hbo

HBO Developing Comedy Centered Secret Humor Magazine at a Baptist University from Robert Askins, “Brotherhood”

December 6, 2015

brotherhood, hbo, jonathan krisel, robert askins

(via The Hollywood Reporter)

Sounds like it fit right in next to Veep and Silicon Valley.

All of the high concept comedy over at HBO largely shows the shaky inner-workings of giant, taken-for-granted institutions like the office of Vice President or the tech sector.

Their latest addition to their development slate, Brotherhood, seems to follow suit by following a secret, rebellious organization at a Baptist university bent on partying and circulating their humor magazine. The project comes from acclaimed playwright of Hand to God, Robert Askins and will be directed by Jonathan Krisel whose work you’ve seen on Portlandia and Man Seeking Woman.

Hopefully, we’ll see if it makes it to pilot or series soon.

Here’s the Trailer for “Girls” Season 5

December 2, 2015

girls, hbo, lena dunham, season 5, trailer

Hannah Horvath and her squad are back at it again with all the torment of still realistically trying to grow up and trying to stay friends while doing so.

That’s right, Girls is back for its fifth season and it doesn’t look like it’s going to hold anything back, just like it’s been doing for the last four seasons.

Watch the trailer here, then watch the premiere on Sun. Feb. 21st at 10PM on HBO.

HBO Sets Premiere of Animated Comedy Series “Animals” for Feb. 2016

November 25, 2015

animals, duplass brothers, hbo, mike luciano, phil matarese

Yes, this is The Duplass Brothers produced animated series where animals talk and have human problems.

The first of two seasons that have been ordered of Animals kicks off on Fri. Feb. 5th, 2016 at 10:30PM at HBO. Creators Phil Matarese & Mike Luciano have a lot to look forward to as this will be only the third adult-aimed animated series that HBO has ever done. The other two are The Ricky Gervais Show and The Life and Times of Tim.

This means Animals, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, and more are set make February a pretty great month for comedy on TV.

John Oliver Remarks on The ISIS Paris Attacks Is the Profanity Laced Rally We All Needed

November 16, 2015

hbo, john oliver, last week tonight, paris

While it’s not part of the long segment that’s normally posted to the Last Week Tonight YouTube channel, it’s a rare moment in TV where a well spoken, intelligent, respected voice in media and comedy gets to unleash as much justified, uncensored fury as he can muster.

Most TV programs, when addressing tragedies, do so by a moment of silence or a simple, short message of support.

John Oliver, however, decided to go much a different route thanks to HBO’s anything goes M.O. Let’s just say that during the opening of the show, Oliver taps into that NSFW voice in us all.

There’s a clip (that might get taken down) here as well as a transcript on Deadline.

Adam and Naomi Scott Sell Two Comedies to HBO and NBC

November 9, 2015

adam scott, anthony king, deep s.i.x., donuthead, gettin rad productions, hbo, irene mecchi, naomi scott, nbc

(via The Hollywood Reporter)

Gettin’ Rad just got a whole lot radder.

Adam and Naomi Scott’s Gettin’ Rad Productions have just sold Deep S.I.X., which seems to be a comedic cross between Homeland and Ghost Adventures from writer Anthony King, and Donuthead, which will delve in detail into the anxieties of an 11-year old from writer Irene Mecchi, at HBO and NBC, respectively.

While they’re not calling this The Greatest Event in Television History, selling two shows to two different networks, one being premium cable and the other being broadcast network, at the same time is pretty great.

Jon Stewart Signs 4 Year Web Content/First Look Deal with HBO

November 3, 2015

hbo, jon stewart, the daily show

Rejoice as this means John Oliver and Jon Stewart are going to be on the same network again.

So, HBO has snatched up Jon Stewart to produced web videos for HBO platforms and then get his movie and TV projects on their desk first. This should allow the flexibility that Stewart couldn’t get at The Daily Show as well as the rest of us getting more of the Jon Stewart that we probably already miss too much.

Season 5 Teaser for “Girls” Has Lena Dunham Try Dancing Like No One Is Watching

November 2, 2015

dance like no one is watching, girls, hbo, lena dunham

Girls is coming back for its 5th season at 10PM on Sun. Feb. 21st at HBO.

Until then, you can make a .gif out of this new teaser that has Lena really letting loose in dance class like no was is watching, even though plenty of people, especially one specific person are all watching.

John Oliver Made His Comedian Over Journalist Status Clear on CBS This Morning

November 2, 2015

cbs, cbs this morning, charlie rose, hbo, john oliver, last week tonight

Like Jon Stewart before him, John Oliver has to now explain to the rest of media that he is a comedian over anything else.

Watch as he reiterates that stance while he shoots the breeze with Charlie Rose and company on CBS This Morning.

“Girls” and “Togetherness” New Seasons Set For February 2016

October 29, 2015

girls, hbo, togetherness

If you somehow made it with your New Year’s Resolution to February, you could think of this as a reward.

Season 5 of Girls premieres Sun. Feb. 21st at 10PM and season 2 of Togetherness right after at 10:30PM.

This should prove to be yet another solid comedy block for HBO next year.

Even After Being Renewed For Season 2, “The Brink” Still Gets Cancelled

October 28, 2015

So are networks taking a cue from the likes of The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones as no show is safe from getting the ax?

For more than few months now, geopolitical crisis comedy, The Brink, had gotten the order for a second season just before the cast’s contract for the show expired.

Yet, even though a renewal for another season is pretty straightforward and there should be nothing to worry about on the part of the cast and crew of the show as well as the fans, it was announced today that The Brink is now cancelled at HBO.

Hopefully, this doesn’t spark a trend where shows can only be ensured of being on the air only once they actually go on air.

John Oliver, Last Week Tonight, and Mike Myers Risk Fines, Possibly Imprisonment for Canadian Election Segment

October 19, 2015

canadian election, hbo, john oliver, last week tonight, mike myers, stephen harper

While most political ads that trash the opposition often seem juvenile, John Oliver and Last Week Tonight put a damning, well-documented case against incumbent Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper.

Oliver chose the Canadian election, which happens today, for his main segment on Last Week Tonight last night and really pinpointed why Harper shouldn’t be in office anymore.

Apparently, doing so during an election in Canada is against Canadian law and Oliver could face a moderately hefty fine or even jail time.

Yet, John Oliver pushed on anyway and had the help of one of Canada’s biggest household names, Mike Myers.

Watch it all here.

Hour Long Stand-Up Specials from Amy Schumer and Jerry Rocha Premiere Tonight

October 17, 2015

amy schumer, comedy special, fuse, hbo, jerry rocha, live at the apollo, stand up

DVR either Fuse or HBO at 10PM, then watch the other live.

Both Amy Schumer: Live at The Apollo and The Gentlemen Jerry Rocha have their premieres tonight at 10PM on HBO and Fuse, respectively.

Both are solid choices to watch, so try and watch both however you can pull that off.

HBO Orders Lena Dunham Second Wave Feminism Pilot “Max”

October 14, 2015

1960s, comedy pilot, hbo, lena dunham, lisa joyce, max, second wave feminism

As Lena Dunham has hinted at Girls possibly coming to a close in the not so distant future, HBO has made the smart move in keeping her around.

If Girls ends, the feminist comedy streak at HBO might keep going with Dunham’s latest project which delves into second wave feminism in 1963. Explored through the lens of a magazine writer played by Lisa Joyce, Max intrigues us as a 60s period piece as well as a progression of Dunham as a sort of a TV auteur.

Former Twitter CEO Dick Costolo Now Consults on HBO’s Silicon Valley

October 8, 2015

dick costolo, hbo, mike judge, neil degrasse tyson, silicon valley

(via Bloomberg)

Mike Judge is ensuring the satirical nature of his show Silicon Valley hits as close to home as it possibly can.

Dick Costolo, who ran in the sort of tech circles that the show sends up on every episode, now has plot and story run by him for authenticity purposes at the Silicon Valley writers’ room. In a way, it’s as almost if he’s a Neil DeGrasse Tyson for the shows portrayal of tech corporate culture.

Just like people can’t believe the source material that Another Period is actually based on, we’re sure Costolo will also bring something that shows life is stranger and probably funnier than fiction.

John Oliver and “Last Week Tonight” Bring You Up to Speed on How Bad the Syrian Refugee Crisis Has Gotten

September 28, 2015

days of our lives, hbo, john oliver, last week tonight, refugee crisis, syria

As a crowd as a live comedy show might say in response, “How bad is the Syrian Refugee Crisis?”

Let the jokes of John Oliver and Last Week Tonight clue you in as their main segment focuses on the crisis as well as many European countries mishandling of it and using soap operas to put a nice hopeful bow on the whole piece.

HBO Orders Pete Holmes Comedy Pilot “Crashing” To Be Directed and Produced by Judd Apatow

September 17, 2015

comedy pilot, crashing, hbo, judd apatow, pete holmes

We knew it was only a matter of time before Pete Holmes got another show.

Pete Holmes has written a pilot about the time in his life where he just gotten divorced and was crashing on a couch of comedian friends, hence the title.

You’ve probably heard plenty about this on Pete’s podcast You Made It Weird, but seeing it actually played out on a sitcom is very intriguing.

It would seem more than probably that Pete would have all his friends on the show, which would mean we’d all get to see Kumail Nanjiani on yet another premium cable show.

John Oliver Is Shutting Down Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption Because People Were Sending Sperm Through The Mail

September 15, 2015

hbo, john oliver, last week tonight, our lady of perpetual exemption

Our church is shutting down. Please do not send any further donations. For more information visit http://t.co/2OHLkgd7i3.

Well, we guess some people, probably those being ripped off by televangelists, didn’t appreciate John Oliver’s pointed report on how they’re being ripped off.

Thus, actions were taken which resulted in John Oliver posting this letter at OurLadyofPerpetualExemption.com:

It is I, Megareverend and C.E.O. of Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption Church, Pastor John Oliver.

We thank you for all your kind donations, but I’m sorry to report that we have closed down the church. And let me take a moment to explain why – it’s certainly not because we have to.

We have still, miraculously, not broken any laws by promising you untold riches in return for sending us money. We’re also not closing down because you all kept sending us actual seeds, even though we explicitly told you not to. We’re closing because multiple people sent us sperm through the mail. And when someone sends you jizz through the mail, it’s time to stop whatever you’re doing.

So we are shutting this s**t down. Praise be!

P.S. All previous monetary donations have been forwarded to Doctors Without Borders. We did not send the sperm.

While it’s unfortunate that this great bit of satire got shut down, we’d like to think Oliver and his team at Last Week Tonight will get onto something even way better than Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption very soon.

John Oliver and Last Week Tonight Informs Us All That Our Public Defenders in The U.S. Are Way Overworked

September 14, 2015

hbo, john oliver, last week tonight, public defenders

Last Week Tonight taking two weeks off is as close to a summer break as many adults will get and, honestly, it’s not nearly as fun as the summer breaks from childhood.

Luckily, that’s all over and John Oliver has returned with his routine great insight, sharp, left-field jokes, and a perfectly crafted sketch at the end to hammer his point home.

So, Last Week Tonight 101 is back in session and today’s segment/lesson is about public defenders and how thinly spread they are nowadays.

“Ferrell Takes The Field” Premieres Tonight

September 12, 2015

cactus league, comedy special, ferrell takes the field, hbo, mlb, spring training, will ferrell

10PM on HBO.

Will Ferrell’s HBO comedy sports special wherein he played 10 different positions on one day of the MLB’s Cactus League premieres tonight.

In case you were wondering, here’s what Will was thinking in the middle of his 10 team/position stretch.

Again, it’s on at 10PM on HBO tonight.

Here’s the Trailer for Amy Schumer: Live at The Apollo

September 10, 2015

amy schumer, apollo theater, chris rock, comedy special, hbo, live at the apollo, stand up, trailer

Now that the initial excitement of Amy Schumer and Jennifer Lawrence writing a movie together has probably settled, you can raise your anticipation again for Schumer for her upcoming HBO special, Live At The Apollo, directed by Chris Rock.

Here’s a trailer to help you do that.

Watch Amy Schumer: Live At The Apollo on Sat. Oct. 17th at 10PM on HBO.

Will Ferrell Gets a MLB Hall of Fame Plaque for “Ferrell Takes The Field”

September 7, 2015

baseball hall of fame, ferrell takes the field, hbo, mlb, will ferrell

Welcome to the @BaseballHall (sort of), Will Ferrell. #FerrellTakesTheField

A photo posted by MLB ⚾ (@mlb) on Sep 5, 2015 at 9:14pm PDT

Though he’s only played in the Cactus League once, the ten different positions that Will Ferrell took on for his upcoming HBO comedy sports special Ferrell Takes the Field scored him a bronze plaque from the MLB Hall of Fame.

It’s unclear whether the plaque will be on display at Cooperstown, NY in the actual Baseball Hall of Fame, but it’s probably very likely that his achievement will never be matched again, especially by someone who wasn’t a pro athlete to begin with.

Watch THR’s Roundtable Discussion with Showrunners of Transparent, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Black-ish, Silicon Valley, Togetherness, and Modern Family

You can not only get into the headspace of many today’s top comedy showrunners, but what their headspace is like when they’re all in a room together.

Jill Soloway of Transparent, Robert Carlock of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Kenya Barris of Black-ish, Alec Berg of Silicon Valley, Jay Duplass of Togetherness, and Steve Levitan of Modern Family all came together to sit and chat at The Hollywood Reporter’s fascinating roundtable discussions about their shows and how they fit into the booming and constantly evolving landscape of television.

As you’ll see, there are plenty of the reasons that each one of these shows with these folks at the helm are successful.

Watch the hour long discussion here.

John Oliver Has a Crash Course on Going Back to School

September 7, 2015

back to school, hbo, john oliver, last week tonight, tips

As summer vacation draws to a close, John Oliver is going to leave no child behind by giving them a heads up on what to expect when returning to school this year.

The good majority of you that have since passed high school awhile ago will probably agree that Oliver’s tips cover a lot of ground very quickly.

HBO Is Developing Lynn Shelton Comedy Anthology Series “Family Drama”

August 29, 2015

anthology, development, family drama, hbo, lynn shelton

HBO has comedy about a family covered in LA. Now, they’re on to Seattle.

Lynn Shelton, director of Your Sister’s Sister and Laggies, is developing HBO’s latest comedy project that is taking an anthology angle by exploring the inner workings of different Seattle families and the comedy that lies therein.

If picked up, it should actually pair quite well with HBO’s Togetherness.

Will Ferrell Reveals His Dozens of Pitches That He Apparently Used on “Ferrell Takes The Field”

August 26, 2015

ferrell takes the field, hbo, slurge, will ferrell

Think you know everything there is to know about pitching in baseball? Will Ferrell might just prove that he “knows” a little more, if not a lot more in his upcoming HBO comedy sports special Ferrell Takes the Field, premiering on Sept. 12th at 10PM.

Just watch Will break down every single pitch that he apparently takes to the mound.