When It Comes To 'The Jinx,' HBO Should Have Thought More Like Discovery

Every network gets caught up in the mythology of their "brand." There's a constant internal discussion about whether a program is a "fit" with the network, and that self-examination reaches down into promotions and marketing. USA and TruTV are very different networks and the programs and promos that work best for one would be wasted on the others audience.

But there are times when a network needs to realize that it has lightning in a bottle and that it might be time to think beyond the normal comfort level of the executive floor. There are times when it's important to look at an opportunity and think to yourself "What would X network do if they had this program?"

HBO has a corporate culture that defines itself as being a network that works best with sophisticated, complicated and well-produced programs that are also capable of reaching a mass audience. While the network does care about ratings, at the end of the day success is measured by subscription numbers and retention rates. Highly rated shows make for good press and every success works to convince viewers they need to be part of the magic.

While HBO has a well-known documentary division, the success of "The Jinx" likely caught everyone by surprise. Oh, the series had a compelling story and was very well-made. But it also benefited from good timing. It's been airing at what passes on television for a slow time of the spring. The subject matter was also attractive to all the listeners of the podcast "Serial," which wrapped up a few weeks ago.

The finale aired on Sunday night and it received a lot of buzz before it premiered. Viewers were curious about the outcome and whether producers would be able to definitively make the case that Robert Durst had committed several murders. What they didn't know until the shortened final episode aired would be that it included what sounded like a confession from Durst, via an open lapel mike during a bathroom break.

"There it is. You’re caught. You’re right, of course. But you can’t imagine. Arrest him. I don’t know what’s in the house. Oh, I want this. What a disaster. He was right. I was wrong. And the burping. I’m having difficulty with the question. What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course."

As you might imagine, social media exploded after the episode and the episode sparked lots of unanswered questions about the production process, why the audio had remained unheard for so long and the scope of the producers interaction with authorities. To say nothing of the arrest of Durst just as the finale was getting ready to premiere.

The NY Times posted a lengthy look at some of the unanswered questions from "The Jinx," but the most logical place to have that discussion would have been on the network that aired the series: HBO.

In fact, it's difficult to imagine that any advertising-based network would have let such a golden opportunity for continued buzz-building pass without wringing every little drop of publicity from the event. Maybe in this case HBO should have thought a bit more like the Discovery family of networks, who are experts are this type of power PR.

Other networks would have had a "Talking Jinx" episode ready to announce, set to air tonight following a 24-hour frenzy of speculation and buzz. They would have made sure that clips from the special were available to every TV and radio morning show on Monday, everything designed to drive viewers to the special.

Another network would have already planned to announce a marathon of the episodes, timed to air at some high-visibility point this week. And there would be plans in place for specially recut episodes of "The Jinx" set to air on upcoming Sundays. Those episodes would include a bit of "new" footage, along with the pop-up windows of facts, trivia and backstory that are the hallmark of these recut episodes. And another network would be scrambling to slap together a "Since The Jinx" hour that would recap the events in the case since the end of the production, including the arrest of Robert Durst.

Yes, all of this can be considered crass and tacky. But HBO is certainly capable of keeping the tone under control. It's not a lack of ability that keeps these other episodes from airing on HBO. I think that the network doesn't see itself as crassly commercial and because of that, in this case it missed out on a chance to remind people that HBO means more than hit movies and TV shows. It has real documentary expertise that often gets lost in the hype over "Games of Thrones," etc. And at the end of the day, this "extra" programming would have been useful to the network's viewers.

Maybe this one time HBO should have thought a bit more like Discovery.