10 TV Shows That Would Have Been Better On HBO

4. NYPD Blue

NYPD Blue was always an HBO show trapped inside a network television body. The cop show that would forever change the attitude of cop shows did everything it could to be controversial. It featured deeply flawed characters, grotesque crimes and even a little bit of nudity from time to time. NYPD Blue even faced lawsuits for its penchant for showing bare butt.

As respectable as the show's efforts were when it came to challenging network TV decency, had it released on HBO the show would have found no need to hold back. Perhaps that wouldn't have made NYPD Blue as notable as it was for its ability to get away with things that no one else could, but it's important to remember that it was a really well-made police procedural above all else that so happened to know that sex and violence were necessary elements of the story it was trying to tell.