What’s On: HBO Schedule For December 2023

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Okay, call me Grinch, Krampus or Scrooge, or whatever, but I’m annoyed. I know I’ve been one to say that the content is sparse but this is unacceptable. They might be quality gifts, but don’t we deserve a bit more for what we’re paying? Just sayin’. And I’m also adding, what is this practice of withholding an announcement for later? If you know that BARBIE is going to land, don’t you want your subscribers to know that? No, instead we block out the date on the schedule-bot over at HBO.com and leave us to guess; especially if it would be the biggest attraction of the month. What a great way to attract viewers Zaslav!       

Okay, I’m sure some nice gifts deserve to be unwrapped. Let’s give them a look. 

Oh, look  the late-arriving clip teases us with what’s her name – 

A few quick points:  

• Five big shows conclude their respective seasons  
• REAL TIME… and LWT continue into December 
• We have a look back at the debacle Y2K was supposed to be  
• We ask you to Think Pink in movies 
• Catch a stand-up special or two   
• And look out for BOOM BOOM BRUNO 

HBO Original Series: In December we wrap up the second season of two dramatic HBO series. The first on Sunday nights is the final episodes of THE GILDED AGE. Find it on SUNDAY, DECEMBER 03 (9:00 pm ET & repeating at 10:00 pm). It concludes three weeks later on December 17.

— S2 Ep 06 “Warning Shots”
Debut Date SUNDAY, DECEMBER 03 (9:00–10:00 pm ET).

As George heads to Pittsburgh to deal with the potential strike, Bertha learns that the Duke will return for the Metropolitan Opera’s opening night. While the staff chip in to help Jack, Bannister tries to retrieve an incriminating letter from the Russell house. Ada and Luke return from their honeymoon and Marian receives an invitation from Dashiell. 

— S2 Ep 07 “Wonders Never Cease”
Debut Date: SUNDAY, DECEMBER 10 (9:00–10:00 pm ET). 

 Against the backdrop of the biggest event in New York City’s history, Bertha reconsiders her loyalty to the Met. Meanwhile, an engagement celebration leaves Marian with doubts, Peggy strives to make a difference in Brooklyn, George strikes a deal with Mr. Henderson, Oscar makes an alarming discovery, and the van Rhijn household reels as Luke’s health deteriorates. 

–S2 Finale “In Terms of Winning and Losing”
Debut Date: SUNDAY, DECEMBER 17 (9:00-10:00 pm ET). 

While the staff questions their future in the van Rhijn household, Jack receives welcome news about his patent. After scoring a victory for the local schools, Peggy considers her future at the NY Globe. Later, Marian confesses her true feelings to Dashiell – and Bertha and Mrs. Astor make their final moves in the opera war.  

The international series by Álex de la Iglesia, 30 COINS is the other. It enthralls horror fans on Monday nights. It has two episodes left, and we have to ask, how many arcane/scared relics does it take to save the world?  It continues MONDAY DECEMBER 04 at 10:00 pm. 

— S2 Ep 07 “The Two Cores”
Debut Date: MONDAY, DECEMBER 04 (10:00-11:00 pm ET).  

Hoping to halt Barbrow’s plans, Antonio leads a charge to destroy the Second Nucleus. Then, when Paco wakes up in a mysterious location, Elena must work with Vergara and Santoro to secure a key weapon. 

— S2 Finale “The Eye of God”
Debut Date: MONDAY, DECEMBER 11 (10:00-11:00 pm ET). 

With the ritual fast approaching, Lombardi, Salcedo, Haruka, and Antonio race to defeat the supercomputer at the center of Barbrow’s plans. Meanwhile, in Peru, Vergara and Elena fight to save Paco – and defeat Barbrow before he unleashes the end of the world. 

Normally our two big talking heads, Maher and Oliver, take off the month of December; even though one’s an atheist and the other just seems to be off more than he’s on. Since the industry writers’ strike put a long snag in their plans, they both decided to fill their obligations for a few more shows before year’s end. REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER continues on FRIDAY, DECEMBER 04 at 10:00 pm ET with its 22nd installment of the season. It at least runs through December 15. As for LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER, it continues with its 19th installment on SUNDAY, DECEMBER 03 from 11:00-11:40 pm ET. It at least runs through December 17.  

Original Series Exclusive to Max: Three series over on Max come to a close before the close of 2023. In fact, all three shows upload their final episode to the streamer on THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21. Shawna (Aida Osman) and Mia (KaMillion) end their sophomore season of some RAP SH!T that night. So, with three episodes to go in the coming month we’ve got to ask, can the girls stay true to themselves or is the industry going to grind them down? It sure is trying its best. FYI – the final episode was written by Issa Rae herself. The dramedy all about French phenom Julia Childs is also wrapping up a second season. These eight episodes see Julia get caught up in the whirl of fame and how it affects her family. The final three of JULIA are “Chartwinkerie”, “Shrimp & Grits” and “Lobster Américaine”.  

We just told you all about BOOKIE and showed you its trailer and here we are mentioning the season finale already. At two episodes a week, the eight episodes burn off quickly. Alongside best friend and former NFL player Ray (Omar J. Dorsey), side-hustling sister Lorraine (Vanessa Ferlito), and reluctantly reformed drug dealer Hector (Jorge Garcia), Danny (Sebastian Maniscalco) must contend with his increasingly unstable clients as he tries to settle their debts – all while making plenty of risky bets of his own. I wonder how that goes for him; not too well I’m thinking. Watch it or binge it and place your bets on whether it returns for a sophomore season.  

HBO International Titles: Boom! On THURSDAY, DECEMBER 07 you can get your first dose of BOOM BOOM BRUNO. You don’t need an introduction if you know German TV. For the rest of us, it is about a city cop with an attitude and a new partner to train in his city. Bruno (Ben Becker) is not just any cop. He is Boom Boom Bruno, the district’s cowboy. Everything here is under his control. His criminals, his hookers, his boss. He is thrilled with his new partner Mark (Vincent zur Linden) – it’s up to him to teach this insecure boy to be a real man with balls. When a drag queen is found dead on his turf, however, both Bruno and Mark must fight their own prejudices and meet resistance coming from all sides to solve the case. It will take six episodes to do so.  I think you’ll get a feel for the show even though the trailer isn’t in English. Don’t worry the title will be dubbed or subtitled on Max. You’re not afraid of subtitles are you?  

HBO & Max Theatrical Movies: Think Pink! No, no they ruined their chance to have us market & promote one of the biggest movies of the year coming to our home screens. Ooooh, let’s keep it a secret, isn’t that smart? So, the pink I’m talking about isn’t a fashion doll but a British inspector of great note. He is Inspector Clouseau of the Pink Panther franchise. That’s right, I’m drawing attention to “The Pink Panther” (1963), A Shot In the Dark (1964), “Return of the Pink Panther” (1975), “The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976), “Revenge of the Pink Panther” (1978), “Trail of the Pink Panther” (1982), “Curse of the Pink Panther” (1983) and “Son of the Pink Panther” (1993).  

And instead of that plasticine boy doll how about a real man – James Bond. Now the 007 franchise has been packaged before, but this time around the choices bulge with a total of eleven titles. Who needs B…., never mind.  

HBO Documentary Films: A few final end-of-year documentaries trickle in and they look interesting indeed. The three-part documentary series MURDER IN BOSTON: ROOTS, RAMPAGE & RECKONING starts us off. The work, produced and directed by Jason Hehir (HBO’s ANDRE THE GIANT), in association with The Boston Globe, debuts MONDAY, DECEMBER 04 at 9:00 pm ET/PT, followed by episodes two and three airing subsequent Mondays at the same time. 

It explores the decades-old racial tensions that ensued following an investigation stemming from Charles “Chuck” Stuart’s 911 call reporting that he and his pregnant wife, Carol, a white couple, had been shot by a Black man in Boston’s Mission Hill neighborhood in 1989. The series chronicles the complex history of race-based hostilities in the city and the enduring, painful toll the case has had on the families and the community involved.  

It breaks down as follows:  

Episode 1: “Roots” 
Debut date: MONDAY, DECEMBER 04 at 9:00 pm ET/PT 
The shocking shooting of a white couple at the hands of an alleged Black assailant makes headlines and Boston’s facade as a progressive city begins to slip as its unsavory legacy of racial violence and segregation again comes to the fore. Tensions escalate as police descend upon the Black community, arresting their first suspect – a Black man in Mission Hill whose possession of an Adidas tracksuit puts him in their crosshairs 

Episode 2: “Rampage” 
Debut date: MONDAY, DECEMBER 11 at 9:00 pm ET/PT 
After evidence against their first suspect falls apart, the Boston Police Department continues its aggressive targeting of Black neighborhoods, eventually leading to a second suspect, a local man named William Bennett with a long police record. Bennett is arrested and held on an unrelated charge, while police continue to gather evidence against him. Newspapers vie for the chance to tell Chuck’s story as media and police ignore issues in his version of events. 

Episode 3: “Reckoning” 
Debut date: MONDAY, DECEMBER 18 at 9:00 pm ET/PT 
In a shocking twist two months after the murder, Chuck commits suicide and surprising revelations emerge from his brother, Matthew. Troubling errors in the police investigation also come to light and the Black community responds in anger at the prejudicial manhunt and the media’s handling of the story. Bostonians are left to confront the lasting impact of the Stuart case and to reflect on the enduring damage to their city. 

The HBO Original documentary GREAT PHOTO, LOVELY LIFE: FACING A FAMILY’S SECRETS, directed by Amanda Mustard and Rachel Beth Anderson, debuts TUESDAY, DECEMBER 05 (10:00-11:55 pm ET/PT). Amanda Mustard, a renowned photojournalist drawn to the power of truth-telling through the lens of her camera, returns home to Pennsylvania to investigate the multiple sexual abuse crimes committed by her grandfather. Complete with revealing interviews, archival photographs, and intimate home movies,the film documents a personal journey to not only uncover, but also understand the impact her grandfather, a local chiropractor, had on her family after committing decades of serial sexual abuse, and explores the complexities of the silence that followed. What she discovers is the dysfunction lurking in her own family, eventually bringing her to uncomfortable and unexpected confrontations and reckonings.  

For a total change of pace and a blast of fresh air check out the next choice debuting TUESDAY, DECEMBER 12 (10:00-11:55 p.m. ET/PT). It is TREES AND OTHER ENTANGLEMENTS, directed by Peabody and Emmy-winning filmmaker Irene Taylor (HBO’s “MOONLIGHT SONATA: DEAFNESS IN THREE MOVEMENTS and BEWARE THE SLENDERMAN). She crafts a poetic meditation on nature, mortality, and the passage of time in her exploration of our symbiotic nexus with trees. Weaving together several stories of arboreal adoration, the piece unfolds as a deeply human tale of our connection to the natural world and to one another. Through intimate observations and the use of artful imagery, photography, and animation, the film introduces us to a diverse range of individuals entangled with the trees they love. It sounds like a simple message, yet grand. Check out the trailer.  

The final documentary of the year clocks in on SATURDAY, DECEMBER 30 (Time TBA). As the clock counts down to the dawn of the 21st century, the world faces the largest potential technological disaster to ever threaten humanity. The problem is comically simple yet incredibly complex – a bug that could cause computers to misinterpret the year 2000 as 1900, sowing chaos throughout the world as electronic systems failed. Crafted entirely through archival footage, TIME BOMB Y2K is a prescient and often humorous tale about the power and vulnerabilities of technology. By re-appraising both the cooperative efforts and mass hysteria surrounding this millennial milestone, this film explores how modern life has been dramatically transformed by the digital revolution. It was a fave at many of the film fests this year and HBO snags its TV debut.  

MAX Original Documentary Films: The Max Original documentary OPRAH AND THE COLOR PURPLE JOURNEY, uploading THURSDAY, DECEMBER 28, provides a behind-the-scenes look into the making of the upcoming feature film “The Color Purple,” a bold new take on the classic, and the impact the story has had on our culture. Oprah Winfrey takes viewers inside the four-decade phenomenon, exploring the importance of the novel, films and musical, and the ever-evolving conversation around this seminal work. 

HBO Original Special: Want some fresh stand-up to unwrap this Holiday? Perhaps Leo Reich will make you laugh. Reich’s first solo stand-up comedy special LEO REICH: LITERALLY WHO CARES?! debuts SATURDAY, DECEMBER 16 at 10:00 pm ET/PT on HBO and will be available to stream on Max. Following rave reviews at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and an Off-Broadway run, the special from A24 taped at EartH in London this fall. Yeah, I never heard of him either, but that doesn’t mean we won’t check it out this month. In his first HBO comedy special, this self-diagnosed important young mind faces the swirling uncertainty of our collective future, asking the big questions, such as: “Is this helping?”, “Am I hot?”, and “No offense guys but literally what is going on?” Treading the line between hilarious stand-up and humorless performance art, the show blends songs, anecdotes, and anxious non-sequiturs in a valiant attempt to raise awareness about important social and political causes… or something. Uh, I’ll try to be kind. 

MAX Original Special: The streamer has a stand-up gig all of his own, though if I were this comedian, I’d be pissed that it also wasn’t on HBO for even more eyes to see. comedian, actor, and best-selling author Gary Gulman (HBO’s THE GREAT DEPRESH) offers up his hilarious insights on a range of topics – from growing up poor to pretentious suffixes – all with a generous helping of his inventive humor and absurdism. Reflecting on his eccentric Jewish American family, Gulman chronicles his childhood experiences with free school lunch programs and questionable dental care, as well as incisive swipes at billionaire-ism. With thoughtfulness and empathy, the special sheds light on the performer’s unique point-of-view on both lighthearted and serious subjects. It all comes together in GARY GULMAN: BORN ON 3RD BASE, which uploads on THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21.  

Max Kids & Family: SESAME STREET is rockin’ out its 54th season. It uploads every Thursday. According to Sesame Workshop, this season’s curriculum expands on the past season’s celebration of diversity, where “children will learn to feel confident and find joy in connecting with and learning about others, celebrating differences, and embracing similarities in their neighborhood.” New Muppet characters appearing this season include TJ (Yinan Shentu), Lalo (Andrew Cano), and Yasmine (Leila Ghaznavi).  Also introduced in this season is “Sesame Street Nature Explorers,” an animated series featuring Elmo and Tango alongside Gabrielle and her grandma Nell. Characters also have a Christmas special called ELMO & TANGO HOLIDAY HELPERS arriving THURSDAY, DECEMBER 07.  

If you want some other IP how about some Studio Ghibli & DC characters? On SUNDAY, DECEMBER 24, you can experience SPIRITED AWAY: LIVE ON STAGE. Adapted from Hayao Miyazaki’s 2001 Oscar Award-winning animated movie, the production premiered at Tokyo’s Imperial Theatre in 2022 and streamed on Hulu Japan later the same year. Tony winner John Caird (Les Misérables) helmed the production, which he adapted for stage with Maoko Imai. The production featured 32 performers and more than 50 puppets designed by Toby Olié. The only thing I don’t know for sure is whether the special is dubbed into English or subtitled. Either way, if you love the movie the stage work just might delight you and yours. The kids might prefer Scooby-Doo! and Krypto, Too!. It’s a gift for them launching on MONDAY, DECEMBER 25.  

HBO Sports: HARD KNOCKS: IN SEASON WITH THE MIAMI DOLPHINS, which debuted on November 21 on HBO has new installments on the way. New episodes pick up on TUESDAY, DECEMBER 07 9:00 pm ET/PT. The series runs through January 09, and then subsequent Tuesdays for the duration of a potential Dolphins postseason run. However, the big news in HBO Sports is the appearance of the final installment of REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL. Though not confirmed as of yet, it is likely to air on TUESDAY, DECEMBER 19 at 10:00 pm ET/PT. It is also not clear at this time on whether it will be its usual end-of-the-year roundtable or a special roundtable of its 29 seasons of sports programming for Home Box Office. What a great run!  

Other Shows On HBO or Max: There are always a list of movies that come and go and if you missed on just wait a few months and it will pop back up. However, it is a different story with series when they make the Leaving Soon list. This month we discovered some series getting purged. Now, somebody put the buzz in my ear that ENTOURAGE was the next to get the axe from Max, but I quickly put that notion to rest. The series, which ran for eight seasons, is not going anywhere. Only the 2015 movie Entourage is rotating off the streamer as of December 15. Whew! If you are an Adult Swim fan though, you are losing Frisky Dingo, Tom Goes to the Mayor, Delocated, China, IL, 12 oz Mouse and a couple more by the end of the year. Binge ‘em if you love ‘em.  

Next Month’s Tease: Her first TV role was in Mayberry R. F. D in 1968; her first film role was in 1972’s Napoleon and Samantha but her big break didn’t come until a big 1976 thriller. She comes to HBO for the first time in her long career next month.  

Last month – we admit that we literally had nothing we could count on, but there are a few inexpensive gifts as illustrated above.   

Final Clip:  Think Pink! What did you think I was going to show you, the Barbie trailer? Just run with it, okay?   

Enjoy HBO and HBOWatch 

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