The HBO Max Factor

The vast streaming landscape is marked by ebbs and flows, with properties changing hands at dizzying rates as platforms pop up and shut down seemingly at random. So why, exactly, did the internet go into a tizzy earlier this month when word broke that HBO Max’s original streaming content seemed to be in peril, thanks to the Warner Bros.–Discovery merger? The answer is simple, writes Chris Murphy: It’s because HBO Max has “become one of the only streaming platforms to distinguish itself in recent years. Despite launching only two years ago, in May of 2020, HBO Max almost immediately created real brand loyalty—in a fraction of the time it took for streaming competitors like Netflix and Hulu.” 

Elsewhere in HWD, Joy Press recommends Apple TV+’s sharp black comedy Bad Sisters; Yohana Desta dissects the fittingly mind-bending end of The Rehearsal season one; Anthony Breznican gets the inside story on the most disturbing and memorable scene from episode one of House of the Dragon; and Richard Lawson and Josh Wigler debut their podcast about the new Game of Thrones prequel.

It’s Not TV

A diverse set of quality original content—now apparently imperiled—has turned HBO Max into the young, cool, queer streaming platform.

R E A D  M O R E »

Sister, Sister, Sister, Sister

A toxic man is hard to kill in Sharon Horgan’s cheeky new Apple TV+ series.

R E A D  M O R E »

The Surreal Life

Nathan Fielder’s grand experiment came to a riveting end in the last episode of The Rehearsal’s first season. Spoilers ahead!

R E A D  M O R E »

Gird Your Loins

George R.R. Martin and Ryan J. Condal know that bloody birth scene was horrific and disturbing. Here’s why they say it was necessary.

R E A D  M O R E »

Heirs of the Dragon

Richard Lawson and Josh Wigler break down the return to Westeros, the cost of all that violence, and why it might be fair to read a little into that moment between uncle and niece.

R E A D  M O R E »