Some of us are trying to beat the heat and others of us are trying to stay dry. We get it, it is pretty rough out there. Our suggestion is to take some time out from the weather to seek out content on HBO & Max. We know, it is a rough environment around there also, but we are here to help you find something to watch. So, once again, we offer this monthly sampling of what is on. We hope you find something interesting.
A few quick points:
- It’s time for some heavy RAP SH!T
- John W. and Carrie B. Bow Out
- There are Thai Originals
- Plus, Rodgers & The Jets play (sounds like a band, doesn’t it?)
- and it’s also time for some bouncy, bouncy, shoot and swish!
HBO Original Series: The series with a return season this month is WINNING TIME: THE RISE OF THE LAKER’S DYNASTY. The HBO Original drama series shows up for its seven-episode second season SUNDAY, AUGUST 6 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and will be available to stream on Max. It is a fast-break drama series that goes back in time to chronicle the professional and personal lives of the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers, one of sports’ most revered and dominant dynasties. Season Two continues to explore the professional and personal lives of the team. It homes in on the period just after the Finals in 1980 through 1984, culminating in the first professional rematch of the era’s greatest stars: Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Here is our first look at the trailer:
Based on Jeff Pearlman’s book, “Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers”, and executive produced by Adam McKay (SUCCESSION, Q: INTO THE STORM), the show takes a look at a team that defined its era, both on and off the court. The ensemble cast includes John C. Reilly, Jason Clarke, Adrien Brody, Quincy Isaiah, Sally Field, and Jason Segel, among many others.
Original Series Exclusive to Max: It is time to deliver some RAP SH!T! THURSDAY, AUGUST 10 is the launch date for the series which follows two estranged high school friends from Miami, Shawna Clark (Aida Osman) and Mia (KaMillion), who reunite to form a rap group. In their rise to fame, Shawna and Mia find themselves at a pivotal moment in their rap career as they are forced to decide if they will stay true to themselves or conform to the demands of the music industry. Of course, there are complications along the way but their journey to fame is nothing like THE IDOL’s Jocelyn. Francois sets up the duo to be the opening act on Reina Reign’s tour. The police come to the hotel to arrest Shawna. When we last saw these girls, Francois Boom (Jaboukie Young-White) sets up the duo to be the opening act on Reina Reign’s tour but the police come to the hotel to arrest Shawna. Can they rise above it? Find out Thursdays on Max.
Plus, don’t forget AND JUST LIKE THAT… has four more episodes to go in August. It continues on THURSDAY, AUGUST 03, and wraps up on THURSDAY, AUGUST 24. HBOWatch has been reviewing. WARRIOR has just one more episode to go. It uploads THURSDAY, AUGUST 03. That final episode of the season is written by Hoon Lee. He plays Wang Chao, a black market salesman & Tong mediator in the series. He was also noted as the character Job in Cinemax’s BANSHEE. WARRIOR began on Cinemax and now wraps up its third season on Max.
HBO International Titles: Three HBO Asia Originals make it to the States. First, two from Thailand. Loading on FRIDAY, AUGUST 04 is KHUN PAN 3. It is the last movie in a trilogy. The 2-hour 36-minute work shows sorcerer cop Khun Pan yet again persuaded to take on another dangerous mission. He is hunting down two bandits and uncovering a conspiracy that challenges everything he believes in. I realize it isn’t for everybody but don’t worry, it’s subtitled.
The other Thai title is unscripted. And hey, if Selena Gomes can have her time with a chef so can MarkKim? MARKKIM + CHEF is added to the slate as of FRIDAY, AUGUST 18. Ah, MarkKim is actually a duo. follows soon-to-be married Thai television stars Kimberley Anne Woltemas and Mark Prin Suparat, neither of whom has much experience in the kitchen, as they learn to cook under the guidance of professional chefs. No further comment is required. The third title is out of China. It is A SCENT OF TIME, which arrives TUESDAY, AUGUST 15. In it, a hard-working young woman awakens to find herself traveling into a novel she had immersed herself in throughout the night. However, her dilemma takes an unanticipated turn as she learns that she now inhabits the body of a man-supporting character. To make matters worse, she must meet
the trials of having a treacherous father and a womanizing brother. Having already committed various wrongdoings in the earlier parts of the narrative, her hard journey becomes focused on warranting her character’s survival until the story’s end. Through firsthand experiences, she slowly realizes the heroine’s influence in catching others’ hearts with a simple smile. Finally, HBO Latin America has a title as well. It is a miniseries about teenagers caught up in growing up entitled I LOVE YOU, AND IT HURTS (Te Quiero y Me Duele). It hits THURSDAY, AUGUST 17. It’s actually based on a popular song in the countries south of us. TIME ZONE, MY MAGIC CLOSET, LA UNIDAD, and EL JARDIN DE BRONCE, all from last month, have new episodes still appearing. HBO & Max Theatrical Movies: There will forever be a rotation of outgoing and incoming movies but, as we have seen, the majority of them are older films without a new theatrical feature in sight. Such is the case in August, no recent movies are slated. Sorry, you will need to wait several months before you see WB’s BARBIE on HBO.
Here is just a sampling of what you can find on HBO & Max in the coming month: The Nightmare on Elm Street franchise will startle you when A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985), A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987), A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988), A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989), Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994) and A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010) arrive. Some stand-out stand-alone movies are Whiteout (2009), The Seagull (2018), The Illusionist (2010), Soul Plane (2004), Searching for Sugar Man (2014), Ronin (1998), and Leaving Las Vegas (1996). Over on the TCM Hub, there will be titles like Annie Hall (1977), Night Moves (1975), The Omega Man (1971), Till the End of Time (1946), and Torpedo Run (1958). Again, that’s just a sampling. Seek and ye shall find something to interest you.
HBO Documentary Films: I don’t know what happened to HBO Sports Documentary Films as this announced title for August should classify as such. So should have the Oscar de la Hoya documentary last month. However, for some reason they are classified as regular documentary entries so, I list this one here. It is BS HIGH. This HBO Original documentary, which debuts WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23 (no start time given), explores the lucrative and cut-throat world of football prep programs, where careers and reputations can be made and the dreams and well-being of young athletes hang in the balance. When a nationally televised high school football game between top-ranked IMG Academy and unknown Bishop Sycamore High School ended with multiple injuries on the field and a 58-0 blowout win for IMG Academy, the fiasco caused fans and audiences to question the legitimacy of the Bishop Sycamore program and its head coach, Roy Johnson. The film is a revealing exploration of one of the most intriguing sagas to cross the world of sports in years.
Another title to consider is TELEMARKETERS. This three-part docuseries chronicles the darkly comedic, unexpected 20-year journey of two unlikely office buddies, who stumble upon the murky truth behind the work they’ve been doing at a seedy New Jersey call center – persuading people to give money to charities – and vow to expose the crooked American telemarketing industry from within. As amateur sleuths looking to shine a light on the billion-dollar scam, with raucous insider access, raw eyewitness footage, and a comedic cast of call center characters, the film is a madcap story of an unruly, low-wage environment and two long-time office buddies who find themselves hot on the trail of a sobering look at the dark side of American capitalism and the misuse of consumer trust. It is directed by Adam Bhala Lough and Sam Lipman-Stern and executive produced by Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie, Dani Bernfeld, Danny McBride, David Gordon Green, and Jody Hill.
It debuts SUNDAY, AUGUST 13 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and will be available to stream on Max.
We have the continuation of the docu-series HOW TO WITH JOHN WILSON in what is the final season. Installments # 2-# 5 play out starting FRIDAY, AUGUST 04 (11:00-11:30 pm ET/PT). Of his stint, Wilson states, “As we started work on season 3 I found it exciting to think of it as the last one. It ended up opening a lot of narrative possibilities that weren’t available to us before and gave us the freedom to try some really ambitious stuff. While a part of me would be happy to go on making “How To” indefinitely, I take a lot of pride in trying to make the style and imagery feel surprising, and I would prefer to end the show while that’s still the case. Thematically, we also kind of reach a vanishing point by the finale, and it felt like a natural place to sign off. It’s a miracle that a program like this ever made it onto HBO in the first place, and after 18 episodes, it feels like we pulled off some kind of incredible heist. I feel melancholy ending a project with such an amazing team, but I can’t be more thankful to HBO for their support, and for the fact that they let us experiment for three amazing seasons.”
HBO Original Special: The annual STAND UP TO CANCER special airs SUNDAY, AUGUST 20.
MAX Original Special: The Max Original stand-up comedy special TRACY MORGAN: TAKIN’ IT TOO FAR debuts THURSDAY, AUGUST 17 on Max. The two-time Emmy-nominated actor and comedian Tracy Morgan (30 Rock, The Last O.G.) leaves it all on the stage in his first Max stand-up special taped live from the Wilbur Theater in Boston, Massachusetts. Grateful and hyped, the comedian owns his set and unabashedly tackles topics such as dating in his 50s (along with the unexpected side effects that come with it), his dysfunctional family, attempting to reverse gentrification in Brooklyn, and the very public 2014 car accident that left him with multiple broken bones, a traumatic brain injury, and a substantial settlement. Executive produced by Emmy and Grammy winner Rikki Hughes, this special showcases a seasoned comedy veteran in his most edgy and fearless special yet.
Max Kids & Family: We just mentioned this work coming this fall but, here it is now – ADVENTURE 
TIME: FIONNA & CAKE. It lands THURSDAY, AUGUST 31. And SESAME STREET of course is on, and Cookie Monster has a special. On THURSDAY, AUGUST 10 you will find COOKIE MONSTER’S BAKESALE. BUGS BUNNY
BUILDERS offers up new episodes on TUESDAY, AUGUST 08 and BUGS BUNNY BUILDERS: HARD HAT TIME offers up new ones also on TUESDAY, AUGUST 29. I guess there is a difference between the two kiddie shows but I don’t know what it is. All I know is the fans should be happy. WE BABY BEARS also has new installments as of SUNDAY, AUGUST 27.
HBO Sports: HBO and NFL Films are joining forces this summer for HARD KNOCKS: TRAINING CAMP WITH THE NEW YORK JETS. The five-episode series debuts TUESDAY, AUGUST 08 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET) on HBO and will be available to stream on Max, with additional hour-long episodes debuting on subsequent Tuesdays at the same time leading up to the season finale on September 5. This entry will mark the 18th edition of the 18-time Sports Emmy-winning series, embedding camera crews at the Jets’ training camp in Florham Park, N.J. to chronicle third-year head coach Robert Saleh preparing his team of young emerging stars and prominent veterans — most notably, four-time NFL MVP, Aaron Rodgers, Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Year Garrett Wilson and Sauce Gardner, and defensive All-Pros C.J. Mosley and Quinnen Williams — for the upcoming NFL season.
Anchoring the final position is REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL should have its latest on TUESDAY AUGUST 22 (10:00-11:00 pm ET).
Other Shows On HBO: As you have probably heard by now, the WBD is letting Netflix show some of its titles. I guess there is no rivalry if it means there’s $$$. It is about selling out in order to boost the company’s revenue. It is not the first time though; SEX AND THE CITY aired on TBS and the SOPRANOS on A&E in past years. Those availabilities and the current ones marked for Netflix are not exclusive deals. The titles in question are still available on the HBO Hub of Max. 
The current titles being rented out(?) are INSECURE, SIX FEET UNDER, BAND OF BROTHERS and its sequel series THE PACIFIC. Outside of the U.S., TRUE BLOOD will also soon appear on Netflix. If you have a hankering to rewatch those titles you can still find them on Max. We recommend them all as great choices as you try to beat the summer heat.
Next Month’s Tease: Give us your best guess. Will we see INDUSTRY or TRUE DETECTIVE: NIGHT COUNTRY in September?
Last month – it was a visual clue; the guy on the right is playing the guy on the left. Who are they?
Answer: Sean Patrick Small plays Larry Bird in WINNING TIME: THE RISE OF THE LAKERS DYNASTY.
Final Clip: Long Live HBO!
Enjoy HBO and HBOWatch
