HBO Max is launching on Wednesday, May 27, and in addition to the growing library of licensed titles that will be available to fans, WarnerMedia’s new streaming service will also introduce some new original series and movies.
The executives behind HBO Max gave their first real preview of the new streaming service, which will cost subscribers $14.99/month, in late 2019. Since then, HBO Max has gradually unveiled more of its slate of original programming, which ranges from the Gossip Girl sequel series to a Green Lantern TV series from Arrowverse mastermind Greg Berlanti. HBO has also announced a three-project commitment with J.J. Abrams and his Bad Robot label, including a Shining spin-off and a DC show based on characters from the Justice League Dark universe.
HBO Max: Here Are All the Shows and Movies Available on Launch Day
TV Guide is keeping track of all the upcoming HBO Max originals, featuring talent like Lupita Nyong’o, Ansel Elgort, Anna Kendrick, Kaley Cuoco, and more. Check out the full list below.
HBO Max: Launch dates, prices, movies and shows to expect
Anna Kendrick, Lupita Nyong’o, and Ansel Elgort
GettyHBO Max Original Scripted Series
Americanah: Twitter dreams come true with this series created by Danai Gurira and starring Lupita Nyong’o (who will also executive produce). The 10-episode limited series is based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
Beth & Sam: This series, first announced by Deadline, is a romantic comedy about two women who seemingly have every reason not to be together — including the fact that one of them is supposedly straight and married. Emily Wilson and Betsy Thomas will serve as co-showrunners and will also executive produce alongside Jim Parsons and Jamie Tarses.
The Boondocks: A reimagined revival of the Peabody Award-winning satirical animated comedy is coming in fall 2020. Additionally, all 55 episodes of the original version of The Boondocks that aired on Adult Swim will be available on HBO Max when the service launches in spring 2020.
Circe:Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver are behind an eight-episode adaptation of Madeline Miller’s Circe. The series is described as “an epic fantasy based on the recent bestseller about one of the most evocative goddesses in Ancient Greece.”
Close Enough: Regular Show creator J.G. Quintel‘s animated series about a millennial couple and their divorced friends was set to air on TBS, but was delayed several times and is now headed to HBO Max as an original.
College Girls:This new comedy from Mindy Kaling follows three 18-year-old college freshman roommates attending the fictional Evermore College. “A bundle of contradictions and hormones, these sexually active college girls are equal parts lovable and infuriating,” according to the official HBO Max description.
Crime Farm: Nicole Kidman produces this 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, but is challenged by a particularly demanding case.
DC Superhero High:Ever wonder what Batman was like in high school? Elizabeth Banks‘ half-hour comedy shows teens trying to figure out the day-to-day pressures of high school, unaware that they will grow up to be some of DC’s most iconic heroes.
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Doom Patrol: The series about emotionally damaged superheroes moves from DC Universe to HBO Max for Season 2.
Dune: The Sisterhood: Denis Villeneuve will accompany his star-studded film adaptation of Dune with a companion series on HBO Max, titled Dune: The Sisterhood. The series will center on on the women of Bene Gesserit as they navigate the political framework of The Imperium to make way for the planet Arrakis.
Duster: J.J. Abrams and LaToya Morgan will co-write this action thriller set in the ’70s southwest and centered on a getaway driver for a growing crime syndicate that goes from “awful to wildly, stupidly, dangerously, awful.”
The Flight Attendant: Kaley Cuoco’s first live-action TV role following The Big Bang Theory is an intercontinental murder mystery based on Chris Bohjalian’s best-selling 2018 novel. Cuoco plays Cassie, a flight attendant who wakes up next to a dead body after a layover in Dubai. As the FBI begins to question the events of the layover, Cassie must consider whether she actually is a killer.
gen:Lock: This anime-style sci-fi series with the voices of Michael B. Jordan, Dakota Fanning, and Maisie Williams is moving from Adult Swim for Season 2.
Generation: Lena Dunham‘s latest is like Girls, but younger, as the dark comedy explores the modern sexuality of high schoolers, and how our devices and social media play their part in it.
Grease: Rydell High: Get out your T-Bird and Pink Lady jackets, because Grease is back, baby! The musical series will take place in the ’50s, just like the original musical, and will explore “the peer pressures of high school, the horrors of puberty, and the rollercoaster of life in Middle America with a modern sensibility.”
The Green Lantern:Greg Berlanti is taking his DC Empire to space. The super producer promises that Green Lantern will be the biggest DC show his team has ever created, though other details about the superhero show were scarce at the time of the announcement.
Hot Dog: Are you in need of more dog content? We all are, which is why this dog grooming competition show is happening. Each episode will feature three dog groomers facing off against each other, and the judging panel will be led by Jess Rona, dog groomer to the stars.
Justice League Dark (working title): One of three J.J. Abrams projects placed at the streaming service, the tentatively named Justice League Dark will feature characters from the titular comic book run, but details are still being developed.
Love Life: Anna Kendrick will star in her first-ever TV show — a comedy anthology series where Kendrick falls in and out of love. The series is executive-produced by Paul Feig.
Made for Love: Cristin Milioti and Ray Romano star in this “tragicomedy” based on Alice Nutting’s novel of the same name. Maniac‘s Patrick Somerville is writing, with S.J. Clarkson set to direct.
All the DC Superhero Movies Will Be Available on HBO Max at Launch
Overlook: This Stephen King-inspired genre piece will feature characters from The Shining and will tell stories from the most famous haunted hotel in fiction. It’s produced by J.J. Abrams and his company Bad Robot, who are also behind Hulu’s Castle Rock.
The Prince: HBO Max has greenlit an animated comedy from Family Guy producer Gary Janetti called The Prince, which will be a satirical look at the current royal Windsors as told through the eyes of young Prince George, William and Kate’s eldest son. Deadline reports that the cast includes Orlando Bloom, Condola Rashad, Lucy Punch, Tom Hollander, Alan Cumming, Frances De La Tour, and Iwan Rheon.
Raised by Wolves:Ridley Scott will executive-produce the sci-fi series from Aaron Guzikowski about two androids raising human children on a mysterious planet. As the growing colony of humans almost falls apart due to religious differences, the androids realize how dangerous and difficult their task really is.
Rap Sh*t: Issa Rae‘s next comedy follows a group of female rappers from outside of Miami trying to make it to the next level of their careers.
Search Party: The dark comedy series starring Alia Shawkat is moving from its original home on TBS to HBO Max. Season 3 will premiere at launch, and a fourth season has already been ordered.
Station Eleven: Patrick Somerville’s second HBO Max project is a take on the 2014 post-apocalyptic novel Station Eleven. Atlanta director Hiro Murai will helm the series.
Starstruck: This comedy series follows 20-something Rose, a millennial in London, juggling two dead-end jobs and navigating the awkward morning-after when she discovers the complications of accidentally sleeping with a movie star.
Strange Adventures: Strange Adventures is a DC hero anthology series that will tell one-hour “morality tales” featuring characters across the DC Comics library. The series will be executive-produced by Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schecter, and Gotham‘s John Stephens.
Tokyo Vice: Ansel Elgort will try to end corruption in the eponymous police department in this new series based on Jake Adelstein’s 2010 memoir of the same name. Miami Vice‘s Michael Mann is set to direct the pilot episode.
The Uninhabitable Earth: Adam McKay takes point on this anthology series inspired by the best-selling novel of the same name by David Wallace-Wells. Each episode will focus on a fictional story of what could happen if we continue to allow our Earth to cook like a baked potato.
XOXO Gossip Girl: Set after the events of the 2007 CW series, the Gossip Girl sequel will follow a new set of Upper East Siders, the scandals that unfold in their inner circle, and the trials and tribulations of private school life.
Untitled Aniello, Downs, Statsky Project:HBO Max has ordered 10 episodes of the single-camera dark comedy from Broad City alums Paul W. Downs, Lucia Aniello and Jen Statsky. The series, which will star Jean Smart, focuses on a dark mentorship that forms between a Las Vegas diva (Smart) and an entitled, outcast 25-year-old.
Ellen DeGeneres
GP Images, Getty Images for TINEPUBLICHBO Max Original Unscripted Series
HBO Max recruited Ellen DeGeneres, the Queer Eye producers, and more creatives to develop a lineup of exciting new unscripted series coming to the service over the next year.
Birth, Wedding, Funeral: In each episode, host Lisa Ling will immerse viewers in a different country to reveal their cultures through the lens of the three universal rituals — births, weddings, and funerals.
Brad & Gary Go To…: The six-episode series will follow Hollywood power couple Brad Goreski and Gary Janetti as they go on a jet-setting culinary adventure around the globe, inspired by their Instagram stories that went viral this summer.
Ellen’s Home Design Challenge: DeGeneres adds another competition show to her resume with Ellen’s Home Design, a competition series where interior designers are “pushed to expand their creative horizons.”
EQUAL: Greg Berlanti and Jim Parsons are among the producers of this four-part docuseries that captures the gripping and true backstories of the leaders and unsung heroes, pre-Stonewall, who changed the course of American history through their tireless activism.
Esme & Roy: This series for 4- to 6-year-olds from Sesame Workshop follows a girl and her best monster friend on their adventures as the best monstersitters in Monsterdale.
First Dates Hotel:If you’re looking for a new romance reality show, First Dates Hotel from DeGeneres sends single people on tailor-made romantic experiences in Italy to hopefully find love.
Friends cast reunion: Although it is not technically a series, the unscripted reunion of the cast of Friendswill surely be a must-watch for those fans signing up for the series’ new streaming home. The special was delayed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic but is expected to bring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Matthew Perry, and Matt LeBlanc back together on-screen for the first time since the beloved sitcom came to an end.
Full Bloom: This floristry competition series will take root on the streaming service in 2020.
Generation Hustle:Academy Award-winning documentarian Alex Gibney digs into the millennial drive for success with a new series that explores young(ish) people’s quest for fame, money, and power.
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The Greatest Space:This competition show will pit interior designers against each other in a globe-trotting adventure where they’ll make-over an “eclectic mix of rooms” including empty ballrooms and vacant boathouses.
Heaven’s Gate: A four-part series that explores the infamous religious movement and the stranger-than-fiction circumstances that culminated in the biggest mass suicide to ever take place in the U.S. as the Hale-Bopp comet passed by Earth in March 1997.
The Hos: A docuseries profiling the Ho family, a Vietnamese American family that came to America to chase the dream and built a multi-million dollar Texas bank and real estate empire. They’re a tight-knit family with a lot of drama. Kinda Kardashian-ish.
Legendary: The producers of Queer Eye will take audiences into the “wild world of voguing” — as seen on FX’s Pose — in this new reality competition series.
Team Coco Comedy Specials: Conan O’Brien and his team will be bringing five hour-long comedy specials to the service. Two of the five specials will be hosted by O’Brien, featuring short sets from multiple up-and-coming comics, curated by the host. The three other specials will be hour-long sets from comics also handpicked by O’Brien. In addition to those five, the host is also executive-producing a special from James Veitch.
Untitled Selena Gomez Project: In HBO Max’s first quarantine inspired project, Selena Gomez will be showing off her home cooking skills as she helps audiences turn the same old groceries — or lack thereof — into surprising and delicious meals.
Zachari Levi, Sesame Street
HBOHBO Max Original Kids and Family Programming
As the parent company of Cartoon Network and Looney Tunes, WarnerMedia has an impressive collection of children’s content that will also hit a nostalgia nerve for their parents. Many of HBO Max’s original series are also aimed at children and families.
Adventure Time: Distant Lands: 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 colorful inhabitants.
Craftopia: YouTuber Lauren Riihimaki will host a kids’ competition series in which their crafting skills will be put to the test.
The Fungies!: The new animated series will explore Fungietown with Seth, a science-loving elementary school student who loves making new discoveries and going on adventures. While Seth is on the hunt for the next great scientific discovery, he’ll constantly stir up trouble for the other inhabitants of his fun-loving town.
Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai: How did Gizmo and his kind become the gremlins? That’s what the prequel series will explore, with at least 10 episodes dedicated to Gizmo’s history before the iconic ’80s movies.
Jellystone: Your favorite Hanna-Barbera characters will come together in Jellystone to live, work, and stir up trouble for their neighbors. The iconic character cast includes Yogi Bear, Boo Boo, Yakky Doodle, Jabberjaw, and more.
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Karma: Karma is a competition show with a dose of morality. Michelle Kare hosts the puzzle and physical feats show where “how you act impacts who wins.”
Little Ellen:The animated series from DeGeneres will follow a 7-year-old version of the talk show host during her childhood adventures in New Orleans.
Looney Tunes Cartoons: The classic Looney Tunes characters will be featured in 80 new episodes, each 11 minutes long and comprised of animated shorts that vary in length and include adapted storylines for today’s audience.
Mecha Builders:The Sesame Street universe will expand on HBO Max with a new animated spin-off featuring Sesame Street characters in robot animation style.
The Not Too Late Show with Elmo: It’s a talk show for kids! Elmo will get his own talk show in the upcoming months to interview his Sesame Street friends and special guests.
Sesame Street: The way to Sesame Street now leads through HBO Max.
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Tig N’ Seek: Eight-year-old Tiggy and his gadget-building cat, Gweeseek, search for the lost items of Wee Gee City. With Tiggy’s cheerful attitude and Gweeseek’s exceptional inventing capabilities, the duo navigate day-to-day dilemmas at the Department of Lost and Found.
Tooned Out: Robert Zemeckis (Forrest Gump) executive-produces this live-action animated hybrid half-hour comedy about a man who starts seeing iconic cartoon characters from his childhood who help him get through a rough patch in his life.
Amy Schumer, Amy Schumer: Growing
Elizabeth Sisson/NetflixHBO Max Original Movies and Documentaries
15 Minutes of Shame: Monica Lewinsky and Catfish‘s Max Joseph’s documentary takes an in-depth look at the public shaming epidemic in our culture and explores our collective need to destroy one another.
An American Pickle: Seth Rogen stars in this comedy about as an immigrant employee at a 1920 pickle factory who accidentally gets preserved for 100 years. When he wakes up in modern day Brooklyn he seeks out his only surviving relative, a mild-mannered computer coder (also played by Rogen), but they struggle to connect. The movie originally set to open in theaters later this year. However, this adaptation of the 2013 New Yorker series Sell Out by Simon Rich, who also wrote the script and will executive produce the film, will now debut on HBO Max.
Bobbie Sue: Gina Rodriguez stars as a headstrong young lawyer lands a career-making case with an upper crust law firm, only to realize she’s been hired for optics and not her expertise. But after discovering her powerful client, a lifelong idol of hers, is trying to cover up exploiting workers within her company, Bobbie decides to take both her and the law firm on, caution and etiquette be damned.
Bourdain: A documentary about the life of the late storyteller, explorer, and chef Anthony Bourdain.
Charm City Kings: A young teen in Baltimore (Di’Allo Winston) is tempted by a life of fast money and violence in this film about an infamous group of dirt bike riders, known as The Midnight Clique. Directed by Angel Manuel Soto and written by Sherman Payne, the film, originally set to be released in theaters in April, won the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Prize for Ensemble Acting at Sundance.
Expecting Amy: A raw, behind-the-scenes documentary following comedian Amy Schumer as she goes through a difficult pregnancy while on tour.
Let Them All Talk: Steven Soderbergh directs an all-star cast — Meryl Streep, Candice Bergen, Dianne Wiest, Lucas Hedges, and Gemma Chan — about an author who takes a journey with some old friends and her nephew to have some fun and heal old wounds.
Persona: A documentary about America’s obsession with personality testing and where it came from.
The Scoop: This documentary will follow CNN’s female reporters as they cover the 2020 presidential race.
Superintelligence: Melissa McCarthy stars in this comedy movie about a very ordinary woman who becomes a sentient artificial intelligence’s human test subject. Bobby Cannavale, Brian Tyree Henry, Jean Smart, and James Corden also star.
UNpregnant: Haley Lu Richardson and Barbie Ferreira star in this adaptation of the young adult novel about an unexpectedly pregnant 17-year-old who goes on a three-day, 900+ mile road trip to New Mexico with her ex-best friend to get an abortion.
Ava DuVernay
Marla Aufmuth, Getty Images for Pennsylvania Conference for Women 2019HBO Max Pilots
The following shows haven’t officially been ordered to series on the streaming service, but are making first episodes in hopes of being expanded. The talent list includes Ava DuVernay, Riverdale‘s Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, J.J. Abrams, and more. Check out what could be coming to HBO Max in the near future.
Anna K: A Love Story: If you love a modernized version of classic literature, strap in because Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver are adapting Jenny Lee’s upcoming novel, Anna K: A Love Story, which updates Leo Tolstoy’s classic Anna Karenina with a modern, multicultural twist.
DMZ: Ava DuVernay joined the HBO Max family when she agreed to executive produce DMZ, a comic-book adaptation about a near future in which the United States is embroiled in a new civil war.
Drama Queen: Another one of many projects that J.J. Abrams and his production company Bad Robot will be brining to HBO Max is Drama Queen, a half-hour comedy based on the childhood of TVLine founder and former TV Guide reporter Michael Ausiello.
Gumshoe: A sweet, innocent, young cop and a creepy, crime-obsessed teen team up to solve a murder in this single-camera comedy.
Minx: This comedy is set in the 1970s and follows a young feminist who teams up with a small publisher to create the first erotic magazine for women.
Red Bird Lane: This YA supernatural horror series follows eight strangers who arrive at an isolated house for different reasons, and wouldn’t you know it? Something terrifying is waiting for them there.
Rules of Magic: Marvel’s Jessica Jones scribe Melissa Rosenberg is developing a Practical Magic prequel, based on Alice Hoffman’s novel.
The Shelley Society: Fans of creepy things should get ready for The Shelley Society from Aguirre-Sacasa, Tessa Leigh Williams, and James DeWille. The “Victorian X-Files” series has a pilot order at the streaming service and will follow a young Mary Shelley as she leads a band of “romantic outlaws” against monsters supernatural threats.
Untitled Mike Schur Comedy: The Good Place creator produces this comedy about two female friends: One is a Las Vegas diva and one is an entitled 25-year-old.
Vegas High: A girl is torn between her Mormon faith and the exciting lifestyle of 1990s Las Vegas in this coming-of-age drama that will star Jordana Spiro and Coolio.
HBO Max launches on May 27.
Source : TVGuide
