As always, the first step is admitting there is a problem. "12 Miles of Bad Road," which HBO recently ditched despite its price and pedigree -- Lily Tomlin; Mary Kay Place; the Thomasons, Linda Bloodworth and Harry -- may provide the key to cracking the what-the-heck-happened-here conundrum. Sent out to critics by its creators, who hoped to prove that HBO was making a grave mistake, "12 Miles" is a nightmare tug of war between the bold, the brilliant and the really, truly terrible. The tale of a Texas real estate dynasty, it cries out not for a review but a psychiatric diagnosis -- schizophrenia? Bipolar disorder? Never have so many Emmy-deserving performances been trapped in such a muddled mess of a more than occasionally offensive storyline. It's the kind of mess that HBO, at its peak, would have never let happen, or could probably have fixed. Somehow. But now, it's just extra weight on a listing ship, and over it goes. Which, if nothing else, proves that HBO is no longer guilty of smug complacency.
HBO as underdog
It used to always be the premium of the premiums. Now the cable pack's catching up.
CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Tuesday, April 22, 2008 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 30 words Type of Material: Correction
HBO: A critic's notebook in Saturday's Calendar section that mentioned "John Adams" and other HBO shows said that George Washington served only one term as president. He served two terms.
Amid such Sturm und Drang, the success of "John Adams" is that much more poignant. The reviews were mixed (I myself remained underwhelmed), but the ratings were solid. And the message is wonderfully fitting: A real legacy comes with the passing of time, and you'll save yourself a lot of grief if you just don't think about it.
Certainly, in hindsight, the passage of the Alien and Sedition Acts was not among Adams' finest hours but, like "John From Cincinnati," it seemed like a good idea at the time. That HBO has changed the nature of television is inarguable, but say something like that too many times and it becomes not only a bore but a gauntlet. And while legacies play well on historical timelines, they do not guarantee anyone good seats on the entertainment industry's perpetual motion machine of rank and perception. So what will HBO do next? Declare war on France (or Showtime)? Continue rearranging the Cabinet? Or reject the fickle affections of history and, like Mr. Adams, just try to find the original dream amid all the heckling and prognosticating, visions and revisions.
That's the thing about revolutions. No matter how final the proclamations or declarations may seem, they're ongoing, with problems and permutations far beyond the founders' wildest dreams. And if you stick around long enough, you may find yourself going from Big Dog back to underdog. Welcome back to the bleacher seats, HBO.
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mary.mcnamara @latimes.com
