Why HBO Pulled Real Sex, Cathouse & More From Its Streaming Service

In the 1990s, HBO produced edgy content like Real Sex and Cathouse, but it has slowly moved in a more family-friendly direction ever since.

Summary

• HBO, known for producing edgy and raunchy content in the 90s, has moved away from that style and has even removed shows like Real Sex from its streaming lineup due to waning popularity.
• While adult entertainment was a major selling point for HBO in the 90s, there hasn't been strong demand for this kind of programming recently, possibly because it's easily available elsewhere.
• The removal of HBO's raunchy past and the recent programming changes on HBO Max suggest a shift towards exclusive content and a focus on being the top player in the original TV show streaming game.

In the 1990s, HBO produced raunchy shows like Real Sex and Cathouse, but they have moved away from that sort of edgy content in the years since. Home Box Office (HBO) pioneered the concept of the paid channel service going as far back as the early 1970s, and along with Cinemax, helped to completely revolutionize TV throughout the ensuing decades. By the 1990s, HBO began producing its own content which eventually flourished into shows like Tales from the Crypt and the groundbreaking drama The Sopranos. An advantage that HBO had over basic cable channels was that they were not tethered by strict FCC regulations regarding censorship of content.

Because of that freedom, HBO wasted no time in exploiting the lack of regulation by producing several shows and reality series that catered to a more adult audience. While a majority of the most popular HBO shows of all time have been fiction, groundbreaking series like Real Sex lived up to its name with a variety of soft-core offerings that only served to make HBO even more popular as the '90s wore on. However, HBO eventually moved away from the sex by the new millennium and has even begun purging its raunchy past from its modern streaming offerings.

HBO Pulled Real Sex From HBO Go Due To Waning Popularity & A Push For Original Programming

Before the advent of Max, HBO offered their streaming content through HBO Go which carried a host of the channel's original content from the past and present. However, in 2018, HBO began scrubbing shows like Real Sex, Cathouse, and Taxicab Confessionals from its streaming lineup which mirrored those shows' complete erasure from HBO's live TV schedule. In the 1990s, adult entertainment was all the rage on premium cable channels, and it was a major selling point for HBO. However, as an HBO representative noted "there hasn’t been a strong demand for this kind of adult programming, perhaps because it’s easily available elsewhere" (via LA Times).

While that may explain why HBO has long stopped producing soft-core content, it doesn't fully explain why the network has chosen to erase its raunchy past. While the usual sex and nudity were always a draw for HBO's late-night shows, they were approached with a human element that separated HBO from other premium channels that offered sex. Perhaps HBO's puritanical shift is in conjunction with the ramping up of exclusive content in their push to be the top dog in the original TV show streaming game.

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HBO Max Has Also Pulled Programming

It seems as if HBO's raunchier former programming isn't the only thing on the chopping block, as several HBO shows disappeared from HBO Max including hits like Vinyl. Following the switch-over from HBO Go to HBO Max, now known as Max, the network began axing some of its content from the platform including HBO exclusive shows. However, it is important to note that Max original shows have remained untouched which could suggest that HBO is gearing its signature streamer up to be a home of original content alone. Fluctuations within the company have been an excuse to erase certain programs from existence, and many HBO originals are still in jeopardy.