Still, focus on the well-told, well-made, well-acted journey and you’ll enjoy a fantastic ride. Even complete newbies probably heard about the disappointing finale. Millions of viewers couldn’t stop talking about the bloody battles for the Iron Throne, Daenerys Targaryen’s dragons, how the Lannisters pay their debts and the brutal misfortunes of House Stark.
Even if you haven’t seen the series before, you probably know quite a lot about it - Game of Thrones is one of the last pieces of monoculture around. But now is the perfect time to watch it for the first time if you’re new to HBO Max or revisit it if you’re a longtime HBO subscriber.
Well, technically, winter already came and went over the course of eight years on HBO. The end-of-show bit from Oscar the Grouch is a great callback to how other late night talk shows work. We’re three episodes into The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo, and if the next episodes are as good as the first few (John Mulaney races Elmo around the office in episode 3), the faux-late night show may prove a sleeper hit… even if parents want to reduce (not grow) Elmo’s presence in their households. That’s probably for the best right now, and I’d much rather have musical guests, like episode 1’s special treat: country western superstar Kacey Musgraves performing a cover of “Rubber Ducky.”
Elmo’s also approaching the talk show format a bit differently: without the news. Not only does Elmo perform the show right before his bedtime, but his parents are there at the start and end of every episode.
The Not-Too-Late Show With Elmo is shockingly charming, and that’s coming from someone with next to no interest in children’s TV or family friendly content. Their one-night stand becomes something more, though misunderstandings and obstacles get in the way.
On New Year’s Eve, she meets a handsome stranger who turns out to be movie star Tom Kapoor (Nikesh Patel). Jessie (Rose Matafeo) is a twentysomething New Zealander who’s living in London and working odd jobs as a nanny and a cinema clerk. Take Notting Hill, center it around a Fleabag-style hot mess and you’ve got this endlessly charming romantic comedy. Meanwhile, Brooke scours TikTok, looking for a rising star she can manage. Cary is working as the video host of a gossip segment and has a boyfriend. Season 2 finds mom Pat (Molly Shannon) bringing in the big bucks as a daytime talk show host.
To catch you up, it follows two siblings - gay aspiring actor Cary (Drew Tarver) and former pro dancer Brooke (Heléne Yorke) - after their younger brother, Chase (Case Walker), suddenly become a YouTube-famous singer. Now, the show has moved to HBO Max, where I hope it can find more of an audience because it’s genuinely funny. The comedy about fame was never a huge hit when it aired on Comedy Central, so a lot of people haven’t even heard of it. Newark’s race riots of 1967 serve as a backdrop and catalyst, as Dickie faces off against his onetime associate Harold McBrayer (Leslie Odom Jr.). Much like his nephew does a few decades later, Dickie juggles family problems with his work as a violent mobster. He’s also father to Christopher (Michael Imperioli), who acts as narrator. That’s Dickie Moltisanti (Alessandro Nivola), Tony’s uncle and mentor. Tony is a young man (played by Michael Gandolfini, an almost uncanny match to his dad) and not the central character.
But how did Tony become who and what he is? Creator David Chase lays the foundation for his rise in this prequel film, which goes back to the late 1960s. When the show began on HBO, Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) was already an established mob boss. It kicked off a new golden era of television - call it the godfather of prestige TV. The Sopranos is one of the best and most beloved series of all time. Best new movies and shows on HBO Max The Many Saints of Newark