It's not TV! It's HBO, USA, FX....

• Author: Saltzman, Joe
• Position: Television networks

THINGS USED TO BE EASY. There only were three television networks, and the shows they put on, you watched. Along came cable and satellite and hundreds of stations from which to choose, but that was too much trouble, as well as too expensive. So, most people stuck with the three networks, viewing prime-time TV when it happened. Then TiVo arrived and, suddenly, where or when a program appeared did not much matter anymore. Five networks and a host of other independent stations put on programs that TiVo made easy to find--you simply put in a title and it was recorded to watch at your convenience.

This concept has revolutionized the way the public watches television, making it possible for consumers to be their own programmers, to see any show on any channel whenever they want to--morning, noon, or night. TiVo's "Season Pass" records a favorite program whenever it airs and stores it in a "What's Playing" list to be sampled (usually without commercials) whenever the consumer wants. Indeed, some of the best shows on television appear on what used to be obscure channels that never would have found an audience before. The Home & Garden Network, for example, has a core of dedicated viewers who would rather watch "Landscape Solutions" or "Gardening by the Yard" than anything on prime-time commercial TV. A series of ESPN channels has captured the hardcore sports fan, a chorus of news and information channels captivate news junkies, and a host of other specialized networks--such as the Sci-Fi channel, Encore Westerns, Oxygen, or MTV--cater to specific audiences that want a targeted type of programming.

So, it is not surprising that some of the most innovative television programs can be found on non-network TV. These shows are original not because they have the freedom to use the English language in all of its variations, including obscenity-laced, but because they dare to go where few network shows ever go--to the realm of adult drama usually reserved for the theatrical stage and movie art houses. True, some viewers have been turned off by the profanity used in "Deadwood" and "Rome," two extraordinary HBO series that treat the audience as thinking adults. In truth, however, the language, especially in "Deadwood," can rise to the level of Shakespearean dialogue. The characters jump off the screen and grab you by the throat. HBO started it all with "The Sopranos," a ruthless portrayal of Italian mobsters in New Jersey that rivaled "The Godfather" trilogy...