As the Streaming Wars descend upon us, it’s important not to lose track of the pay cable giants that have been delivering quality programming for years, like HBO. Disney Plus and Apple TV+ and all these other ‘pluses’ are hogging all the headlines, but it’s HBO itself that is poised for a major year in 2020, when the fate of the network will become much more clear.
VeepcreatorArmando Iannucciwill premiere a new sci-fi comedy titledAvenue 5starringHugh Laurie,Josh Gad,Himesh PatelandSilicon Valley’sZach Woods. Elsewhere, HBO landed two of the biggest names in television for its comedic thrillerRun, which pairsUnbelievablestarMerritt WeverandFleabagsensationPhoebe Waller-BridgewithDomhnall Gleesonfrom theStar Warsfranchise.
The network is also trotting out A-list names for a handful of miniseries, includingNicole KidmanandHugh GrantinThe Undoing;I Know This Much Is True, which starsMark Ruffaloas twin brothers; andThe Third Day, which starsJude LawandNaomie Harris, and hails fromUtopiacreatorDennis Kelly. HBO is also plotting an adaptation ofPhilip Roth’sThe Plot Against AmericastarringJohn TurturroandWinona Ryder, as well asThe New Pope, a continuation of Law’s seriesThe Young Pope, which addsJohn Malkovichto the fold.
2020 also brings a new season ofLarry David’sCurb Your Enthusiasmand theHugh JackmanmovieBad Education, which HBO acquired out of TIFF. And finally, the network will introduce new seriesIndustryandBetty, as well as the limited seriesJanuary 22nd. This, on the heels of recent launches for the big-budget fantasy seriesHis Dark Materialsand the limited seriesMrs. FletcherstarringKathryn Hahn. There’s also a chance we could seeAdam McKay’sLakers seriesnext year, but that depends on whether HBO picks it up to series.
I’ll be honest, it wasn’t that long ago that I found myself watching Showtime more than HBO.BallersandInsecureandSilicon Valleyhad run out of steam for me, and I was never aGame of Thronesguy, nor could I get intoThe DeuceorSuccessionorWestworld. At the beginning of 2019, the only scripted HBO shows I felt connected to and never missed an episode of wereBarryandTrue Detective. I found myself gravitating towards Showtime’s gritty trio ofHomeland,Ray DonovanandCity on a Hill. But in recent months, HBO has really upped its game withWatchmen,EuphoriaandThe Righteous Gemstones, not to mention the return ofHard Knocksand the documentaryDiego Maradona. HBO also has two movies in my current Top 20 list – the gripping documentaryI Love You, Now Die, and the A24-produced dramaShare, which the network acquired out of Sundance.
The bottom line is that my HBO subscription has been worth every penny, and it looks like I’m going to get my money’s worth next year, too. So let the Streaming Wars rage on as they will. No matter who winds up on top, be it Netflix, Apple or Amazon, it doesn’t look like my old friend HBO is going anywhere anytime soon. And as for HBO Max, well, bringing inMichael Mannto directTokyo Viceis certainly one way to get me interested. For more on thatAnsel Elgort-led crime series,click here, and take a look at HBO’s 2020 slate below.
