HBO has another major hit with “The Last Of Us,” its first season premiering now. But as “Succession” approaches its fourth season, its projected end after Season 5 looms. So what will take its place on the HBO grandstand? Variety reports that according to HBO/HBO Max content CEO Casey Bloys, it won’t be a second season of “Mare Of Easttown.”
Bloys dismissed a potential Season 2 for the acclaimed Emmy-winning limited series from 2021, which stars Kate Winslet as a small-town Pennsylvania detective. However, series creator Brad Ingelsby, currently on an overall deal with HBO, is working on a new crime show for the network. Unfortunately for Winslet, who was high on making another season, it won’t be “Mare Of Easttown” Season 2. But the actress will be back on HBO soon enough with “The Palace,” a limited series about the final year of a crumbling fascist regime. “I will tell you, I saw the first day of dailies with Kate, and she just inhabits her character and is so good,” Bloys told Variety about the series, so I’m excited about that.”
And what about another huge HBO hit from a couple of years ago, Damon Lindelof’s “Watchmen”? Bloy says more of that series won’t happen without Lindelof. “‘Watchmen’ was so much his creation,” Bloys said. “If he doesn’t think there’s a story that he wants to put his heart and soul into, it’s hard for me to think that it would be worth doing. It was a very special limited series for us. I would put it in the pantheon of HBO greats. If Damon ever wants to revisit it, he knows that it’s an open door. But it is hard for me to imagine doing one without him.”
Are any other potential HBO projects Bloys guarantees won’t happen? HBO kicked around a few scripts for a “True Blood” reboot, but according to Bloys, there was “nothing that felt like it got there.” Also not happening: a rumored “Six Feet Under” revival. But a TV adaptation of Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite” is still in development, as are the slew of various “Game Of Thrones” spin-offs, including the one about Jon Snow. But Bloys said there’s nothing new to say about any of those projects.
And Bloys also hinted that comedy as a TV genre may change significantly in the next couple of years, as production costs on comedy series typically outweigh their critical response. “Comedy budgets got a little bit out of whack compared to how they perform,” explained Bloys. “You’re going to see some contraction there. You’re going to see, maybe, reining in some costs in comedy across the board as an industry.”
That’s all food for thought for HBO/HBO Max subscribers. As for upcoming releases, “Perry Mason” Season 2 premieres on March 6, while “Succession” Season 4 hits the network on March 26. So, even if “Mare Of Easttown” and “Watchmen” may not get future reasons, plenty of high-quality content is still coming to HBO regularly.