And now the Kierkegaard-quoting Milch is back with Luck, a horse-racing drama starring Dustin Hoffman and Nick Nolte.

FORBES: Can David Milch--and HBO's Luck--Overcome the Curse of Cop Rock?

They have indeed been influential, drawing the attention and even admiration down the ages of philosophers as diverse as Hegel, Kierkegaard and Nietzsche.

ECONOMIST: Letters