When you get a satellite TV subscription and start to look around at your options, you’ll see which networks have the hot lineups. Before too long, you are going to hit on HBO and the fantastic HD lineup. They’ve got the most legendary series of all time to their credit (The Sopranos), plus newer hits like Big Love and the quirky series Flight of the Conchords. These days, there are so many new hits taking their place that the time has come to check on the network.
1. Hard Knocks ’10. One of the hot new rivalries has sprung up between the Jets and the Patriots. Tom Brady may or may not hate the team, the New England coach may or may not resent his upstart protégé who commands the Jets and so on. HBO has stepped into the mix at the right time with this series about Gang Green. They’ve got the loudmouth players, a Page Six worthy quarterback and a great 2010 finish to build on. It’s reality TV (sort of) as only a pro football team can do.
2. Hung. While the title might tell part of the story, there is a lot more to like than the crassness of its premise. Aaron Eckhart is the lead of this series about a good guy who has drifted off into some bad ways. Plenty of moments of hilarity are in store with Eckhart and his female costars, but he’s the one under the bright lights. After so many successful movies, it’s great that this HD series has given him the spotlight.
3. Bored to Death. Jason Schwartzman took the world of cinema by storm with his debut in Rushmore; Ted Danson was on top of the world with Cheers back in the day; Zach Galifianakis made his splash with The Hangover. Why not pull these three wild cards together for a series about a writer who’s a wannabe Private Eye about town? That’s exactly what Bored to Death is all about and it’s a lot of fun.
4. Eastbound and Down. As if there were not enough fascination with sports in general and baseball in particular, HBO has fired a great new series into the mix. It follows different stories of minor league ballplayers, with a fireballing, mullet wearing pitcher as one of its key points of focus. If you have no idea what this part of the sport is all about, you’ll love the new series that HBO has put into the mix.
5. True Blood. If vampire flicks and series are going to become less popular, it’s rather unclear when and how that would happen. True Blood is HBO’s HD answer to the vampire craze. It doesn’t hurt that the cast is beautiful and the script allows for all the action to happen in style. Get your vamp on whenever the mood strikes you. The blood is let every Sunday night on HBO.