HBO Max Announces Launch Date, First Slate of Original Programming

HBO’s new streaming service, HBO Max, will officially launch May 27th with a slate of original programming that includes a new comedy starring Anna Kendrick, an underground ballroom and voguing competition and a new talk show starring Sesame Street‘s Elmo.

HBO Max’s new programming will sit alongside all of HBO’s new and old shows, plus various shows and movies from the vast WarnerMedia library. 

As for HBO Max’s new programming, highlights include Love Life, an anthology rom-com that will chronicle one protagonist’s romantic relationships each season. Kendrick will star in Season One alongside Zoë Chao, Peter Vack, Sasha Compere and Lesley Manville.

Legendary, meanwhile, is a reality competition based on the underground ballroom scene that will pit voguing teams against each other with a cast that includes MC Dashaun Wesley and DJ MikeQ, plus celebrity judges Law Roach, Jameela Jamil, Leiomy Maldonado and Megan Thee Stallion.

Sesame Street‘s Elmo will get his own kid-friendly talk show, The Not Too Late Show With Elmo, that will boast other Sesame Street characters and celebrity guests such as Jimmy Fallon, John Mullaney, the Jonas Brothers, Lil Nas X and Blake Lively.

HBO Max will also offer up a whole new slate of Looney Tunes Cartoons, and a new crafting show Craftopia hosted by YouTube star LaurDIY. The service’s first major original film offering will be the documentary, On the Record, which premiered at Sundance and tells the story of music executive Drew Dixon and her decision to come forward publicly with her accusations of sexual assault against Russell Simmons.

HBO Max’s vast catalog of movies will include recent hits like Crazy Rich Asians and A Star Is Born, 20 films from the acclaimed Japanese film house Studio Ghibli, and classics such as Casablanca, The Goonies, The Lord of the Rings and When Harry Met Sally. Non-HBO TV series that will be available on the service from day one include Friends, The Big Bang Theory, The Boondocks, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, The O.C., Pretty Little Liars and Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown.

HBO Max is available for $14.99 a month, although HBO subscribers who already have one of AT&T’s TV services will get the new streaming platform for free for one year.