I am – Hercules!!
HBO announced at its Thursday Television Critics Association event that all components of its current Sunday-night line-up – “True Blood,” “Entourage” and “Hung” – are getting additional seasons.
In addition, the first of many HBO press releases issued Thursday indicates the new season of “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” which reunites the four stars of Larry David’s old sitcom “Seinfeld,” launches in September.
Oh, and HBO2 is running the second season of a Spanish-language Argentinean detective drama.
Look! Press releases!
For Immediate Release
CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM LAUNCHES SEVENTH SEASON SEPT. 20 ON HBO
LOS ANGELES, July 30, 2009 – HBO’s hit comedy series CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM, executive produced by and starring Larry David, kicks off its ten-episode seventh season SUNDAY, SEPT. 20 (9:00-9:30 p.m. ET/PT), followed by the debut of the new comedy series “Bored to Death.”
CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM stars “Seinfeld” co-creator David as himself in an unsparing but tongue-in-cheek depiction of his life. Featuring real-life celebrities playing themselves, the episodes are improvised by the actors. The series also stars Cheryl Hines as David’s wife Cheryl, Jeff Garlin as David’s manager Jeff and Susie Essman as Jeff’s wife Susie.
The new season finds Larry continuing to cope with the aftermath of Cheryl’s departure, even as his life remains intertwined with the Black family. Guest stars this season include series veterans Ted Danson, Bob Einstein, Vivica A. Fox, Richard Lewis, Rosie O’Donnell, J.B. Smoove and Mary Steenburgen, plus Sharon Lawrence, Catherine O’Hara, Meg Ryan, Elisabeth Shue, Christian Slater, Sherry Stringfield and the stars of “Seinfeld” – Jerry Seinfeld, Jason Alexander, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Michael Richards.
The sixth season of CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM inspired more critical raves, with the Hollywood Reporter calling the show “the most perfectly plotted comedy on TV” and “constantly funny,” while the San Francisco Chronicle hailed it as “brilliant” and “ingeniously hilarious.” The Washington Post described the series as “insane and hilarious” and TV Guide termed it “excruciatingly funny.”
Completing its sixth season of ten episodes in November 2007 (with 60 episodes to date), CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM was nominated for four Emmys® last year, including Outstanding Comedy Series. It won the Golden Globe in the Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy category in 2002. In 2003, Robert B. Weide won a directing Emmy® for his work on the series. The series has also received awards from the Writers Guild of America , Directors Guild of America, Banff Television Festival, American Film Institute and Monte Carlo Television Festival, among others.
CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM is executive produced by Larry David, Jeff Garlin, Gavin Polone, Alec Berg, David Mandel, Jeff Schaffer, Tim Gibbons and Erin O’Malley.
NEW HBO COMEDY SERIES BORED TO DEATH,
CREATED BY JONATHAN AMES , DEBUTS SEPT. 20
--------
Jason Schwartzman, Ted Danson And Zach Galifianakis Star
--------
LOS ANGELES, July 30, 2009 – Jonathan Ames, a young Brooklyn writer, is feeling lost. He’s just gone through a painful break-up, thanks in part to his drinking, can’t write his second novel, and carouses too much with his magazine editor. Rather than face reality, Jonathan turns instead to his fantasies – moonlighting as a private detective – because he wants to be a hero and a man of action.
The offbeat comedy series BORED TO DEATH kicks off its eight-episode first season SUNDAY, SEPT. 20 (9:30-10:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO, followed by other half-hour episodes debuting on subsequent Sundays at the same time. Created by Jonathan Ames (author of several books, including the acclaimed graphic novel “The Alcoholic”), the show follows the misadventures of a fictional Jonathan Ames as he pursues his quixotic dream of emulating his heroes from classic private detective novels.
BORED TO DEATH stars Jason Schwartzman (“The Darjeeling Limited”) as Jonathan Ames; Ted Danson (“Damages,” HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm”) as George Christopher, a high-profile magazine editor and Jonathan’s boss; and Zach Galifianakis (“The Hangover”) as comic book illustrator Ray Hueston, Jonathan’s confidant. Guest stars on the first season include Olivia Thirlby, Heather Burns, Kirsten Wiig, Parker Posey, Bebe Neuwirth, Oliver Platt, Patton Oswalt and John Hodgman.
Mixing noir mystery and neurotic humor, BORED TO DEATH opens with Jonathan’s girlfriend, Suzanne (Olivia Thirlby), moving out of their apartment in Brooklyn , on the grounds that Jonathan devotes too much time to smoking pot and drinking white wine instead of focusing on his writing and their relationship. As Jonathan returns to his empty apartment, a neighbor who witnessed the parting suggests he look for a rebound date on Craigslist.
After sifting through his abundant supply of noir suspense novels, Jonathan idly decides to offer his services as a private detective on the site instead. As responses to Jonathan’s Craigslist post roll in, he begins taking cases – and usually finds himself injecting his own personal problems into his client’s situation.
Jonathan’s needy boss, magazine editor George Christopher, frequently interferes with his newfound career, forcing him to work his cases in increasingly ludicrous ways. Jonathan also meets regularly with his best friend Ray, a struggling graphic artist who does his best to advise him, but can barely keep his own life together.
Jonathan Ames (executive producer, writer) is the author of eight books, including the graphic novel “The Alcoholic” (illustrated by Dean Haspiel), “I Pass Like Night,” “The Extra Man,” “What’s Not to Love?,” “Wake Up, Sir!” and “I Love You More Than You Know.” His new book, “The Double Life Is Twice as Good,” was published this month. Winner of a Guggenheim Fellowship, Ames adapted “The Extra Man” for the screen. To be released in 2010, the film was directed by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini and stars Kevin Kline, Paul Dano, John C. Reilly and Katie Holmes.
Jason Schwartzman’s numerous feature films include “Rushmore,” “I Heart Huckabees,” “The Darjeeling Limited,” “Bewitched,” “Marie Antoinette,” “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story” and the upcoming Judd Apatow comedy “Funny People.” In addition to starring in BORED TO DEATH, he performs the show’s opening theme, which he co-wrote with Jonathan Ames.
Ted Danson has starred in a number of hit TV series, including “Cheers” and “Damages,” and has made frequent appearances on HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” including the series’ new season, which kicks off the same night as the debut of BORED TO DEATH. Among his feature films are “Three Men and a Baby,” “Saving Private Ryan,” “Body Heat” and “Made in America .”
Zach Galifianakis’ credits include the films “The Hangover,” “Into the Wild,” “Out Cold” and “G-Force,” as well as such TV series as “The Sarah Silverman Program” and “ Reno 911!” He currently has a web series on the website “Funny or Die” entitled “Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis,” where he conducts “interviews” with celebrities.
BORED TO DEATH was created by Jonathan Ames; executive producers, Jonathan Ames, Sarah Condon, Stephanie Davis, Dave Becky and Troy Miller; co-executive producer, Tracey Baird; producers, Mark Baker and Anna Dokoza; directors, Alan Taylor, Paul Feig, Nicole Holofcener, Michael Lehmann, Adam Bernstein, and Tucker Gates; writers, Jonathan Ames, Donick Carey, Martin Gero and Samantha McIntyre.
EMMY® WINNER WANDA SYKES RETURNS TO HBO FOR HER SECOND
STAND-UP COMEDY SPECIAL ON THE NETWORK, DEBUTING IN OCTOBER
LOS ANGELES, July 30, 2009 – Longtime HBO favorite Wanda Sykes will return for her second solo special on the network, it was announced today by Nancy Geller, senior vice president, HBO Entertainment. To be taped before a live audience at the Warner Theatre in Washington , D.C. this August for October debut, the special will features the outspoken comic performing material featured in her current national stand-up tour.
“Wanda Sykes is one of the sharpest, smartest comics around, and we can’t wait to hear what she has to say in this provocative new special,” noted Geller.
Sykes has been an HBO mainstay for many years. The Emmy®-nominated “Wanda Sykes: Sick and Tired,” her first solo special on the network, debuted in 2006. As one of the writers on “The Chris Rock Show,” she shared a 1997 Emmy® for Outstanding Writing for a Variety or Music Program and also won Emmys® in 2002 and 2004 for her humorous commentaries on “Inside the NFL.” In addition, she has appeared frequently on Larry David’s hit HBO series “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” and will be featured on the new season of the show, which kicks off Sept. 20.
Named one of Entertainment Weekly’s “25 Funniest People in America ,” Sykes recently hosted the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, and will launch her own late-night network show this fall. Her film credits include “Evan Almighty,” “My Super Ex-Girlfriend,” “The Barnyard,” “Over the Hedge,” “Monster-In-Law,” “Nutty Professor 2: The Klumps,” “Down to Earth” and “Pootie Tang.” Sykes starred and produced the series “Wanda at Large” and “Wanda Does It,” and is a regular on the comedy series “The New Adventures of Old Christine.” Her first book, “Yeah, I Said It,” was published In 2004.
The executive producers of the new special are Liz Stanton and Wanda Sykes; director, Beth McCarthy Miller.
CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED SUSPENSE SERIES EPITAFIOS
KICKS OFF SECOND SEASON SEPT. 22 ON HBO2
LOS ANGELES, July 30, 2009 – Detectives Renzo Marquez (Julio Chávez) and Marina Segal (Cecilia Roth) team up to track another killer when season two of the critically acclaimed suspense series EPITAFIOS debuts on HBO2 this September. Written by twin brothers Walter Slavich and Marcelo Slavich, the 13-episode second season, presented in Spanish with English subtitles, debuts TUESDAY, SEPT. 22 (11:00 p.m.-midnight ET/PT) on HBO2, followed by other episodes on subsequent Tuesdays at the same time. Episodes will debut without English subtitles on HBO Latino starting FRIDAY, SEPT. 18 (10:00-11:00 p.m.), and will also be available on HBO On Demand in Spanish with English subtitles. EPITAFIOS is a presentation of HBO Latino.
Filmed in Buenos Aires , Argentina , the second season finds the detectives on the trail of a killer who replicates previous slayings as if they were works of art, capturing the crimes for posterity in photo sequences. Cast regulars for season two include: Julio Chávez as Renzo Márquez; Cecilia Roth as Marina Segal; Leonardo Sbaraglia as the murderer; Daniel Fanego as Mazzoni; Alejandro Awada as XL; Natalia Lobo as Gabriela Friedman; Villanueva Cosse as Marcos Márquez; Nahuel Perez Biscayart as Pablo; and Carlos Belloso as Díaz.
Making its U.S. premiere on HBO Latino in 2005 and its HBO Signature debut in 2006, the 13-episode first season of EPITAFIOS received critical raves. The New York Times called it “super-addictive” and “hard to resist,” while Entertainment Weekly put season one on its “must list,” describing the show as a “superb Argentinean TV series.” The Miami Herald called EPITAFIOS “so damn good” and the Wall Street Journal hailed it as “bloody good.”
Season one of EPITAFIOS was HBO Latin America’s first fictional dramatic series written and filmed in Latin America, by Latin Americans, and for the Latin American audience. A suspense story inside a love story, the show was presented in Spanish with English subtitles and made its TV premiere on HBO Latin America in 2004. Also filmed in Buenos Aires, the first season followed the cat-and-mouse game between a morose police detective (Julio Chávez) looking for a reason to live and a psychotic serial killer (Antonio Birabent) bent on revenge.
Leading directly into the season two premiere, an encore presentation of season one of EPITAFIOS began airing on HBO Latino in Spanish on Friday, June 19 (10:00-11:00 p.m.), with other episodes airing on subsequent Fridays at the same time, and on HBO2 with English subtitles on Saturday, June 20 (11:00 p.m.-midnight), with other episodes airing on subsequent Saturdays at the same time. In addition, season one will also be available on HBO On Demand (subtitled in English) beginning in August.
EPITAFIOS is written by Walter Slavich and Marcelo Slavich; directed by Alberto Lecchi and Daniel Barone; executive producers, Adrián Suar, Fernando Blanco, Luis F. Peraza and Robert Rios; producer, Diego Andrasnik; directors of photography, Guillermo Zappino and Miguel Abal; editors, Alejandro Alem and Alejandro Parysow; production director, Victor Tevah; music, Ivan Wyszogrod; art direction, Horacio Pigozzi; sound direction, Aníbal Giral and Adrían de Michele.
Launched in 1991, HBO2 spotlights HBO’s award-winning original programming, blockbuster films and exclusive documentaries. HBO2 is available in nearly all homes that receive HBO.
HBO Latin America, the first Spanish-language premium entertainment service available in the South America, Central America, Mexico/Caribbean Basin region, is a 24-hour service offering movies – most subtitled – as well as sports, music and family programs designed to appeal to the Latin American viewer. Launched in 1991, HBO Latin America is a partnership of HBO, Sony and Ole Communications, Inc.
Follow Herc on Twitter!
