HBO Betting On Luck
HBO has had numerous hit shows that were extremely popular including The Sopranos, Sex And The City, Entourage and True Blood. The HBO network is now getting ready to premiere their newest series, “Luck”. The initial episode was aired last December as a preview of the show. Many people responded positively to the show, and HBO is betting that they have another popular hit series.
Luck is a drama set in the world of horse racing. The popularity of the movie Secretariat showed that mainstream America could be interested in the horse racing world, as long as there was an interesting and inspirational message. Will the new series “Luck” have an inspirational message? Probably not on the level that Secretariat did, however, the show is showing all the signs of a potential hit series.
One of the signs that this is going to be a popular show is that “Luck” stars Dustin Hoffman. Hoffman has had an excellent acting career and a huge fan base. If only a small portion of his fan base turns on HBO religiously to watch “Luck”, then we can expect the show to be a success and to continue on for at least a few more years. Another famous Hollywood actor with huge success is Nick Nolte and Dennis Farina, who both also play in this new television series.
The first 9 episodes are already filmed and ready for airing on HBO. The first episode was overall received positively by viewers, however some people in the horse racing community did not like the fact that the show revolved more around the gambling aspect of horse racing. The seedy underworld aspect of “Luck” is a proven method of getting loyal viewers. The Sopranos was based on the seedy crimes of the Mafia in New Jersey, and viewers and critics loved that shows overall, as shown by its long run on HBO and then again in syndication.
After viewing the initial episode that aired back in December, HBO is going to have to work on better character development. The series begins by plunging viewers into the horse racing world without explaining what is going on. HBO also did not give viewers enough information to get us attached to the main characters. We want to feel a bond with the characters, like we did with the Tony Soprano character. The next few episodes will hopefully develop the characters, and also allow viewers to learn a lot more about the inner workings of professional horse racing.
