Simple enough question: which do you prefer, HBO or Showtime? After having taken a look at the list of past and current programming for both, I have to say I've certainly seen a lot more of HBO, and the type of programming just suits me better. I love Dexter and Penn and Teller's Bullshit! can be fun, but HBO has Band of Brothers, Six Feet Under, From the Earth to the Moon, Big Love, Extras (technically BBC, but still in collaboration), Da Ali G Show and the wonderfully funny Flight of the Conchords, which I hope to hear news of its 2008 return sooner rather than later.
Heard great things about many HBO shows, and did enjoy Band of Brothers. But I love Dexter beyond any sane degrees of rationality; so I went with that.
In terms of what's on right now, there is not a lot on HBO that I'm particularly excited about. Over the past ten years or so though, they have produced some of my favorite television ever. Based on that I went with them. I still have not seen Dexter though. I'm waiting for the blu-ray.
HBO still has my heart but Sho has some great programming right now. Of the series that are on the air for each, I watch: HBO: Entourage Tell Me You Love Me In Treatment Real Time w/Bill Maher The Wire Showtime: The L-Word Weeds Californication The Tudors But in the end, I still think HBO attracts more solid quality. And their miniseries are good. I loved Five Days, I'm behind but am enjoying John Adams and I can't wait for Generation Kill!! Showtime still doesn't have any event TV like HBO. Movies, Showtime has more indie stuff than HBO, which I like. In the end though, I'd say FX is beating them both.
Interesting comment; as I watched Dexter on FX UK. Also Charlie Jade. So I was measuring the respective self-financed output of these channels against each other rather than the channels per se. FX UK; which also shows The Wire and The Sopranos; seems to have this 'quality TV' racket covered.
If we're talking about what's currently being produced, I'd have to give it to Showtime, although HBO has redeemed themselves somewhat in my eyes with their fascinating John Adams miniseries. If we're talking about over the long haul, without a doubt HBO is superior...The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, Deadwood, Carnivale, Angels in America...the list goes on. So in the end I voted HBO.
Sorry, I meant FX in the US, which produce great shows like The Shield, Nip/Tuck, The Riches, Damages, Rescue Me, Dirt and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. They've given HBO and Sho a run for their money as far as adult-oriented original series are concerned.
I just recently figured out that 'Dexter' is not the same thing as 'Dexter's Laboratory,' so I probably shouldn't be participating in this conversation.
Perhaps not. But you know what you should do? Watch Dexter. Yeah, I knew that, was just observing. Curiously, the three I know have aired in the UK - The Shield, Nip/Tuck and The Riches - did not do so on FX UK, insofar as I am aware.
Nip/Tuck is a depressingly bad shade of its former glory. And Philadelphia is only funny about 25% of the time. Rescue me and Damages are the only consistently good shows on there, though admittedly I haven't watched Dirt.
I think AMC is the one to watch out for. Mad Men is amazing and what I've seen of Breaking Bad is really good too.
Well HBO has lost most of its good shows (The Wire, Carnivale, The Sopranos) but Showtime has a lot of good ones on currently (The Tudors, Brotherhood). That said HBO is supposed to be developing George R. R. Martin's series so I'm excited about that. I'd say that at this point I like them both equally.
Showtime has Dexter, so it wins. HBO has two shows currently that I like - Entourage and Big Love - but I love Dexter more than twice as much as them combined. But personally I'd rather just wait for all that stuff on DVD than subscribe to either. For providing me with great (but mostly not current) shows worth watching, HBO is definitely the champ with Band of Brothers, Deadwood, Carnivale and soon The Sopranos, The Wire and John Adams. I tried watching Showtime's Weeds. Eh, not quite good enough to bother with. Not shabby, I just have high standards due to way too much stuff in the old Netflix queue.
I believe FX UK have the rights to the latest season of Nip/Tuck, but originally Channel 4 aired it, then Sky One did their usual thing, but now FX have got them. The Riches airs on Virgin 1, I believe The Shield was aired on Five. I think I probably like both equally, but lately there's more from Showtime that I like.