HBO has long been regarded as the pinnacle for prestige drama on television. It’s why audiences worldwide annually fork over their hard-earned money to engage whatever HBO drama is presently dominating the airwaves. In an age where the monoculture has dissipated, usurped by a powerful tide of competing streaming services, there are few programs which generate sustained and universal interest. HBO, despite sturdier competition from the likes of Netflix, DisneyPlus, Hulu, and others; remains the desired destination for showrunners attempting to gain repute in a rapidly fluctuating industry.
From the early-success of shows like “The Sopranos,” to astonishing high-fantasy successes like “Game of Thrones,” HBO still remains eminently relevant, most predominantly in the category of drama. In this article, we’ll explore 5 of HBO’s most popular drama productions over the years, dissecting briefly what them so transcendent, both critically and with audiences.
Game of Thrones (2011-2019)
Summary: Adapted from George R.R. Martin’s seminal work “A Song of Ice and Fire,” a “Game of Thrones” explores the contours of a medieval world nevertheless inhabited by fantastic spectacles like dragons, witches, magic, and the undead. Following numerous protagonists struggle to dictate their fortune in the cruel societies of Westeros and Essos, fictional continents bearing a resemblance to Asia and Europe; we as an audience became slowly inured to harsh acts of depravity, ruthless cunning, astonishing betrayal and remarkable resilience. Though the series ultimately concluded on a disappointing note, the tale eventually came to revolve around the linked fortunes Daenerys Targaren, Mother of Dragons; and Jon Snow, the King in the North, both seemingly anointed to rule the Seven Kingdoms, yet tragically unable to do so.
Inflection Point: Two key events catalyzed the incredible popularity Game of Thrones was eventually able to receive, both invariably solemn and outright astonishing.
- “Off With His Head” – Many viewers of Game of Thrones had not previously been indoctrinated into the world inaugurated by George R.R. Martin. Many fatuously believed the show would revolve around the arc of Eddard Stark, played by Sean Bean, who was appointed “The Hand of the King” in the first season by Robert Baratheon. In the first season’s 9th episode, Baelor, where Ned Stark was unceremoniously beheaded at the command of the boy-king, Joffrey Baratheon. Audiences were dismayed, realizing quite quickly that, no character in close proximity to the Iron Throne would ever truly be safe.
- “A Red Wedding” – As someone who had devoured Martin’s series prior to the release of the show, I was fiendishly excited about how the showrunners would handle one of the most harrowing scenes I had ever read on-screen. I vividly recall feeling the excitement at how my peers would react, especially the ones who had grown fond of Ned’s firstborn son, Robb Stark. In “The Rains of Castamere,” during the nuptial ceremonies between Robb Stark and his wife, Talisa, the Starks are ignominiously murdered by the Frey’s, a rival house in the Riverlands. Adding insult injury, Robb’s unborn babe, was also savagely slaughtered. The reaction of unsuspecting fans catapulted the popularity of the show ever larger.
Legacy: Despite the immensely disappointing finale, “Game of Thrones,” and the universe in which it exists, remains popular. This can corroborated by the appetite for further entrances into George R.R. Martin’s world, as evidenced by the mounting popularity of the now-airing “House of the Dragon” and additional spinoffs like “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight.” HBO discovered a golden goose in the world of Westeros, which it will continue to mine for dramatic successes.
The Sopranos (1999-2007)
Summary: “The Sopranos” was released on HBO in 1999 to widespread critical acclaim. It tells the story of New Jersey-based mobster, Tony Soprano, who struggles with the myriad issues of running an elaborate crime syndicate while simultaneously managing the quotidian issues that plague his civilian life as a family man. As the series unwinds, we view Tony wrangle with a host of mental issues, which he discusses often during his therapy sessions, ranging from post-traumatic stress, depression and severe anxiety. As it turns out, acting as the lynchpin of a mafia organization is somewhat of a sordid ordeal.
Inflection Point: In episode 5 of the first season, entitled “College,” the depths of Tony Soprano’s brutality could no longer be doubted. Few shows prior to “The Soprano’s” would have ever had the temerity to viscerally display the show’s protagonist murdering another person in cold-blood, yet this show unequivocally did. The episode has a relatively innocuous plotline, with Tony joining his daughter, Meadow, on various college visits. Much to Tony’s dismay, he identifies an ex-associate of his who had previously been disloyal to him. As a consequence of the mafia’s “no-tolerance” policy, Tony feels compelled to surreptitiously murder the man, while ensuring no news his actions reaches the ear of his daughter. It’s a perfect sequence for “The Soprano’s,” revealing quite early the fraught entanglement between Tony’s business and his desire to be a reliable family man.
Legacy: “The Sopranos” remains in the discussion as one of the greatest television programs ever. It pioneers, in many ways, our perceptions of a nuanced antihero, a man capable of being both vicious and cruel. Tony Soprano is a nuanced, imperfect character, who nevertheless finds a way of making us feel compassion toward him. “The Sopranos” paved the way for the stunning popularity of future characters it would eventually introduce on its platform, like Jaime Lannister or Logan Roy, who we found ourselves both detesting while simultaneously discovering an affinity for.
The Wire (2002-2009)
Summary: “The Wire is a seminal crime drama, running for five seasons, that followed the Baltimore Police Department as they investigated a drug kingpin suspected of murder. Rather than casting moral assessments of either side, however, the show instead explores the nuanced perspectives of both law enforcement officials as well as that of the drug dealers and users they are prosecuting. Ultimately, the central focus of the story is the city of Baltimore, and how its institutions and policies shape the individuals living beneath their umbrella.
Inflection Point: In the culmination of Season 1, an episode referred to as “The Sentencing,” where the officers in the Baltimore Police Department assess the sentencing of the Barksdale crew members. While members of the Barksdale crew are incriminated and imprisoned for crimes, the miasma of evidence at the police’s disposal do not match their confessions. The police are conflicted, perhaps feeling a degree of justice has been meted out, but understanding their accomplishments are of little account in ultimately removing the drudgery and violence from the streets of Baltimore. Ultimately, both parties, the police prosecuting the law and the criminals defying it, come to a dour realization that they are both victims of a dysfunctional societal complex.
Legacy: Pitched as show revolving around police procedure, “The Wire” incrementally transformed into a thoughtful critique on US dysfunction. In fact, the fanatical attention to detail, the scope of the issues that were being examined, was one of the reasons the series took so long to gain traction with audiences. It is an eminently sober series, focusing more on the sclerotic nature of our prevailing institutions, while examining whether any victory can actually be achieved within the context of such extravagant corruption and decay.
Succession (2018-2023)
Summary: In “Succession,” a black comedy-drama, a group of self-indulgent siblings all fight for control over Waystar RoyCo, a media conglomerate owned by their ailing father, Logan Roy. The four siblings – Connor, Kendall, Shiv, and Roman – all spar and plot to gain an advantage in their father’s estimation, who seems to watch in wry amusement and frustration. When Logan finally does succumb to his ailments in Season 4, the final season reaches a comical conclusion, satisfying no one except the individual who is finally (and surprisingly) ordained.
Inflection Point: “Succession” was humorous from its inception. In the pilot episode, the stakes and tenor of the Roy family are all introduced quite succinctly. At the story’s beginning, Kendall Roy is the odds-on favorite to eventually succeed his father, having asserted all along that Logan had anointed him as early as age 7. In a misplaced attempt to ingratiate himself with his father at a company event, Kendall performs an awkward and shallow rendition of a rap, displaying both his buffoonery and inflated self-perception. It acts as an introduction to the Roy family’s maladjusted dynamics, laying the groundwork for their interplay in future seasons.
Legacy: Succession is ultimately a nihilistic reflection of the times we live in. It asks disorienting questions. What is aspiration or desire worth? Does anything truly constitute value? When the manifestation of one’s sincerest pursuits are realized, or when one’s worst fears are confirmed, and the ensuing emotions are generally the same: Then what’s the point? In the universe of Succession, where the Roy’s exist, perhaps Roman was the most correct all along: Just turn a cynical eye to it all and attempt to laugh.
Band of Brothers (2001)
Summary: “Band of Brothers” is a miniseries based on historian Stephen Ambrose’s book of the same name. The series serves as a dramatization of the “Easy” company’s participation in World War II on the Western Front of the European Theater of the war. Though much of the series makes generous adaptations, it nonetheless is a reliable account of the battalion’s authentic experience of the war, ranging from their training at Camp Toccoa, their airborne landings at Normandy, the ensuing invasion of Germany, their liberation of a concentration camp, and eventually the war’s end.
Inflection Point: Similar to one of the series inspirations, “Saving Private Ryan,” the drama in “Band of Brothers” escalates quickly upon the arrival of the battalion at Normandy, during D-Day. The visual effects, even in 2001, are breathtaking; and immerse the viewer into a simulacrum of what American soldiers first encountered as they arrived in a ravaged Europe. From that point on, one becomes fully invested in the remainder of their travails expressed throughout the series.
Legacy: Each episode of the fabled miniseries begins with interviews of actual members of the “Easy” company. Coming from Irish, Italian, Jewish or German backgrounds, the unit nevertheless unified around one central cause. The show, among myriad other things, depicted vividly the sacrifices ordinary people make in deference to something greater than themselves. “Band of Brothers” has also served as an inspiration for other notable productions, including “The Pacific” and “Masters of the Air.”
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