Amazon's HBO deal isn't going to quench the thirst for HBO Go

Fair warning: this most likely isn't the HBO Go subscription you've been asking for. But here goes nothing - Amazon announced on Wednesday that Amazon Prime members would get to watch some HBO shows starting on May 21. The roster is more classic than buzzy, think more Tony Soprano than Red Weddings. More Six Feet Under than time and flat circles.

The shows Amazon is offering include: The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, The Wire, Big Love, Deadwood, Eastbound & Down, Family Tree, Enlightened, Treme, as well as early seasons of Boardwalk Empire and True Blood. Earlier episodes, some three years old or so, of Girls and Veep are also going to find their way to Amazon.

Is this cool for someone who wants to appreciate the great work that James Gandolfini, Alan Ball, David Simon and others breathed into the network? Yes, very much so. But it's hard to see this deal, quell the torrent-swarm of the network's current roster of shows or settle what's become a constant clamor for HBO to improve its streaming service or offer a cord-cutting dream of an online-only subscription.

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