HBO has made the small screen more like the big screen by offering series like your Big Love.
You're right. You could cut together two hours of The Sopranos — which is the lead-in for our show — and it would be as good as a lot of theatrical films. I'm a bit of film snob, which is why I've turned down TV for years. But here's a network that's building on quality. The craftsmanship, the fidelity of the image, the writing — it's all strong.

What shows do you like to watch for your own enjoyment?
The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, Curb Your Enthusiasm ... I'm an HBO kind of a guy. There's no commercials, and they don't have to bend to standards and practices or advertisers. But I mostly watch films.

How do you prefer to watch movies?
I prefer to watch, period. If I had my druthers, I'd always watch with an audience on a big movie screen. But I just had a 42-inch flat-screen TV with a pretty good sound system installed in my bedroom, and I've got a pretty comfortable bed. I'm a technophobe, so that thing sat in a box for over a year, but it's wonderful. And I enjoy watching a movie in private where you can cry and not worry that you're in a public place. Both experiences are just as vital and both are wonderful. The sad thing is to see a film like Greatest Game — one that has scope — on a small screen. And then it's been squeezed again with the pan-and-scan and all that.

Do you have surround sound, too?
No surround — just a good stereo speaker system. To me, surround can be a little overkill. If you're watching a movie in a theater and suddenly you turn because something's going on behind you, it's distracting. It pulls your focus off the screen, and that's the last thing a filmmaker wants. I want to hear the sound coming from where I see the image coming from, so I still mix for the front.

What's next on the directing department?
I've got a few fish in the fryer. I might fall back into a gothic thriller because I have a cast that's ready to go. But if Big Love gives me some film-acting opportunities, I may go with that. But I feel that by doing two completely different genres as a director, I've proven myself — and that stock is in the bank. It's given me a new kind of confidence, even about my acting, just to know that I have this other thing.