Richard Plepler's exit is a "definitive break" with HBO's history

Variety

The HBO CEO and chairman's departure "marks the end of what is likely the single most consequential run in the TV industry," says Daniel D'Addario. "Plepler, after all, is the living institutional memory of his company in an industry where executives switch in and out frequently. He had been with HBO since 1992 — back when it was better known for Tales from the Crypt and wrestling than for serious adult programming. During his time rising in HBO’s ranks, the network made assertive steps towards becoming the definitive purveyor of sharp, urbane cable programming, making its Sunday night (home to The Sopranos, Sex and the City, and Six Feet Under) the industry’s gold standard." When Plepler took over as co-president of HBO in 2007, HBO was in a funk with The Sopranos ending. "The airing of surfer noir John from Cincinnati as the lead-out to The Sopranos finale sums up a challenging period," says D'Addario. "Pursued by competitors including a vivified Showtime, HBO’s primacy was fading." But with the multiple Emmy-winning Game of Thrones and Veep -- both greenlit by Plepler -- as well as with Girls, Westworld, and Succession, "all series that ride the zeitgeist but all of which fit within HBO’s brand identity, the network has made a roaring return this decade," says D'Addario. Plepler also made smart moves to appeal to younger viewers like hiring John Oliver and unbundling HBO with HBO Now. D'Addario adds: "With Plepler, HBO is losing a tie to its earliest days. But given that those early days were ones of carefully chosen programming that made something as simple as a cable network feel like a must-have luxury product, cutting those ties may be exactly what a corporation hungry for content and indifferent to programming wants."

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