hbo series – Page 6 – Jellybeans in the City

New HBO original period drama series GRISSE premieres on November 4

HBO Asia’s brand new original period drama, GRISSE, is an eight-part hour-long series that is set in the mid 1800’s within the colonial period of the Dutch East Indies. The English language series chronicles the story of a group of unlikely individuals who lead a rebellion against a brutal governor and suddenly find themselves in control of a Dutch garrison town called Grisse. The story revolves around a number of unique characters, each from diverse backgrounds and creeds who unite for the chance to break the yoke of tyranny and write their own destiny.

Catch the series every Sunday at 9pm starting November 4 on HBO (SKYcable ch 54 SD | 168 HD). It will also be available for online viewing on HBO GO, HBO’s video streaming service that enables users to watch HBO’s channels live and HBO original productions and more on demand. In the Philippines, it is exclusively available to SKY subscribers.

Developed and produced by HBO Asia and together with Singapore-based Infinite Studios, GRISSE will feature an ensemble cast of actors who are based in Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Europe, Australia and the U.S.. They include Adinia Wirasti (HBO Asia’s “Halfworlds Season 1”), Marthino Lio (“Sayang You Can Dance”), Michael Wahr (“City Homocide”), Edward Akbar (“Air Terjun Pengantin”), Jamie Aditya (“Sync or Swim”), Toshiji Takeshima (HBO’s “True Blood”), Joanne Kam (“Kopitiam”), Zack Lee (“The Raid 2”), Tom Dejong (“Medisch Centrum West”), Ully Triani (“Stay With Me”), Rick Paul Van Mulligen (“A’dam E.V.A.”), Alexandra Gottardo (“Tanah Air”), Hossan Leong (“The Forbidden City”) and Jimmy T (“Robocop 3”). Creator and Showrunner for GRISSE is Mike Wiluan (“Buffalo Boys”) who directed alongside Tony Tilse (HBO Asia’s “Serangoon Road”, “Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries”) and Ler Jiyuan (“Gone Case”, “The Love Machine”).

HBO has also recently announced that select HBO Asia Original productions will be available to audiences in HBO Europe’s territories. These HBO Asia Original titles include the period drama series GRISSE; horror anthology series FOLKLORE; Japanese drama series MISS SHERLOCK; and the first two instalments of the Chinese language martial arts anthology movie series, MASTER OF THE DRUNKEN FIST: BEGGAR SO and MASTER OF THE SHADOWLESS KICK: WONG KEI-YING. These titles will be available in territories including Spain (on HBO España), Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark (on HBO Nordic), and in Central European territories including Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland, Romania and Croatia (on HBO Europe). GRISSE will also be available to HBO’s U.S. subscribers across the channel’s platforms, including HBO GO®, HBO NOW®, HBO On Demand®, and participating television and streaming partner platforms.

“With an array of diverse cultures and rich histories, Asia has proven to be a melting pot of storylines that we are excited to bring to life and captivate our audiences in the region and beyond,” said Jonathan Spink, CEO of HBO Asia. He further adds, “With five more HBO Asia Original productions being available in HBO U.S.’ and HBO Europe’s territories, we are proud and delighted to be able to share some of what Asia has to offer with the rest of the world through our global network.”

HBO Asia started producing its Original productions in 2012 and has since expanded their range of Asian Original productions to include series, movies and documentaries. GRISSE marks the network’s thirteenth Asian Original to date, with more slated to premiere in the coming years and further strengthening its commitment to producing more compelling and relevant local content for the Asian and global audience.

Show details and image provided by HBO in a recent press release.

Disclosure: I work for SKY and part of my job is promoting its products and services, especially the content it provides to its subscribers. I consider being able to share my love for TV shows and movies and the experience of watching and talking about them with like-minded people some of the biggest perks of my job.

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Third season of HBO series True Detective to premiere on January 14

TRUE DETECTIVE will return for its eight-episode third season same time as the U.S. on Monday, January 14 at 10am, with a same day encore at 10pm, exclusively on HBO GO and HBO. New episodes will premiere subsequent Mondays at the same time.

TRUE DETECTIVE is anthology series in which police investigations unearth the personal and professional secrets of those involved, both within and outside the law. The cast of the critically acclaimed first and second seasons include Matthew McConaughy, Colin Farrell, Woody Harrelson, Rachel McAdams, Michelle Monaghan, Taylor Kitsch and Vince Vaughn.

The new season tells the story of a macabre crime in the heart of the Ozarks, and a mystery that deepens over decades and plays out in three separate time periods. Academy Award® winner Mahershala Ali stars as Wayne Hays, a state police detective from Northwest Arkansas. Carmen Ejogo and Stephen Dorff also star. Created by Nic Pizzolatto.

Catch the series every Monday at 10am starting January 14 on HBO (SKYcable ch 54 SD | 168 HD). It will also be available for online viewing on HBO GO, HBO’s video streaming service that enables users to watch HBO’s channels live and HBO original productions and more on demand. In the Philippines, it is exclusively available to SKY subscribers.

Show details and image provided by HBO in a recent press release.

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HBO anthology series Room 104 returns for a second season on November 10

The anthology series ROOM 104 will return for its 12-episode second season, debuting two episodes back-to-back, same time as the U.S. on Saturday, November 10 at 12.30pm, exclusively on HBO GO and CINEMAX two new episodes will subsequent air every Saturday at the same time.

From creators and executive producers Mark and Jay Duplass, the show is set in a single room of a typical American chain motel and tells a different story of the assorted characters who pass through it in each episode, ranging from comedy to drama to horror.

Season two actors include: Mahershala Ali, Joel Allen, Stephanie Allynne, Katie Aselton, Frank Birney, Josephine Decker, James Earl, Marlene Forte, Abby Ryder Fortson, Ginger Gonzaga, Judy Greer, Brian Tyree Henry, Anita Kalathara, Anita Kalathara, Tom Lenk, Phil Matarese, Sheaun McKinney, Natalie Morales, Kent Osborne, Zane Pais, Leonora Pitts, Mark Proksch, Pia Shah, Michael Shannon, Onur Tukel, Dolly Wells, Jud Williford, Rainn Wilson, Mary Wiseman, Charlyne Yi and Katya Zamolodchikova.

Season two directors include: Patrick Brice, Josephine Decker, Mark Duplass, Gaby Hoffmann, Liza Johnson, So Yong Kim, Jonah Markowitz, Natalie Morales, Lila Neugebauer, Ross Partridge and Julian Wass.

Season two writers include: Lauren Budd, Josephine Decker, Mark Duplass, Esti Giordani, Liza Johnson, Onur Tukel and Julian Wass.

Season two credits: ROOM 104 was created by Mark Duplass and Jay Duplass; executive producers, Mark Duplass, Jay Duplass, Sydney Fleischmann, Mel Eslyn, Xan Aranda; co-executive producer, Ross Partridge; producer, Tyler Romary.

In the Philippines, HBO GO is exclusively available to SKYcable subscribers.

Show details and image provided by HBO in a recent press release.

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Jennifer Garner and David Tennant star in new original comedy series Camping to premiere exclusively on HBO and HBO on Oct 15

Jennifer Garner (“Love, Simon”; Emmy nominee and Golden Globe winner for “Alias”) and David Tennant (“Jessica Jones,” “Doctor Who”) headline the cast of the brand-new HBO Original comedy series CAMPING. The first of eight episodes of its debut season will air in Asia same time as the U.S. on Monday, October 15 at 10am, with a same day primetime encore at 11pm, exclusively on HBO GO and HBO.

To celebrate her husband Walt’s 44th birthday, the obsessively organised and aggressively controlling Kathryn gathers together her meek sister, her holier-than-thou ex-best friend and a free-spirited tagalong – and what was supposed to be a delightful, back-to-nature camping trip quickly becomes a weekend of tested marriages and woman-on-woman crime that won’t soon be forgotten.

CAMPING follows a group of old friends as they arrive at the underwhelming Brown Bear Lake campsite to celebrate a landmark birthday, sparking heightened emotions, latent tensions (sexual and otherwise) and memories they’d rather forget. Other series regulars include: Juliette Lewis (Oscar nominee for “Cape Fear”), Arturo Del Puerto (“Independence Day: Resurgence”), Ione Skye (“Fever Pitch”), Janicza Bravo (directing credits include “Lemon” and HBO’s “Divorce”) and Brett Gelman (“Stranger Things”). The recurring cast includes Bridget Everett (“Trainwreck”).

The show is written and executive produced by Lena Dunham (creator and star of HBO’s “Girls”), Jenni Konner (executive producer of HBO’s “Girls”) and John Riggi, and is based on the British series of the same name created by Julia Davis and produced by Baby Cow Productions.

The Characters

Kathryn McSorley-Jodell (Jennifer Garner) is a controlling LA mom who is far less cheerful than her Lululemons imply. She directs the weekend’s proceedings with an iron grip, until she’s faced with a woman who undoes all her best-laid plans. Walt (David Tennant) is an obedient husband and a loving father, the reliable lynchpin of his male social group, but below that reality lurks a subtle but growing discontent about what he’s just signed up for.

Jandice (Juliette Lewis) is a woman of many talents: a DJ, a reiki healer and a certified public accountant. Her life may seem ideal, but the reality is far less. Smack dab in the middle of a midlife crisis, the recently separated Miguel (Arturo Del Puerto) now expresses his instability through a youthful wardrobe and very strange life choices.

Carleen (Ione Skye) has spent her life in the shadows as Kathryn’s sister. Timid and terrified, she must rely on her own strange passions, such as crocheting, to get her through the lonely days. Nina-Joy (Janicza Bravo) is the friend you go to for everything: best massage, best jeans, best oatmeal. But her tension with Kathryn over a breach of confidence threatens to topple the weekend.

George (Brett Gelman) is loyal, goofy and infinitely game. He’s as obsessed with his best friend, Walt, as he is with his wife, Nina-Joy, and just under the surface of this affable boom operator simmers barely repressed rage that can stop any singalong.

Harry (Bridget Everett) is the tough-talking, nature-loving queen of the campsite; her passion for her wife, Nan, is surpassed only by her passion for all other women and an assortment of arms.

“When we saw Julia Davis’ hilarious U.K. ‘Camping,’ we knew this was the most fun concept for writers and actors,” observe Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner. “We are so excited by our cast. We are so excited by this story. We are so excited to make you never want to go to the woods again.”

CAMPING is written and executive produced by Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner for A Casual Romance; written and executive produced by John Riggi; executive produced by Julia Davis for Hush Ho; Christine Langan for Baby Cow Productions; executive produced by Ilene S. Landress and Tom Lassally; co-executive produced by Adam Countee; pilot directed by Jenni Konner.

Series details and image provided by HBO in a recent press release.

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HBO renews comedy series Insecure for a fourth season

HBO has renewed the comedy series INSECURE for a fourth season, it was announced today by Amy Gravitt, executive vice president, HBO Programming.

The series follows the friendship of two African American women as they deal with their own real-life flaws while attempting to navigate different worlds and cope with an endless series of uncomfortable everyday experiences. Issa Rae, Yvonne Orji, Lisa Joyce, Natasha Rothwell, Amanda Seales and Y’lan Noel star in the hit comedy series. New episodes of the latest season is currently airing same time as the U.S. every Monday at 10.30am, with a same day encore at 11.30pm, exclusively on HBO GO and HBO. Catch up on all past seasons on HBO GO.

In the Philippines, access to HBO GO is exclusive to SKYcable subscribers.

INSECURE was created by Issa Rae and Larry Wilmore; executive produced by Issa Rae, Prentice Penny, Melina Matsoukas, Michael Rotenberg, Dave Becky, Jonathan Berry, Jim Kleverweis and Dayna Lynne North.

Series details and image provided by HBO in a recent press release.

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HBO Asia premieres horror anthology “Folklore” on October 7

In recent years, Asian horror has emerged as major player in the horror movie genre. With stories based on deeply-rooted myths and folklore passed down across generations in various Asian cultures, these movies have entranced and terrified global audiences.

On October 7, HBO Asia will premiere its very first horror anthology original series entitled FOLKLORE (#FolkloreHBO). It is comprised of 6 hour-long episodes that takes place in six Asian countries – Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand – featuring supernatural beings and occult beliefs in their respective regions. The episodes are also helmed by local directors and filmed in the local language.

FOLKLORE is produced and created by Singaporean filmmaker Eric Khoo, with the aim of modernising Asian horror by showcasing the brand of horror that each country is known for while exploring societal dysfunctions in a manner that is specific to the country but possessing themes that will resonate to a global audience.

FOLKLORE premieres on Sunday, October 7 at 10pm exclusively on HBO (ch 54SD | 168HD on SKYcable). New episodes will debut at the same time every Sunday. The series will also be streaming on HBO GO, HBO’s video-streaming service exclusively available in the Philippines to SKYcable subscribers.

Episode Guide:

Episode #1: “Folklore: A Mother’s Love”
Premieres: Sunday, October 7 at 10pm on HBO
Directed by: Joko Anwar (Indonesia)
Cast: Marissa Anita, Muzakki Ramdhan

A single mother and her young son discover a group of dirty and underfed children living in a mansion’s attic. Upon saving them and returning them to their families, she has unknowingly snatched these children from their adopted mother – Wewe Gombel – and must now beware her vengeful wrath.

Episode #2: “Folklore: Tatami”
Premieres: Sunday, October 14 at 10pm on HBO
Directed by: Takumi Saitoh (Japan)
Cast: Kazuki Kitamura, Misuzu Kanno, Daisuke Kuroda, Shima Onishi

A murder scene writer returns home to attend his father’s funeral and begins to experience constant flashbacks of his childhood. He then discovers a secret door in the house that leads to a room that hides a horrifying secret from his family’s past.

Episode #3: “Folklore: Nobody”
Premieres: Sunday, October 21 at 10pm on HBO
Directed by: Eric Khoo (Singapore)
Cast: Li Wen Qiang, Maguire Jian, Sivakumar Palakrishnan, Aric Hidir, Louis Wu, Dayang Nurbalqis

A Pontianak is awaked when a foreman and a construction worker attempt to bury the body of a dead girl instead of burning her. A series of unfortunate events begin to occur at the construction site.

Episode #4: “Folklore: Pob”
Premieres: Sunday, October 28 at 10pm on HBO
Directed by: Pen-Ek Ratanaruang (Thailand)
Cast: Nuttapon Sawasdee, Parama Wutthikornditsakul, Thomas Burton Van Blarcom

A journalist meets with Pob, a Thai ghost, who confesses to a murder. Finally finding an outlet for complaint, Pob explains how the murder happened and requests for his story to be published. However, the journalist declines and the two make a deal of a lifetime.

Episode #5: “Folklore: Toyol”
Premieres: Sunday, November 4 at 10pm on HBO
Directed by: Ho Yuhang (Malaysia)
Cast: Bront Palarae, Nabila Huda, Redza Minhat

A Member of Parliament (MP) of a fishing town turns to a mysterious woman who possesses shamanistic powers in order to salvage his town’s dire economic situation. She fixes all his problems and the two soon become lovers. However, the woman has a dark secret that threatens to destroy his life.

Episode #6: “Folklore: Mongdal”
Premieres: Sunday, November 11 at 10pm on HBO
Directed by: Lee Sang Woo (Korea)
Cast: Lee Chae-Yeon, Jeong Yun Seok

https://flic.kr/p/M2uo6D

A mother tries to appease the moods and demands of her borderline psychopathic son. When a new girl comes to town, her son falls quickly and deeply for the new girl and is determined to win her over possibly even against her will. When things take a tragic turn, his mother will stop at nothing to make her son happy even if it means finding a bride to join him in the afterlife.

“Folklore: A Mother’s Love” from Indonesian director Joko Anwar and “Folklore: Pob”, directed by Pen-Ek Ratanaruang from Thailand have recently been selected for the prestigious 43rd Toronto International Film Festival® (TIFF). This is the first time an Asian TV series has been officially selected since the inception of Primetime programme at TIFF since 2015. The Primetime programme channels the best international television fit for the silver screen, focusing on powerful, small-screen storytelling that pushes the boundaries of original scripted series and episodic programming.

HBO Asia started producing its Original productions in 2012 and has since expanded their range of Asian Original productions to include series, movies and documentaries. FOLKLORE marks the network’s twelfth Asian Original to date, with more slated to premiere in the coming years. Other upcoming Asian Original productions by HBO Asia include GRISSE – an eight-part hour-long period drama series set in the mid 1800’s within the colonial period of the Dutch East Indies and THE WORLD BEHIND THE TEENAGE PSYCHIC – an hour-long Mandarin documentary that seeks to delve deeper into the unique shamanistic practices during the Ghost Month in Taiwan.

Show details and images provided by HBO in a recent press release.

HBO’s “The Deuce” Season 2 Premieres Exclusively on HBO GO on September 10

Chronicling the rise of pornography and the multibillion-dollar industry’s transformation of American culture, the critically acclaimed drama series THE DEUCE, created by George Pelecanos and David Simon, returns for its nine-episode second season on Monday, September 10 at 9am, exclusively on HBO GO.

In the Philippines, HBO GO is exclusively available to SKYcable subscribers.

Resuming five years after the culmination of the first season, THE DEUCE returns to the world of 1977, capturing the Times Square area of midtown New York at its most garish and volatile.

Amid a city that is as culturally dynamic as it is dystopic, the show finds its protagonists living at the apex of the Golden Age of Porn, when the dream of a mainstream X-rated film business is suddenly a credible reality, and the culture of pornography and its blatant commodification of sex is finding increasing traction among more and more Americans.

Disco and punk are in full swing, and police corruption and political tolerance for New York’s midtown demimonde is at its height. And the Mafia, the early backer of pornography at the moment when courts declared for its legality, is now seemingly poised to reap great profits. A comparable – and, in some ways, more professional – porn industry is rising on the West Coast as well. But for now, New York is holding its own in a city flush with movies, music and art, as the drug-fueled party rages around the clock.

“This is the moment when it genuinely seemed for the first time that hardcore pornography was going to become mainstreamed into American culture and pysche,” says David Simon. “And in a very real sense that would happen to a profound degree, though not in the ways that our protagonists once imagined.”

Created by George Pelecanos and David Simon, both veterans of the HBO series “The Wire” and “Treme,” THE DEUCE is executive produced by Pelecanos, Simon, Nina K. Noble and James Franco. The drama series stars James Franco (Golden Globe winner for “The Disaster Artist”) as both Vincent Martino, a successful manager of several mob-backed nightspots, and his twin brother, Frankie Martino, whose own business ventures are more fraught, and Maggie Gyllenhaal (Oscar® nominee for “Crazy Heart,” Golden Globe nominee for season one of THE DEUCE) as Candy, now a rising director of ambitious porn films.

The returning cast also includes: Gary Carr (“Downton Abbey”) as C.C. and Gbenga Akinnagbe (HBO’s “The Wire”) as Larry Brown, both Eighth Avenue pimps coping with the changing realities of the sex trade; Margarita Levieva (“Revenge”) as Abigail “Abby” Parker, who brings her artistic and political sensibilities to the Hi-Hat bar while navigating life with Vincent; Dominique Fishback (HBO’s “Show Me a Hero”) as Darlene and Emily Meade (HBO’s “The Leftovers”) as Lori, prostitutes who gain a measure of independence as their film careers rise; Lawrence Gilliard, Jr. (HBO’s “The Wire”) as NYPD detective Chris Alston; Chris Bauer (HBO’s “The Wire”) as massage parlor manager and Martino brother-in-law Bobby Dwyer; Michael Rispoli (HBO’s “The Sopranos”) as Mafia capo Rudy Pipilo; and Chris Coy (CINEMAX’s “Banshee”) as nightclub proprietor Paul Hendrickson.

Season two finds Luke Kirby (“Rectify”) joining the cast as a series regular as Gene Goldman, an incoming Koch administration official bent on reform, and Jamie Neumann (“The Looming Tower”) joining as a series regular as Ashley, a former sex worker turned activist. Guests include Zoe Kazan (“The Big Sick”), Ralph Macchio (“The Karate Kid”), Mustafa Shakir (“Marvel’s Luke Cage”), David Krumholtz (“Living Biblically”), Don Harvey (HBO’s “The Night Of”), Cliff “Method Man” Smith (“8 Mile”), Daniel Sauli (“House of Cards”) and Sepidah Moafi (“Falling Water”).

Season two writers include: David Simon (HBO’s “The Wire” and “Treme”), George Pelecanos (HBO’s “The Wire” and “The Pacific”), Richard Price (HBO’s “The Night Of”), Anya Epstein (“The Affair,” HBO’s “In Treatment”), Carl Capotorto (HBO’s “Vinyl”), Megan Abbott (“Give Me Your Hand”), Stephani DeLuca, Will Ralston (HBO’s “Treme”) and Chris Yakaitis (HBO’s “Treme”).

Season two directors include: Alex Hall (HBO’s “Treme”), Steph Green (“The Americans”), Uta Briesewitz (“Orange Is the New Black,” HBO’s “Westworld”), Zetna Fuentes (“Jane the Virgin”), Susanna White (HBO’s “Generation Kill”), Tricia Brock (“Mozart in the Jungle,” “Younger”), Tanya Hamilton (“The Chi”) and Minkie Spiro (“Call the Midwife,” “Downton Abbey”).

Episodic synopses:

Episode #9 (Season 2, Episode 1): “Our Raison d’Être”

Premieres: Monday, September 10 at 9am

Times Square, 1977. After his early successes managing the Hi-Hat and French Parlor, Vincent (James Franco) is now proprietor of a new mob-backed disco, Club 366, while his girlfriend Abby (Margarita Levieva) has brought the nascent punk-rock culture into the Hi-Hat. Vincent’s twin brother, Frankie (James Franco), remains a problem, “borrowing” money from Show Land, the sex emporium he manages, to pay off his debts. Candy (Maggie Gyllenhaal), now a “triple threat” as a porn actress, producer and director, is looking to make more artful, ambitious adult films, over the objections of her collaborator, Harvey (David Krumholtz). C.C. (Gary Carr) pulls a con on Bernie Wolf (Stephen Gevedon), the director of a porn film starring Lori (Emily Meade), to get her more money. Hoping to launch a more upscale gay nightclub, Paul (Chris Coy) looks to sever mob ties from his current bar. Alston (Lawrence Gilliard, Jr.), now a homicide detective, is approached by Gene Goldman (Luke Kirby), a civil servant appointed by Mayor Koch to clean up Times Square. Written by David Simon & George Pelecanos; directed by Alex Hall.

Episode #10 (Season 2, Episode 2): “There’s an Art to This”

Premieres: Monday, September 17 at 9am

Confronted with the changing realities of prostitution and porn, C.C. (Gary Carr) doubles down on his assets, while fellow pimp Larry Brown (Gbenga Akinnagbe) eyes a new opportunity. Growing creatively frustrated, Candy (Maggie Gyllenhaal) turns to Genevieve Furie (Dagmara Dominczyk), a onetime porn director who’s graduated to slasher films, for filmmaking advice. After a customer is mugged outside his bar, Paul (Chris Coy) is approached by Matty the Horse (Garry Pastore), a rival of Rudy’s (Michael Rispoli), who promises Paul the mob protection he deserves. Following a nostalgic road trip to Coney Island with Vincent (James Franco), Abby (Margarita Levieva) attends a meeting of activists, and recognises a familiar face from Times Square. Written by Richard Price; directed by Alex Hall.

Episode #11 (Season 2, Episode 3): “Seven-Fifty”

Premieres: Monday, September 24 at 9am

Lori (Emily Meade) envisions a sunny future in LA after attending the AFFA Erotica Awards with Harvey (David Krumholtz) and Candy (Maggie Gyllenhaal), who’s looking to connect with west-coast producers who are willing to turn her fairy tale into reality. Paul (Chris Coy) and Kenneth (Michael Stahl-David) approach Vincent (James Franco) about a loan for a new nightclub, free from mob ties. Goldman (Luke Kirby) visits Alston’s (Lawrence Gilliard, Jr.) precinct to share the mayor’s vision for cleaning up the Deuce. Frankie (James Franco) wins a hand of poker, but risks losing his job. Back in NYC, Ashley (Jamie Neumann) pushes her reform agenda on Abby (Margarita Levieva), while trying to avoid C.C. (Gary Carr). Larry Brown (Gbenga Akinnagbe) and Darlene (Dominique Fishback) learn a bitter lesson about supply and demand. Rudy (Michael Rispoli) sends a message to his rivals, but invites retaliation. Written by Chris Yakaitis; directed by Steph Green.

Episode #12 (Season 2, Episode 4): “What Big Ideas”

Premieres: Monday, October 1 at 9am

Ashley (Jamie Neumann) and Abby (Margarita Levieva) resolve to track down the identity of a 16-year-old sex worker killed in a recent fire. Vincent (James Franco) is shaken after witnessing the brutal side of Rudy’s (Michael Rispoli) operation. Frustrated by the progress on her new film, Candy (Maggie Gyllenhaal) recruits new faces to help with the production. Frankie (James Franco) finds his dry-cleaning business a less-than-perfect fit. Larry Brown (Gbenga Akinnagbe) shows off his improvisational skills. Lori (Emily Meade) looks to forge a deal with Kiki (Alysia Reiner) while keeping C.C. (Gary Carr) in the loop. Written by Anya Epstein; directed by Uta Briesewitz.

In addition to “The Wire,” creators David Simon and George Pelecanos collaborated on HBO’s New Orleans drama “Treme.” Simon is an author, journalist and producer whose other works for HBO include “The Corner,” “Generation Kill” and “Show Me a Hero.” Pelecanos is the author of 20 critically acclaimed novels, including “The Double” and “The Turnaround,” as well as a screenwriter and film producer, and served as a writer and co-producer on HBO’s “The Pacific.”

THE DEUCE was created by George Pelecanos and David Simon; executive producers, George Pelecanos, David Simon, Nina K. Noble and James Franco; co-executive producer, Richard Price.

Series details and images provided by HBO in a recent press release.

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Amy Adams stars in new HBO limited series Sharp Objects premiering July 9

Five-time Academy Award-nominee Amy Adams (“Arrival,” “Nocturnal Animals“) stars in the new TV series Sharp Objects, set to premiere on HBO at 9am on Monday, July 9, taking up the slot left vacant by Westworld.

The eight-episode series is based on the novel of the same name, with Adams playing reporter Camille Preaker who comes back to her hometown to cover the murder of one preteen girl and the abduction of another. Trying to put together a psychological puzzle from her past, she finds herself identifying with the young victims a bit too closely.

Sharp Objects is the first novel of now renowned author Gillian Flynn(“Gone Girl,” “Dark Places“), who also wrote some of the series’ episodes. She shared “I wrote it nights and weekends and holidays with no real belief it would ever be published, because I felt like I had to bring this girl to life, so it holds a sacred place with me. It’s a strange and thrilling thing, bringing text to screen, allowing it to become a new thing while honoring readers’ interpretations too — it’s fun and a bit scary.

“This was my first novel, yet the last to reach screen — 12 long and often disappointing years. But then Amy came along, and I thought, ‘Oh, that was it! Camille was waiting for Amy to play her.’ And that’s not lofty, writer talk. I really believe Camille needed Amy.”

Emmy, DGA and PGA award-winning director Jean-Marc Vallée (HBO’s “Big Little Lies”; “Dallas Buyers Club,” “Wild”) who helmed the project relays that he was quite taken in by the character Camille saying “I was falling for this character. Never met, never seen, nor heard anyone like this before.

“I was fascinated by her obsession with words, the way she uses them to define herself, to heal and to harm, and her way of describing the world, her way of talking about herself, her wounds and imperfections. What a unique voice, so raw, so dark, and yet so honest and vulnerable. That is Camille Preaker’s beauty, and Amy Adams.’ I feel grateful and fortunate to have witnessed the spectacular work of an actress who dared to play in the dark, with no safety net.”

The series’ cast of characters are:

Camille Preaker (Amy Adams), a St. Louis newspaper reporter sent on assignment to Wind Gap, her quaint Missouri hometown, to cover the gruesome murder of one preteen girl and the disappearance of another.

Adora Crellin (Patricia Clarkson – the “Maze Runner” series, HBO’s “Six Feet Under“), Camille’s mother and queen of Wind Gap’s high society, who has her serene, picture-perfect life threatened by the unexpected return of her estranged daughter.

Richard Willis (Chris Messina – “The Mindy Project,” HBO’s “The Newsrooom“), a detective brought in from Kansas City to support Wind Gap’s sheriff in the search for the killer of a young girl. He joins forces with Camille to try to solve the mystery.

Amma (Eliza Scanlen – “Home and Away”), Camille’s 15-year-old half-sister, living a double life as a restrained and girlish daughter at home with her parents, and as a brash, impetuous teenager when out with friends.

Jackie (Elizabeth Perkins – “This Is Us,” HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm“), the local gossip and renowned alcoholic. Trashy, fun and larger than life, she knows she’s a “backwoods Barbie” and has a sense of humour about it.

Vickery (Matt Craven – “X-Men,” “Justified“), the frustrated small-town police chief, trying to preserve the reputation of Wind Gap by keeping a lid on the possibility that a serial killer might live among them.

John Keene (Taylor John Smith – “Cruel Intentions,” “American Crime“), moody and sombre since the murder of his 13-year-old sister. His sensitive, temperamental nature raises eyebrows and makes him a prime suspect in the murder investigation.

Meredith (Madison Davenport – “From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series“), the confident and supportive girlfriend of murder suspect John Keene.

Bob Nash (Will Chase – HBO’s “The Deuce“), the hot-tempered father of Ann Nash, Wind Gap’s first murder victim.

Alan Crellin (Henry Czerny – “Quantico,” “When We Rise“), Adora’s attentive, mild-mannered husband, who dotes on her.

Curry (Miguel Sandoval – “Station 19,” “Medium“), Camille’s caring and supportive newspaper editor, who sends her on assignment to her home town.

Young Camille (Sophia Lillis – “It“), a 14-year-old tomboy who is devoted to her younger sister, Marian.

Episodes airing in July include:

Episode #1: “Vanish”

Premieres Monday, July 9 at 9am

Camille Preaker (Amy Adams), a reporter for the St. Louis Chronicle, is sent to her rural hometown of Wind Gap by her editor, Curry (Miguel Sandoval), to file a story about two missing girls, one of whom was found dead and presumed murdered. The assignment, which reunites Camille with her overbearing mother, Adora (Patricia Clarkson), stepfather, Alan Crellin (Henry Czerny), and half-sister, Amma (Eliza Scanlen), brings back traumatic childhood memories, including the death of Camille’s younger sister, Marian (Lulu Wilson), when both were schoolgirls. Tormented by her past and seeking refuge through alcohol, Camille joins Detective Richard Willis (Chris Messina) and Chief of Police Vickery (Matt Craven) in following leads around town that might shed light on the fate of the most recent missing girl.

Episode #2: “Dirt”

Premieres Monday, July 16 at 9am

Camille (Amy Adams) searches for clues at the funeral and wake for Wind Gap’s latest victim, and clashes with her mother (Patricia Clarkson) over Camille’s presence in the town. Richard (Chris Messina) finds a surprising way to arrive at a conclusion about the murderer’s profile. Camille pays a visit to the working-class home of a young boy (Matty Evers) who says he witnessed the abduction, and confronts Chief Vickery (Matt Craven) about why he ignored the boy’s claim.

Episode #3: “Fix”

Premieres Monday, July 23 at 9am

Camille (Amy Adams) relives a recent tragedy as she struggles to piece together the murders in Wind Gap. Richard (Chris Messina) grows frustrated with Chief Vickery’s (Matt Craven) assumptions regarding potential suspects. A defiant Amma (Eliza Scanlen) shows off her wild side to Camille, while Adora (Patricia Clarkson) admonishes Camille for meddling in the investigation and a town in mourning.

Episode #4: “Ripe”

Premieres Monday, July 30 at 9am

Camille (Amy Adams) agrees to show Richard (Chris Messina) some of Wind Gap’s crime scenes, though the tour opens up old wounds. Alan (Henry Czerny) confronts Adora (Patricia Clarkson) about her sharing confidences with Chief Vickery (Matt Craven), who is concerned about the Crellins hosting the annual “Calhoun Day” attended by Wind Gap’s youth. Fired from his job at Preaker Farms, John (Taylor John Smith) shares off-the-record revelations with Camille that raise fresh concerns for her.

New Sharp Objects episodes will air Mondays on HBO (SKYcable ch 54 SD and 168 HD in Metro Manila) at 9am with same day primetime encore at 10pm. New episodes will also be available for streaming within the same day on HBO Go, HBO’s online streaming service exclusively available in the Philippines to SKY subscribers.

HBO Go not available in your area? Watch Sharp Objects on HBO on Amazon Prime. Sign up for a free 7-day trial.

Series and episode details provided by HBO in a recent press release.

Check out my other posts on HBO shows adapted from novels:

You can also purchase the novel that the series is based on, Gillian Flynn’s Sharp Objects, at Amazon.com.

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