![]() ![]() In the late spring of 2003, Albrecht played host there to more than a dozen invited friends and associates for an urgent meeting, one that concerned the pay network’s most important show, and one of the most celebrated dramas ever - The Sopranos. Following that is a section from later in the book that recounts, in the words of Gandolfini’s collaborators, how the late star grappled with his fame.Īlthough Chris Albrecht owned a beautiful Mediterranean-style house in the Brentwood section of Los Angeles, for his East Coast sojourns HBO rented its CEO a showpiece apartment in midtown Manhattan’s Museum Towers, not far from Radio City Music Hall. The first chronicles the cultural impact of The Sopranos and the ways in which the series catapulted a relatively little-known character actor to a level of celebrity few reach. What about the very notion of being the first successful pay television network? Or, most obvious, original series programming, which revitalized episodic shows that had been widely considered stale, even moribund.īeyond all that, is there a single image, figure, or frontage that can instantly symbolize HBO to the world? Of the many contenders for top trope, one surely emerges: the fascinating, cherubic, contrarian image of James Gandolfini, dominating and irresistible star of HBO’s crown jewel, The Sopranos.īelow are two excerpts from my new book Tinderbox: HBO’s Ruthless Pursuit of New Frontiers. Or sports: HBO lifted boxing off the canvas and let it live once more, long after it was pronounced dead. Perhaps the disruptive and transformational work HBO did in documentaries, or maybe movies - either producing its own spectacles or having a major impact on the financing of others. Will it be technology? HBO utilized satellite transmission before either ESPN or the Turner networks did. When I set out to chronicle a book-of-record on the 49-year history of HBO, I was met with a multitude of choices to make - especially when searching for a “spine” to hold it all together. ![]() Photo-Illustration: Vulture Photos by Fred Conrad/The New York Times/Redux and HBO ![]()
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