"It's Not TV" by Felix Gillette and John Koblin

“It’s Not TV” by Felix Gillette and John KoblinDespite the title, “It’s Not TV” by Felix Gillette and John Koblin chronicles one of television’s great success stories.It’s been 50 years since what started as a small cable channel blossomed into what has become a quality showcase for a medium that’s not always been about quality.In this interview with Steve Tarter, Gillette talks about the “HBO Shrug,” an expression for how the network put distinctive programming before the bottom line, allowing creative folks to do their thing without interference such as allowing David Chase to make his mafia series in New Jersey with all the costs that come with location shooting instead of on a Hollywood soundstage. Everyone has their favorites but HBO put its mark on the TV landscape with shows like “The Sopranos,” “Sex and the City,” “The Larry Sanders Show,” “The Wire,” "Game of Thrones" and many others.Gillette talks about how, early in the 21st century, HBO considered buying a little DVD service called Netflix and why HBO’s east coast executives nixed the deal. He also talks about an original movie that HBO was developing in the early 2000s that was going to focus on the battle between Donald Trump and Steve Wynn over an undeveloped property in Atlantic City. Missed that, you say? That’s because the movie never got made. Trump got wind of the plan, said Gillette, and had dinner with director Danny DeVito, convincing him to back out.Now in the age of streaming, HBO faces competition on all fronts from companies with big budgets for projects. Gillette talks about how the network is at yet another crossroads and what might lie ahead.