Tonight’s season finale of Game of Thrones will be one of HBO’s most watched episodes of their year, so it was the perfect time to promote their upcoming slate of programming.  Shortly before the season finale, HBO aired promos for the new seasons of Eastbound & Down, The Newsroom, and Boardwalk Empire; the new series True Detective and Hello Ladies; and Greg Mottola‘s upcoming comedy, Clear History.  Most of these functioned as announcement trailers.  We’re still fairly early in the summer, and most of these programs won’t arrive until we’re firmly in the fall; True Detective won’t even show up until 2014.  But if you’re eager for The Newsroom, it’s a substantial new trailer.

Hit the jump to check out the promos, and come back later tonight when Allison posts her recap of the season finale of Game of Thrones.  As a side note to GoT fans, we’ll be talking about the series on this week’s Collision when we record on Tuesday.

Now playing in theaters is director Louis Leterrier’s (The Incredible Hulk) magician-centered thriller Now You See Me.  For those unfamiliar with the story, it follows an FBI squad on the heels of a team of bank-robbing magicians who share their profits with the audience.  The pic boasts an impressive ensemble cast that includes Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Mark Ruffalo, Michael Caine, Melanie Laurent, and Morgan Freeman.  For more on the film, watch six clips and check out all of our previous coverage.

During my interview Woody Harrelson, he talked about how much fun he had making Now You See Me, what he learned about magic (including performing a magic trick on camera!), what it was like working for Leterrier and his always moving camera, and more.  In addition, he also talked about Out of the Furnace, and his upcoming HBO detective show with Matthew McConaughey.  Hit the jump to watch.

It’s been clear that we’re experiencing a new Golden Age of television for more than a couple of years now, and refreshingly original storytelling in serialized form doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon.  One of the more exciting projects on the horizon is HBO’s anthology cop drama True Detective.  HBO recently ordered eight episodes of the series, starring Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson as two detectives who are drawn into the 17-year search for a serial killer in Louisiana.  Cary Fukunaga (Jane Eyre, Sin Nombre) is onboard to helm all eight episodes of season one, and now they’ve found their female lead in Michelle Monaghan.  Hit the jump for more.

While at the HBO portion of the TCA Press Tour, President of Programming Michael Lombardo and co-President Richard Plepler took some time to talk about new and returning programming.  During the interview, they spoke about how long Game of Thrones and True Blood could run for, the status of the Entourage movie, their movie deal with Larry David and the affect that could have on future seasons of Curb Your Enthusiasm, their thoughts on the first season of The Newsroom, the possibility of a fourth season for Treme, and what viewers can expect from the Woody Harrelson/Matthew McConaughey series True Detective.  Check out what they had to say after the jump.

When we first heard about True Detective, an anthology cop drama whose first season will star Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, Anonymous Content was still shopping it around.  Adam wrote, “I’m selfishly hoping it lands on HBO.“  I have great news for you Adam, and readers—it did!  It did land on HBO!  THR reports the premium cable network ordered eight episodes for the first season, scripted by Nic Pizzolatto (The Killing).  McConaughey and Harrelson play two detectives who are drawn into the search for a serial killer in Louisana: “The investigation of a bizarre murder in 1995 is framed and interlaced with testimony from the detectives in 2012, when the case has been reopened.” Cary Fukunaga (Sin Nombre) will direct all eight episodes of the first season.  If True Detective is successful, the plan is to clean the slate in future seasons with a similar structure, but tell a new story with a different cast.  I am rooting for this and the American Horror Story season two reboot to work.  It opens up an exciting new model for American television—something more involved than a standalone miniseries, but still longform storytelling with a schedule suited for the likes of McConaughey, Harrelson, and Fukunaga.

Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey are teaming up for what could be one of the most exciting drama series in recent memory.  The two are set to star in the eight-episode first season of True Detective, with Sin Nombre and Jane Eyre director Cary Fukunaga onboard to helm all eight episodes.  The show is described as an “elevated serial narrative” that uses multiple perspectives and time frames.  Harrelson and McConaughey will star as two detectives “whose lives collide and entwine during a seventeen-year hunt for a serial killer in Louisiana. The investigation of a bizarre murder in 1995 is framed and interlaced with testimony from the detectives in 2012, when the case has been reopened.”  Hit the jump for more on the project, including how long Harrelson and McConaughey plan on sticking around.