At a time when TV was nothing more than the usual band of steady but predictable cop shows and sitcoms, HBO came in like an absolute wrecking ball.
Starting in the 1970s, the US cable TV network really began to hit its stride a couple of decades later, forming a reputation for grown-up, fearless, and often shocking original programming. Without HBO we may never have got shows like Sex and the City, The Sopranos, True Detective and Curb Your Enthusiasm, for example.
