Paper, Order, or Assignment Requirements

In 5-6 well-written pages, answer the question, “What is the HBO Effect?” with attention to the history of the network as well as 1-2 past or current HBO programs.

The question, “What is the HBO Effect,” in broad terms, means what are some of the major effects of HBO programming on both the TV industry and society in general. Inevitably you will focus on HBO’s production strategies, the risky programming and structure, lack of on-air advertising, and discuss and reflect upon what it means to be responsible for the name “The Not TV industry,” spawning the existence of HBO Asia for one, and the continued expectation of creating edgy and innovative programs.

In addition to reflecting on the history, production style, and general industry context of HBO original programming, you will also focus on 1-2 particular programs which HBO has created in making your points, but you should not stray too far from the network by getting preoccupied with the details of any one program. They should be vehicles through which you make larger points about the network in general.

In doing so, you should draw heavily from the content of our recommended text, Leverette, Marc, Brian L. Ott, and Cara Louise Buckley (Eds.) (2008). It’s Not TV: Watching HBO in the Post-Television Era. New York, NY: Routledge. I have already placed chapter 7 and the Introduction on Moodle and will be putting chapters 1, 2, 8, and 11 online for future class discussions following Spring Break.

But this text, along with your insight from watching episodes of HBO programming (both inside and outside class) will become the foundation of your response to the question, “What is the HBO Effect?”