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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

HBO chief exits, as network launches ‘Adams’

Matea Gold Los Angeles Times

NEW YORK – As HBO contemplated who should replace Entertainment President Carolyn Strauss after her exit this week, the premium cable network was buoyed by solid early ratings for its seven-part miniseries “John Adams.”

The first two episodes, which aired Sunday, drew 2.65 million viewers on average, one of the network’s highest viewerships for a premiere in recent months. The miniseries, starring Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney, airs Sundays through April 20.

A different HBO project did not fare so well.

The network has decided to drop “12 Miles of Bad Road,” a dramedy by “Designing Women” creator Linda Bloodworth-Thomason that executives originally had touted as one of the most promising series for the coming year.

After viewing all six episodes that were completed before the three-month writers’ strike that started in November, HBO officials concluded that the hourlong show was too broad for the premium cable channel, according to network sources.

The program, produced by Bloodworth-Thomason and her husband, Harry Thomason, stars Lily Tomlin as a Texas real-estate matriarch.

HBO, which co-produced the show, allowed the Thomasons to shop the series to rival networks, but several other broadcast and cable channels have passed on it, including TNT and Lifetime, sources said.

A spokeswoman for the Thomasons disputed that, saying negotiations were ongoing.

The network’s dissatisfaction with “12 Miles” was seen as one of the factors that contributed to the departure of Strauss, an HBO veteran who had helped nurture programs such as “The Sopranos” and “Six Feet Under.” She has not commented on her exit but is in discussions to work with HBO in a producing deal.

Many high-level television executives are expected to vie to replace Strauss.