Photography and Videography by Dijana Mesin
The Girls On The Bus TV series showcases the ethical dilemmas that come about when politics meshes with friendships.
The highly anticipated show, The Girls On The Bus, is finally available on HBO Max! Featuring an all-star cast including Melissa Benoist, Carla Gugino, Natasha Behnam, Christina Elmore, Brandon Scott, Griffin Dunne, Mark Consuelos and Scott Foley.
The new series Bookie is now streaming on Max.
Bookie is a new comedy series that follows longtime bookie Danny (Sebastian Maniscalco) and his best friend Ray (Omar J. Dorsey) as they collect bets, and try to keep their gambling business afloat in Los Angeles. Cast also includes Vanessa Ferlito, Jorge Garcia, Andrea Anders and Maxim Swinton, with appearances from Charlie Sheen, Ray Romano and Angus T. Jones. The series is created by Chuck Lorre and Nick Bakay.
The Knockturnal recently interviewed Omar and Sebastian about the series. They told us about the origin of this show, working with the creators and finding chemistry with their co-stars. Following his audition, Omar showed up for his chemistry test with Sebastian, he told us, “we were knocking it out of the park…throwing it back and forth with the jokes and it felt really good and it just felt like we were a team.” Sebastian was already signed up to star in this show and he told us about finding his screen partner, “we met Omar at the screen test, he was the guy. He had a swagger about him.” From the first days of filming to wrapping this series the guys knew they had created an extremely funny show. Sabastian told us, “it’s digestible comedy, it’s quick, it’s clever. You get to see a great cast, a collaboration of some really, really great talent.”
Watch Bookie now on Max with new episodes on Thursdays.
“Full Circle” comes to tell a story about how there’s a domino effect in everything you do. The actions you take effect not only you, but affect other people. With renowned actors like Timothy Olyphant and Claire Danes, to name a few, and some new faces, it has an excellent mix for the show. Steven Soderbergh directed the show, Zazie Beats, who plays Mel Harmony, said that she took the role of Mel because Soderbergh was directing it. “He works so quickly. He directs and operates as well, so he’s very much a part of the scene. That’s pretty unusual because most of the time directors are sitting at a monitor or in a different room, but he’s right there,” Olyphant, who plays Derek Browne, says about Soderbergh’s different way of directing. The series takes place in New York City, where everything seems possible. Actor Jharell Jerome, who plays Aked, goes into detail on how Soderbergh went to great lengths to make this series as authentic as possible in New York and also showcasing the Guyanese culture. “They definitely involved a lot of Guyanese consultants and actors. Instead of just talking about Guyana, they actually went and shot in Guayana, and so just bringing that authenticity to it helps,” Jerome said about giving an authentic Guaynese portrayal. When a kidnapping goes wrong, a powerful Guyanese family, a celebrity chef, and a disobedient detective all become tangled in a web of lies and secrets in this series.
Make sure to check out our interviews linked down below!
Warrior Season Three is now streaming on HBO Max.
From the writings of martial arts legend Bruce Lee is the HBO series Warrior. The concept for this TV show was written over 40 years ago by Bruce Lee. The first two seasons were produced and distributed by Cinemax. The show was then canceled until it moved to Max (formally HBO Max), then in April 2021 they renewed a third season.
Warrior follows Ah Sahm, a skilled martial artist who immigrates to San Francisco in search of his sister. Set in the late 19th century he is caught up in a violent gang war as soon as he arrives. He is the discovered by Young jun who takes Ah Sahm under his wing and brings him into his gang. Season three raises the stakes as we follow Ah Sahm deeper into this violent and desperate world.
The Knockturnal recently interviewed some of the show’s cast and creators. We interviewed actors Andrew Koji (Ah Sahm), Jason Tobin (Young Jun), Dianne Doan (Mai Ling), Olivia Cheng (Ah Toy) and Hoon Lee (Wang Chao). Hoon also worked as a writer on season 3. We also interviewed Jonathan Troppper (creator, executive producer, writer), Shannon Lee(executive producer, Bruce Lee’s daughter), Josh Stoddard (writer, showrunner), and Evan Endicott (writer, showrunner).
Robin Thede created and stars in A Black Women Sketch Show, which will premiere on HBO for Season 4 on April 14th.
Warner Bros. Discovery has introduced an enhanced streaming service, Max that will launch in the U.S. on May 23.
Underrepresented creators generated original work for the network through the groundbreaking HBO Max and Warner Bros Discovery Animated Shorts Program. The artists received inspiration from the prompt, “What’s a story Only You can tell?” During the year-long program, program participants learned about the animation industry.
The HBO Max series Succession will premiere for its fourth and final season on March 26th at 9 pm est.
HBO Max’s Gossip Girl, a reboot of the classic mid-2000s teen drama, has already made bright stars of its cast and is enjoying strong support among fans after a celebrated first season. Now T’V’s favorite all-knowing, riddle-loving narrator (the talented Kristen Bell) returns for the second season, along with much of the cast.
In order to celebrate the premiere, Human By Orientation (HBO’s own LGBTQIA+ organization), and NYC’s legendary NewFest (the city’s preeminent queer film festival for over 35 years) traded the Upper East Side for Brooklyn to host a show-stopping advance screening at the Nighthawk Cinema in South Slope. Guests were treated to a pre-show drink and popcorn before having a chance to enjoy the first episode of the second season.
Throwing audiences directly into the magic and chaos of Gossip Girl’s world, the first episode is a brash and fast-moving dive into the rarified (and often, very white) world of debutante balls. Even without having seen the first season, character building is strong and addicting- you want to know everyone. While watching the first season can help enjoy the story more its not a requirement in order to enjoy the episode.
Just one episode will have you indulging in modern slang, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it jokes, and satisfying references to NYC life that are the definition of if you know, you know. It’s always nice to see your city celebrated on the big screen and NYC has always been a bit of a plot point for Gossip Girl, given some of its unique cultural norms and tendencies.
Particularly refreshing is how candid the show is about queer life, where all kinds of relationships are normalized in a healthy way rather than fetishized as rare phenomenons. For example, the topic of a three-way relationship is interesting not because of the arrangement itself, but because viewers are let in on the emotional struggle of the participants. It’s refreshing and serious, but playful and real: a complicated relationship handled with the humor and care.
A post-screening Q&A, moderated by Them editor Michael Cuby, featured Gossip Girl director Joshua Safran and cast members including Emily Alyn Lind, Evan Mock, Savannah Lee Smith, and Grace Duah (who nearly steals the entire first episode with her chameleon-like presence of comforting chaos). The Q&A revealed some clues about the next season, especially around how viewers will learn more about the families of many of the characters. We’re also introduced to a returning teacher who seems to be as meddling as Gossip Girl themself.
After the screening, guests and stars alike descended upon the cinema’s bar for a roaring afterparty featuring custom cocktails, a photo backdrop, passed snacks, and an absolutely blowout DJ set by Kenni Javon.
Gossip Girl Season 2 is now streaming on HBO Max, with new episodes weekly. Stream it here.