Episode 4: Hitting the Wall

In this final episode, with HBO’s lead attorney Peter Gross as our guide, we follow the network into the courtroom as HBO wins company-saving lawsuits against the government and Hollywood. Henry McGee, Linda Frankenbach, and Jeff Bewkes tell the story of how VCR movie rentals and stalled cable growth led to the network’s first layoffs. But HBO didn’t hit the wall and stop, it hit the wall and changed direction. This pivot would lay the foundation for everything that came next and the HBO we know today.