Word: hbo
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While there were multiple channels of “Telemundo”—uno a cuatro—and even “Cinemundo,” there was no HBO...
...history. What everyone wants to know now is: Who gets whacked this season? People die in the Mob, and Chase has killed off major characters before (including Vincent Pastore's "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero and Tony's mother Livia, after the death of actress Nancy Marchand, who played her). When HBO released an Annie Leibovitz promotional photo of the cast (see opening spread), the New York Post scrutinized it for clues as if it were the cover of Abbey Road. (Why is Paulie wearing a white suit? Is he with the angels?) But when it comes to secrets--down to admitting...
...HBO, perhaps managing expectations for the season's highly hyped debut, also downplays the showdown. "We're in a different business," demurs HBO chairman-ceo Chris Albrecht. Says Chase: "I never really have paid attention to ratings." But somebody at HBO does: a memo tacked on Chase's bulletin board listed ratings for episodes from last year. And, business-model differences or no, a Sopranos viewer is still two fewer eyeballs for those new-car ads. "[The networks] are afraid to endorse controversial and innovative programming because they're afraid they'll lose the mainstream, but they're losing much...
...pointy-heads--and as The Sopranos demonstrates, it is a load of crap. The show's highest-rated episode drew an audience of more than 11 million (not counting viewers of its repeat episodes), though only a third of American TVs (about 38 million) even have HBO. Not only will ordinary folks watch a show that demands constant attention, resists easy closure, relies on subtext and is rich with metaphor--they will pay near usurious subscription fees for it. In one new episode, Tony sees squirrels eating the feed he left out for ducks in his backyard. The scene harks...
...draw advertising dollars, and are restricted by Federal Communications Commission content standards, they have to play more to the middle. "We cancel shows left and right that get audiences that are the size of cable hits," says NBC entertainment president Jeff Zucker. "I'm a huge admirer of HBO," says CBS president Les Moonves, "[but] there is a word that describes us: it's broadcaster, with broad being the operative word...