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HBO, along with their streaming platform HBO Max, is quickly becoming one of the best in the streaming field, producing outstanding original content as well as a few quality remakes and reboots. In the noise of a sometimes overcrowded streaming environment, they manage to stand out with their dazzling, high-budget, quality shows; audiences should expect nothing less from the network that has produced some of the most popular television shows in history, including The Sopranos and Game of Thrones.
Great new shows are released every month on HBO, and it's streaming platform HBO Max. This article lists 10 highly-anticipated shows coming soon to HBO/HBO Max to enter into your calendar.
The Time Traveler's Wife
Based on Audrey Niffenegger's bestselling novel of the same name, The Time Traveler's Wife follows the relationship between Clare (Rose Leslie) and Harry (Theo James). Harry is prone to suddenly jump to different points in time - a condition he has no control over, causing him a life of temporarily and chaos. Meanwhile, Claire has been visited by a mysterious man called Harry since childhood. He eventually explains that he's a time traveler, not just from the future, but from her future. Later in life, while working as a librarian, she meets a young man called Harry; he doesn't recognize her at all, but she has known him her whole life.
Executive produced by Steven Moffat (Doctor Who, Sherlock), Sue Vertue (Sherlock), Brian Minchin (Doctor Who), Joseph E. Iberti (Watchmen) and David Nutter (Game of Thrones, The Sopranos), the first season of the show will also be directed by Nutter, who's directorial credits include The X Files and Game of Thrones. The book, first released in 2003, is highly-regarded, and the show promises to deliver heart-wrenching romance. The Time Traveler's Wife is set for release on HBO Max May 15th.
House of the Dragon
The long-awaited Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon is based on George R. R. Martin's novel Fire & Blood, and tells the story of House Targaryen 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. It follows Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy), the firstborn child of King Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine); in the face of Viserys' poor health, conflict over succession arises between Rhaenyra, her uncle Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) and her younger brothers Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) and Aemond (Ewan Mitchell). The ensuing Targaryen civil war is referred to as the 'Dance of the Dragons'.
The official trailer for the series promises all the bloodthirsty political intrigue fans of Game of Thrones know and love. George R. R. Martin gave his stamp of approval to the show, stating "it's dark, it's powerful, it's visceral... just the way I like my epic fantasy". House of the Dragon premieres August 21st.
Westworld Season 4
Co-created by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, Westworld, a dystopian sci-fi based on the 1973 Michael Crichton film of the same name, is one of HBO's most beloved current shows. It's set in an amusement park called 'Westworld', where wealthy patrons can enact their wildest fantasies on androids known as 'hosts', free from retaliation or consequences. Chaos erupts when the robots gain consciousness and begin killing park visitors.
Season 3 of the show aired in 2020 and fans have been eagerly awaiting news of the promised forth season. HBO recently released a teaser trailer, revealing madness and horror is in store. Season 4 of Westworld will being airing on June 26th.
Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin
The latest spinoff of the popular teen drama Pretty Little Liars, which first aired in 2010, Original Sin follows a new generation of Liars, in a new location - the blue-collar town of Milwood. The five new Liars - played by Bailee Madison, Chandler Kinney, Maia Reicco, Zaira, and Malia Pyles - find themselves tormented by a mysterious assailant, "A", who wants to make them pay for a 'sin' committed by their parents 20 years ealier, while threatening to reveal the girls' own worst secrets.
Described as darker and more horror-influenced than its predecessor, Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin is being helmed by showrunners Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Riverdale) and Linsday Calhoon Bring (former Sabrina staff writer). While a release date has not been confirmed, shooting has already wrapped and the show is expected for release in late 2022.
The White House Plumbers
Based in part on public records, and the political bibliography Integrity by Egil Krogh, the five-part limited series The White House Plumbers tells the true story of Nixon's political saboteurs, Watergate masterminds E. Howard Hunt (Woody Harrelson) and G. Gordon Liddy (Justin Theroux), who accidentally ousted the presidency they were purporting to protect. Domhnall Gleeson portrays ambitious White House Counsel John Dean, and Lena Headley plays Hunt's wife Dorothy, a CIA asset who is trying to hold her family together.
Alex Gregory and Peter Huyck, writers and executive producers of Veep, are showrunners and executive producers of The White House Plumbers. Harrelson and Theroux are also executive producing the project, along with Veep showrunner David Mandel, who directed all five episodes of the miniseries. An official release date has not yet been announced, but the political drama is labelled "coming soon" on HBO's website and is expected for release later this year.
The Last of Us
Based on the critically acclaimed video game of the same name, The Last of Us takes place 20 years after the destruction of modern civilization, where a virus causes people to turn into zombie-like creatures. Joel (Pedro Pascal), a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle immune 14-year-old Ellie (Bella Ramsey) out of an oppressive quarantine zone to a laboratory, where scientists are hoping to develop a cure. Their journey through the post-apocalyptic United States is brutal and heartbreaking, and the pair have to depend on each other for survival.
The series is being written and executive produced by Craig Mazin (Game of Thrones) and Neil Druckmann, the latter having developed and written the Last of Us game franchise. With directors such as Jeremy Webb (The Walking Dead) and Liza Johnson (American Horror Story), the series is sure to deliver a gritty dystopian world while maintaining strong emotional presence. No release date is currently confirmed, but shooting began in July 2021, making fans hopeful for a late 2022 release, if not early 2023.
Gossip Girl Season 2
Joshua Safran's reboot of the iconic teen drama Gossip Girl was unveiled last year to mixed reviews. The new series follows a new generation of Manhattan's elite, including Julien Calloway (Jordan Alexander), Aki Menzies (Evan Mock) and Audrey Hope (Emily Alyn Lind), as they navigate friendships and relationships in the upper echelons of New York City society - all while being tormented by an anonymous gossip blogger known as 'Gossip Girl'.
Season one ended on a cliffhanger that saw Julien reach out to 'Gossip Girl' proposing they work together; unbeknownst to her, Gossip Girl is her English teacher, Kate Keller (Tavi Gevinson). In September 2021, a video posted to the official Gossip Girl instagram page confirmed the show would be returning for a second season. The video also teased a possible change in Gossip Girl's identity from the scorned teacher Kate Keller, with text reading "you never know whose hands I'll fall into". Shooting for season two began in early February; with that timeline in mind, while no official date has been set, a late 2022 release is likely.
Succession Season 4
Black comedy/drama Succession, created by Kevin Armstrong, is one of HBO's most popular and critically lauded original shows right now. It follows the Roy family, who run one of the largest media conglomerates in the world, and the conflicts that ensue within the family when patriarch and CEO Logan Roy (Brian Cox) considers retirement. His four adult children Connor (Alan Ruck), Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Roman (Kieran Culkin) and Shiv (Sarah Snook) navigate their tumultuous relationships with the father and with each other as they all vye for control within the company.
In October 2021 it was announced that the show had been announced for a forth season, which executive producers have promised will surpass audiences wildest expectations. Shooting is due to start soon and fans are hopeful for a late 2022 or early 2023 release.