopranos had relationship stories too, and when it focused on them, people said it was getting soft.)
But whatever--that's a matter of personal opinion. As to why Rome and Deadwood got canceled: $$$, in a nutshell. They were as expensive, or more, but drew smaller audiences. The Sopranos--which was in fact a pop-culture sensation its first season--drew bigger ratings by the beginning of its second season than those shows ever did. The ratings did peak in its third season (or it may have been the beginning of the fourth), but even after that it was drawing more viewers than anything else on the channel.
I'm not saying HBO made the right decision, and God knows I wish we had more seasons of both; I'm just saying that by a certain price point, even HBO has to make a calculation of whether the series is worth the investment.
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3
FU*K a new show. BRING BACK DEADWOOD. They never finished it!!!!
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4
It's Wednesday, and no LDG. Is it gone?
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5
Heh-heh.
We were promised (well, promised might be too strong a word) your final thoughts on Rome season 2- we's a still waitin. I'm telling you, with the DVD out, this is your time to shine. Beats the heck out of Laguna whatever.
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6
Justin: LDG runs Thursdays (except last week, when I posted early by accident). One more this week, then it sails off like Michael and Walt.
- poniewozik Loved the season. Mrs Tuned In wd have put u on the main list RT @boredtodeath Thank u for incl us in Time's Top 10. We'll take hon mention. - 2 hours ago
- poniewozik @carr2n Virgin is the best, LAX-JFK - 3 hours ago
- poniewozik Did NPR interview abt multiscreen multitasking. After, automatically reached for iPhone in pocket. Like don draper wd have for cigarettes. - 4 hours ago
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