2-5 years ago I would have said HBO but they lost all their good shows

Showtime definately beats them with Californication and Dexter

Tough choice.

On HBO I watch:

True Blood
Big Love
Entourage
In Treatment
Six Feet Under (ended)
Sex and the City (ended)

On Showtime:

Weeds
Secret Diary Of A Call Girl
Dexter

I'd say HBO for now. I absolutely love all the Showtime series, but True Blood is my favorite new show this season and the quality of the brilliant In Treatment and Big Love, not to mention their older series, is just too hard to ignore.

Shows I watch/ed on Showtime:
Dead Like Me
Dexter
Masters of Horror
Stargate SG-1
The Tudors
Weeds
(started watching, never finished: Californication)
(watched occasionally: Fat Actress, Ressurection Blvd.)

Shows I watch/ed on HBO:
Band of Brothers
Carnivale
Oz
Rome
Sex & the City
Tales From the Crypt
True Blood
(started watching, never finished: Curb Your Enthusiasm, Entourage, Six Feet Under, The Sopranos)

As far as the overall numbers of the shows I watch/ed goes, HBO leads with 7 shows (11 counting the not so regular ones) to Showtime's 6 shows (9 counting the unregular ones). Currently I'm watching 3 Showtime shows (Californication makes 4th, but I haven't seen that in a long time). I watch only 1 show regularly on HBO now (Curb & Entourage I used to watch but they're both such an awful shows I doubt I'll ever finish them). So HBO historically is better, but Showtime has been kicking it's butt lately left and right.

HBO by default. Curb Your Enthusiasm is one of the funniest shows on TV when it's actually on. I actually think the setups are more clever than the one's on Seinfeld were. And the fact that the majority of the dialogue is improvised is simply astounding. I'm also a fan although nowhere near to the same degree as Curb, of Flight of the Conchords.

I've never seen much of Showtime's shows. I tried to get into Weeds and liked the four or five episodes that I saw, but I have no real desire to follow the show. Maybe I'll give the first season a look sometime on Netflix.

HBO
Entourage
Curb (when ever its on, don't look for it)
Trying to get into Big Love and True Blood

Showtime
Dexter
Californication (even though it sucks now)
Tired to get into the Tudors but turned it off.

Dexter is better than Entourage so I guess showtime. HBO has a better history of shows though.

HBO has always owned

HBO by a country mile.

Shows Ive watched/liked/loved on HBO;

The Sopranos
Entourage
Band of Brothers
Tales from the Crypt

And just getting into;

Rome
True Blood
Carnivale
Curb Your Enthusiasm

Only show ive seen or have interest in Showtime:
The Tudors

But will start Dexter and Call Girl soon. Both look great.

And offcourse once HBO but A Game of Thrones for the whole season - it will be unbeatable

On HBO I only watch BIG LOVE (which is great) and TRUE BLOOD (which is not, but it's entertaining enough). On Showtime there is SECRET DIARY OF A CALL GIRL (Amazing!), DEXTER (Amazing!), THE L WORD, and WEEDS.

Showtime is the clear winner!

Dead Like Me ensures showtimes dominance.

Has to be HBO - especially as they have stepped up over the last year with Boardwalk Empire and Game of Thrones.

Actually, I'd give the edge to Showtime at this point. "Shameless" was one of my favorite shows of the season.

I have'nt seen Shameless though it sounds promising (so does Homeland). However I dont particularly like any of the other shows on Showtime so have to give it to HBO. Infact i'd go HBO, then AMC, then Showtime.

HBO had The Wire, so it wins by default. But AMC is better than either of them right now.

Showtime has lost its luster awhile back when Californication became boring and Dexter now losing steam. Homeland is a good add but I dont know if its good enough to justify Showtime being a better channel. Maybe Borgias too but it would be the only show on Showtime that I watch in April

AMC has some good shows like Breaking Bad and Walking Dead. Hell on Wheels looks interesting. Finally a tv Western after like almost 4 years

HBO really only has Game of Thrones that makes me keep it on subscription but Boardwalk Empire which Im really trying to give a chance isnt cutting it. Now if you add HBOGo, you can stream The Wire, The Pacific, Band of Brothers, Carnivale, Rome and Deadwood, I would put that ahead. Its just too bad they didnt include Tales From the Crypt for streaming

HBO - Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire, Eastbound and Down, Bored To Death, Curb Your Enthusiasm and they just lost their "worst show I felt obligated to watch" in Entourage. Showtime has the character Dexter (not the whole show anymore) and I hear Homeland is great. So HBO wins pretty easily.

AMC has two amazing shows, and one with huge "upside" in the Walking Dead. So HBO still wins.

AMC has Mad Men, Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead and the promising Hell on Wheels.

Not to mention the occasional Three Stooges airing.