HBO
HBO Announces “Big Bang Theory” Spin-Off
They say the whole universe was in a hot dense state and then nearly fourteen billion years ago again, expansion started. HBO knows a thing or two about expansion, especially after their investor showcase on April 12. Among the major announcements were the launch of Max, replacing HBO Max, and a 10-year Harry Potter TV project. A new Game of Thrones prequel called The Hedge Knight was also revealed.
The Big Bang Theory was not an HBO Original. The science-centric sitcom about four scientists at Cal Tech ran for 12 years on CBS. However, HBO bought the US streaming rights in 2020 after the show’s final season. Regarding well in its early years but somewhat loathed by its end, The Big Bang Theory got a Wonder Years-esque prequel in 2017. Now, it’s getting a full-blown spin-off on HBO.
HBO Tease “Big Bang Theory” Spin-Off But Provide No Details
It goes without saying that the Big Bang Theory spin-off is in the earliest stages of development. So much so, that it has not yet officially been ordered to series. However, it is believed to be following in the mold of Young Sheldon and producing one-hour episodes. The show will feature a largely new cast, with cameos from the original actors. Big Bang Theory ended with de facto main character Dr. Sheldon Cooper winning a Nobel Prize. It is unclear if the new show would maintain the nerd-culture atmosphere, complete with numerous special guests.
The news is reminiscent of Hulu’s How I Met Your Father, a show that took the broad concept of CBS’ How I Met Your Mother but is not a continuation. If we had to guess, HBO’s Big Bang Theory project will follow the work and personal lives of a group of scientists at a different prestigious scientific institute. And much like How I Met Your Father, the show would utilize the original cast to make cameo appearances. However, it appears to be a shift away from the “filmed in front of a studio audience” sitcom that The Big Bang Theory was. The show will be executive produced by Big Bang Theory co-creator Chuck Lorre. Lorre is also already working with HBO on How To Be A Bookie.
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HBO Reveals “Hedge Knight” Game Of Thrones Spin-Off
HBO executives announced a lot at their investor showcase on April 12. HBO Max is becoming Max. There’s a Harry Potter series in the works that’s going to last a decade. There’s a lot going on over at the HBO subsidiary of Warner Bros. This will also help bridge the impending transitionary period, as Succession nears its end.
But among the chaos, and despite more seasons of House Of The Dragon in production, it seems like HBO isn’t done with their Game of Thrones prize pig. Among the various projects announced at the showcase was the official announcement of The Hedge Knight. The show will serve as another Game of Thrones prequel.
“The Hedge Knight” Rewards Die-Hard “Game Of Thrones” Fans
The Hedge Knight, or A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, is based on a series of Game Of Thrones prequel novels. George R.R. Martin called his books Dunk And Egg, with three books in the sries. Set 90 years before the events of A Song Of Ice And Fire, followed the adventures of Ser Duncan the Tall and Aegon Targaryen. Aegon aka Aegon V aka Aegon the Unlikely aka Egg, is Daenerys’ grandfather, in case you were wondering where the characters you are more familiar with fit into the timeline. We have also met Aegon’s brother, Aemon. He’s the maester that Sam Tarly apprentices under. However, the show will be set at a time when Aegon is still unlikely to ever assume the throne.
The official release about The Hedge Knight pitches the show as starring “two unlikely heroes. A young, naïve but courageous knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, and his diminutive squire, Egg. Set in an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne and the memory of the last dragon has not yet passed from living memory, great destinies, powerful foes, and dangerous exploits all await these improbable and incomparable friends.” Little is known about its production, but Martin will write and produce. With The Hedge Knight very early in production, expect more details in the coming months. Expect dragons, Targaryen shenanigans, and just a little bit of buddy comedy vibes.
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The Weeknd on ‘The Idol’ Rumors and Criticism: ‘I’ve Been Judged Since the Beginning’
HBO Drops Thrilling “Succession” Trailer
The king is dead, long live the king. HBO’s satirical boardroom black comedy Succession dropped the biggest twist of its fourth and final season over the weekend. Media mogul Logan Roy (Brian Cox) finally succame to the terminal illness that was the impetus for the entire show. Roy’s death signaled the start of the show’s endgame and promised the unsheathing of only the sharpest knives. While the show had never held back in the past, the gloves are well and truly off.
Logan’s sudden death leaves his company in turmoil and his four children – Connor, Roman, Kendal, and Shiv – unsure of where they stand in the battle to be named his successor. Meanwhile other problems, such as a deal to acquire Waystar RoyCo, loom large. As the credits rolled on Connor’s Wedding, characters and fans alike stood at a crossroads, unsure of what lay ahead. Luckily, HBO was ready to light a fire and revel in the chaos.
“Succession” Trailer Promises Chaos, Infighting, And So Much More
HBO released a mid-season trailer on April 11 to showcase what’s in store for the Roys going forwards. The trailer showcases four major elements of the show – the relationship between the Roy siblings, Connor Roy’s (Alan Ruck) Presidential campaign, the merger with streaming service GoJo, and the overarching battle to be named Logan’s successor. The trailer paints a picture of mixed successes for the Roys. GoJo CEO Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård) is seen calling Waystar RoyCo a “parts shop” with “good parts, bad brand.” Meanwhile, Connor’s political campaign is going well enough for his opponents to ask him to drop out.
However, the biggest plot point the trailer hypes up is the old guard versus new blood battle for control. The Roy Siblings are once more forced into an uneasy alliance to fend off a bid from the Waystar RoyCo board to seize control. That bid has a figurehead in Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen), Shiv’s husband and the current head of Waystar’s primary news outlet. The show is about to reveal its opus, pitting husband against wife, and corporate experience against family legacy. Prepare yourself, because Succession is about to be turned up to 11.
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“Succession” Twist Causes Twitter To Lose It
Succession has been a smash hit for HBO. The boardroom drama about a media mogul and his children has captivated audiences since it premiered in 2018. Created by Jesse Armstrong, Succession follows Logan Roy (Brian Cox) and his three children Roman (Kieran Culkin), Kendall (Jeremy Strong), and Shiv (Sarah Snook). After their father is diagnosed with a terminal illness, his three children engage in a vicious corporate war to be named his successor. The shown has gained a dedicated following, with everything from fantasy leagues to weekly power rankings being created.
Armstrong announced that Season 4 would be the show’s last, alerting fans that the successor would finally be announced. It also spelled the likely end for Logan, given the whole terminal illness thing. Succession‘s final season premiered on March 26, taking the timeslot vacated by The Last of Us. The season currently holds a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Season 4, Episode 3 Drops First Major Twist Of Final Season
The race to succeed Logan Roy as the head of Waystar RoyCo finally hit its endgame in Connor’s Wedding. Not even a wedding, specifically that of Logan’s oldest child Connor (Alan Ruck) is safe. The season has built this up to be a disaster. The main Roy kids are in a bidding war against their dad. Meanwhile, Roman just sold out his siblings to ally with Logan. Logan is skipping the wedding to go to Stockholm. In the season premiere, Connor even notes that the wedding will have everything from “bum fights” to “brass bands”. And then, not even halfway into the episode, Logan Roy dies.
Despite his wealth and power, Logan Roy dies alone on the floor of a private jet. The show goes to great lengths to hammer home the contrast between the glamor of the wedding in New York Harbor and Logan’s lifeless body, surrounded by desperate flight crew members. Finally, phones begin to buzz in New York and the Roys are finally alerted to their father’s imminent death. Consequently, the Roy children attempt to come to terms with what has just happened and their (not great) relationships with their father. Additionally, they must also respond to the realities of their father’s death, such as the financial market impact. However, for the audience, there’s another aspect in play as the episode winds down. There are six episodes left of the show, who is going to win the prize they’ve been chasing for four seasons?
Twitter Reacts
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HBO’s ‘The Idol’: Everything To Know Including The Release Date, Cast, Plot, And More
A lot has recently been revealed about the forthcoming HBO show The Idol, known for being spearheaded by Abel Tesfaye, aka The Weeknd. He co-created it alongside Euphoria director Sam Levinson and Reza Fahim, and there’s a lot to unpack about the controversial, long-awaited series. From intensely spicy trailers to a confusing timeline of its release, find information about The Idol below.
Release Date
There remains no release date. In Rolling Stone‘s new bombshell report about the show, it was reported, “One source with knowledge of the production schedule tells Rolling Stone the network initially hoped for The Idol to premiere last fall, taking over the Sunday time slot left open by House of the Dragon, which ended in October. Yet three teaser trailers have come and gone, and HBO can still only offer a vague ‘later this year.’ (A rep for the network declined to comment on when the show will air.)”
Cast
The Weeknd and Lily-Rose Depp are the leads. Other actors include Suzanna Son, Troye Sivan, Moses Sumney, Jane Adams, Dan Levy, Jennie Kim, Eli Roth, Rachel Sennott, Melanie Liburd, Tunde Adebimpe, Elizabeth Berkley Lauren, Nico Hiraga, and the late Anne Heche. There will also be a feature from Jennie of Blackpink.
Plot
The Idol, in six episodes, follows the story of “a self-help guru and leader of a modern-day cult, who develops a complicated relationship with an up-and-coming pop idol.” The trailer boasts it as “the sleaziest love story” from “the sick and twisted minds of the Creator of Euphoria Sam Levinson and Abel ‘The Weekend’ Tesfaye.”
Drama
In April of last year, they announced a “new creative direction,” which included the departure of director Amy Seimetz. Still, The Weeknd teased trailers during his After Hours Til Dawn Tour last summer.
An anonymous source told Rolling Stone that Tesfaye was not happy with the story’s “feminist lens.” “It was like The Weeknd wanted one show that was all about him — Sam was on board with that,” they told the publication. Another source said, “What I signed up for was a dark satire of fame and the fame model in the 21st century. It went from satire to the thing it was satirizing.”
“It was like, ‘What is this? What am I reading here,’” the source added. “It was like sexual torture porn.” Leaked scripts portrayed disturbing, violent scenes involving physical abuse and rape fantasies. “It was a show about a woman who was finding herself sexually, turned into a show about a man who gets to abuse this woman and she loves it,” the source said.
When Does HBO’s ‘The Idol’ Come Out?
It feels like it’s been ages since Variety first reported The Weeknd was co-creating a forthcoming HBO series, The Idol, with Euphoria‘s Sam Levinson. Enough nonsense has happened since July 2021 — scratch that, enough has happened just today, March 1 — to satisfy a six-episode arc, making it even more confusing to identify when The Idol‘s first season will actually premiere.
The Idol was already off to a rocky start. It was reported last April that the series was undergoing “an overhaul” due to a “new creative direction,” including the departure of director Amy Seimetz.
And today, Rolling Stone published a very long bombshell report detailing some very disturbing (alleged) turmoil, which one source called “a sh*tshow.” Across interviews with 13 unnamed members of The Idol‘s cast and crew, reporter Cheyenne Roundtree learned that The Weeknd “felt the show was heading too much into a ‘female perspective.’” When Levinson replaced Seimetz as director, he allegedly threw out “the nearly-finished $54-75 million project to rewrite and reshoot the entire thing.”
Roundtree added, “With Seimetz out of the picture, HBO handed the reins to Levinson, only to have him weaken the show’s overarching message, many sources say, by dialing up the disturbing sexual content and nudity to match — and even surpass — that of his most successful show, Euphoria.”
The publication additionally provided an update on when any of us might be able to watch The Idol: “One source with knowledge of the production schedule tells Rolling Stone the network initially hoped for The Idol to premiere last fall, taking over the Sunday time slot left open by House of the Dragon, which ended in October. Yet three teaser trailers have come and gone, and HBO can still only offer a vague ‘later this year.’ (A rep for the network declined to comment on when the show will air.)”
For now, all we have is a scene shared by The Weeknd in response to Rolling Stone‘s scathing report:
And Rolling Stone‘s Editor In Chief Noah Schachtman dunking on it:
Not at all! https://t.co/jKuDh7xAHQ pic.twitter.com/TgLkYvsG9n
— Noah Shachtman (@NoahShachtman) March 1, 2023
After all of that, the plot of The Idol feels like a footnote, but The Weeknd stars as Tedros, “a self-help guru and leader of a modern-day cult” who “enters a complicated relationship with a rising pop idol, Lily-Rose Depp’s Jocelyn (as noted by IMDb). Dan Levy, Suzanna Son, Troye Sivan, Moses Sumney, Jennie Kim, and Jane Adams are among those also listed in the cast.
