HBO Max is making a TV show based on the Griswolds, of National Lampoon’s Vacation fame. As fans of the original movies, we’re both intrigued and terrified. The big question is, when will the show be on HBO Max? Unfortunately, no one knows.
The Griswolds release date
The show was announced on December 12th, 2019. Our best estimate is that The Griswolds release date is likely to be available for the Christmas season of 2021. Though with the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s a possibility that the show may not see the light of day until late 2022 around Thanksgiving or Christmas holidays.
In the movie series, the Griswolds are the family who goes on calamitous vacations, often resulting in countless disasters before a heartwarming redemption.
What we know about the TV series is that it’s a single-camera series, with half-hour episodes, based on the Griswolds’ Chicago suburbs home life. Interestingly, one of the executive producers, Johnny Galecki, starred as Russ Griswold (son) in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. That was the third movie in the Vacation series. Tim Hobert of Scrubs and The Middle fame will write the new show.
The National Lampoon’s Vacation series includes five movies and a made-for-TV sequel spin-off. The legendary John Hughes wrote the first three movies, which also starred Chevy Chase. The best of the three movies was the original, which attained critics and fan approval on Rotten Tomatoes.
With more shows getting the 4K/HDR treatment and HBO Max having a premium $14.99 price, it’s likely The Griswolds will have all the audiovisual bells and whistles needed in 2020, including 4K, HDR, and Dolby Atmos.
The official release of Season 2 of The Mandalorian is now October 30, 2020. Like in 2019 when Disney+ launched, expect new episodes to be release weekly.
The Mandolorian Season 2 release date is October 30, 2020
Jeremy Conrad of MCUCosmic.com reported the news, and added that Iger said there would be more than two seasons of the show. With that, let’s take a closer look at the future of The Mandalorian on Disney+.
What to expect from Disney+’s The Mandalorian Season 2
Well, the unexpected. No one could’ve anticipated the appearance of Baby Yoda at the end of Season 1’s pilot episode. Mando was a wonderful character to follow, yet Baby Yoda arguably is more compelling.
That’s partially because Yoda’s species hasn’t been identified in Star Wars canon. Where does Baby Yoda come from? Is he a clone? Is he Yoda’s son?
The child’s presence bears so many questions. Expect at least some of those answered in The Mandalorian Season 2, lest Disney+ draw the ire of Star Wars fandom.
Let’s face it: the sequel film trilogy has been polarizing to say the least. This show gives fans hope of a bright future in a galaxy far, far away.
Look for an even more star-powered supporting cast, ties to the original film trilogy and more backstory on Mando. As we learned in the Season 1 finale, he’s not a native of Mandalore, but rather a foundling.
Struggling with identity has been a trademark across Star Wars. Anakin Skywalker didn’t have a father. Living up to his billing as “The Chosen One” proved taxing and essentially fatal. Anakin turned into more machine than man as Darth Vader as his son, Luke, was born.
Luke was a farm boy gazing upon the twin sunsets of Tatooine, longing for more. Rey and Kylo Ren both grapple with identity and their place in the galaxy.
This Mandalorian is an adopted son. He’s not really among the fiercest Star Wars warriors. He’s a vulnerable antihero. Meanwhile, Baby Yoda’s origin is a total baffler. These character elements in particular help The Mandalorian fit seamlessly into the Star Wars universe.
You won’t have to pay extra for higher quality, either. The $6.99 monthly price tag of Disney+ will offer the best possible presentation of the show in terms of video and audio quality.
Check out The Mandalorian‘s most recent full-length trailer below.
Hulu is definitely going to benefit from Parasite when the Oscar winner for Best Picture becomes available for streaming in the U.S. on Wednesday, April 8.
Deadline reported on the agreement Hulu struck for the exclusive stateside rights to South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho’s instant classic.
In addition to earning the Academy Awards’ flagship trophy, Parasite took home Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best International Feature Film honors. In other words, just about as good as a film can do at the Oscars.
Alliteration is fun. So is Bong’s cinematic language to pack Parasite with social commentary on class structure and economic inequality — among other issues and themes.
Sure, there’s visual storytelling for days in this film. Rather amazing is how Bong and co-writer Han Jin-won inject situational humor and bizarrely, darkly comedic content so often.
Go into this movie blind. If for some reason you’re unsettled that it’s the first non-English speaking film to win Best Picture, heed Bong’s words from the Golden Globes:
So yeah, the man’s cinematic language and real-life articulation are both pretty rad.
Bong juggles genres without effort. He’s a master of crafting suspense and building thrill-inducing, tension-filled worlds from the ground up. Like another excellent film of Bong’s Snowpiercer, Parasite is peerless in its execution of these elements.
Seriously. If nothing else comes of this, avoid spoilers. Parasite‘s climax is beyond one’s wildest imagination. One “WTF!” after another. And that’s meant in the absolute best way.
Don’t believe the hype? How about a 99/91 split on Rotten Tomatoes critics and audience percentages? Taking down legends like Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorsese at the Academy Awards isn’t easy. Bong and Parasite deserved it all.
A limited amount of content on Hulu is available in 4K and HDR. Only select Hulu Originals have 4K resolution.
If the streaming host keeps the rights to Parasite long enough and expands its Ultra HD ambitions, maybe it’ll happen someday. Hulu is under the Disney umbrella, and Disney+ offers much of its catalog in 4K/HDR/Dolby Atmos.
Check out the official trailer for Parasite below before it begins streaming on Hulu. Or don’t, if you’d rather go in totally dark (not-so-subtly recommended)!
Amazon Prime Video’s new original TV series, Hunters, stars Al Pacino and arrives on the streaming service on Friday, February 21.
Created by David Weil and executive produced by Jordan Peele — whose Monkeypaw Productions helped the show come to fruition — Hunters marks Pacino’s first major TV role!
Indeed, this is big.
Hoo-ah! Oh yeah! This is happening! If you don’t know what Hunters is about, oh my. The revelation of Pacino’s involvement is delightful, no doubt. Proceed furthermore, and the news gets better.
Here’s a brief synopsis of the series from Deadline’s original story:
“In 1977 New York City […] the Hunters, as they’re known, have discovered that hundreds of high ranking Nazi officials are living among us and conspiring to create a Fourth Reich in the U.S. The eclectic team of Hunters will set out on a bloody quest to bring the Nazis to justice and thwart their new genocidal plans.”
Pacino’s character, Meyer Offerman, is the leader of the Hunters. Also featured in the cast are Logan Lerman, Kate Mulvany, Tiffany Boone and Carol Kane, among others.
It appears Lerman’s Jonah Heidelbaum is a Hunters initiate who Pacino takes under his wing. One can only imagine how neat it’d be to have such a unique mentor — as an actor and considering the show’s subject matter!
As can be seen in the promotional trailers, Meyer rocks a heavy accent and is pretty adept at combat despite his advanced age.
Amazon Prime Video was wise to get a jump on this Hunters project. It’s a unique, high-concept yet historical fiction yarn that should be a hit with audiences. Critics on Rotten Tomatoes, through 14 reviews, give it a generally favorable 71%.
It’s quite a task for Weil and the creative team to juggle such conflicting tones and adeptly handle such grave subject matter with some levity mixed in. However, they must’ve done a fairly admirable job.
If this isn’t on par with Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds, it’s at least a fascinating period piece. Plus, anything with Pacino chewing scenery is certainly worth seeing.
Amazon Originals specialize in bringing 4K UHD and HDR viewing experiences to streaming audiences. Hunters will be no exception, and should be quite a sight to behold amid the pulse-pounding action and nasty Nazi slaying.
You can watch the latest trailer for Hunters below. Beware, though — it’s of the red band variety!
Netflix have confirmed that the exceptional Ricky Gervais comedy After Life will return for Season 2 on April 24th. All six episodes of the season will be available to stream immediately and it will be a day one binge for us at SNIPdaily.
If you missed the first season, add it to your watchlist immediately. After Life is a top-rated show, scoring 93 percent on Rotten Tomatoes from reviewers and 8.4 on IMDb.
Tony, played by Ricky Gervais, loses his wife to a rapid and unexpected illness. His persona changes from Mr. Nice Guy to impulsive, carefree, and abrasive. On his journey through grief, we’re treated to bizarre, twisted honesty and larger-than-life characters who bring the fictional English town of Tambury to life.
Credit: Netflix
At its core, After Life is a dark comedy showcasing depression, suicidal thoughts, and suffering in a way that’s funny and poignant. It’s a skill almost exclusive to Ricky Gervais. He’s shown this strength in episodes of The Office (UK), Extras and the movie The Invention of Lying. If you’ve liked any of those shows or movies, After Life is a must-watch.
Tony, a journalist, is attempting to be a better friend and tries to help those around him with their own problems. At the same time, the newspaper he works for is under threat of being shut down.
In the Season 1 finale, Tony says he’ll use his superpower of saying and doing what he wants for good. This could be a big hint towards the main focus of After Life Season 2, with Tony aiming his abrasive, carefree attitude towards whoever is targeting the newspaper.
The original cast are returning, including Kerry Godliman as Tony’s late wife, Ashley Jensen as the nurse of Tony’s father, Roisin Conaty as local prostitute Daphne, and Tom Basden as Tony’s boss and brother-in-law, Matt.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the writer of No Time To Die and Fleabag, has a new series called Run coming soon. Fans of the writer don’t have long to wait. Run has a release date of April 12th and premieres on HBO. It will also be available to stream in full on HBO Max at its launch in May.
Would you drop everything and RUN? #RunHBO, a new comedy thriller from Vicky Jones, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and Jenny Robins arrives this April. pic.twitter.com/XH1QDf6x93
Run is a romantic comedy starring Merritt Wever (Unbelievable) as Ruby and Domhnall Gleeson (The Rise of Skywalker) as Billy.
Ruby and Billy made a romantic pact 17 years before the show Run takes place. The pact was if either of them texted “Run,” the other would come running. From there, they’d escape their current lives and join forces for a road trip across America.
The show focuses on what happens after Billy texts “run” to Ruby and whether escaping was worth it.
Run also stars Rich Sommer (Mad Men), Tamara Podemski (Coroner), with a cameo from Phoebe Waller-Bridge. The latter also serves as an executive proudcer.
Run is an eight-part series. directed by Natalie Bailey (Avenue 5) and Kate Dennis (The Tick).
4K/HDR/Dolby Atmos
HBO Now and Go do not support 4K, HDR, Dolby Vision, or Dolby Atmos. It is expected than HBO Max will support these features. Therefore, it is likely Run will be available in 4K come May 2020 at HBO Max’s release date.
Netflix has not confirmed a release date for Season 4 of Stranger Things yet, but we’ll be keeping this article updated, so when there is, we’ll have it here first. Bookmark this page and check back regularly.
Estimated release date: Early 2021.
Season 4 was announced in 2019. Considering it takes roughly two years to make each season, the 2021 estimate is most probable. However, there is a chance Stranger Things Season 4 may release October 2020 if Season 1 and 2’s pattern is followed.
Warning: If you haven’t seen Season 3, there are spoilers ahead.
One thing you may not know is that the phone number Hopper gives out during Season 3, Episode 6, at Murray Bauman’s house was real. When called, Bauman, the conspiracy theorist reporter, reaches out to Joyce Byers, who left Hawkins, Indiana, at the end of Season 3. Bauman says he has information he wants to give her in person.
Could this be news on Hopper? Most likely. Our money is on the fact he is “The American” locked away in the Russian prison in the post-credits scene following the Season 3 finale.
Beyond Season 4?
Show creators Matt and Ross Duffer said Season 4 would be the last. Luckily, since then, producer Shawn Levy has said Season 5 is a possibility thanks to enthusiasm for the show among the child stars and Netflix.
Outside of the facts we know Season 4 is coming and Season 5 is a possibility, the news is limited. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens next in one of the best original shows of the last decade (if not ever).
Stranger Things is one of Netflix’s top-ranking shows, and since Season 2, it has been in 4K with Dolby Vision and Atmos. Season 4 will inevitably look and sound as good as the two previous seasons.
Check out the latest teaser trailer for Season 4 below:
A reboot of Steven Spielberg’s Amazing Stories TV anthology series is coming to Apple TV+, with a slated March 6 release date.
Spielberg still serves as an executive producer for this rendition of his 1985 original show, which he created. It was nominated for 12 Emmy Awards, so it’s a lot to live up to.
But the good news is, Spielberg is directly involved. Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz are the showrunners. They created Once Upon a Time, so they’re experienced in the sort of genres this show entails.
Let’s take a closer look at Amazing Stories‘ return on Apple TV+.
The original series ran for two seasons and 45 total episodes. There’s only this brief synopsis from Deadline in terms of story details:
“Reimagining the anthology from Spielberg, Amazing Stories, from Universal TV and Amblin Television, ‘will transport the audience to worlds of wonder through the lens of today’s most imaginative filmmakers, directors and writers.'”
Deadline
Fittingly mysterious, considering the show deals with fantasy, science-fiction and horror elements.
According to IMDB — this took a bit of digging — Season 1 consists of 10 episodes. The page reveals six of the episodes’ titles, too.
Another source of intrigue therein: the cast list. The most notable name I could discern was Edward Burns. Even most casual entertainment fans might not know his name.
In the ’80s, Amazing Stories enlisted a number of stars to lead their episodes. The stacked lineup featured Harvey Keitel, Kevin Costner, Kyra Sedgwick, Tim Robbins, John Lithgow and Patrick Swayze, among others.
It remains to be seen whether Apple TV+’s adaptation follows suit with famous faces. Streaming is bringing about so much new, original content, though, so perhaps Apple is using this launch to showcase some new actors.
Amazing Stories is an Apple TV+ original show, and all originals on the streaming service support 4K and HDR (or Dolby Vision). However, not all content supports Dolby Atmos, and this has not yet been confirmed for Amazing Stories.
You can look at the official Amazing Stories trailer below.
Apple TV+ picked up the relatively unknown Dan Erickson workplace thriller Severance in 2019. The show is yet to have a release date, but is expected in early 2021.
Apple TV+ launched in November 2019, and its shows instantly impressed me, despite early trailers making the streaming service appear social-agenda heavy. Instead, shows like See, The Morning Show, and Servant kept me coming back weekly to watch every episode.
Dan Erickson has written for Spike’s Lip Sync Battle pre-show, and his Severance script was on BloodList.com back in 2016.
Ben Stiller (Zoolander) will direct and be a co-executive producer for the series. In 2019, he was nominated for best director of a limited series (Escape at Dannemora) at the Emmy Awards.
Adam Scott, who worked with Ben Stiller on The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, will take the lead role and produce the series. Scott also appeared in the Emmy-winning HBO drama series Big Little Lies.
The show is about Mark (Adam Scott), an employee with a dark past trying to put himself back together. He works for Lumen Industries, a company looking to take work-life balance to a new level.
Chris Black, who has worked on Ugly Betty, Mad Men, and Outcast, will serve as the show’s co-executive producer.
Severance on Apple TV+ is an original show, and all originals on the streaming service support 4K and HDR (or Dolby Vision). However, not all content supports Dolby Atmos and this has not yet been confirmed for Severance.
The seventh and final season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars dropped its official trailer on Wednesday, and revealed a Disney+ release date of February 21.
It all looks really epic, and there’s a reason fans were clamoring for more despite six prior seasons. The show really works, fleshing out the character arcs of icons such as Anakin Skywalker and Darth Maul far more.
Based on the trailer, it looks like Ahsoka Tano will be prominently featured again. She’s one of the best characters to come out of the animated Star Wars canon. Ahsoka even made a voice cameo in The Rise of Skywalker.
As the former apprentice of Anakin, Ahsoka has a little rebellious streak in her. But she’s also virtuous, and one of the big events of The Clone Wars is her abandoning the Jedi Order.
The trailer plays on that a little, as Ahsoka disagrees with the Jedi engaging in the destructive conflict.
Maul was mentioned before, and he’s a central figure in this preview. He speaks of how the galaxy will soon change. This season runs up even closer to the events of Revenge of the Sith where Anakin becomes Darth Vader.
It’s always a bit of a high-wire act for The Clone Wars. It has to balance not disrupting the film canon, yet still create enough compelling story to stand on its own.
Well, seeing as how this is the final hurrah, there should be more surprises than ever. Anything previously held back by George Lucas and Co. can be unleashed now.
You won’t have to pay extra for higher quality, either. The $6.99 monthly price tag of Disney+ will offer the best possible presentation of The Clone Wars in terms of video and audio quality.
The Breaking Bad spinoff series Better Call Saul returns for Season 5 on Netflix on February 24, 2020. Episodes of the AMC, Sony, and Netflix collaboration will be released weekly, every Monday. If you can’t wait to watch what happens next in Albuquerque, New Mexico, episodes premiere a day earlier on AMC.
Bob Odenkirk, who plays Saul Goodman in the show, said about Season 5, “I can’t wait for people to see it. It’s just shattering in every direction, and I love it. Season five is just everything’s on fire, and it’s just burning down around us.”
Odenkirk has also revealed that Season 5 has more cross-over with the Breaking Bad timeline, but the renewal of Season 6 leaves this season part of the development of Saul Goodman.
AMC revealed that there would be some characters from Breaking Bad in Season 5. These include Hank Schrader (Dean Norris) and Steven Gomez (Steven Michael Quezada)
Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) and Walter White (Bryan Cranston) do not make guest appearances in Season 5.
AMC have renewed Better Call Saul for a Season 6 finale.
“From day one of Better Call Saul, my dream was to tell the complete story of our complicated and compromised hero, Jimmy McGill – now AMC and Sony are making that dream come true,”
Better Call Saul Seasons 1 to 5 are 4K, but don’t support Dolby Vision, or Dolby Atmos when streaming via Netflix. Despite this, the show looks fantastic, is superbly detailed, and if you have the internet bandwidth to stream, it will showcase exactly what streaming 4K can be.
Supernatural-horror fans, rejoice: the best-selling graphic novel Locke & Key is now on Netflix — and you can stream all 10 episodes now. The show’s premiere was February 7, 2020.
Considering the awards Locke & Key received as a graphic novel, its journey to the small screen has been stormy. Amazingly, it has passed through the hands of Fox, Universal, and Hulu. Both Fox and Hulu made pilots, but only Netflix took it to completion. The question is, why did others let it slip through their fingers when the source material is brilliant?
Based on the best-selling graphic novels, Locke & Key follows 3 siblings who, after the murder of their father, move to their ancestral home only to find the house has magical keys that give them a vast array of powers and abilities.
The key things to know about the source material and series:
The Locke & Key graphic novels are by Joe Hill, Stephen King’s son.
In 2011, Joe Hill won the Eisner Award for Locke & Key. It was also nominated in several other categories.
In 2009 and 2012, Locke & Key won the British Fantasy Award for “Best Comic or Graphic Novel.”
The first graphic novel in the Locke & Key‘s seven-book series is set in a New England mansion.
Joe Hill, Meredith Averill (The Haunting of Hill House), and Carlton Cuse (The Strain) have written episodes for the show.
The show has episodes directed by Vincenzo Natali (Hannibal), Tim Southam (Lost in Space), and Mark Tonerai (Gotham).
If Season 1 is anything like the first book of the graphic novel series, expect blood, gore, and twists. If it can hit the heights of the graphoc novel, Locke & Key will become one of the most talked-about shows of 2020.
Jason Bateman and Laura Linney return as Marty and Wendy in the streaming giant’s previously most popular show. Season 3 of Ozark premieres on Netflix March 27, 2020.
If you haven’t watched Ozark on Netflix, there’s plenty of time to catch up before Season 3 premieres in March. If you don’t have time, here’s what you have missed so far:
Season 1: Marty Byrde (Jason Bateman) is a money launderer for a Mexican drug cartel, but after his business partner was found skimming money, things turn sour. Marty is forced to trade his Chicago life for the Ozark Lakes in Missouri. He must launder $500 million over five years there. Throughout the season, things go from bad to worse, as Marty deals with relocating his family and the challenges of repaying his cartel debt.
Season 2: Marty and his family get stuck between keeping the cartel happy and getting the local drug kingpins onside. Throughout the season, both Marty and Wendy settle into their roles as the bad guys, with Wendy even reveling in the fact. Season 2 also adds a fantastic new character: cartel lawyer Helen Pierce (Janet McTeer).
Five things you should know:
Season 1 premiered in 2017, and was once Netflix’s most popular show.
The show has won two Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series (Jason Bateman) and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Julia Garner).
Season 1 received a 93 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes from reviewers. Season 2 received 90 percent.
Jason Bateman has directed eight out of the 20 episodes made so far.
The show creators Bill Dubuque and Mark Williams wrote and produced the Ben Affleck movie The Accountant in 2016.
Ozark already supports 4K and HDR, but Seasons 1 and 2 did not support Dolby Atmos. There is no confirmation that Season 3 will at this point, but it’s likely, considering other flagship Netflix Originals now do, including The Witcher. Check out the official Ozark Season 1 trailer below:
The CBS All Access original series Star Trek Picard is boldly taking the franchise to new heights following its premiere on January 23, 2020. The series has 10 episodes, each released weekly after the premiere and has already been renewed for Season 2.
The series continues the story of Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). Once a captain of the USS Enterprise-D and the Enterprise-E spaceships.
The show is set 20 years after the events of Star Trek: Nemesis (2002). It also refers to the events of the Star Trek reboot (2009), where the planet Romulus is destroyed.
In the show, Jean-Luc Picard is a retiree. He is a troubled old man, still struggling to get over the death of Data (shown in Star Trek: Nemesis).
Lead actor Patrick Stewart said, “He may not – and I stress, may not – be a captain anymore, he may not be the Jean-Luc that you recognize and know so well.”
Show creator Alex Kurtzman said, “this is going to be a very thoughtful, psychological portrait in a lot of ways.”
Kurtzman also said: “the only way this universe, I think, works correctly is if each show is really different and speaks to a different part of Star Trek.”
It appears Star Trek: Picard could be a poignant new exploration of the character. There could be a similarity to the X-Men movie Logan, which Stewart also co-starred in.
The series setup and structure reads as if Picard is pulled back into the fray a broken man. Each episode forces him to rediscover exactly what made him a legendary character, while also reintroducing us to why the Star Trek universe is relevant.
Star Trek: Picard does not stream in 4K, nor does it support HDR or Dolby Atmos on CBS All Access. Outside of the United States, the show is streaming on Amazon Prime Video and also doesn’t support any 4k feature.
NBC has announced two release dates for its Peacock streaming service. If you’re a customer of Comcast’s Xfinity X1 or Flex, you can get access on April 15, 2020. If not, you’ll have to wait three months until July 15, 2020, when the service becomes available nationwide.
No international release date has been announced, so bookmark this page and check back for more information about NBC Peacock in the future.
The streaming service comes in three price points:
Peacock Free: Including 7,500 hours of content. Ranging from news, next-day access to current first-year shows, complete seasons of classic shows, Universal movies and curated content including the SNL Vault.
Peacock Premium with Ads, costing $4.99 monthly: Including 15,000 hours of content including 600 movies and 400 TV series. Premium also includes all non-televised Premier League soccer games, the Ryder Cup, and early access to NBC’s late-night lineup. Shows like The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon will be available at 8 pm instead of 11:35 pm.
Peacock Premium with no Ads, costing $9.99 monthly.
Comcast and Cox cable subscribers get free access to Peacock Premium with ads and can pay $5 per month to upgrade to the ad-free version.
Not every movie and show will be in 4K. availability will determine what format is streamed. For example, the age and quantity of episodes for a show like Cheers make it unlikely to ever be in 4K, with HDR and Dolby Atmos. However, classic movies like Jaws are being transferred to 4K on-going and are therefore likely to be offered in that format via NBC Peacock.
As a service, NBC Peacock will undoubtedly support 4K, HDR, and Dolby Atmos features because its competitors do. Yet, the availability of 4K sources will determine the format a movie or show is available in.
Check out some of NBC’s Peacock’s best shows and movie trailers below:
We’ll be updating this article with confirmed news that comes out about Netflix’s Season 2 of The Witcher. So, bookmark and check back regularly.
One element that has been confirmed on a Reddit AMA, is that we’ll be able to return to The Witcher world for Season 2 in 2021. However, we estimate (and hope) it might release December 20th, 2020 if filming goes well.
If The Witcher was meant to fill the fantasy void left by HBO’s Game of Thrones, consider it job done. Despite only releasing on December 20th, by the end of 2019, it had become the world’s most in-demand show. It topped even Disney+’s The Mandalorian.
In my review of the show, I ranked The Witcher as potentially the best show of 2019. The one criticism I made was that the show’s nonlinear storytelling was difficult to follow at times. From what we know about Season 2 already, my one issue might be addressed.
I can’t spoil S2! But — the story will be much more linear, now that the three characters’ stories have started to intersect.
Filming in the spring: On November 13th, it was announced there would be a Season 2 of the show. Hissrich previously said it takes 20 weeks to create the scripts, so this means filming should begin around March 2020.
The books of Season 2: Season 1 is based on The Last Wish and The Sword of Destiny short stories. Season 2 continues to adapt that material but also moves onto the book Blood of Elves.
Blood of Elves: The book is about Geralt’s training and protection of Ciri, along with the Elvish insurgence.
The focus of Season 2: In an interview with GamesRadar, Hissrich said: “There’s a stronger drive in the story, because all of the relationships that we’ve been setting up in season one, actually start to come into fruition in season two.”
Cast and crew: Henry Cavill (Geralt), Anya Chalotra (Yennefer), and Freya Allan (Ciri) are returning. There was a rumor circulating that Mark Hamill would be cast as Vesemir, a seasoned Witcher and father figure to Geralt. Despite only being a rumor, Hissrich replied to Hamill’s Tweet and fans reacted positively.
The Witcher Season 2 on Netflix will definitely be in 4K, with HDR and Dolby Atmos. We know this because Season 1 supported all three and was spectacular audio-visually.
If you haven’t seen The Witcher yet, check out the impressive official 4K UHD trailer below:
NBCUniversal’s new streaming service, Peacock, is producing a sequel to the classic TV series Saved by the Bell, but when is the release date?
Although Peacock itself is slated to launch in April 2020, there’s no indication as to when Saved by the Bell itself will drop. Josie Totah was just cast as the lead within the past week. Thus, it’s unlikely the show is ready to roll until November or December 2020 at the earliest.
Let’s break down what we do know about the next chapter in Saved by the Bell.
Original stars Mario Lopez and Elizabeth Berkley return to their respective roles of A.C. Slater and Jessie Spano. But the casting of Totah is very notable in terms of entertainment industry diversity.
Totah came out as transgender in 2018, and is also serving as a producer on the project. She’s only 18, and is one of the biggest young, rising stars after her acclaimed work in the NBC comedy Champions.
Returning to Bayside High will bring about nostalgia for original fans of the show. Here’s a brief synopsis outline:
“The new straight-to-series comedy explores what happens when California Gov. Zack Morris ([Mark] Gosselaar’s role) gets into hot water for closing too many low-income high schools and proposes the affected students be sent to the highest-performing schools in the state — including Bayside High.”
This suggests the show will explore themes like class conflict and diversity. The original Saved by the Bell revolved mostly around comedy. However, deeper subjects came up in certain instances for educational purposes.
The elements are in place on paper to push the IP in exciting, progressive directions. Having said that, there’s already been so much material mined from the ’90s smash hit.
In addition to two spin-off TV series, the initial show led to two feature films. Then, there have been 21 novels, comic books and even a couple New York City-originated musicals.
Saved by the Bell enthusiasts have explored all other mediums to keep the story alive. It’s fitting the new streaming revolution is leading to another incarnation — and there’s reason to believe it can really work.
BBC Studios’ long-running show Doctor Who is heading to HBO Max. Season 11’s video-on-demand premiere will coincide with the release of the streaming service in May 2020.
This agreement will see all Doctor Who episodes since 2005 be available on HBO Max. It also gives HBO Max exclusive rights to new seasons once they have aired on BBC America.
If you’re unfamiliar with Doctor Who, the last two seasons have received high scores from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Season 10 earned 88%, while Season 11 earned 90%. However, viewers of the show were less favorable. For example, Season 11 earned a hideous 21%. Despite this, the show remains hugely popular in Europe.
HBO and BBC Studios worked hand-in-hand for the recent His Dark Materials show, which we rated binge-worthy. You can read our review here.
What’s surprising is that HBO appears to have partnered up with a number of studios, specifically in Europe. Partnerships include Sky TV (owned by Comcast), BBC, and Channel 4. These partnerships look to have extended into licensing content, as it’s not only Doctor Who that HBO Max has picked up.
In total, 700 episodes of BBC-made content will make its way exclusively to HBO Max as part of numerous agreements. Shows including Top Gear, The Office (Ricky Gervais), and Luther. Channel 4’s content includes Stath Lets Flats, and the Sky connection includes the amazing Chernobyl, amongst many others.
With more shows getting the 4K/HDR treatment and HBO Max having a premium $14.99 price, it’s likely Doctor Who will have all the audiovisual bells and whistles needed in 2020, including 4K, HDR, and Dolby Atmos.
It’s official: Chandler, Joey, Monica, Phoebe, Ross, and Rachel have left Netflix. Friends is heading to HBO Max. The big question is, when can we all get our Coffee Perk fix again? The answer: start of May 2020.
There is no exact date for the launch of HBO Max currently. The best anyone can offer is May 2020. At some point over the next few months, a more solid date will be unveiled. However, we can confirm all episodes will be streaming when the show and service launch.
Bookmark this article and check back soon because like Friends, we’ll be there for you.
Did you know that HBO Max is looking to make a Friends reunion special? It will apparently include the original cast and show creators.
If it happens, sadly it will be unscripted. This means the cast and show creators will be sitting and talking about the phenomenon. Which has definitely happened before. What we need is a new mini-season or a movie, but either is very unlikely.
Considering HBO has spent $425 million on Friends for exclusivity over five-years, this reunion could be for marketing purposes only. Either way, if you’re a fan of Friends, any new content is newsworthy.
Another big question is, will Friends be updated to have all the bells, whistles and stunning visuals of other services. For example, Disney+ offers content in 4K, HDR, and Dolby Atmos.
Additionally, considering the HBO Max higher price point of $14.99, if the show is reworked for 4K, HDR and Dolby Atmos, the added cost of the service instantly makes sense and becomes even more appealing.
HBO Max is making a TV show based on the science fiction novel by American writer Neal Stephenson, called Snow Crash. As a huge science fiction fan, Snow Crash is one of the most exciting originals HBO is working on. The big question, when will the show be on HBO Max? Unfortunately, no one knows.
Considering the show was announced in December 2019, our best estimate is for a mid-to-late 2021 release. It’s unlikely to be a studio-based single-camera show, which means movie sets or on-site filming is a must.
Snow Crash is dystopian and covers topics such as religion, computer science, politics, and cryptography. It revolves around Hiro Protagonist, a pizza delivery person whose alt is a warrior prince in the Metaverse. Think Ready Player One in setting, but swapping pop culture for complexity and a marauding computer virus in a virtual world. The book was nominated for both the British Science Fiction Award, and the Arthur C. Clarke Award during the early ’90s.
The show is to be directed by Joe Cornish, of Attack the Block and The Kid Who Would Be King fame. The adaptation will be written by Michael Bacall, who also wrote 21 Jump Street, Project X, and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. Angela Robinson (The L Word) will be Snow Crash‘s executive producer.
With more shows getting the 4K/HDR treatment and HBO Max having a premium $14.99 price, it’s likely Snow Crash will have all the audiovisual bells and whistles needed in 2020. Including 4K, HDR, and Dolby Atmos.
