After DML, Russell Simmons' Def Poetry comes on HBO every Friday night (this week's was a rerun). As a poet and avid reader of poetry, my favorite poet being Anne Sexton, I applaud Russell's attempt at bringing this form to the masses. I sincerely hope it makes it to a second season. And I further applaud the fact that it didn't need a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting either. In your face, anti-capitalist government subsidy, cultural elists.
The show being on HBO, of course, has a better chance at survival. That, and you can say fuck, as well. Sometimes ya just need to. The major networks would never take a gamble on this type of show. They underestimate the American public's tolerance of diverse art forms far too much. We either need formulaic idiot sitcoms, hospital shows or cop dramas. With the exception of The Simpsons (still some of the best writing on the small screen), 24, X-Files, Dark Angel and The Agency, I didn't really watch much network television this season. Most of what I watch appears on the subscription channels I get with my DirectTV receiver. A few shows I did watch regularly on network TV that (of course) got cancelled after their first season are Nowhere Man (excellent conspiracy thriller starring Bruce Greenwood) and Now and Again (now in reruns on Sci-Fi Channel on Sunday mornings).
Of course HBO and other premium subscription channels don't have to worry about sponsors. But they do have to worry about investors. Funny thing though, unlike cowardly advertisers, investors don't really care that Ellen is gay or that a couple is "interracial", just that people are buying subscriptions for the product. That, and the fact that HBO, Showtime, etc. far more willing to experiment and take chances, thus earning them that luxury through a wider subscription base. Think Bob Costas, Larry Sanders Show, Oz, The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, or for those with idle hands – Real Sex, in addition to the excellent documentaries and docudramas shown exclusively on the premium channels.