First Chris Albrecht leaves amid scandal and accusations, and now Carolyn Strauss leaves her position while the once white-hot premium cable channel struggles to find its creative feet once again.
Yeah, fill these shoes!
EPA/PETER FOLEY
Entertainment President Carolyn Strauss has vacated that position after four years as the network struggles to replace hit series such as “The Sopranos,” “Deadwood” and “Sex and the City.”
Strauss was named head of entertainment in 2004, will stay with HBO in a yet-to-be determined capacity. HBO has not announced her replacement.
“No one has made a more significant contribution to the success of HBO than Carolyn,” HBO Co-President Richard Plepler and HBO Programming President Michael Lombardo said in a joint statement. “We are truly delighted that she will continue to be a part of the HBO family.”
Premium channel Starz overtook HBO in ratings among premium cable channels, posting a 0.7 all-day rating compared with HBO’s 0.6 rating, according to Nielsen Media Research.
Starz has two new hot series, "Head Case" and "Hollywood Residential." They just announced Martin Lawrence's popular stand up series, "First Ammendment" renewed for a third season.
Strauss helped develop or produce “The Sopranos,” “Six Feet Under” and “The Larry Sanders Show,” along with other HBO projects.
With “The Wire” finishing its five-year run on HBO, and “The Sopranos” ending their eight-year run in June, the cable channel's new offerings like “John From Cincinnati” fell flat with viewers.
In the meantime, Showtime has beefed up their lineup with "The Tudors", "Weeds," and "Dexter," adding critically acclaimed comedian and actress Tracey Ullman's new special, "State of the Union" to bow on March 30.
USA
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