The best HBO shows have a certain complexity, depth and subtlety that other networks lack, in my opinion. I think the two current shows that best show this are Game of Thrones and Boardwalk Empire. In the past, both The Wire and The Sopranos have had the same thing. In part, the complexity is due to the enormous cast that these shows have, but they write in a lot of character building scenes as well and have a good mix of action.
AMC is getting close, but I don't think they've close the gap yet. At any rate, the more competition for these high end shows, the better. TV has never been better than it is now.
|