Earlier this week, WarnerMedia announced their new streaming service, HBO Max would be launching in May 2020 across the USA, along with revealing a huge slate of new original shows for the service. It was also announced Sky had renewed their carriage deal with HBO in the UK, keeping HBO’s content on Sky. They also expanded their co-production deal so Sky Studios would be making series for both HBO and HBO Max.
So, what does this mean for Sky/HBO/HBO Max in the UK?
The main point is that HBO Max won’t be launching in international territories where HBO have a deal in place with Sky (at least, not anytime soon), so HBO Max will not be coming to the UK. The new ‘output’ deal only covers “Warner Bros titles and HBO content, not HBO Max.” However, the new co-production deal means Sky will be co-producing shows for HBO Max and will continue to co-produce shows with HBO, such as the multi-award-winning ‘Chernobyl’.
What this means is that the co-productions between Sky and HBO or HBO Max will definitely be shown in the UK. It is less clear what will happen with the other HBO Max series. It is likely they will just be sold to the highest bidder, so might end up on Sky or could end up somewhere else entirely.
The other confusing part is the mention of “Warner Bros titles”. It seems that only covers the WB cinema titles and extends the on-demand rights for Cartoon Network and Boomerang. It does not include WB tv shows, which is why things such as the Arrowverse ‘Batwoman’ series are not part of this deal.
Having cleared all that up, HBO Max did reveal a slew of “Max Originals” which will be coming to the platform. As we said above, these may end up on Sky, could land somewhere else entirely, or may not come here at all, much like many of the normal US network tv. However, we thought it would be good to know what new series are being made for the platform to see if anything leaps out at you as something you would like to see on UK television. Here is our selection of the new “Max Originals” which we hope will make it across the pond.
HBO “Max Originals”
These series may, or may not get a home in the UK.
Adventure Time: Distant Lands (Animation)
These four new specials will continue the Adventure Time stories that captured imaginations and introduced unlikely heroes Finn and Jake, best buds who traversed the mystical Land of Ooo and encountered its colourful inhabitants.
BMO follows the lovable little robot from Adventure Time. When there’s a deadly space emergency in the farthest reaches of the galaxy, there’s only one hero to call, and it’s probably not BMO. Except that this time it is!
Obsidian features Marceline & Princess Bubblegum as they journey to the imposing, beautiful Glass Kingdom – and deep into their tumultuous past – to prevent an earthshaking catastrophe.
Wizard City follows Peppermint Butler, starting over at the beginning, as just another inexperienced Wizard School student. When mysterious events at the campus cast suspicion on Pep, and his checkered past, can he master the mystic arts in time to prove his innocence?
Together Again brings Finn and Jake together again, to rediscover their brotherly bond and embark on the most important adventure of their lives.
Jellystone (Animation)
Welcome to the town of Jellystone – a charming place where your favorite Hanna-Barbera characters live, work and play together… but, at the same time, can’t help but stir up trouble for one another. The animated series includes classic characters such as Yogi, Boo Boo, Snagglepuss, Adam Ant, Huckleberry Hound, Jabberjaw, Magilla Gorilla and more.
Looney Tunes Cartoons (Animation)
An all-new Looney Tunes Cartoons series featuring the marquee characters in their classic pairings in simple, gag-driven and visually vibrant stories. HBO Max has ordered 80 eleven-minute episodes, each comprised of animated shorts that include adapted storylines for today’s audience. Fans can also look forward to holiday-themed specials.
College Girls (working title) (Drama)
From Mindy Kaling, this comedy follows three 18-year-old freshman roommates at Evermore College in Vermont. A bundle of contradictions and hormones, these sexually active college girls are equal parts lovable and infuriating.
DC Super Hero High (Comedy)
This half-hour comedy executive produced by Elizabeth Banks follows a group of students experiencing the fun and drama of adolescence at a boarding school for gifted kids. These teens are just trying to navigate the pressures of high school, but none of them realize that someday they will become legendary DC super heroes.
Gossip Girl (Drama)
Eight years after the original website went dark, a new generation of New York private school teens are introduced to the social surveillance of Gossip Girl. The prestige series will address just how much social media – and the landscape of New York itself – has changed in the intervening years.
Grease: Rydell High (Musical)
A joyous musical series set in and around the world of Rydell High, the show reimagines the global smash hit movie with characters old and new. It’s still the 1950s, a world that rocks with big musical numbers and new original songs. It’s the peer pressures of high school, the horrors of puberty, and the rollercoaster of life in middle America with a modern sensibility that will bring it to life for today’s musical lovers.
Green Lantern (Drama)
Inspired by DC Comic’s Green Lantern and introducing characters from this iconic comic, this will be one of the biggest shows Berlanti Productions has ever done. The series comes from Arrowverse boss Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter (‘Doom Patrol’, ‘Titans’, various Arrowverse shows).
Strange Adventures (Drama)
A superhero anthology executive produced by Greg Berlanti, Strange Adventures will feature characters from across the DC canon. The drama will explore close-ended morality tales about the intersecting lives of mortals and superhumans. The series is exec produced by Arrowverse boss Greg Berlanti with John Stephens (‘Gotham’) serving as Writer/Showrunner.
Tooned Out (Comedy)
Executive produced by Robert Zemeckis, Tooned Out is a half-hour, hybrid live-action and animated comedy in development for HBO Max. Things get a little cartoony for Mac when he starts seeing iconic cartoon characters, but they’re not just there for laughs, they’re helping him get through a very rough patch in his life. Creator/Writer: Jared Stern (‘The Lego Batman Movie’). Executive Producers: Robert Zemeckis, Jared Stern, Jack Rapke, Jackie Levine.
Americanah (Drama)
Based on Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s best-selling novel of the same name, Americanah is an epic love story of a woman born in Nigeria who leaves for America and her extraordinary experiences with love, heartache, adversity and self-discovery. Lupita Nyong’o stars with Danai Gurira and Nyong’o exec producing.
The Boondocks (Animation)
Based on the comic strip created by Aaron McGruder, The Boondocks both depicted and presaged the nation’s most roiling cultural issues. HBO Max has two new reimagined seasons and a 50-minute special. Aaron McGruder set as showrunner.
Circe (Drama)
An adaptation of Madeline Miller’s International bestseller of the same name, Circe is a modern take on the world of Greek mythology told from the powerful feminist perspective of the goddess Circe, who transforms from an awkward nymph to a formidable witch, able to challenge gods, titans and monsters alike. The series is written and exec produced by Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver (‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’, ‘Mulan’).
Crime Farm (Drama)
Crime Farm is a psychosexual love story that follows Selma and Richard Eikelenboom, forensic homicide experts whose marriage thrives on their all-consuming investigations into the depravity of the world’s most notorious criminals. As a seminal case upends the paradigm of their relationship, their unique, unconventional and sometimes dangerous arrangement stretches the boundaries of marriage and science. Nicole Kidman and Per Saari from Blossom Films exec produce.
Dune: The Sisterhood (Drama)
An adaptation of Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson’s book based in the world created by Frank Herbert’s Dune, Dune: The Sisterhood explores this universe through the eyes of a mysterious order of women, the Bene Gesserit, whose extraordinary mastery of body and mind allow them to expertly weave through the feudal politics and intrigue of The Imperium. Denis Villeneuve directs the series.
The Flight Attendant (Thriller)
A one-hour thriller series based on the novel by New York Times best-selling author Chris Bohjalia of how an entire life can change in one night. A flight attendant wakes up in the wrong hotel, in the wrong bed, with a dead man – and no idea what happened. Kaley Cuoco, Rosie Perez, T.R. Knight, Michiel Huisman, Sonoya Mizuno, Rosie Perez, Colin Woodell, and Zosia Mamet star. Steve Yockey (‘Supernatural’) adapted and writes the series with Susanna Fogel (‘Utopia’, ‘The Spy Who Dumped Me’) directing.
gen:LOCK (Animation)
The half-hour animated series focuses on a near-future dystopia undergoing a new, technologically driven world war. Fifty years in the future, an oppressive authoritarian force threatens to conquer the world. A daring team is recruited to pilot a new form of devastating mecha, but they must be willing to sacrifice everything to save the world. Michael B. Jordan, Dakota Fanning, Maisie Williams, Golshifteh Farahani, and David Tennant provide the voices.
Love Life (Comedy)
A 10-episode half-hour romantic comedy anthology series about the journey from first love to last love, and how the people we’re with along the way make us into who we are when we finally end up with someone forever. The series will follow a different protagonist’s quest for love each season, with each episode telling the story of one of their relationships. Anna Kendrick, Zoe Chao, Peter Vack, Sasha Compere, Scoot McNairy, Hope Davis, and James LeGros star. Paul Feig and Anna Kendrick exec produce.
Made for Love (Comedy)
A 10-episode, half-hour, series adaptation based on the tragicomic novel of the same name. Made for Love is a dark, absurd and cynically poignant story of divorce and revenge. The series shows how far some will go for love – and how much further others will go to destroy it. Cristin Milioti, Ray Romano, and Noma Dumezweni star. Patrick Somerville (‘Maniac’, ‘The Leftovers’) adapted the series and S.J. Clarkson (‘The Defenders’, ‘Collateral’) directs.
Raised by Wolves (Sci-fi)
An epic serialized sci-fi series executive produced and directed by Ridley Scott. The series centres on two androids tasked with raising human children on a mysterious virgin planet. As the burgeoning colony of humans threatens to be torn apart by religious differences, the androids learn that controlling the beliefs of humans is a treacherous and difficult task. Travis Fimmel, Amanda Collin, Abubakar Salim, Winta McGrath, Niamh Algar, Matias Varela, Felix Jamieson, Ethan Hazzard, Jordan Loughran, Aasiya Shah, and Ivy Wong star. Aaron Guzikowski (‘The Red Road’) is Writer/Showrunner.
Station Eleven (Drama)
A limited series based on Emily St. John Mandel’s international bestseller, Station Eleven is a post-apocalyptic saga that follows survivors of a devastating flu as they attempt to rebuild and reimagine the world anew while holding on to the best of what’s been lost. Himesh Patel and Mackenzie Davis. Patrick Somerville (‘Maniac’, ‘The Leftovers’) adapts the series with Hiro Murai (‘Atlanta’, ‘Barry’) directing.
Tokyo Vice (Drama)
Based on Jake Adelstein’s Non-fiction first-hand account of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police beat starring Ansel Elgort. The drama captures Adelstein’s daily descent into the neon-soaked underbelly of Tokyo, where nothing and no one is truly what or who they seem. Ansel Elgort and Ken Watanabe star. Tony-winning playwright J.T. Rogers writes the series with Michael Mann directing the pilot.
HBO Originals
In addition to showing the new “Max Originals”, HBO Max in the US will be showing HBO Originals too. These shows listed below should (in theory) be covered under the extended Sky/HBO output deal, and should be airing on Sky in the UK.
Avenue 5 (Comedy)
Avenue 5 is a space tourism comedy set 40 years in the future when the solar system is everyone’s oyster. Hugh Laurie will star as the Captain, and with him in charge, nothing can go wrong. Hugh Laurie, Josh Gad, Zach Woods, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Rebecca Front, Suzy Nakamura, Ethan Phillips, and Lenora Crichlow star. The series is created by ‘Veep’s Armando Iannucci, who also directs the pilot.
Betty (Comedy)
Inspired by the critically acclaimed film Skate Kitchen, the series, set against the backdrop of New York City, will follow a diverse group of young women navigating their lives through the predominantly male-oriented world of skateboarding. Rachelle Vinberg, Nina Moran, Moonbear, Dede Lovelace and Ajani Russell star. Lesley Arfin (‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’, ‘Awkward.’) write and exec produce with Crystal Moselle (‘Skate Kitchen’) also directing.
The Gilded Age (Drama)
The American Gilded Age was a period of immense economic change, of huge fortunes made and lost, and the rise of disparity between old money and new. Against this backdrop of change, the story begins in 1882 – introducing young Marian Brook, the orphaned daughter of a Southern general, who moves into the home of her rigidly conventional aunts in New York City. Accompanied by the mysterious Peggy Scott, an African-American woman masquerading as her maid, Marian gets caught up in the dazzling lives of her stupendously rich neighbours, led by a ruthless railroad tycoon and his ambitious wife struggling for acceptance by the Astor and Vanderbilt set. Will Marian follow the established rules of society, or forge her own path in this exciting new world that is on the brink of transformation into the modern age?
The cast includes Christine Baranski, Amanda Peet, Cynthia Nixon, and Morgan Spector. Julian Fellowes (‘Downton Abbey’) is creator/writer/exec producer with Michael Engler (‘Downton Abbey’, ‘Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’) directing.
I Know This Much Is True (Limited Series)
A family saga that follows the parallel lives of identical twin brothers in an epic story of betrayal, sacrifice and forgiveness set against the backdrop of 20th-century America. The six episode limited drama series is based on Wally Lamb’s New York Times bestseller and award-winning book I Know This Much Is True. Mark Ruffalo, Melissa Leo, Rosie O’Donnell, Archie Panjabi, Imogen Poots, Juliette Lewis, Kathryn Hahn and John Proccacino star. Derek Cianfrance (‘Blue Valentine’, ‘The Place Beyond the Pines’) is director/writer/exec producer.
January 22nd (Drama)
A fearless, frank and provocative drama series exploring the question of sexual consent and where, in the new landscape of dating and relationships, the distinction between liberation and exploitation lies. Set in London, where gratification is only an app away, the story centres on Arabella, a carefree, self-assured Londoner with a group of great friends, a boyfriend in Italy, and a burgeoning writing career. But when she is spiked with a date-rape drug, she must question and rebuild every element of her life. Michaela Coel is ep/writer/director and stars alongside Weruche Opia, Paapa Essiedu, Aml Ameen, Adam James, Sarah Niles, Ann Akin, Harriet Webb, Ellie James, Franc Ashman, Karan Gill, Natalie Walter and Samson Ajewole.
Lovecraft Country (Drama)
The one-hour drama series based on the 2016 novel by Matt Ruff, follows Atticus Freeman as he joins his friend Letitia and his Uncle George to embark on a road trip across 1950s Jim Crow America in search of his missing father. What follows is a struggle to survive and overcome both the racist terrors of white America and the terrifying monsters that could be ripped from an H.P. Lovecraft paperback. Jonathan Majors, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Michael Kenneth Williams, Courtney B. Vance, Wunmi Mosaku, Aunjanue Ellis, Jamie Harris, Abbey Lee, Jamie Chung and Jordan Patrick Smith star. Jordan Peele, J.J. Abrams, Misha Green, Yann Demange, Daniel Sackheim, Ben Stephenson, Bill Carraro exec produce. Misha Green (‘Underground’, ‘Sons of Anarchy’) is showrunner.
Mare Of Easttown (Limited Series)
Kate Winslet stars in this limited series as a small-town Pennsylvania detective who investigates a local murder as her life crumbles around her. Joining Winslet are Julianne Nicholson, Jean Smart, Angourie Rice, Evan Peters, Cailee Spaeny, David Denman, John Douglas Thompson, Patrick Murney, Ben Miles, James McArdle, Sosie Bacon, Joe Tippett and Neal Huff. Brad Ingelsby (‘Run All Night’, ‘American Woman’) is creator/writer and showrunner, with Gavin O’Connor (‘The Accountant’, ‘Pride and Glory’) directing.
The Nevers (Drama)
Joss Whedon’s return to tv. The Nevers is an epic science-fiction drama about a gang of Victorian women, known as “The Touched,” who find themselves with unusual abilities, relentless enemies, and a mission that could change the world. Laura Donnelly, Nick Frost, Denis O’Hare, Olivia Williams, Ann Skelly, Zackary Momoh, Tom Riley, James Norton, Amy Manson, Eleanor Tomlinson, Ben Chaplin and Pip Torrens star. Whedon is showrunner/writer and director.
The Outsider (Drama)
Based on Stephen King’s bestselling novel of the same name, this dark mystery follows a seemingly straightforward investigation into the gruesome murder of a young boy. The crime, however, leads a seasoned cop and an unorthodox investigator to question everything they believe to be real, as an insidious supernatural force edges its way into the case.
Ben Mendelsohn, Cynthia Erivo, Bill Camp, Mare Winningham, Paddy Considine, Julianne Nicholson, Yul Vazquez, Jeremy Bobb, Marc Menchaca, Hettienne Park and Michael Esper star. Richard Price writes the series with episodes written by Dennis Lehane and Jessie Nickson-Lopez. Jason Bateman directs the first two episodes.
Perry Mason (Drama)
Set in 1932 Los Angeles, the series will focus on the origin story of famed defence lawyer Perry Mason, based on characters from Erle Stanley Gardner’s novels. Living check-to-check as a low-rent private investigator, Mason is haunted by his wartime experiences in France and suffering the effects of a broken marriage. L.A. is booming while the rest of the country struggles through the Great Depression – but a kidnapping gone very wrong leads to Mason exposing a fractured city as he uncovers the truth of the crime.
Matthew Rhys, John Lithgow, Tatiana Maslany, Chris Chalk, Juliet Rylance, Shea Whigham, Nate Corddry, Veronica Falcon, Andrew Howard, Jefferson Mays, Robert Patrick, Stephen Root Gayle Rankin and Lili Taylor star.
The Plot Against America (Limited Series)
The Plot Against America is set in an alternate American history and centres on a Jewish family in New Jersey who watch the political rise of Charles Lindbergh, an aviator hero and xenophobic populist who becomes president, defeating Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1940, and turns the country toward fascism.
The cast includes Winona Ryder, Zoe Kazan, Morgan Spector, Anthony Boyle, Azhy Robertson, Caleb Malis, and John Turturro. David Simon and Ed Burns both serve as writers and executive producers on the series, as well as Joe Roth, Nina Noble, Megan Ellison, Sue Naegle, Susan Goldberg and Jeff Kirschenbaum
Run (Comedy)
Run centres on Ruby, a woman living a humdrum existence who one day gets a text inviting her to fulfill a youthful pact, promising true love and self-reinvention, by stepping out of her life to take a journey with her oldest flame. Domhnall Gleeson and Merritt Wever star. Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Rich Sommer guest star. Vicky Jones (‘Fleabag’, ‘Killing Eve’) writes the series with Jones and Waller-Bridge exec producing via DryWrite. Kate Dennis (‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, ‘GLOW’) directed the pilot.
The Third Day (Limited Series)
The Third Day is a story told over six episodes and in two distinct halves. The first – ‘Summer’, directed by Marc Munden, sees Sam, a man drawn to a mysterious island off the British coast where he encounters a group of islanders set on preserving their traditions at any cost. The second – ‘Winter’, directed by Philippa Lowthorpe, follows Helen, a strong-willed outsider who comes to the island seeking answers, but whose arrival precipitates a fractious battle to decide its fate. Jude Law, Naomie Harris, Katherine Waterston, Paddy Considine and Emily Watson star. The drama is created by Felix Barrett and Dennis Kelly (‘Utopia’). It is a HBO/Sky Studios co-production, so will definitely be airing on Sky.
The Undoing (Limited Series)
A limited series based on the book You Should Have Known by Jean Hanff Korelitz. Grace Sachs is living the only life she ever wanted for herself. She’s a successful therapist, has a devoted husband and young son who attends an elite private school in New York City. Overnight a chasm opens in her life: a violent death, a missing husband, and, in the place of a man Grace thought she knew, only a chain of terrible revelations. Left behind in the wake of a spreading and very public disaster and horrified by the ways in which she has failed to heed her own advice, Grace must dismantle one life and create another for her child and herself.
Nicole Kidman, Hugh Grant, Donald Sutherland, Noah Jupe, Edgar Ramirez, Lily Rabe, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Matilda DeAngelis, and Noma Dumezweni star. David E. Kelley (‘Mr. Mercedes’, ‘Big Little Lies’) is Writer/EP/Showrunner with Susanne Bier (‘Bird Box’, ‘The Night Manager’) as director and EP.
We Are Who We Are (Limited Series)
A coming-of-age story about two American teenagers who, along with their military and civilian parents, are living on an American military base in Italy. The series centers on friendship, first-love and all the unknowns of being a teenager, which could happen anywhere, but in this case, happens to be in this little slice of America in Italy.
Chloë Sevigny, Jack Dylan Grazer, Alice Braga, Kid Cudi, Faith Alabi, Spence Moore II, Francesca Scorsese, Ben Taylor, Corey Knight, Tom Mercier, Sebastiano Pigazzi and Jordan Kristine Seamon star. Luca Guadagnino (‘Call Me by Your Name’) is Showrunner/Writer/Director/Executive Producer. It is a HBO/Sky Studios co-production, so should definitely be airing on Sky.