Sap defends cut HBO drama (3,4)
I believe the answer is:
the wire
'hbo drama' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this definition defines the answer.
'sap defends cut' is the wordplay.
'sap' becomes 'tire' (synonyms).
'defends' means one lot of letters goes inside another (inserted letters are held or defended).
'cut' becomes 'hew' (hew can mean to chop or cut).
'tire' going around 'hew' is 'THE WIRE'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Another definition for the wire that I've seen is " show".)