So you can probably tell I like lists, not because the numbers mean anything, because they don’t, but because it gives structure and focus to my thoughts, rather than just, here some shit I like. So after a bit of waffle I will list my personal Top 5 HBO Shows.
So I was thinking about the HBO style of television programming after class and something Mark mentioned pretty much summed up the difference between HBO and the dreaded rest. Most HBO programs don’t have a “Previously On…” prelude to their episodes, and it’s a matter of respect. A HBO show is not one to watch whilst you are doing something else, it’s not one to watch an episode every now and then, it requires the fullest of concentration for 1 hour every week otherwise you will miss important and subtle plot points. HBO know this, and reciprocate, they know that HBO viewers treat shows with respect, but more importantly viewers wanted to be treated with respect themselves, they don’t want or need a summary of last weeks episode to be shoved down their throats over and over, just like they don’t need story line and plot twists to be shoved down their throat, they like to interpret it themselves, and HBO allows them too. E.g. Did Tony’s mother Livia orchestrate a hit on her son in season one of The Sopranos, Tony seems to think so…but the viewer could conceivably see it very differently.
This mutual respect builds such a strong relationship with a show that while you are watching it, it becomes a best friend, and the characters become people you know. You can’t wait to go home every night to see what Jimmy McNulty is doing today, or what problems Nate Fisher will deal with tonight. You go on the emotional journey with the characters, feeling happy when they are happy and sad when they are sad, this is a testament to the brilliant writing of all the HBO series, but sometimes comes at a cost…I won’t tell you how shattered I was when Chris Moltisanti died.
Enough waffle, to the list!
5. Curb Your Enthusiasm
2000-Present
Awkward, Obtuse, sometimes vulgar and often offensive, but I can’t get enough of Larry David’s antics. I love the unashamedly Jewish sense of humour, and the outrageous characters, especially the acerbic Susie Green.
4. Band of Brothers
2001
One of the first HBO shows I watched when I was a teenager, Band of Brothers drew me in with the fantastically recreated action scenes that you really felt immersed in, but what kept me watching was the camaraderie. War buffs Spielberg and Hanks capture the brotherhood of war and makes you realise that they are fighting for each other more than their commanders or their country.
3. The Wire
2002-2008
The most thorough and balanced exploration of a theme I’ve ever seen. David Simon and Ed Burns, both use their experience in the Baltimore police department to create such layered and true to life characters, that you are really involved in their fate. Also the fact that you can rarely predict where the show is going or what will happen to the characters, that you are always actively engaged and never bored.
2. Six Feet Under
2001-2005
Out-in-out character drama about family and relationships. So much to enjoy with so many themes being explored in homosexuality, ageing, love, and of course death, all mixed with a fantastic black sense of humour. Extremely powerful and affecting show, with the episode where David gets kidnapped possibly the best I have ever seen on TV.
1. The Sopranos
1999-2007
Everything you want in a Television show, complex characters, superb writing and acting, layered and twisting plots, with film level production and cinematography. I was so sad when I finished the series because I knew I had no more to look forward, I just wanted to wipe my memory and watch it again. My favourite aspect was the ambivalence I felt towards Tony, at times hating him, at other times respecting him, but always understanding his motivations, if not always agreeable.
