If you’re looking for a bit of gratuitous nudity from HBO you’ll have to settle for one of its prestige dramas from now on. The subscription cable network is excited about what’s ahead in 2019, but its “late night” offerings of sexually-themed documentaries and soft-core pornography are now a thing of the past.
HBO has pushed the boundaries of language and sexual themes in its TV and movies for some time, but shows like Real Sex and others staring porn actress Katie Morgan were staples of HBO’s late night programming in the 90s and early 2000s. As of late, though, the network has shied away from new programming of that nature, and the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday that HBO has removed its ‘late night’ options from its streaming service and won’t air similar programs on its broadcast channels.
“Over the past several years HBO has been winding down its late-night adult fare,” an HBO representative told the Los Angeles Times. “While we’re greatly ramping up our other original program offerings, there hasn’t been a strong demand for this kind of adult programming, perhaps because it’s easily available elsewhere.”
The Times noted in the report that Sheila Nevins, who headed HBO’s award-winning documentary unit for 38 years and developed many of the shows HBO will no longer air, retired in April. Jeffrey Jones, who co-wrote “The Essential HBO Reader,” told The Times that her departure likely spelled the end of programming now easily found elsewhere thanks to the rise of other technologies.
“With her gone, I can see that change,” he said. “She very much saw sex as a central part of human beings and therefore documentaries should treat it with respect. She carved out a space for this type of programming.”
The Times article notes that subscription network Showtime still has adult entertainment on its ‘After Hours’ section of its streaming service, but those with only HBO will have to find a new source of scintillating programming. Like maybe the Internet.
(via The Los Angeles Times)
