HBO has made several TV announcements:
SHARP OBJECTS will debut SUNDAY, JULY 8 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.
Based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Gillian Flynn, SHARP OBJECTS stars Amy Adams as reporter Camille Preaker, who returns to her small hometown to cover the murder of a preteen girl and the disappearance of another. Trying to put together a psychological puzzle from her past, she finds herself identifying with the young victims a bit too closely.
Patricia Clarkson, Chris Messina, Eliza Scanlen, Elizabeth Perkins and Matt Craven also star, as well as Henry Czerny, Taylor John Smith, Sophia Lillis and Madison Davenport.
SHARP OBJECTS is an Entertainment One (eOne) and Blumhouse Television production. Jean-Marc Vallée directs all episodes and co-edits the series, which is created by Marti Noxon, who serves as showrunner, and writes several episodes, as does Gillian Flynn. The executive producers are Marti Noxon, Jean-Marc Vallée, Amy Adams, Gillian Flynn, Jason Blum, Nathan Ross, Charles Layton, Jessica Rhoades, Gregg Fienberg, Marci Wiseman and Jeremy Gold.
NEW YORK, May 16, 2018 – HBO and Sky today announced THE CASE AGAINST ADNAN SYED, a four-hour documentary series directed by Academy Award® nominee Amy Berg (“Deliver Us from Evil,” “West of Memphis”). The series will explore the 1999 disappearance and murder of 18-year-old Baltimore County high school student Hae Min Lee, and the subsequent conviction of her ex-boyfriend, Adnan Syed, a case brought to global attention by the hugely popular “Serial” podcast. Working Title TV and Instinct Productions are producing and NBCUniversal International Studios are distributing the follow-up to the case, which will debut on HBO in the U.S. and on Sky Atlantic in Europe.
In production since 2015, THE CASE AGAINST ADNAN SYED closely re-examines the events leading up to Hae Min Lee’s disappearance, from high school romance, forbidden love and cultural conflict, to the aftermath of her disappearance, the original police investigation and the present day, when Syed awaits a new trial. Presenting new discoveries, as well as groundbreaking revelations that challenge the state’s case, and featuring exclusive access to Syed, the defense team, the Syed family, friends and teachers of Hae Min Lee and Adnan Syed, and members of City of Baltimore law enforcement, the series traces how the rush to justice and Syed’s conviction in 2000 raised more questions than answers about what happened to Hae Min Lee, underscoring the instability of memory and conflicting eyewitnesses.
In June 2016, Baltimore Circuit Court Judge Martin P. Welch vacated Adnan Syed’s conviction and granted him a new trial after new evidence challenged the reliability of cell phone data linking Syed to the crime scene, and a long-awaited alibi witness finally had her day in court. The State of Maryland appealed the lower court judge’s ruling, but on March 29, 2018, the Court of Special Appeals also ruled to vacate Syed’s conviction and granted him the retrial he has been waiting for.
THE CASE AGAINST ADNAN SYED is produced by Working Title TV and Instinct Productions and was commissioned by HBO Documentary Films and Sky Atlantic. Executive producers, Henrietta Conrad and Jemima Khan for Instinct Productions and Eric Fellner, Tim Bevan and Andrew Stearn for Working Title TV. The series will be distributed internationally by NBC Universal International.
LOS ANGELES, May 16, 2018 – MIKE JUDGE PRESENTS: TALES FROM THE TOUR BUS, chronicling the exploits of legendary music artists, will return for a second season later this year, it was announced today by Kary Antholis, president, HBO Miniseries and CINEMAX Programming. While the first season of the show spotlighted country musicians, the new season will focus on funk music greats, including James Brown, George Clinton and Bootsy Collins.
Marking a return to his roots in animation and as a musician, Judge (“King of the Hill”; “Beavis and Butt-Head”; Emmy® nominee for HBO’s “Silicon Valley”) co-created, narrates and serves as an executive producer on the series, which recounts the raucous adventures of these musicians, as told by those who knew them best.
TALES FROM THE TOUR BUS features animated interviews with former bandmates, friends and other erstwhile associates, who share uncensored anecdotes about these artists, brought to life by animated reenactments, and woven together with live-action archival performance footage and photos.
Debuting on CINEMAX in Sept. 2017, the first season of TALES FROM THE TOUR BUS spotlighted notorious country music legends, including Johnny Paycheck, Jerry Lee Lewis, George Jones and Tammy Wynette, Billy Joe Shaver, Waylon Jennings and Blaze Foley.
The Los Angeles Times described the series as “addictive,” while Decider called the show “unlike anything you’ve ever seen before,” Rolling Stone hailed it as “informative as it is hilariously raw” and A.V. Club termed the series “storytelling gold.”
Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and Parliament-Funkadelic founder George Clinton will serve as consulting producer. Returning for season two are executive producers Glen Zipper and Sean Stuart; joining the show are writer Mark Monroe as co-executive producer and screenwriter-producer and veteran music journalist Nelson George (“Finding The Funk,” HBO’s “Life Support”) as consulting producer.
MIKE JUDGE PRESENTS: TALES FROM THE TOUR BUS was created by Mike Judge, Richard Mullins and Dub Cornett; executive produced by Mike Judge, Glen Zipper and Sean Stuart; composer, John Frizzell.
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO. May 17, 2018 – Every story has a resolution. HBO and HBO Latino present the ten final episodes of the original series with the premiere of the fourth season of SR. ÁVILA, on Sunday, July 29.
Produced in Mexico, SR. ÁVILA premieres as HBO celebrates 15 years producing the best original content in Latin America. For those who want to catch up on the series, the first seasons are available on all HBO digital platforms.
Throughout the past four seasons, more than 250 performers have participated in the series—which has won international accolades through various awards, including an International Emmy® in the Non-English Language US Primetime Program category, the first victory for an HBO Latin America original series. SR. ÁVILA is executive produced by Luis F. Peraza, Roberto Ríos and Paul Drago.
The fourth installment of SR. ÁVILA was directed by Fernando Rovzar. In this season, Fernando Rovzar also joins Walter and Marcelo Slavich as screenwriter.
The hit comedy series BALLERS and INSECURE will kick off their new seasons back-to-back SUNDAY, AUG. 12 on HBO.
BALLERS returns for its fourth season SUNDAY, AUG. 12 (10:00-10:30 p.m. ET/PT). The show looks at the lives of former and current football players, following former superstar Spencer Strasmore (Dwayne Johnson), who has reinvented himself as a financial manager. This season, Spencer and Joe (Rob Corddry) take their skills to Los Angeles as they look to expand their roster and horizons in the world of action sports. Other cast members include John David Washington, Omar Benson Miller, Donovan Carter, Troy Garity, London Brown, Jazmyn Simon and Brittany S. Hall. Created by Steve Levinson; executive produced by Stephen Levinson, Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, Peter Berg, Rob Weiss, Julian Farino, Denis Biggs and Karyn McCarthy.
First look at the new season of BALLERS: https://youtu.be/S95VXglrKDI.
INSECURE begins its third season SUNDAY, AUG. 12 (10:30-11:00 p.m. ET/PT). Starring Issa Rae and Yvonne Orji, the show follows the friendship of two black women as they deal with their own real-life flaws while attempting to navigate different worlds and cope with an endless series of uncomfortable everyday experiences. Other series regulars include Jay Ellis, Lisa Joyce, Y’lan Noel, Natasha Rothwell and Amanda Seales. Created by Issa Rae and Larry Wilmore; executive produced by Issa Rae, Prentice Penny, Melina Matsoukas, Michael Rotenberg, Dave Becky, Jonathan Berry, Dayna Lynne North and Jim Kleverweis.
This carefully designed collectible, from the acclaimed Emmy® award-winning HBO® series, will be available for pre-order on May 23, 2018. The Cersei Lannister 1/6th Scale Collectible Figuredepicts Cersei in the iconic black dress she wore during her coronation as Queen of the Seven Kingdoms in the season six finale. Each figure is intricately detailed with a crown, GemFire ring, armor, and exchangeable hands.
- 11 inches (~28 cm) tall articulated figure featuring tailored clothing
- Tailored coronation gown and decor
- Finely-detailed decoration and textures
- Shoulder Armor
- Crown
- 2 pair relaxed
The Roy family – Logan Roy and his four children – controls one of the biggest media and entertainment conglomerates in the world. The HBO drama series SUCCESSION, which kicks off its ten-episode season SUNDAY, JUNE 3 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT), tracks their lives as they contemplate what the future will hold for them once their aging father begins to step back from the company.
SUCCESSION was created by Oscar® and WGA nominee Jesse Armstrong (“In the Loop”), with the pilot written by Armstrong and directed by Oscar® winner Adam McKay (“The Big Short”). Jesse Armstrong, Adam McKay, Frank Rich (HBO’s “Veep”), Kevin Messick, Will Ferrell, Jane Tranter (HBO’s “The Night Of”) and Mark Mylod (HBO’s “Entourage”) executive produce; Armstrong serves as showrunner.
“All through history, moments of succession are points of conflict,” notes creator Jesse Armstrong. “Whether it’s the Roman Empire, Babylonian Empire, succession is tough, and often in political and national history, when a king, queen or leader has to leave the stage, they can find they want to linger in the limelight longer than anyone thought.”
Set in New York, SUCCESSION explores themes of power, politics, money and family. Logan Roy (Brian Cox), the tough, powerful, aging patriarch, is head of Waystar Royco, a family-controlled international media conglomerate. He is married to his third wife, Marcia (Hiam Abbass), a loving, formidable partner.
Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong), Logan’s eldest son from his second marriage, is currently a division president at the firm and the heir apparent. Roman Roy (Kieran Culkin), Kendall’s younger brother, is Logan’s outspoken, fun-loving son and no longer works at Waystar. Siobhan “Shiv” Roy (Sarah Snook), Logan’s only daughter and youngest child, has been pursuing a career in politics.
Connor Roy (Alan Ruck), Logan’s eldest son, and only child from his first marriage, has pursued an independent life in New Mexico. In the season premiere, the Roy siblings are reunited with their younger cousin, Greg (Nicholas Braun), who has moved from Canada to New York, seeking a foothold in the management of the firm’s theme parks.
On the periphery of the Roy family are Tom (Matthew Macfadyen), Shiv’s ambitious boyfriend and a senior executive at the firm, and Rava Roy (Natalie Gold), Kendall’s wife, with whom he shares two children and an emotional bond, despite their marital separation. Frank (Peter Friedman) is the firm’s COO, an old family friend, and a mentor to Kendall. In an effort to solidify his takeover of Waystar, Kendall is on the brink of buying out a digital media outfit from Lawrence (Rob Yang), its CEO and founder.
“There’s no question that SUCCESSION, at its root, is a family story,” notes director and executive producer Adam McKay. “There’s also a tragic side to it, where you see how massive wealth and power distort and twist and wound this family.”
Executive producer Frank Rich adds, “I think it is the specificity of the way the SUCCESSION characters are drawn, with wry humor and heart, and the caliber of this ensemble cast, that make the Roys stand out in the crowded field of family drama.”
NEW YORK, May 22, 2018 – HBO has renewed the late-night series WYATT CENAC’S PROBLEM AREAS for a second season, it was announced today by Nina Rosenstein, executive vice president, HBO Programming.
“We’re so thrilled to have such a relevant, thought-provoking and sharply funny show on the network,” said Rosenstein. “We’re all looking forward to seeing what problem areas Wyatt and his team decide to tackle next season.”
The ten-episode first season of WYATT CENAC’S PROBLEM AREAS debuted Friday, April 13. Helmed by the Emmy®– and WGA Award-winning comedian and writer, the series covers a wide range of social and cultural issues, ranging from the trivial to the impactful. With an eye toward solutions, the lighter topics include: moving millennials into battleships, NRA propaganda at the movies, banking deserts, student loans and powering the world with human waste.
The first season also tackles the complex issue of policing in America, touching on such concerns as: mental health, police accountability, sexual assault and training standards. Each episode features a documentary-style field report, with Cenac canvassing the country, from suburban Minneapolis and downtown Cincinnati to rural Oklahoma and Skid Row in Los Angeles, as he investigates systemic issues from his unique perspective and appeals for change.
Among the critical praise for the first season, the Los Angeles Times has hailed the show as “an inquisitive approach that often yields as much a sense of humanity as humor,” while the A.V. Club called it “refreshing and necessary,” and ESPN’s The Undefeated described the series as “a show unlike anything else on late night, a mix of mirth, seriousness and palpable sensitivity.”
From 2008 to 2012, Wyatt Cenac was a writer and correspondent on the hit late-night series “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” where he earned three Emmy® Awards and a WGA Award. The album of his hour-long standup special, “Brooklyn,” which he also directed, was nominated for a 2015 Grammy for Best Comedy Album. His other TV credits include a starring role in the series “People of Earth,” plus “Archer,” “Maron,” “Bojack Horseman” and “Bob’s Burgers.”
Season one credits: The executive producers of WYATT CENAC’S PROBLEM AREAS are Wyatt Cenac, Ezra Edelman, John Oliver, Tim Greenberg, David Martin, James Taylor, Jon Thoday and Hallie Haglund, who is also head writer. Diane Fitzgerald is co-executive producer on the show, produced for HBO by Avalon Television.
