Avenue 5 Renewed for Second Season at HBO
Armando Iannucci has been given reign to another season of letting rich people devolve while lost in space in his new series Avenue 5 at HBO.
Not that hey didn’t have free reign to do whatever he wants, but imagining what Iannucci would do with a whole other season with his highest concept work to date has us pretty damn excited.
Congrats to any and all of Avenue 5.
HBO’s latest comedy special will continue their exploration of pushing comedy specials into, well, new territory. Whitmer Thomas, a comedian that charmingly wears his heart so prominently on his sleeve, has such an hour for HBO with The Golden One and will be blending original songs, original stand-up, and intimate vignettes of his personal life and family that 110% wonderfully informs all of his comedy.
Having seen Whitmer start at open mics here in LA, we’re truly marveling at seeing that this is where he has evolved to comedically. So, we’re very excited to see what he carefully and lovingly crafts with an entire HBO special.
Get a peek of all of this in Whitmer Thomas: The Golden One’s trailer here, then look for it to premiere on Sat. Feb. 22nd at 10PM on HBO.
Like the rush of ease that characters within High Maintenance get from knowing that the guy is coming with some much needed cannabis-fueled relief, it’s very comforting to know that a new season of High Maintenance is coming for us on Feb. 7th.
This season 4 trailer gives just a taste of that beautiful feeling that has always existed with every episode of this show (on top of teasing what should be a stand out ep. with Larry Owens). See it for yourself here.
Whitmer Thomas took lots of risks and pushed himself to make one of the more truly unique hours of comedy we’ve seen in recent years with The Golden One. At the time that we saw it at The Satellite, he weaved deeply personal stories and original, satirical dark pop songs with, at the time, anime visuals playing in the background. It was otherworldly, yet clearly grounded with the heart of Whitmer’s stories.
We can’t wait to see what he did with the backing of HBO, which really had a hell of a 2019 for going experimenting with the concept of comedy specials (My Favorite Shapes, The Great Depresh, Live in Crenshaw). Thankfully, we will only have to wait until Feb. 22nd.
Armando Iannucci has used Zach Woods briefly, but very sagaciously over the years in both In The Loop and VEEP. Woods really has a knack for playing the sort of beautifully inept characters that Iannucci has founded his entire brand on.
Iannucci’s new HBO series Avenue 5 will see Woods in a much more substantial role that will allow Woods to get more in over his head than he has been in his past collaborations with Armando.
Just see how satisfying it is with Woods “attempting” to make a space cruise “sound” luxurious.
Avenue 5 will premiere next Sun. Jan. 19th on HBO.
For decades, a BBC interviewer by the name of Alan Yentob has been interviewing/playing along with the masterful shenanigans of the brilliant, truly legendary Mel Brooks.
This mockumentary comedy special spans generations all the way up to present day Mel Brooks who still seems just as sharp as ever (no matter what your age is when taking in his work).
We can’t wait to see what Brooks and Yentob had hidden up their collective sleeves for all these years (must be pretty big sleeves, right?) with Mel Brooks: Unwrapped coming to HBO next Friday, Dec. 13th.
Enjoy a delicious taste of what’s to come with this trailer.
Up until very recently, Armando Iannucci pretty much wheeled and dealed in devastatingly funny political satire with In The Loop, Veep, The Thick of It, Death of Stalin.
This latest HBO series sees one of most brilliant comedic voices of our time take on something more in the realm of sci-fi. Avenue 5 follows a space cruise (kind of like the one in the Fifth Element) for the ultra-wealthy and how things, of course, go awry. Also, Hugh Laurie gets to be a series regular again as well as the apparent head of this space cruise named Avenue 5. Thus far, we’re on board for whatever this will end up being.
See for yourself in this teaser, then be thankful you only have to wait until January to see the premiere.
Sure, you know Dan Soder as Mafee on Billions, but we hope you also know that Dan contains multitudes in characters, voices, and life experience.
You’ll get a chance to see a more whole Dan Soder with his wonderfully titled, upcoming HBO special, Son of a Gary. In fact, Soder’s special might just stand out on HBO as it seems like it’ll be mostly just a straightforward comedy special in contrast to HBO’s exciting row of comedy special experiments (most of which we really enjoyed) over the last year and a half or so.
Get a taste of what’s to come with Dan Soder: Son of a Gary with this trailer, then look for its premiere on Sat. Dec. 7th at 10PM on HBO.
In a word, after watching this trailer, whoa.
This sixth and final season of Silicon Valley is really upping the ante with disrupting the whole tech world to a greater degree than ever before making Pied Piper, Hooli, and more have avoid complete ruin.
It will be curious if this is a glimpse into the not so distant future of tech (breaking of the biggest companies in the world, ad space taking over your video games, etc.).
Get a taste of what’s just a week away (season premiere on Oct. 27th) with this sixth and final season Silicon Valley trailer here.
Sarah Silverman Scores Both a Late Night Pilot Order and a Stand-Up Comedy Special At HBO
We really dug I Love You, America and we’re glad that Silverman’s getting another shot at hosting her own talk show to finish what she started, which seemed to be connecting with people. In that regard, it’s interesting to note that she’ll be taking video calls in this pilot, presumably with all kinds of folks like she did with her last show.
Also, Silverman, as we’ve seen her around LA doing stand-up, is at a wonderful creative point in her career where she’s more reflective, introspective than ever, making for some of her best material ever.
So, overall, we’re really hyped to see what Silverman has got brewing for HBO (and hope that her late night show goes to series).
As with all things done by Gary Gulman, great time and care has been put into this latest special, The Great Depresh, and, consequently, it was absolutely worth the wait (many years have passed since his last special).
The Great Depresh is the latest hour from Gulman that actually cuts between stand-up and documentary footage of Gary visiting his childhood home, apartment, therapist’s office, sometimes with his wife and his mother. It’s touching, sweet, and still brilliant and boundary pushing, all within a neatly packed comedy special.
The beauty of this latest work is three fold. The Great Depresh simultaneously shows how Gulman remains one of comedy’s best artisans when it comes to crafting and telling jokes (Gulman’s diction is unrivaled as far as we’re concerned), aims to lift up (as opposed to punch up or down), and sheds light on the importance of mental health (a topic that continually needs to talk about no matter how many comedians are talking about it).
We were left with a sweet, satisfying smile as the credits rolled on Gulman’s latest and we hope that it does the same for you.
Gary Gulman: The Great Depresh premiered this past weekend on HBO and is now streaming on HBO NOW and HBO GO.
To call a comedy special “X” should denote that one will be going into some sort of dark territory, a place that Daniel Sloss is more than familiar with.
We actually got to catch X while Sloss was running it at Largo and it might be his best hour yet. Sloss dives head on into toxic masculinity and picks it apart in his signature bouncy, yet subversive style.
Get a taste of what’s to come with Daniel Sloss: X with this trailer, then look for its premiere on HBO on Nov. 2nd.
The precision of Gary Gulman’s observations never cease to amaze as shown in this bit from his upcoming HBO special Gary Gulman: The Great Depresh.
There have been many bits about the usage/transformation of the word “literally” in modern parlance, but, for our money, Gary is “literally” the best one we’ve heard.
Watch it here, then be sure to watch Gary Gulman: The Grat Depresh premiere on HBO on Sat. Oct. 5th at 10PM.
Dan Soder Will Get Be Taping and Premiering His First HBO Special This Year
Though many know Dan Soder these days as Mafee from Billions, Dan has carved out an extensive career as a great stand-up comedian (including a deep repertoire of voices and characters) with late night appearances, big time radio appearances, specials, etc. for several years now.
Now, he’ll be getting his very HBO special, which will tape, “10/23 at Bowery Ballroom in NYC. 2 shows, tickets at dansoder.com”. Definitely be in attendance for the taping if you’re in or around NYC around late October and then tune in December when it premieres.
Also, it’s interesting to note that this might be the first traditional stand-up special HBO has done in several months.
Danny McBride’s ‘The Righteous Gemstones’ Renewed for Season 2 at HBO
It’s almost unsurprising how good Danny McBride’s The Righteous Gemstones is (and we’re only a few episodes in). McBride’s consistency up for dark comedy excellence with Eastbound & Down and Vice Principals is held up by this examination of a televangelist family coming apart fast at the seams.
So, it’s almost expected that The Righteous Gemstones would get a second season over at HBO. We can’t wait to see what McBride and co. do with this second season, especially if you’ve heard all the directions that he has gone with this first season on his ep. of The Good One Podcast.
HBO Picks up ‘A Black Lady Sketch Show’ for Season 2
It was only a few months ago that we were wondering what the future of sketch comedy held and uncertain if networks/streaming services were going to step up to the plate or just let SNL have a monopoly on all of it.
Well, we’re glad to see that sketch comedy is alive and kicking from all over the place and that HBO, continuing their mission in redefining their comedy brand as boundary pushing and wonderfully weird, has ordered a second season of A Black Lady Sketch Show.
We can’t wait to see what Robin Thede and company do with a whole second season over at HBO.
Continuing to push what the comedy special can be, HBO has their latest hour special showing off one of comedy’s all-time best jokesmiths, Gary Gulman, that will seem to feature Gulman talking about the “depresh” AKA depression and then delving into a documentary exploration of his life and past with said depresh.
Both raising awareness of mental health and having a brand new special from Gulman is 2-for-the-price-of-1 as far as we’re concerned. See it for yourself in the trailer for Gary Gulman: The Great Depresh here, then look for it to premiere on Oct. 5th.
By now, you ought to expect the unexpected with The Duplass Brothers’ HBO anthology series that bends genre, tone, etc. all in the confines of one room.
This upcoming third season should prove no different as you can see in the trailer. Also, you might dig that featured in the cast will be Arturo Castro, Paul F. Tompkins (perhaps a vintage one w/o facial hair), Sam Richardson (with an almost Detroiters-like moment), Luke Wilson, and Steve Little
If you’re on board, get ready to set sail when the new season premieres Fri. Sept. 13th on HBO.
The sixth and final season of Silicon Valley is just around the corner, which leads HBO to close out another long-lasting, perennial award winning comedy that’s as relevant and resonant as it is funny.
From the looks of this teaser where things seems like they’re all about to come crashing down, it’s going to be a glorious swan song for Silicon Valley.
Look for the premiere of the sixth and final season of Silicon Valley on Oct. 27th at HBO.
HBO Orders Comedy “Betty” Inspired by Female Skateboarding Drama Feature Film ‘Skate Kitchen’
Crystal Moselle’s Skate Kitchen sparked a lot of buzz at festivals and wherever it played as an emotionally resonant drama following the lives of an all female skateboard crew.
Now, Moselle has teamed up with co-creator of Love (Netflix), Lesley Arfin to adapt Skate Kitchen into an HBO comedy called Betty (just having received a series order). It’s another very, very intriguing move by HBO whose direction in comedy (i.e. Los Espookys, Black Lady Sketch Show, My Favorite Shapes, Ramy Youssef’s Feelings), across the board, has gotten way more adventurous, which we’re very glad to see.
Rose Matafeo Scores Series “Starstruck” at HBO Max & BBC Three
You already know and love the New Zealand comedy exports of Flight of the Conchords and Taika Waititi and now, you ought to get to acquaint yourself with the charm of New Zealand’s newest comedy star making her way round the world, Rose Matafeo.
She dazzled some LA crowds a few weeks back and now has been set up with her own TV series, Starstruck, following a down on her luck Rose who finds that she just slept with a movie star. The show will play both in the UK and the US via HBO Max and BBC Three, a transatlantic distribution model that seems to be happening more and more (ex. Fleabag, Catastrophe, Killing Eve) and proving very fruitful.
In any case, we’re looking forward to see Rose make her TV debut in the US via her own show.
As we suspected, Julio Torres has done something groundbreaking with his new comedy special My Favorite Shapes. Torres has managed to make prop comedy vulnerable, deep, personal in the way that the rest of stand-up comedy has been for the last few years.
Prop comedy usually conjures up some sort of mysteriously big box that some sort of high energy comedian picks weird, often Frankenstein-ed items that are a visual punchline/aid to some cheesy one-liner. It’s so hackneyed that it’s often made fun of by many other comedians playing a prop comic that has some sort of breakdown in the middle of their intentionally cheesy set.
Every detail of My Favorite Shapes seems so stylized in a some sort of ethereal-80s-parallel-universe way, coming from the very soul of Julio Torres to be cleverly shared in little joke morsels. The shapes do operate similarly as any sort of comedic prop, but the structure and narrative of the show and the consideration to have this conceit of Julio “sharing his favorite shapes” brings into Julio’s mystical, weird, and wonderful world (that’s often in miniature). Also, for all the supposed pretension one might think is running amok in this special, it’s pretty accessible and self-aware of its own indulgence, which is a pretty fun gag in its own right. To our knowledge, we haven’t seen props used so frequently to such great comedic and emotional effect.
My Favorite Shapes, for our money, is something that will indeed move the needle forward for the art form of comedy. Additionally, we like the big chances that HBO is taking in comedy specials recently (Drew Michael, Feelings, Home Videos).
Go watch and enjoy and revel in My Favorite Shapes on HBO GO or HBO NOW.
Finally, finally, finally, there’s something new from the brilliant, always-several-steps-ahead mind of Nathan Fielder coming our way.
This time, it’ll be a different sort of docu-series that seems somewhat adjacent to Nathan For You, but much more intensely personal, focused on life advice as opposed to business advice, and not starring Nathan Fielder. You can see as such in the premise for the series “How To…With John Wilson”:
Acting as both cameraman and narrator, he covertly documents the lives of fellow New Yorkers in a comic odyssey of self-discovery, inevitably making the audience comfortable with the awkward contradictions of modern life.
On top of all of that, Fielder signed up for a year overall deal at HBO and has scored a pilot which has details under wraps, but he will star, write and direct in. We are thrilled to see what Fielder will come up with under the banner of HBO especially as it seems that they’re really swinging for the fences with comedy and how weird and experimental it can be.
Hopefully, all of this comes out in time to make the 2020 election cycle a fraction more tolerable.
Looks like Danny McBride, John Goodman, Adam Devine, and Edi Patterson are going to serve up something, if we may, so damn “righteous” in this televangelist family satire, The Righteous Gemstones. Every bit we see of this looks like the perfect follow-up for McBride after Vice Principals and, thankfully, the premiere isn’t too far from now on Aug. 18th on HBO.
In the meantime, please enjoy the full trailer for The Righteous Gemstones here.
‘Los Espookys’ Renewed For Season 2 By HBO
Though one highly imaginative comedy got cancelled today probably before it should have (Tuca & Bertie), another one, Los Espookys, got another season to live.
Fred Armisen, Julio Torres, and Ana Fabrega came up with some wildly different that we can only intensely wonder what they’ll shoot for in season two. In the meantime, dip your toe into the weird and cheeky waters of the first season Los Espookys.