{Updated Sept. 28, 2019}

Santa Monica, CA — HBO, aka, Home Box Office, is being challenged right and left for its blue chip real estate in TV by rival companies such as Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Hulu and the forthcoming Disney+.  The days are long since past when its primary competition was lowly Showtime.

It’s Not TV. It’s HBO was the company’s hit slogan in the ’90s and ’00s, but are we still that into HBO?  The Sopranos, Sex And The City, Six Feet Under, The Wire were all cultural influencers.

Now under the auspices of AT&T, not known for its television programming, it’s a new era for the premium cable channel which has new marching orders, as well:  More content. (Also, employees 55+ please take a hike!) Ousted Chief Richard Plepler is replaced by Bob Greenblatt, who will oversee the new Warner Media which will include TNT and TBS. GQ Explores Why HBO Can’t Stay The Same.

Let’s take a look at what’s working, what doesn’t, and what HBO is developing for the future replacing monster hit series, Game of Thrones, which concluded its run with an Emmy Award for Best Drama.

What’s Working.

• Big Little Lies really got everyone talking about Moms in Monterey thanks to Jean-Marc Vallee and David E. Kelley’s adaptation of Liane Moriarty’s novel that caught the eye of Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon, who starred and EPd.  Kidman and Laura Dern won all the awards for their roles, but will they be able to live up to S1? S2 has arrived to great acclaim, and Meryl Streep joins the Monterey 5 as Nicole Kidman’s mother-in-law. Witherspoon does not rule out a S3.
• Euphoria — Zendaya stars in this ensemble YA series which is a US adaptation of an Israeli series.  Executive produced by Drake and Sam Levinson, who also scripts. Premiered June 16th and has become a bit of watercooler series with concerned parents and melodramatic teens talking. So much so, that HBO has renewed it for S2. Trailer looks great. Check it out H E R E.
• Game of Thrones is that rare monster hit that has outlasted the source material, George R.R. Martin’s best-selling book series (seemingly stuck with Book 6) set in Westeros, a mythical realm with rival kingdoms fighting for dominance. The final season airs April 14th. Team Lannister or Team Stark? I’m Team Direwolf.
• Westworld is that rare adaptation of a film by Michael Crichton that has breathed new life in the Artificial Intelligence Sci Fi genre and has given star-making roles for Evan Rachel Wood and Thandie Newton. S3 premieres in late 2019 or early 2020. It’s not quite as good as BSG, but it’s still compelling storytelling.
• Sharp Objects continues the cable giant’s penchant for brilliant limited series adaptations of best-selling novels.  Amy Adams and Patricia Clarkson received rave reviews and multiple accolades for their work. Marti Noxon Hints At A S2, per Deadline.
• Veep is HBO’s best comedy since Sex And The City. Julia Louis-Dreyfus & Co. have bid their White House farewell after a successful final season.
• Ballers proves that Dwayne Johnson can do anything. That sports-minded half hour comedy is now in its 5th season and final season.
• Barry seems to be the successor to Veep as the network’s best comedy. Now in its 2nd season (premiered March 31st), the Bill Hader series is racking up awards as well as fans. More Henry Winkler! Renewed for S3. A second Emmy for Hader.
• The New Pope is the follow up to The Young Pope, one of my favorite series of 2017.  Jude Law returns with much of the original cast. No Diane Keaton, but John Malkovich joins S2. This is an international hit brilliantly written and directed Paolo Sorrentino, someone to closely follow.
• The Righteous Gemstones — Danny McBride stars in this comedy as world-famous televangelist with a crazy family that includes John Goodman and Adam Devine. Series renewed for S2.
• Deadwood — David Milch’s period Western returns for a 2-hour movie follow-up with Ian MacShane ready to cuss up a storm. Premiered May 31st. This is HBO’s rare re-boot. Here’s the Trailer.

What’s Not Really Working.

• Silicon Valley has been on for five seasons, which seems hard to believe as the quirky comedy has flown under the radar despite T.J. Miller’s best efforts to disrupt it. S6 is its last, however. Thankful to Mike Judge for breakout star Kumail Nanjani.
• True Detective has never really recovered from a disastrous S2, and even the formidable Mahershala Ali’s presence in S3 seems unlikely to recapture the glory from S1.
• Camping was supposed to be Lena Dunham’s follow up to her hit series, Girls.  Jennifer Garner led a very talented cast that included Juliette Lewis, David Tennant, and Chris Sullivan, but the result was a very mixed bag. Judd Apatow EPd but to no avail as the series came and went with a decided thud.
• Divorce with Sarah Jessica Parker is supposedly a comedy, but even the title suggests otherwise. I love Talia Balsam and Molly Shannon, but I don’t love this show. Amazed it got picked up for S3. The power of Sex And The City endures, however, S3 will be its last.
• Insecure is a mid-level performer in the half-hour comedy genre that hasn’t quite crossed over into the mainstream. Still, HBO likes star Issa Rae enough to develop a miniseries about the Cabbage Patch Kids dolls set in the ’90s with Laura Dern attached as well.  Both Rae and Dern play disparate Oklahoma mothers who want those dolls.
• Room 104, Crashing (recently cancelled), High Maintenance (renewed for S4)seem very niche to me. Not much interest in any of them.

What’s in Development.

The premium cable channel loves to develop vehicles with A-list talent, so it’s no surprise that it has multiple projects in development with Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts, Amy Adams, Mark Ruffalo, Sarah Jessica Parker, Dwayne Johnson, Laura Dern, Issa Rae, Meryl Streep, and Judd Apatow.

HBO also loves a good book as demonstrated by its development slate that includes several Adaptations:

• His Dark Materials — This BBC One adaptation of Philip Pullman’s novels looks fantastic. I’m so in. James McAvoy, Ruth Wilson, Dafne Keene, and Lin-Manuel Miranda star. HBO knows a terrific co-production when it sees one. Already renewed for S2. Check out the Trailer, which just premiered at San Diego Comic Con His Dark Materials Trailer
• Watchmen — the graphic novel by Alan Moore gets adapted by Damon Lindelöf with a series order and a very cool cast that includes Jeremy Irons and Regina King among others. Premieres in October. Here’s the trailer.

• Game of Thrones — A prequel series starring Naomi Watts and Miranda Richardson (!!) is heading your way following the conclusion of the series this Spring. It won’t air until 2020, but Martin and Jane Goldman wrote the pilot script which is supposedly set a thousand years prior to the current series. SJ Clarkson directs and production has wrapped in Ireland this summer.  Four other concepts were also developed and are still in consideration, but the cable network is resisting going to this rich well too often. Smart.
• The Gilded Age — Julian Fellowes (Downton Abbey) gets a limited series order for his period soap set in 1800s New York that he developed for NBC. Christine Baranski, Cynthia Nixon and Amanda Peet set to star.
• Mare of Easttown — Kate Winslet stars in and EPs this limited series directed by Gavin O’Connor (The Americans), wherein, she plays a detective solving a crime in a small town. Jean Smart, Evan Peters and Julianne Nicholson also star.
• Industry — Lena Dunham (Girls, Camping) returns with an 8-episode drama series set in the world of international finance in London. Twentysomethings are involved. Okay. Excitement level is minimal. Dunham will direct the pilot.
• The Third Day — Jude Law stars in the 6-part limited series set on a mysterious island off the coast of England.  From the producers of Chernobyl, which was a big hit for SKY and HBO. Brad Pitt’s Plan B gets an EP credit.
• Showtime — Adam McKay (Vice, Anchorman) EPs this drama adaptation of a non-fiction book about the ’80s stars of the LA Lakers basketball team. Max Borenstein (Kong: Skull Island) scripts. Sounds like a companion series or a replacement for Ballers. Pilot order.
• Avenue 5 — Hugh Laurie toplines this new comedy from Armando Iannucci (Veep) about space tourism. Sounds fun. Josh Gad (Beauty & the Beast) co-stars.
• Lake Success — Jake Gyllenhaal EPs and stars in this limited series adaptation of Gary Shteyngart novel as a hedge fund manager who faces a life crisis of sorts.
• Plot Against America — Winona Ryder stars in this 6-episode drama adaptation of Philip Roth’s alternate-history novel. David Simon and Ed Burns EP.
• The Undoing — Nicole Kidman stars and EPs this limited series created by David E. Kelley (Big Little Lies) about a woman who’s life unravels overnight when her husband disappears. Hugh Grant, Lily Rabe, Edgar Ramirez, and Donald Sutherland also star. Sounds good.
• The Poisonwood Bible — Barbara Kingsolver’s gripping novel is the first project in development with Amy Adams’ production company. Great get!
• Asunda — Sebastian A. Jones’ fantasy comics get adapted as a YA drama series with an orphan girl as the protagonist who must unite two nations against an ancient enemy.
• Loner — Novelist Teddy Wayne adapts his own story which centers on a Harvard freshman who sets out to win a girl and gets more than he bargains.
• I Know This Much Is True — Mark Ruffalo stars and EPs this adaptation of Wally Lamb’s charming novel about a set of twins.
• The Nix — Meryl Streep is set to star in this adaptation of Nathan Hill’s fun novel as a trouble-making mother.
• The Time Traveler’s Wife — Audrey Niffenegger’s terrific novel gets a second chance following the poorly received feature version starring Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams. Series order.
• The Nevers — Joss Whedon’s return to series television is not an adaptation, but it sure sounds like a Victorian Era-set Buffy the Vampire Slayer as it’s about women who secretly battle demons. Doesn’t matter. I’m in. Hope it’s good. Series order. Laura Donnelly (Outlander) set to star.
• Perry Mason — Another re-boot here. Matthew Rhys (The Americans) replaces Robert Downey Jr. who was set to star in the role made famous by Raymond Burr. Tatiana Maslany also stars, but will she be playing Stella Street?! Series order. Tim Van Patten directs the period piece which is set in 1932 Los Angeles.
• Run — Merritt Weaver (Birdman) stars alongside Domhnall Gleeson (Star Wars: The Last Jedi) as a woman who reunites with her old flame.  Series order for Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Killing Eve) who EPs. Vicky Jones scripts. EOne is the production co.
• Mrs. Fletcher — Kathryn Hahn stars in the comedy adaptation of Tom Perrotta’s book which is a dual coming-of-age story about a mother and her college-age son.

Here’s a First Look At HBO’s New & Returning Series

N E X T    U P:

When Is Too Much TV … Just Too Much?