November is here already, and HBO is trying to stay vital as a dearth of programming prevents it from really exploding with original content. All that will change in 2024 as only one industry union strike is still lingering on. We are sure, however, between HBO & Max, that you will find some enticing entertainment in the coming month. Here we take a look at many of the cinematic offers we can be thankful for.
A few quick points:
- THE GILDED AGE and 30 COINS hold down the dramatic front
- Sarah Lancashire & KaMillion return in their respective Max titles
- The end-of-the-year rash of documentaries starts early
- HBO Asia’s SCENT OF TIME finally airs
- SESAME STREET launches Season 54
- And we scratch our heads on why BOOKIE is not an HBO Original.
HBO Original Series: I guess we should be thankful that we have two series to get us through November, as they just got rolling on their respective seasons. Picking up with its second episode of the season on
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 05 (9:00 pm–10:00 pm ET/PT) is Julian Fellowes’ THE GILDED AGE. In Season 2 Bertha (Carrie Coon) inches toward a leading role in society always much to the disdain of Agnes (Christine Baranski), Marian (Louisa Jacobson) starts teaching, Ada (Cynthia Nixon) begins a new courtship, and Peggy (Denée Benton) taps into her activist spirit. Also, part of the season are Morgan Spector, Ben Ahlers, Michael Cerveris, Kelley Curran, Taissa Farmiga, Jack Gilpin, Simon Jones, Sullivan Jones, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Debra Monk, Donna Murphy, Kristine Nielsen, Kelli O’Hara, Patrick Page, Harry Richardson, Taylor Richardson, Blake Ritson, Douglas Sills, Erin Wilhelmi, Nathan Lane, Audra McDonald, John Douglas Thompson, Ashlie Atkinson, Laura Benanti, Nicole Brydon Bloom, Christopher Denham, David Furr, Ward Horton, Matilda Lawler, and Robert Sean Leonard.
Last month we could only get you a teaser so, here is the full trailer –
–Season 2 Episode 2 – “Some Sort Of Trick”
Debut Date: SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 05 (9:00-10:00 pm ET)
After giving Oscar his final verdict, George sends Clay to meet Mr. Henderson, the union leader at his Pittsburgh steel plant. Meanwhile, Agnes chides Ada for being too chatty during a visit with Luke Forte, Mrs. Fane arranges a match for Marian in Newport, Larry gets a new commission, and Peggy is welcomed back to 61st Street by all but one.
–Season 2 Episode 3 – “Head to Head”
Debut Date: SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 12 (9:00-10:00 pm ET)
As the opera war heats up, an unlikely guest attends Bertha’s Met fundraiser, while Agnes backs Mrs. Astor’s effort to preserve the Academy’s dominance. Meanwhile, Peggy offers to travel with Mr. Fortune to Alabama to cover a story about the Tuskegee Institute, Ada organizes a special luncheon for Mr. Forte, George attempts to sway Henderson, and Watson considers an offer.
The other series is the Spanish horror series 30 COINS. We’ll be three episodes in come MONDAY, NOVEMBER 06 (10:00-11:00 pm ET/PT). The eight-episode season of the acclaimed horror series, produced by HBO Europe in Spain, is directed by Álex de la Iglesia and co-written by Álex de la Iglesia and Jorge Guerricaechevarría. This season, some of the characters are in hiding, some are bravely investigating the mysteries at hand, and some are in hell – literally in Hell. Eduard Fernández, Megan Montaner, Miguel Ángel Silvestre, Macarena Gómez, Pepón Nieto, Cósimo Fusco, Manolo Solo, Nuria González, Javier Bódalo, Manuel Tallafé star. As previously noted, Paul Giamatti does a guest turn as a ruthless hunter for the cursed coins.
–Season 2 Episode 3 “Hellish Creatures”
Debut Date: MONDAY, NOVEMBER 06 (10:00-11:00 pm ET)
While Vergara reluctantly reunites with a former foe, Elena and Paco adjust to their unexpected new normal. Elsewhere, Antonio’s visions illuminate the horrors at the center of Barbrows’ sinister plot.
–Season 2 Episode 4 – “The Black Book of the Mad Arab”
Debut Date: MONDAY, NOVEMBER 13 (10:00-11:00 pm ET)
After Paco tells Elena the gruesome truth behind her pregnancy, Laguna goes undercover to unveil deeper mysteries about former Pedraza residents. Meanwhile, Barbrow presents Merche with a devious offer.
Now that the WGA strike has ended both REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER and LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER have gotten back into a rhythm and, of course, they have a lot to bark about. On Maher’s gig, starting for the month on FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 03 (10:00-11:00 pm ET/PT), he is back to the usual monologue, guest interview, and panel discussion. His guests since his return have been Keegan-Michael and Elle Key on the history of sketch comedy, tech ethicist (a real thing) Tristan Harris, 
Alexandra Pelosi on her latest HBO documentary THE INSURRECTIONIST NEXT DOOR, and former NY Governor Andrew Cuomo and his former Chief of Staff Melissa DeRosa. Hot topics for the panel have included the Israeli-Hamas War and the chaotic US Congress. Over on Oliver’s gig, which leads off the month on SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 05 (11:00-11:30 pm ET/PT), he tried to catch up on the last five months he sat out, from the WGA strike to Lauren Boebert as well as tackling issues like prison health care, homeschooling, food safety and the management consulting firm McKinsey. We’re guessing he found a lot wrong with each but found a humorous way of telling us about them.
Original Series Exclusive to Max: At this time there is not a trailer or teaser but just one image from the new series arriving on Max. It is a series many are interested in
taking a gander at because it is the one from Chuck Lorre (Two and a Half Men, Big Bang Theory, Young Sheldon, etc.). The show, formally known as How To Be a Bookie, is now simply titled BOOKIE and is slated to debut on THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 30. We will get you footage when it arrives, but for now, we can only offer the accompanying image and this blurb from an official press release: This darkly funny comedy follows veteran Los Angeles bookie Danny (Sebastian Maniscalco, pictured) as the potential legalization of sports gambling in California threatens to upend his business for good. Alongside best friend and former NFL player Ray (Omar J. Dorsey, pictured), side-hustling sister Lorraine (Vanessa Ferlito), and reluctantly reformed drug dealer Hector (Jorge Garcia), Danny must contend with his increasingly unstable clients as he tries to settle their debts – all while making plenty of risky bets of his own. Full of relatable mishaps, Bookie chronicles one man’s journey to adapt to an ever-changing world as he attempts to charm and con his way to the top.
Two Max series return for another season apiece. First up, debuting on THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 09, with two episodes, is RAP SH!T. It follows two estranged high school friends from Miami, Shawna (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. The eight-episode season will continue with one episode 
weekly, leading up to the season finale on Thursday, December 21. Yeah, that’s all they tell us about the second season but at least we got a trailer for this one. If you’re fans, don’t miss it. One week later (THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16) JULIA Season Two begins its upload to Max. The eight-episode second season of this Max Original debuts with three episodes on that date followed by one episode weekly through December 21. With her trailblazing cooking show up and running on the air, Julia (Sarah Lancashire) grapples with her rising celebrity and what that means for her, her colleagues, and her show. In season two, Julia and her devoted husband Paul return from Simca’s home in France to find that her success has changed everything. Through her singular joie de vivre, she and her team must navigate WGBH, the White House, and a threat from their past, while continuing to spearhead female-driven public television and confront social issues still prevalent today. With only two episodes to go DC’s DOOM PATROL wraps it up in November on THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 02 and THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 09. SCAVENGERS REIGN also lands its last trippy installment on THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 09.
HBO International Titles: This title, for whatever reason, got bumped out of this past August’s lineup and gets its time now on Max. It is SCENT OF TIME which premieres on FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 03. In this 
tale from China, 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 main 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.
HBO & Max Theatrical Movies: No new titles here. BLUE BEETLE might drop unannounced at some 
point and, I guess, BARBIE is just waiting to stop making $ at the box office. The usual recycle of older titles are always there – Act of Valor (2012), After the Thin Man (1936), Aliens (1986), The Ant Bully (2006), Arthur Christmas (2011), The Avengers (1998), The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), Bells Are Ringing (1960), Black Beauty (1994), Boys’ Night Out (1962), Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo (1984), Brigadoon (1954), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), A Christmas Carol (1938), Christmas in Connecticut (1945), A Christmas Story (1983), A Christmas Story 2 (2012), A Cinderella Story (2004), Definitely, Maybe (2008), Dennis the Menace (1993), A Dennis the Menace Christmas (2007), The Devil Wears Prada (2006), Diner (1982), Down to Earth (2001), Dune (1984), Elf (2003), The Fantastic Four (2015), Fever 
Pitch (2005), The Foot Fist Way (2008), Four Christmases (2008), Fred Claus (2007), Free Fire (2017), Funny Farm (1988), Get Carter (1971), Get Smart (2008),The Golden Compass (2007), Gran Torino (2008), Great Expectations (1998), Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), Happy Feet (2006), Happy Feet Two (2011), Head of State (2003), Hearts in Atlantis (2001), High Life (2019), Holiday Affair (1949), Inkheart (2009), Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015), Jack Frost (1998), John Dies at the End (2013), Kart Racer (2003), 
Killing Me Softly (2003), Kin (2018), The King’s Speech (2010), Legally Blonde (2001), Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde (2003), Legally Blondes (2009), The Lovely Bones (2010), Major League (1989), The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942), The Manchurian Candidate (2004), Mean Girls 2 (2011), Misery (1990), Mistress America (2015), Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (2019), National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989), New Year’s Eve (2011), Now You See Me (2013), Now You See Me 2 (2016), Ordinary People (1980), Paddington 2 (2017), Paycheck (2003), The Pirate (1948) Pitch Perfect 2 (2015), The Polar Express (2004), Predators (2010), The Prince and the Pauper (1937), Road House (1989), Rocky 
(1976), Rocky Balboa (2006), Rocky II (1979), Rocky III (1982), Rocky IV (1985), Rocky V (1990) , Room for One More (1952), Running on Empty (1988), The Shop Around the Corner (1940), Song of the Thin Man (1947), Traffik (2018) , The Two Mrs. Carrolls (1947), Unfinished Business (2015), Uptown Girls (2003), Walking Tall (2004), Wargames (1983), Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins (2008), Welcome To Marwen (2018), Where the Boys Are (1960), Winter’s Bone (2010) and Winter’s Tale (2014).
I don’t know if I’ve ever totally listed each and every movie of the month or not. At least I didn’t do the quick cut & paste like so many other sites do. No, this is HBOWatch! As not to jump too soon on Holiday fare, let’s single out a trailer from a non-Christmas movie, shall we?
HBO Documentary Films: There are a total of eight documentaries coming to HBO in November. It is 
often the case that at the end of the year, they dump all they have left onto the schedule. That doesn’t mean they are not good and valid works, in fact, some of them come off of film festivals where they first received attention. We look briefly at each, listed in chronological order by debut date. That means we start off with something called STAND UP & SHOUT: SONGS FROM A PHILLY HIGH SCHOOL, debuting TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 07 (9:00-10:00 pm ET/PT). The film follows 10th graders from Hill-Freedman World Academy, a Philadelphia public school, who take part in a unique songwriting collaboration. Working in teams with local musicians, students come together to create an album of powerful original songs that capture both the challenging times they’re living in and the joy that music brings. It explores the transformative power of music and how arts education can unlock creativity and be a source of hope and healing. That is followed on WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 08 (9:00-10:40 pm ET/PT) by YOU WERE MY FIRST BOYFRIEND. Directed and produced by Cecilia Aldarondo, this piece is a high school reunion movie turned inside out as the filmmaker quests to reconcile her tortured teen years. Going between present and past, humor and heartbreak, this hybrid documentary takes seriously the power of adolescence, and the way time impacts memories, exploring what it means to grow up and make 
peace with the drama of our teenage trauma via recollections and immersive re-enactments. Director Rob Reiner took the helm of the next film on the slate, as he pays tribute to a beloved colleague. ALBERT BROOKS: DEFENDING MY LIFE chronicles Brooks’ very early work all the way to the present day. In this deep and personal conversation, Reiner and Brooks explore the origins and evolution of Brooks’ career, the impetus for his creativity, and the impact he has had on the world of comedy. Albert Brooks has been a major force in American comedy with his smart, sometimes absurdist, and truly unique sense of humor. From stand-up to acting, to writing and directing short films, to his seven iconic, original motion pictures he comes away revered in his community and gets this biography which debuts SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 11(8:00-9:30 pm ET/PT). One more 
title before a video break; that title is LOVE HAS WON, premiering MONDAY, NOVEMBER 13 (9:00-10:00 pm ET/PT). There is no official word yet from HBO, but this docuseries is a doozy. Love Is Won is the name of a Colorado cult in which its founder and leader Amy Carlson was eventually found deceased and mummified in glitter. The group proclaimed that Carlson was a divine, 19-billion-year-old being who had birthed all creation. She claimed she had been reincarnated 534 times, including as Jesus, Joan of Arc, Marilyn Monroe and Cleopatra. The docuseries will reveal all via the work of filmmaker Hanna Olson.
Three more titles to inform you of leading off with HOW WE GET FREE. This is one of those festival darlings I spoke of. It posits a simple premise, which almost sounds like something John Oliver would rant 
about on his show. It is all about paying jail bail and one activist behind it. Over the course of two years, this film has followed Elisabeth Epps as she works to end cash bail on all fronts: from bailing people out of jail to protesting in the streets to running for office as one of the first abolitionist candidates in Colorado. It is directed by Geeta Gandbhir & Samantha Knowles and has evidently struck a nerve. Inspired by a New York Times article, this film follows Elisabeth Epps over the course of two years as she works to abolish cash bail in Colorado and put an end to the criminalization of poverty. Epps is the founder and leader of the Colorado Freedom Fund, one of nearly 100 community bail funds around the country that help incarcerated people who can’t afford their bail before trial. For Epps, this work is personal – she spent time in jail herself, bearing witness to the conditions she is so desperate to change. This bold woman and equally bold concept play out for the first time on HBO TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14 (9:00-9:35 pm ET/PT). We knew the Harry Potter franchise was going to get some additional attention from WBD but a documentary associated with that property was not expected. The HBO Original documentary DAVID HOLMES: THE BOY WHO LIVED, executive produced by Daniel Radcliffe and directed by Dan Hartley (Lad: A Yorkshire Story), 
debuts WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15 (9:00-10:30 pm ET/PT) on HBO. The film is a coming-of-age story of stuntman David Holmes, a prodigious teenage gymnast from Essex, England, who is selected to play Daniel Radcliffe’s stunt double in the first Harry Potter film when Daniel is just eleven. Over the next ten years, the two form an inextricable bond, but on the penultimate film a tragic accident on set leaves David paralyzed with a debilitating spinal injury, turning his world upside down. As Daniel and his closest stunt colleagues rally to support David and his family in their moment of need, it is David’s extraordinary spirit of resilience that becomes their greatest source of strength and inspiration. Featuring candid personal footage shot over the last decade, behind-the-scenes material from Holmes’ stunt work, scenes of his current life and intimate interviews with David, Daniel Radcliffe, friends, family, and former crew, the film also reflects universal themes of living with adversity, growing up, forging identities in an uncertain world, and the bonds that bind us together and lift us up. The last title to get in there before the month runs out is SOUTH TO BLACK POWER, debuting on TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 28. It is inspired by New York Times columnist and 
bestselling author Charles Blow’s provocative book, which calls for a reverse “great migration” of African Americans from the North back to the South to reclaim the land, political representation, and culture that they left behind, and in so doing, forever transform the power structure in America. In his provocative 2021 book, “The Devil You Know: A Black Power Manifesto”, he calls for a “reverse Great Migration” of African Americans from the North back to the South. This film does more however than just illustrate Blow’s enlightening ideas; we journey through Blow’s personal story, from his childhood in Louisiana to his role as father to young adult children in New York City, showing us the hard-won truths behind his vision for the future. , That’s a novel power play I haven’t heard about – Blacks out to reclaim the South as their own. What do you think? You think it’s time for another well-placed video clip leaving all this to ponder another day.
MAX Original Documentary Films: On the other hand, the streamer has only two new documentaries to present. Arriving on MONDAY, NOVEMBER 06 is something called GUMBO COALITION. Driven by a mutual determination not to be “the generation that allows progress to slip,” national social justice leaders Marc Morial of National Urban League and Janet Murguía of UnidosUS join forces to fight structural racism 
amid a troubling resurgence of white supremacy in the Trump era. Two-time Academy Award-winning filmmaker Barbara Kopple takes a vérité approach to examine the experiences that have shaped Morial and Murguía into leaders of their diverse African American and Latinx American communities as they navigate the complex arc of racial justice in the pandemic years. Produced by Bungalow Media + Entertainment for CNN Films and HBO Max, in association with Rolling Stone Films, director Lisa Cortés’ Sundance opening night documentary LITTLE RICHARD: I AM EVERYTHING tells the story of the Black queer origins of rock n’ roll, exploding the whitewashed canon of American pop music to reveal the innovator – the originator – Richard Penniman. Through a wealth of archive and performance that brings us into Richard’s complicated inner world, the film unspools the icon’s life story with all its switchbacks and contradictions. In interviews with family, musicians, and cutting-edge Black and queer scholars, the film reveals how Richard created an art form for ultimate self-expression, yet what he gave to the world he was never able to give to himself. Throughout his life, Richard careened like a shiny cracked pinball between God, sex and rock n’ roll. The world tried to put him in a box, but Richard was an omni being who contained multitudes – he was unabashedly everything.
HBO Original Special: This is a perfect segue way into this announcement. NOTE: THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME INDUCTION CEREMONY is not on the line-up as usual because – it is now on Disney+. Yeah, I gasped as well.
MAX Original Special: All I can say about THE DOG HOUSE: UK, the show about a dog adoption agency in England, has a Christmas special coming to Max on THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16. Yeah, for the canines!
HBO/Max Kids & Family: The big news here is all about our friends on a unique little street not too far away from anywhere. SESAME STREET’s 54th season will premiere on Max on THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 09. 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). In the season’s premiere, reporter Grover is on the street finding out if people, monsters, and fairies can be friends even if they’re of different ages, cheering for different sports teams, and like to do different things. Well, at least they can in the ideal world of Sesame Street and hopefully, your neighborhood too. The season will run for a total of 35 episodes concluding on Thursday, July 04, 2024.
Other Shows On HBO or Max: To pad out the slate is quite a bit of imported Discovery content. All kinds of unscripted & “unscripted” content is there. We just aren’t in the habit of acknowledging it for reasons we have wailed about plenty of times before. I rather you find in old classic HBO titles like 
CARNIVALE, or a string of old stand-up stints like George Carlin’s HBO specials, including CARLIN AT CARNEGIE. Some of my favorites are international titles like EL HIPNOTIZADOR or maybe you can pick a Max title you have seen yet like THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT. Just have fun and be thankful HBO is still around.
Next Month’s Tease: Is there anything else in the can available new and fresh for December? You better hope there is a present awaiting. By the time BOOKIE comes around we will know and pass it on to you.
Last month – Just a one-word tease last time out. I asked if you could cite KaMillion. She is one of the leads alongside Aida Osman of RAP SH!T, which is coming up with a fresh season this month.
Final Clip: Bon Appetit!
Enjoy HBO and HBOWatch
