Fifty Years Later, HBO Keeps Triumphing

HBO has evolved its approach over the years. The company left boxing behind in 2018, and the difficult men of early breakthroughs like Oz and The Sopranos have given way to a more diverse slate spanning Insecure, I May Destroy You, and Big Little Lies. But the willingness to invest in artists and trust their instincts—to let David Simon tell a slow-motion story about an entire American city; to let Lena Dunham make a show without a formal pitch; to let Game of Thrones reshoot its entire pilot—has stayed the same, from its earliest original productions to the latest season of The White Lotus.