Richard Plepler steps down as HBO CEO - replacement says "we might not even make one prequel"

[The Dragon Demands]

https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/richard-plepler-hbo-1203152376/

HBO CEO Richard Plepler is stepping down.

How will this affect the potential Game of Thrones prequel pitches?

Will the new head, under AT&T, reconsider the Long Night prequel? (which met with...lukewarm response, at best)  Will they greenlight a pilot for one of the other three current prequel ideas? (possible two shows at the same time?)

I never seriously thought Plepler would leave.  This opens up a lot of possibilities.

Moreover, his entire paradigm of running HBO will change under AT&T's new ownership.  Plepler's "strategy" was basically "I am smart at picking shows", they call it "boutique culture" - find A-list talent then give them free rein with no oversight.  But that was actually pretty hit or miss.

I'm very impressed with Netflix's business strategy that AT&T wants HBO to imitate now:  actually doing "market research" to figure out what the audience wants.  Not just...Emmy baiting, in an era where Emmys don't really result in higher viewership boosts anymore.  

There's been a lot of griping about "Netflix is just ranking out content!"....but that's just parroting what Plepler HIMSELF was complaining, when the reality is that he was making buggy whips in the age of the automobile.   They don't just "crank out watered down content":  if HBO makes five great drama shows, and Netflix makes 5 great dramas as well as 5 cheaper low quality shows (for a total of ten)….Netflix is beating HBO.  HBO couldn't just survive as a "boutique" channel that only aired new content Sunday nights.

The very phrase "It's not TV, it's HBO" - that it's Emmy-level stuff above regular TV - kind of fostered a culture of "how dare you judge our decisions".  And then we got failures like Vinyl...or that bizarre Confederate announcement.

Indeed, Plepler seems to have left because he was insulted that HBO would be merged with Turner networks, which would result in him not having total control over HBO but being judged by someone else.  Big personalities, big egos.  What was it GRRM said?  More important than money in the TV industry is egos who want creative control.

I just keep thinking of how I facepalmed at Plepler's comments at the June 2018 town hall meeting with AT&T's John Stankey….when you realize he has no coherent "strategy" other than "I have gut instincts".  Stankey saying "you need to make more money to compete with Netflix" and Plepler just....bluntly said "We make money"...and the crowd of trained HBO seals burst into cheers.  The surrealism of that.  And Stankey is staring back and responds "....yeah, you 'make money', but I'm saying you don't make ENOUGH money to complete with the numbers Netflix is making".

Just...that was Plepler's defense of his entire "strategy": "we make money!"  I could already sense the tension from that.

Anyway, does this mean we'll enter a new era of AT&T's HBO being more responsive to audiences?  An HBO with greater oversight?

Will they change their minds about the Game of Thrones prequels?

All I can say is....it would be hard for things to get WORSE at this point....

EDIT:  Plepler's replacement Bob Greenblatt had some startling comments in a fresh interview today:
 

Quote

 

https://www.thewrap.com/game-of-thrones-spinoffs-prequel-pilot-bob-greenblatt/

So what does Greenblatt, who is taking over for longtime HBO chief Richard Plepler, the exec who greenlit “Game of Thrones,” see when he looks to the future of the franchise? He isn’t exactly sure yet — but he doesn’t know if it’s realistic to think you can pull too much from that well.

“I think to figure out a way to sustain ‘Game of Thrones’ or the ‘Game of Thrones’ world for the future is a really good idea — if it makes sense creatively and if everybody is on board,” Greenblatt told TheWrap Monday, hours after news broke about his new gig.

“Because the last thing you want to do is roll out a spinoff or two and they’re not up to the standard of the original show and then you’ve just sort of failed miserably,” he continued. “But sure, it makes sense to try to sustain it if we can. You know, can you really do two spinoffs? I don’t know. I mean, I’m not even sure you can do one. You know, so I don’t know yet is the big, long boring answer and I wish I did.”

“But look, networks always face these turning points, shows get to a point where they’ve run their course and you have to, you know, replenish the network,” Greenblatt added. “And that’s a challenge, that’s an exciting challenge and you usually find ways to do that. Do I wish there were three or four more years of ‘Game of Thrones’? Sure. But I think everyone is up for the challenge of what’s the next ‘Game of Thrones,’ what’s the next ‘Veep’?”

This is deeply concerning.

[Bradam]

Prolly a good thing. One higher budget quality spinoff is way better then 3 low budget crappy ones I would think.  

[The Dragon Demands]

Best case scenario to me is that new leadership realizes that Long Night is just cranking out product - Name Recognition for White Walkers! But little else - and decides to try a pilot for one of the other three.

[Ser Uncle P]

14 minutes ago, The Dragon Demands said:

Best case scenario to me is that new leadership realizes that Long Night is just cranking out product - Name Recognition for White Walkers! But little else - and decides to try a pilot for one of the other three.

They could do Dunk & Egg, maybe give us readers some form of closure on that series too...

[Rose of Red Lake]

I'm fine with moving on from this franchise. Game of Thrones should be opening the door to more fantasy adaptations from the thousands of other authors out there with good ideas.

I liked your summation of the power struggle between HBO and Netflix. 

[The Dragon Demands]

We will NOT fade!

We WILL NOT.

[Zorral]

On 3/4/2019 at 10:45 AM, The Dragon Demands said:

There's been a lot of griping about "Netflix is just ranking out content!"....but that's just parroting what Plepler HIMSELF was complaining, when the reality is that he was making buggy whips in the age of the automobile.   They don't just "crank out watered down conten

Actually: as a long-time simultaneous subscriber to Netflix DVD service and Netflix Streaming service -- mostly that is indeed what they are doing, just cranking out content.  Streaming Netflix looks more and more like the television of yore which is why I didn't watch or even own a television for my entire life after moving out of the family home.  So much better to do for entertainment than that mindless repetitive silly laff track / constant violence.  Then streaming began, along with Peak TV, and also nicely large flat screen monitors, and I caught up with all the good stuff. But Netflix, determined to produce its own content, almost always fails.  Even the very best shows, such as The Last Kingdom was begun by BBC and based on the work of a writer deeply experienced both in writing and having adaptations made from his books.  They dropped Marco Polo, which was excellent (mostly) and kept putting up drek Netflix thought we were supposed to love because certain names were attached to the product -- gads, Sens8.  Endless game shows and baking shows and comedy shows that aren't funny and I would never watch no matter what.

For every great series like Peaky Blinders (which wasn't their creation either), they put up yet another 80's horror junkyard.

I'm really close to dropping this subscription.  I do fear this is what HBO will be turning into, too.  And amazon -- sheesh.  Netflix has really stepped up the documentary streaming though, that I will say in its favor.

There's so much competition now, it's like we're back to the cable world that everybody cut the cord to, plus, now, we're pay even networks to stream their content.

[Mladen]

Even though casting is somewhat interesting, I truly have no interest in a TV show about spinoff. I might have been persuaded had it been D&E, as that would be an interesting aspect of the story GoT tragically missed - the commonfolk, but I learned long time ago not to expect anything.

[ninewinter]

I just HBO to go away to this Long Night prequel. It's not going to work, and even if it did, the story won't feel much from GRRM but from various writers that they would just hire. Better to draw inspiration from Dunk and Egg, or the Fire and Blood novel. I think it really opens a lot of potentital for a spin off like the Dance with Dragons, the reign of King Jaehaerys or the conquest of Westeros by Aegon. 

[Ser Gareth]

On 3/11/2019 at 1:54 AM, Risto said:

Even though casting is somewhat interesting, I truly have no interest in a TV show about spinoff. I might have been persuaded had it been D&E, as that would be an interesting aspect of the story GoT tragically missed - the commonfolk, but I learned long time ago not to expect anything.

That's because the commonfolk have no power.  Therefore the story would be nothing more than a soap in historical clothing.

[Ser Gareth]

6 hours ago, ninewinter said:

I just HBO to go away to this Long Night prequel. It's not going to work, and even if it did, the story won't feel much from GRRM but from various writers that they would just hire. Better to draw inspiration from Dunk and Egg, or the Fire and Blood novel. I think it really opens a lot of potentital for a spin off like the Dance with Dragons, the reign of King Jaehaerys or the conquest of Westeros by Aegon. 

I don't think any spinoff in Westeros involving the Targs is a good idea.

I'd personally be interested in the Doom of Valyria or a story set in the future of ASIOAF.  It would be interesting to see what Westeros looked like 100 years after AGOT ends.

[Cas Stark]

Ah, well, so much for the HBO glory days, LOL.  I have always thought a prequel would have a slim chance of success, but my guess is since this one has been cast already they will go forward with it.  I also always thought the 'long night' was a very odd choice given the elements of the show that have seemed most popular, which is dragons and Targaryens.

[Mladen]

4 hours ago, Ser Gareth said:

That's because the commonfolk have no power.  Therefore the story would be nothing more than a soap in historical clothing.

It is not about who wields power, it is about the commonfolk in medieval society, which for a history/costume drama would be a new concept.  

[Ser Gareth]

19 minutes ago, Risto said:

It is not about who wields power, it is about the commonfolk in medieval society, which for a history/costume drama would be a new concept.  

I don't think so.  There have been loads of peasant tales over the years.

[Ser Gareth]

4 hours ago, Cas Stark said:

Ah, well, so much for the HBO glory days, LOL.  I have always thought a prequel would have a slim chance of success, but my guess is since this one has been cast already they will go forward with it.  I also always thought the 'long night' was a very odd choice given the elements of the show that have seemed most popular, which is dragons and Targaryens.

I don't think the casual viewer gives much of a care about the Targs personally, at least not beyond the ones they've seen on screen.

And this is HBO, so I am sure they can get Dragons into the mix somehow anyway.  And boobs.  Lots of boobs.

[Mladen]

7 hours ago, Ser Gareth said:

I don't think so.  There have been loads of peasant tales over the years.

Costume/medieval TV dramas about peasant tales? I must have missed those. Please share them with me.

[T and A]

He basically said, that if the spinn-off is not good enough, or does not match with the quality criterias of HBO, they won't do it. I think that no one of us wants a prequel that is not good.