For the most part, the COVID-19 pandemic didn’t have the same impact on the television landscape that it did with film. Yes, a few seasons were truncated (“Billions,” “The Good Fight”) and a few others had to reschedule wholesale (“Fargo”), but most of the TV output for the first half of 2020 was set long before anyone knew about the latest coronavirus. The truth is that this ridiculous year has arguably made people more reliant on television than ever, needing an escape from reality and having more time to invest in shows that they might have otherwise missed.

Continue reading The Best TV Of 2020… So Far at The Playlist.

Actor Rebecca Hall comes from a unique and interesting pedigree and lineage. There’s the surface element of that pedigree which could be seen as aristocratic privilege in the world of the arts. She is the daughter of the famous theatre director Sir Peter Hall (who passed away in 2017) and her mother is the legendary opera singer and stage actress Maria Ewing. Hall attended Cambridge University’s constitute school, St Catharine’s College, studied English, and eventually found her way back to acting after some time briefly spent as an actor during childhood.

Continue reading Rebecca Hall Talks Complicated Notions Of Bi-Racial Identity In Directorial Debut ‘Passing,’ ‘Tales From The Loop’ & More [Deep Focus Podcast] at The Playlist.

Becoming pregnant is one of the scariest, yet exciting times in someones life, the moment you know you are to bring another human into the World is truly amazing. Well “Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Always” will show how an unexpected pregnancy brings two cousins closer together.

Directed and written by Eliza Hittman (“Beach Rats”), this film is to showcase the true bravery and compassion between two teenage girls as they embark on a mission for medical help when one of them becomes pregnant unexpectedly.

Continue reading ‘Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Always’ Trailer: Unintended Pregnancy Leads To Cross State Journey In Eliza Hittman’s Drama at The Playlist.

You don’t even have to open a history book to know that New York City has been and is currently home to what might be the most diverse conglomeration of people in the entire world. That’s a good reason why it’s sometimes dubbed “the city that never sleeps.” Wouldn’t it be fascinating to see what is a complicated cast of residents navigates such an environment? You would need some kind of common thread, though. For three seasons, the HBO series “High Maintenance” utilized marijuana as a window into these lives, and a fourth go-around is coming soon.

Continue reading ‘High Maintenance’ Season 4 Trailer: Katja Blichfeld And Ben Sinclair’s Friendly Neighborhood Weed Guy Returns To HBO at The Playlist.

Let’s face it, Peak TV peaked a long time ago. With the advent and explosion of streaming services and channels, television reached a new golden age of content. It was great at first, especially when filmmakers like David Lynch were coming back to TV and the stigma of slumming-it TV was over, with top-shelf directors and actors all being lured to the prospect of an Emmy-winning, actually well-respected TV series (or often mini-series).

Continue reading The Best TV Shows Of 2019… So Far at The Playlist.

Ian McShane is a hell of an actor. He’s probably best known for his work on the critically-acclaimed HBO series “Deadwood,” which is getting its own movie this spring. But he’s also one of the stars of the TV series “American Gods,” in addition to his various other film and TV work throughout the years. Needless to say, the man knows a thing or two about quality projects.

Continue reading ‘Deadwood’ Star Ian McShane Expresses His Love Of ‘Atlanta’ & HBO’s ‘High Maintenance’ at The Playlist.

While January has become something of a dumping ground for wayward films, the TV front offers something more consistent, and perhaps, more exciting. This first month of 2019, in particular, holds quite a few greats, even if two of them are groundbreaking comedies making their last outing. Along with mid-season returns, there’s recently saved network comedies, critically revered series being given new life after dissatisfying sophomoric slumps, and a revival of a show fans have been hoping for years.

Continue reading 11 TV Shows To Watch In January at The Playlist.

Based on the web series from Katja Blichfeld and Ben Sinclair, “High Maintenance” might be one of the best shows on television you’re not watching, though clearly someone is since HBO has renewed it for a third season. Remember that critically-acclaimed episode of Aziz Ansari’s “Master Of None,” where Aziz and all the characters on the show took a backseat and the episode centered on a series of random New Yorkers instead?

Continue reading ‘High Maintenance’ Season 3 Trailer: When New York Burns You Out, Stoners Just Roll With It at The Playlist.

HBO is known for its wide range of great original series. However, when you think of HBO and its original series, the names that come to mind are “Game of Thrones,” “Westworld,” “Big Little Lies,” and “True Detective.” But you shouldn’t sleep on “High Maintenance,” which is about to enter its third season on the premium network.

Continue reading ‘High Maintenance’ Season 3 Trailer: The Guy Is Back With All Your Favorite Buds In This HBO Comedy Series at The Playlist.

Now it’s time for TV. Back at the start of December, we ran down the 100 films that we’re most looking forward to across 2018, and we picked out some festival favorites that we’ve already seen and know are worth checking out too. But even with 250 hours worth or so of promising art and entertainment, that barely scratches the surface of what people will be talking about in terms of moving images, because, well, we don’t know if you heard, but TV’s gotten really good.

Continue reading The Most Anticipated TV Shows Of 2018 at The Playlist.

Sometimes, you feel like binge-watching something, but don’t necessarily want to get in the headspace of a serious drama. Well, the holiday season is the perfect time to catch up with HBO‘s super low key and breezy “High Maintenance.” Preferably with some herbal enhancement….

Starring Ben Sinclair as The Guy, the series follows a weed-dealer on his rounds through New York City, and the various characters he crosses paths with.

Continue reading ‘High Maintenance’ Season 2 Trailer: When The World Goes Low, They Go High at The Playlist.

Weed dealers occupy a strange role in the lives of their clients. Of course, they’re the purveyor of a substance that’s illegal in many jurisdictions, but the relationship with their customers tends to be more like casual acquaintance than a firmly business oriented one. And then there’s the fact that the job tends to take all them over town to the unlikeliest of places.

READ MORE: Interview: Seth Rogen Talks ‘Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising,’ Exploring Gender Imbalance, ‘Preacher,” And More

And that seems to be just the kind of subject matter HBO‘s upcoming comedy “High Maintenance” touches upon.

Continue reading Get Stoned With The New Trailer For HBO’s Weed Comedy ‘High Maintenance’ at The Playlist.

If you exclude stuff from Amazon or Netflix or Hulu (which might only be available via online streaming, but are otherwise very traditional TV shows), we still haven’t really had a true breakout web series, a show that debuts on a YouTube or a Vimeo and makes a real pop-culture impact. “Broad City” might be the closest, but it really found its fans after the show moved to Comedy Central.

READ MORE: The 25 Most Anticipated New TV Shows Of 2016

The closest thing to a true crossover to date is “High Maintenance,” which produced 19 episodes between 2012 and 2015.

Continue reading Watch The First Trailer For HBO Weed-Dealing Comedy ‘High Maintenance’ at The Playlist.