There has been a lot of hand-wringing of late regarding the future of HBO, which recently demanded the resignation of Chris Albrecht, replacing him with capable company men but perhaps no one quite as able to green-light the next hit provocation, and just bid adieu to its biggest cash machine, “The Sopranos.”

Just curious: Any HBO patrons out there considering canceling their subscription? More questions will follow the requisite idiot analysis.

Recently, HBO added “John from Cincinnati” and “Flight of the Conchords” to their arsenal, but as much as I liked those shows, they exist in far too rarefied an air to serve as the network’s Next Big Thing. Reviews were wildly divided on “John,” perhaps since it’s anyone’s guess what’s really on its mind and where it’s eventually going. Critics, ultimately, are just like most of us: They appreciate a clue as to what’s going on with a show and don’t like to feel dumb. Certainly, almost all TV series and movies give you a pretty good idea where they’re going – Tony Soprano suffers from angst and his violent streak is a good skill set to have in his line of business. Denis Leary has a tart tongue, a self-destructive streak and brass balls. Bruce Willis will blow up the world in order to save it. Jim Belushi’s lumpen stupidity has a cuddly appeal to his hot wife.

By contrast, “John from Cincinnati” is the show for which the acronym WTF? was created. Guys hover above the surface of the planet for no apparent reason; the dead become living anew; an idiot savant may possess the answers we all seek. So how do the characters respond to all this? By skateboarding on a half-pipe. “John” assiduously avoids the visceral immediacy creator David Milch’s last profane masterpiece, “Deadwood,” managed with ease.

And “Flight of the Conchords,” funny as it is, will only be appreciated by a tiny segment of the population jazzed by deader-than-deadpan humor. HBO has recently rolled the dice on a number of series and, if not snake-eyes, hasn’t hit seven on the Zeitgeist meter, either. “Entourage” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” are more media sensations than mainstream ones. “Rome” was expensive and lurid but hardly a hit. “Big Love” intrigues without fully addicting. “Lucky Louie” was something Albrecht must’ve OK’d while on a bender.

Meantime, Showtime has finally gotten its act together and put together a coterie of programs that, while not consistently great, at least palatably challenges HBO’s putative headlock on water-cooler programming. FX continues to prove that basic cable can be at least as provocative as pay-cable. And TNT, USA and Sci Fi Channel all offer programming that’s as audience-pleasing as that offered by the ostensibly bigger broadcast networks.

So, back to our questionnaire (feel free to answer as many, or as few, of these questions as you like, or, even, answer questions that you feel went egregiously unposed – I hack away dozens of spam comments touting links to dubious Viagra websites on a daily basis (honestly – it’s amazing I get anything else accomplished) so that you can be assured that your thoughts are prominently displayed within the walls of this intellectually rickety yet proud blog):

* Again, have you considered canceling HBO? Or, in fact, have you trimmed your cable or satellite bill? And, if so, why?

* What’re your thoughts on HBO’s newest shows? Do they reach the same levels of satisfaction as its former hits “Sopranos” and “Sex and the City?”

* If you feel HBO has jumped the shark, when was the moment you think it happened?

* What was your take on the “Sopranos” finale? Did people who took the alternate view p!ss you off? Why?

* Which cable network offers your favorite original programming?

* Do you like TV that challenges or reinforces your thoughts on life, etc.? And which networks do you think do both?

* What TV show in general do you utterly hate? And utterly love?

* If you had the chance to gun down someone in an empty parking garage that had no reliable security system, who would it be (other than, say, a certain highly-placed and –regarded politician serving the Good People of Television), and why?

* Do you find online questionnaires idiotic? If so, why? Do you hate me because I’ve posed one? If so, how can I win back your affections? I’ll do it; I mean it.