You are here
Lobbying Central to Upcoming HBO Series
Thursday, June 19th, 2014
Robert Wechsler
The portrayal of lobbying state and, hopefully, a few local officials will
soon be in the hands of Lawrence Wright, the Pulitzer Prize-winning
author of The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11
and, most recently, Going Clear:
Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief.
But the portrayal will not be in the form of a book. According to an article yesterday in the Austin Chronicle, Wright will be scripting an HBO series called God Save Texas, based loosely on his 2004 play, Sonny's Last Shot. The story is about "a down-home, honest kind of Texas lawmaker who finds himself embroiled in all the corruption, pressure, gladhanding, and flawed morality that Texas politics can allow."
According to the article, the first season will not be focused on a love story or the tensions of rivals, but rather on "the ongoing drought, [putting] the power of the oil and gas companies (can we say fracking?) under the microscope."
It's a good sign that the play involved the protagonist breaking from his political party on the issue of campaign finance reform (he was for it). Yes, you read that right: campaign finance reform as a dramatic topic. Lobbying is sure to be central to the TV show. And who knows? Maybe there will even be some great conflict of interest situations.
Since the series is in development now, there's time to lobby Wright for the inclusion of government ethics scenarios in his scripts.
For a preview, check out City Ethics blog posts about situations in Texas at the state and local levels.
Robert Wechsler
Director of Research-Retired, City Ethics
---
But the portrayal will not be in the form of a book. According to an article yesterday in the Austin Chronicle, Wright will be scripting an HBO series called God Save Texas, based loosely on his 2004 play, Sonny's Last Shot. The story is about "a down-home, honest kind of Texas lawmaker who finds himself embroiled in all the corruption, pressure, gladhanding, and flawed morality that Texas politics can allow."
According to the article, the first season will not be focused on a love story or the tensions of rivals, but rather on "the ongoing drought, [putting] the power of the oil and gas companies (can we say fracking?) under the microscope."
It's a good sign that the play involved the protagonist breaking from his political party on the issue of campaign finance reform (he was for it). Yes, you read that right: campaign finance reform as a dramatic topic. Lobbying is sure to be central to the TV show. And who knows? Maybe there will even be some great conflict of interest situations.
Since the series is in development now, there's time to lobby Wright for the inclusion of government ethics scenarios in his scripts.
For a preview, check out City Ethics blog posts about situations in Texas at the state and local levels.
Robert Wechsler
Director of Research-Retired, City Ethics
---
Story Topics:
- Robert Wechsler's blog
- Log in or register to post comments
