Curtain Call for 'HBO Sunday Nights'
Is it the end of "appointment TV"? HBO Sunday Nights used to bring people together for a shared viewing experience that made television such a powerful medium. But that era may be coming to an end.
For decades, HBO's Sunday night programming block was the crown jewel of television, a bastion of appointment viewing in an increasingly on-demand world. Shows like The Sopranos, Game of Thrones, and Succession not only drew millions of viewers but dominated cultural conversations. However, recent developments suggest this era may be coming to an end.
The network's recent offerings have struggled to maintain the prestige and viewership of their predecessors. Take "The Regime," starring Oscar-winner Kate Winslet and created by a Succession alum. Despite its pedigree, the show debuted to lukewarm reviews and dwindling viewership, with its audience shrinking to just over 100,000 by the finale. "The Sympathizer," featuring Robert Downey Jr. fresh off his Oscar win, fared even worse, barely registering with viewers despite its impressive creative team.
What's particularly alarming isn't just the low viewership, but the lack of cultural impact. These shows, occupying HBO's once-revered Sunday night slot, barely sparked conversation. This is a far cry from the days when HBO could confidently claim that "Sunday is ... HBO," backed by powerhouse lineups featuring The Sopranos, Sex and the City, and Six Feet Under.
The Sunday night slot has been integral to HBO's brand identity. As one executive told Marketing Brew last year, "Sundays are obviously a defining element of our brand. It's part of our DNA." This time slot was HBO's way of signaling a show's importance, creating a Pavlovian response from viewers and media outlets.
However, the landscape of television consumption has dramatically shifted. While House of the Dragon's second season finale drew nearly 9 million viewers, it's becoming increasingly rare for shows to command such attention, especially on a specific night. The rise of streaming has fragmented viewership, making it harder for any single show to become a cultural touchstone.
This shift is particularly evident in the way media covers television. In the past, even if viewers watched on their own schedules, there was an unspoken agreement to respect the broadcast schedule for discussion purposes. This created a unified viewing experience that distinguished TV from other media. Now, with the abundance of content available on-demand, that unifying element is disappearing.
The challenge for HBO and other networks is maintaining subscriber engagement in this new environment. As Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav noted, "Churn is just the killer in this business." The ease of canceling streaming subscriptions has made it crucial for networks to provide a steady stream of must-see content.
HBO's strategy seems to be evolving in response to these changes. Their upcoming slate includes shows like "The Penguin," a spinoff from The Batman, and "Dune: Prophecy," tied to the popular film franchise. While these offerings suggest a pivot towards franchise-based content, they also represent a departure from the network's traditional Sunday night programming.
Interestingly, some of HBO's most innovative content is now appearing in less prominent time slots. Friday nights have become home to boundary-pushing half-hour shows like "The Rehearsal," "How to With John Wilson," and "Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show." These programs may not draw huge numbers, but they generate significant online discussion and critical acclaim.
The shift away from the Sunday night model is also reflected in the production schedules of high-profile shows. House of the Dragon, for instance, is set to conclude after just four seasons, spread over six years. This extended production timeline, mirrored by other prestige shows across various platforms, disrupts the traditional TV rhythm that made time slots like HBO's Sundays so valuable.
As we move further into the streaming era, the concept of appointment viewing may become increasingly obsolete. While HBO will likely continue to use its Sunday night slot for its biggest shows, the power of that time slot to guarantee viewership and cultural relevance is waning.
Anyone remember this HBO Sunday Night Movie bumper?
This transition raises questions about the future of television as a shared cultural experience. Without the structure provided by scheduled programming, how will we maintain a collective viewing culture? The answer remains unclear, but it's evident that the era of HBO's Sunday night dominance is fading, taking with it a significant piece of television history.
As we look to the future, it's clear that networks and streaming services will need to find new ways to create must-see events and foster cultural conversations around their content. The challenge lies in recreating the communal experience of television in an increasingly fragmented and on-demand world.
In the past, we were all connected through television. As kids, we spoke about the shows we watched over the weekend or the night before. We bonded over characters and themes. Television brought us together in many ways.
While HBO's upcoming shows like The White Lotus and The Last of Us will likely return to their Sunday night slots, they may not wield the same cultural power as their predecessors. Like a deposed ruler in one of HBO's own fantasy epics, Sunday nights may retain their throne, but their kingdom is irrevocably changed.
In this new landscape, success will be measured not just in viewership numbers, but in the ability to cut through the noise and capture the cultural zeitgeist. As viewers, we may gain the freedom to watch what we want, when we want, but we may lose something of the shared experience that made television such a powerful medium. The end of HBO's Sunday night dominance marks more than just a shift in scheduling – it signals a fundamental change in how we consume and discuss our favorite shows.
Do you think television will ever return to its former glory, or is it too late thanks to all the choices we now have?
Enjoy a few screenshots from classic HBO…
I think HBO could return to some sort of Sunday night glory if it finds the right series that can make it into the zeitgeist. It may never hit the same level as it did during the Game of Thrones era but it's possible. The other solution could be some form of live TV like the Olympics which could regularly bring people in every Sunday night.