Hey, be thankful HBO is offering up cinematic treats to subscribers in November. There is plenty to sample between nibbling on Football snacks and Thanksgiving turkey. There are specials and movies and more to enjoy, even if we have no dramatic series this month, so let us take a gander at the bounty with What’s On.
Original Series: To start us off Larry & company keeps going strong each Sunday night at 10:00pm ET. Here is the breakdown for CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM:
–Episode #86 (season 9, episode 6): “The Accidental Text on Purpose”
Debut date: SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 05 (10:00-10:40pm)
Larry (Larry David) invents an ingenious ploy for getting his friends out of relationship jams. Larry upsets Funkhouser’s (Bob Einstein) new girlfriend. Story by Larry David & Jeff Schaffer & Jon Hayman; directed by Larry Charles.
–Episode #87 (season 9, episode 7): “Namaste”
Debut date: SUNDAY, NOVEMBER12 (10:00-10:35pm)
Larry (Larry David) angers a hot yoga teacher, has an auspicious first date and seethes over a run-in with an unfair Uber driver. Story by Larry David & Jeff Schaffer; directed by Jessie Nelson.
–Episode #88 (season 9, episode 8): “Never Wait for Seconds!”
Debut date: SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 19 (10:00-10:35pm)
Bridget (Lauren Graham) asks Larry (Larry David) for a favor on behalf of her son. Larry earns unexpected gratitude in a buffet line, and realizes that tips are better than favors. Story by Larry David & Jeff Schaffer; directed by Robert B. Weide.
–Episode #89 (season 9, episode 9): “The Shucker”
Debut date: SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 26 (10:00-10:45pm)
Larry (Larry David) is blackmailed by an employee and tormented by someone from his past. Jeff (Jeff Garlin) and Larry pitch a new creative venture. Susie (Susie Essman) gets turned on by a surprising source. Story by Larry David & Jeff Schaffer & Justin Hurwitz; directed by Jeff Schaffer.
What went down at North Jackson High comes to a close, and we are not talking about just for a Holiday break. In November VICE PRINCIPALS concludes with its final two episodes of the series. Here is a bit about each:
–Episode #17 (season 2, episode 8): “Venetian Nights”
Debut: SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 05 at (10:40-11:10 p.m. ET/PT)
Tensions between Gamby (Danny McBride) and Russell (Walton Goggins) come to a head as prom night approaches. Written by Danny McBride & John Carcieri & Jeff Fradley; directed by Danny McBride.
–Episode #18 (season 2, episode 9): “The Union of the Wizard & the Warrior” (series finale)
Debut: SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 12 (10:35-11:05 p.m.)
The school year comes to a startling end. Written by Danny McBride & John Carcieri & Jeff Fradley; directed by David Gordon Green.
The TRACEY ULLMAN’S SHOW will still offer up her style of shenanigans yet this month before concluding. The show continues FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 03 at 11:00pm and the season ends on NOVEMBER 24 for a total of six episodes. I guess we will have to wait and see what characters from her brain show up week by week as there is no breakdown.
Both REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER and LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER conclude their respective seasons in November. Maher’s show airs twice on FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 03 and 10 (10:00-11:00pm), and Oliver’s show airs twice on SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 05 and 12 (11:00-11:30pm. VICE NEWS TONIGHT, the half-hour nightly newscast from VICE Media and HBO, debuts a new edition WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 01 (7:30-8:00pm), followed by other new editions subsequent weeknights.
Movies: We are definitely getting tasty morsels of movie magic in November. The movies debuting Saturday night are GET OUT, THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE, THE GREAT WALL and KONG: SKULL ISLAND. Does that sound like a fun lineup or what?
Meeting your girlfriend’s parents for the first time always marks a big milestone in a relationship. But for Chris Washington in GET OUT the encounter soon feels like a terrifying trip into the Twilight Zone in 
this hit horror film from Jordan Peele (of Key & Peele fame). Daniel Kaluuya stars as the lucky-in-love photographer whose weekend with girlfriend Allison Williams’ (from GIRLS) seemingly perfect parents takes a frightening turn in this shocker that serves as a sharp social satire. It debuts SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 04 at 8:00pm. In the dark streets of Lego Gotham City, one man stands alone…until now. In this raucous spin-off from The Lego Movie, called THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE, Batman is faced with the unthinkable concept of having to work with others if he wants to stop the latest nefarious plans of his arch-nemesis, the Joker. Featuring the voices of Will Arnett, Michael Cera, Rosario Dawson and Ralph Fiennes. Directed by Chris McKay. It debuts SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 11 at 8:00pm
The next Saturday, NOVEMBER 18 we have a change of time. Note that THE GREAT WALL begins at 6:15pm. Yeah, The Great Wall of China–one of the great wonders of the world…and the only thing standing between life and death at the hands of a monstrous threat. From visionary director Zhang Yimou comes this eye-popping monster movie starring Matt Damon as a highly skilled mercenary taken captive by a Chinese military group–the Nameless Order–whose sole task is to repel an attack. We get to witness it. But, then we can really go bananas on SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 25 with KONG: SKULL ISLAND. Remember, in a world where monsters exist, Kong is King! The second installment in the “MonsterVerse” series of films that began with 2014’s Godzilla, this kaiju-inspired epic is a rollicking adventure that follows an expedition to the mythical Skull Island–a place crawling with prehistoric dangers, led by the giant ape himself, King Kong.
HBO Documentary Films: Boom! All of a sudden we got a big dose of documentary content in November. They start with ROLLING STONE: STORIES FROM THE EDGE, an exhilarating two-part, visual and musical experience that highlights the magazine’s history, directed by Oscar-winner Alex Gibney. Part I debuts MONDAY, NOVEMBER 06 at 9:00pm. Part II begins TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 07 also at 9:00pm. Next, is WAR DOG: A SOLDIER’S BEST FRIEND from executive producer Channing Tatum. It is all about soldiers and the bond they have with their K9 debuting MONDAY, NOVEMBER 13 at 8:00pm. We knew 
this next documentary was coming for a while. It is BALTIMORE RISING which follows activists, police officers, community leaders and gang affiliates, who struggle to hold Baltimore together, even as the homicide rate hits record levels in the wake of the 2015 death of Freddie Gray. It is from someone who cares for Baltimore, THE WIRE’s Sonja Sohn. We conclude the month with METH STORM on Monday, November 27 at the later hour of 10:00pm. It tells further stories of that epidemic that will not go away. We won’t go away as we will cover that film and all the others in the coming month.
HBO Special: John Stewart finally makes it on HBO and offers up a little something special programming for a special cause. Check out the all-star benefit NIGHT OF TOO MANY STARS: AMERICA UNITES FOR AUTISM PROGRAMS. It will be seen live SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 18 beginning at 8:00pm (ET)/5:00pm (PT). Presented in partnership with NEXT for AUTISM from The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. The all-star benefit, hosted by Jon Stewart and streamed live on HBO NOW and HBO GO will include stand-up performances, sketches and short films, all for a great cause.
HBO Kids: For almost five decades, SESAME STREET has been helping kids grow smarter, stronger and kinder. This November, the groundbreaking show kicks off its 48th season. The new season features the new segment “Cookie Monster’s Foodie Truck.” In each five-minute installment, Cookie Monster and his new pal, Gonger (pictured), receive a video call from a child who orders something special 
from their food truck. Partway through each recipe, Cookie and Gonger jump behind the wheel to gather a key ingredient straight from the source, visiting a cranberry bog, a pasta factory, an avocado farm and more. Farmers and artisans show Cookie and Gonger how their star ingredient is grown or produced before restocking the truck and sending the chefs home to get cooking. It’s an engaging way for kids to learn where food comes from. Continuing Sesame Workshop’s acclaimed kindness curriculum, the new season of SESAME STREET also focuses on respect and understanding, helping kids recognize similarities and celebrate differences – particularly involving race, ethnicity and socioeconomic class. The children’s show debuts SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 18 at 9:00am with new installments each week at that time. Here is the breakdown of its premiere weeks:
–Season 48, Episode 1: “A Sesame Street Thanksgiving”
Debut: SATURDAY, NOV. 18 (9:00-9:30am)
Elmo, Big Bird, Rosita, Alan, Julia, Nina and the rest of the neighborhood gather to appreciate all the traditions, cultures, and delicious foods their community has to offer. Guest star: Leon Bridges.
–Season 48, Episode 2: “Hair Training”
Debut: SATURDAY, NOV. 25 (9:00-9:30am)
Friends learn that even though their hair (and feathers, and fur!) moves in unique ways, they all have something fun to add to a group dance.
Sesame Workshop kicks off the new season with a special debuting SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 11 from 7:00–7:45pm entitled THE MAGICAL WAND CHASE: A SESAME STREET SPECIAL. In it, Abby takes the Sesame Street gang on a magical hot air balloon ride high above the city. The characters take time to marvel at the sights, but as they prepare to return home, a bird nabs Abby’s wand, leaving the group unable to find its way back to their street. While making daring attempts to retrieve the wand and trying to chase the plucky bird in a thrilling series of scenes, Abby and the gang find new neighborhoods, each with its own foods, music and languages. The brave adventurers meet new friends in every neighborhood who unite to track the bird, return the wand to Abby and finally make their way back home. Guest star: Elizabeth Banks.
HBO Sports: Another boom is heard when we see that three boxing bouts will play out on HBO in November. The first battle is on SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 04 beginning at 5:45pm with the BOXING AFTER DARK: DMITRY BIVOL VS. TRENT BROADHURST fight. Dmitry Bivol (11-0, 9 KOs), defends his WBA title against Australian Trent Broadhurst with the exciting 26-year-old looking to add another KO to his impressive record. The Russian’s fearsome reputation continues to grow and picked up the crown in just his seventh pro fight, and has wowed crowds in his homeland and the US. Broadhurst (20-1, 12 KOs), has been on a fine run of his own though, and the 29-year-old Queenslander is aiming to add to the feel-good factor in boxing Down Under and take his golden opportunity with both hands.
The next round comes up on SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 11 with WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING: DANIEL JACOBS VS. LUIS ARIAS. Former middleweight champ Daniel “Miracle Man” Jacobs (32-2, 29 KOs), returns to action against undefeated middleweight Luis Arias (18-0, 9 KOs), in the big bout of a triple-header. The other bouts are Jarrell Miller vs. Mariusz Wach and Cletus Seldin vs. Roberto Ortiz. The action starts at 10:00pm ET. Another big card takes the squared ring on SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 25 with a 10:00pm bell time. It is WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING: SERGEY KOVALEV VS. VYACHESLAV SHABRANSKYY. Also duking it out is Sullivan Barrera vs. Felix Valera & Jason Sosa vs. Robinson Castellanos. Fans are already buzzing about the upcoming battle between former unified light heavyweight world champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev and Vyacheslav “Lion Heart” Shabranskyy. Now this much-anticipated event on Saturday, November 25 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden will also include another exciting bout in the light heavyweight division between Cuban Sullivan Barrera (20-1, 14 KOs) and former WBA Interim Light Heavyweight Champion Felix “Mangu” Valera (15-1, 13 KOs) of the Dominican Republic.
REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL next installment debuts TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21 at 10:00pm. THE FIGHT GAME WITH JIM LAMPLEY goes another round WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 08 at 11:00pm. Here is a highlight from the last edition from Gumbel’s team:
Other Movies and Shows: I draw your attention to HBO FIRST LOOK: THE SHAPE OF WATER debuting 11.28. There are three movies debuting on HBO that did not get a Saturday night berth. First is A UNITED KINGDOM with David Oyelowo which premieres on Monday, 44.13 at 9:15pm. When an African prince marries a white British clerk in the late 1940s, their union sets off an unexpected diplomatic firestorm and international political crisis. David Oyelowo and Rosamund Pike star in this true story of a love. Also, Jason Statham returns as master assassin Arthur Bishop in MECHANIC: RESURRECTION debuting on that channel on 11.19 and the Orcs take over on 11.26. In time for Veteran’s Day is the rebroadcast of a timely documentary. It has been called “the saddest acre in America.” It is also one of the most sacred. Section 60 in Arlington National Cemetery is the final resting place for young men and women who died fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. See SECTION 60: ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY airing a few times in early November. Lastly, to replace THE DUECE on Sunday nights will be another airing of the Saturday night movie.
HBO’s Other Platforms: With a change in HBO’s Schedule module it makes it a bit harder to sort this grouping out because it doesn’t designate “New” content anymore, but here is my best attempt. HBO Latino: This channel is starting up the second season of EL HIPNOTIZADOR on 11.10 at 10:00pm. This is the story of Arenas (Leonardo Sbaraglia), a hypnotist and mysterious, isolated man with an enigmatic 
past who suffers from perpetual insomnia. He uses a special hypnosis technique, to solve other people’s problems by putting them into a trance in order to reveal their inner, darkest secrets. There is the short film A PRUEBA (On Trial) on 11.01 about an aspiring border guard who begins to doubt everything when she learns that a simple traffic ticket can turn into blackmail. EL PESO DE LA LEY (The Weight of the Law) in which a young lawyer goes up against the justice system to defend a man accused of a crime in a small town where no one believes his story. It begins 11.03. An unlikely friendship develops between a wealthy, quadriplegic businessman and the 
inexperienced caregiver he hires in INSEPARABLES debuting 11.10. Lastly, on 11.17 is the debut of CUENTAS POR COBRAR (Achilles’ Redemption). After serving a 10-year stretch in jail, a man tries to redeem himself and go straight but is tempted to follow a different path in order to save the life of his son. HBO Family: Let’s see, what titles haven’t I mentioned from this channel in a while? I don’t know, but there are the usual Ice Age & Muppet movies. Oh, THE GOLDEN COMPASS hasn’t mean mentioned in a while nor has CATCH THAT KID or MARTIAN CHILD. HBO Signature: I really miss the notation of what new on this channel. I’ll just offer some programming I like. For Veteran’s Day, it is airing all ten episodes of THE PACIFIC. There is also PANIC ROOM, WELCOME TO MOOSEPORT, THE SUM OF ALL FEARS, SILK and GOODBYE SOLO. HBO Comedy: If your preference is laughter than this channel has the likes of OPERATION DUMBO DROP, THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK, and FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH. HBO Zone: There is KISS AND KILL about a randy housewife who falls victim to a blackmail scheme after picking up a stranger in a bar, SWEET NOVEMBER and the animated BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE. Hopefully, HBO will tweak their site to make it easier to single out the premiere content again. HBONow/Go: There is also no easy click of the mouse to find out what is new to the sites. I am not 100% in favor of the new design. Here is a listing of some movies coming to the sites: three FAST & 
FURIOUS movies, ALONG CAME A SPIDER BATCHELOR PARTY, BIRD ON A WIRE, BRIDE OF CHUCKY, 2008’s version of THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, PALE RIDER and W. One of the Collection on the sites is the Hidden Gems Collection which suggests you give blockbusters a rest and take in one of these titles: CROOKLYN, DEATH RACE, EVERYTHING MUST GO, LOVE LIZA, RABBIT HOLE, ROCKNROLLA, SHOOT ‘EM UP, SOLARIS, SOMETIMES IN APRIL, STICK IT AND TRADERS. What the hell, here is some Batman to close this section.
Cinemax: Sadly, I’m kind of starved of news from the sister channel. It has big plans for 2018 but until then it is business as usual. So, this month we’ll focus on some classic cinema to be found. You can find, for example, BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID, THE FULL MONTY, THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT, JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH, RAGING BULL, WAR GAMES and 
PRIVATE BENJAMIN. Hell, I can’t keep this up, you know Cinemax, it has a hundred movies or more in any given month. In originals, you can always catch up on STRIKE BACK before its relaunch or check out BANSHEE. But, whatever you do don’t forget the final two episodes of MIKE JUDGE PRESENTS: TALES FROM THE TOUR BUS. On FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 03 is “Waylon Jennings (Part II)” and the season finale is “Blaze Foley” debuting NOVEMBER 10. Both episodes begin at 10:00pm.
Next Month’s Tease: This action movie character goes by a few names but he was born James Howlett in northern Alberta, Canada, during the late 1880s, purportedly to rich farm owners John and Elizabeth Howlett, though he is actually the illegitimate son of the Howletts’ groundskeeper, Thomas Logan. The movie he is in debuts on HBO in December. Who is he?
Last month’s Tease offered us up the name – Rose Armitage. You needed to know that is the girlfriend from GET OUT played by Allison Williams of HBO’s GIRLS. Come back to HBOWatch to get our review when GET OUT premieres.
Final Clip: In November we are off to a remote island for KONG: SKULL ISLAND
And we are out of here. Enjoy your November with HBO, HBOWatch and your Thanksgiving.
