Yesterday, we expressed disappointment in HBO’s male-dominated series lineup. But as several readers pointed out, there is a fast-growing alternative: Showtime. Maybe being the underdog has its virtues.
The channel has a solid track record of shows that not only feature complex, unconventional roles for women — among them, The L Word, Weeds, The United States Of Tara, Nurse Jackie — but often have a woman (or several) in charge behind the scenes. And taking a look at what Showtime has in the pipeline indicates that they don’t intend to change that.
While still dwarfed by HBO in scale, resources, and prestige, Showtime had a very good 2009: Subscribers grew to 17.5 million (to HBO’s nearly 40 million) the finale of Dexter gave them their all-time ratings high, and their shows won more acting awards than any other network. [Update: A Showtime rep cites Nielsen figures putting Showtime’s subscribers at about 22 million and HBO’s at 32 million; the original numbers came from Variety and HBO’s corporate information.] One winner, Toni Collette, thanked Showtime executives “for having the balls to work on all of these amazing confronting shows.” Her show, the Diablo Cody-created The United States Of Tara, has been renewed for a second season, as has Nurse Jackie, created by two women, Liz Brixius and Linda Wallem. (There is also British import Secret Diary Of A Call Girl.)
Showtime’s longtime CEO, Matt Blank told The Daily News last year, “These women are some of the most exceptional talents on television right now,” adding, “We are very aware of the opportunity that we have to do things differently than others in television and in film get to do…and we like to think we’ve really taking advantage of that opportunity.”