Will HBO Return to Political Drama?
It’s safe to say that Veep has been a giant hit so far, but would HBO consider reviving the serious political drama?
It feels, right now, that there is a great place for genre television. Not just at HBO, but in the television landscape in general. Author George R. R. Martin echoed as much when he said that Westworld has a better shot at the Golden Globes this year than Game of Thrones does. Westworld will return in 2018 and Game of Thrones will be back next year, but what about the more down to earth genre, the political drama?
HBO has Veep, which for our money may be the greatest comedy that the network has ever produced. The last political drama that HBO had was Aaron Sorkin’s The Newsroom, a series that had trouble finding its footing. Still, it ran for three years and ended on its own terms. It does, however, pale in comparison to Sorkin’s greatest political work, The West Wing. The Newsroom premiered in 2012 and ended in 2014.
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Depending on your opinions on the matter, now is either the best time for new drama involving politics or it’s the absolute worst. It’s the question that critics have been struggling with concerning Amazon’s The Man in the High Castle. Politics is fertile ground for great drama, and outside of House of Cards there hasn’t been a great one in a while. HBO should be the one to revive the art form.
A well-handled show about politics would be a sight to see on HBO, especially for those hungry for that sort of drama. HBO hasn’t shied away from politics: All the Way and Confirmation are too recent film examples. But what we’d really like to see is a long-running series with 8-10 episodes per season. Maybe it’s not the right time, or maybe there’s no room for anything other than House of Cards.
Next: End the year with a Game of Thrones marathon.
But there must be some good ideas floating around out there, and if HBO can produce two shows that will now go head-to-head (Westworld and Game of Thrones) they can produce something to shake up Netflix.