#winning time

[iamadequate1]

Don't Stream on Max

Ragging on Max is fun, isn't it? This is going to be long since I brought tables. Here's a kiss GIF to get people's attention!

Let's be real: if HBO/Max has a cancellation rate this high and is the only streamer with a cancellation rate approaching these numbers, we're long past the point where fingers can be pointed at the shows individually, trying to invent unique "failures" in each one separately... except for Zaslav's baby, The Idol, that show deserved it. If there is an oddity like this, deduce down the common factor, and the common factor here in all these "failures" is WBD/HBO/Max. WBD does not know how to run a streaming business, and yet, it is charging consumers the highest rates in the industry.

✨Cancel Max now✨

Remember that WBD sponsored article from Vulture? Remember?? Specifically...

And then there was the final strike against last month’s canceled trio of titles: their production costs. As noted earlier, all three series went into development circa 2019-2020, at a time when competition for hot new shows was beyond intense. Streamers were handing out ridiculous deals in order to land coveted projects and agreeing to license fees and production budgets that were usually only reserved for big, established blockbuster hits. So a series like Rap Sh!t, which had the feel of an indie production and used iPhones to tell its story, ended up costing Max twice as much to license as HBO’s critically loved, niche comedy Somebody Somewhere, per a source familiar with show budgets. Our Flag Means Death, the same sources say, had a license fee three times that of Somebody.

First of all, they picked the smallest show they could in order to justify ~scary~ words like "twice" and "three times" without any danger of being specific, but they also picked a show that was "renewed" and I can find no evidence it's being worked on anymore!

But 2019-2020, let's discuss that. The merger was finalized April 8, 2022, and Max, the illicit love baby between Discovery+ and HBO Max, launched on May 23, 2023. On its face, Max has the second largest sticker price of streamers, and that sticker price is mostly built from that HBO prestige, but I'll build to that...

Let's say Zaslav had to let 2022 roll, so let's look at 2023, shall we? HBO/Max had 11 shows debut in 2023.

Velma (Max - renewed + lol)

The Last of Us (HBO - renewed)

Fired on Mars (Max - Purgatory)

Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai (Max - Renewed)

Clone High (Max - Purgatory as new season is coming in)

The Idol (HBO - cancelled)

Warrior (Max - cancelled + moved to Netflix)

Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake (Max - renewed)

Young Love (Max - Purgatory)

Scavengers Reign (Max - Purgatory)

Bookie (Max - Renewed)

Wow! Not even half confirmed renewed, and one of the success stories is Velma. HBO also only debuted two series that year: TLOU was in development since 2020, but The Idol was still in early stages when Zaslav wandered in. Since he didn't put a stop to it, The Idol remains Zaslav's sole contribution to HBO, especially since according to Wikipedia, the show went under a "drastic" overhaul in April 2022, the month of the merger.

There is an article going around citing that Max has a 26.9% cancellation rate, and that seems.... off? It is still far higher than every other streamer, but it's still lower than what's expected from what we've seen of WBD/Max. If you look at Max's original programming list and HBO's original programming list, something's not adding up. I tried to follow the source back, but it wanted money, so I'll do it myself! I suspect that the glut of mindless reality shows, exploitative docuseries, and miniseries really brought that percentage down.

I'm just going to look at the cancellation of actual scripted shows, ignoring miniseries (that's just a big movie on purpose and no concern about #FinishOurStories), series that haven't aired an episode yet, non-English series (most don't have Wikipedia entries and are a messier thing to research), and co-productions (as Anne with an E showed, sometimes the partner can be responsible for cancellations -- this unfortunately leaves off series like Gentleman Jack). I also limited myself to series that had/about to have a season debut after the merger date (April 8, 2022).

(I've got the 'tism, and I enjoy making spreadsheets.)

Drama:

Comedy:

Anthology:

Continuation:

Adult Animation:

Kid/Family:

(Note: I used "ended" if I immediately saw that it was the creators who ended the show on purpose.)

HBO Breakdown:

Max Breakdown:

Combined:

HBO/Max is hovering around a confirmed 50% cancellation rate. I don't expect shows like Tokyo Vice and The Sex Lives of College Girls to last past their seasons that are about to premiere, and I expect many of these other "renewed" or "pending" shows to disappear into the ether.

Let's talk money. What is the monthly cost to subscribe to streamers? To make my life easier, I'm not going to list out yearly costs.

Streamer | Cost/Month with Ads (USD) | Cost/Month without Ads (USD) Apple | n/a | 9.99 Disney | 7.99 | 13.99 Hulu | 7.99 | 17.99 Disney/Hulu Bundle | 9.99 | 19.99 Max | 9.99 | 15.99 Netflix | 6.99 | 15.49 Paramount | 5.99 | 11.99 Peacock | 5.99 | 11.99 Prime | 8.99 | 11.98 Starz | n/a | 9.99 Discovery+ (on debut) | 4.99 | 6.99

Disney and Hulu together without bundling would be 15.98 with ads and 31.98 without ads, so each bundle is 62.5% of what it would have been with a double charge. If Max would be a similar deal, the HBO and Discovery pieces separately would add to 15.98 (ads) and 25.58 (no ads), so assuming no Discovery inflation (and, lbr, the starting pricing was already too high), the HBO piece would be 10.99 (ads) and 18.59 (no ads), putting HBO as the most expensive streaming option.

It's hidden, but Max is a bundle. Discovery+ and HBO do not have overlapping shows or audiences; it's really like if ESPN and Disney tried to sell itself as one service without telling anyone.

Since I tossed out the reality pieces, the cancellation rates I have above are the HBO pieces. If you're paying for Max, you're paying for the most expensive TV option, while paying for the highest turnover in TV productions. If you're subbed to Max for one show, it would be cheaper to just buy it from a digital store or, you know, 🏴‍☠️

So, circling back to the initial quote: sobbing about being beholden to the wacky 2019-2020 greenlights, when those greenlights are the only reason people are subscribed to the service in the first place is certainly a choice! Especially since now that the only "originals" Max is offering up are on par with Velma and The Idol, and the prestige TV that were underway at the time of merger (ex, TLOU and that upcoming HP show) maybe justify a one month sub-and-binge per year. With this obscene cancellation rate and creator disrespect, they aren't going to nab any more big projects, but they sure want you to pay them like they are.

Look, I'm not getting into the labor and worker treatment parts of this, and I'm not getting into the media representation parts of this or how non-white/straight/male shows have to meet impossible standards. Both of those are also egregious and part of a much, much larger discussion. Just from a purely consumer point of view, Max is a bad product.

Cancel Max. It is not worth your time to care about anything they put out.

Anyway, some petitions for shows that this failed streamer dumped recently. Max won't pick any of them up again, but you can show other streamers that there is interest for them to pick up the shows!

Our Flag Means Death

Rap Sh!t

Julia

Winning Time

Warrior (S4 has not been confirmed with Netflix)

#petitions at end #our flag means death #ofmd #save ofmd #adopt our crew #david zaslav #hbo max #max #don't stream on max #rap shit #rap sh!t #julia hbo #winning time #warrior #the gilded age #the gilded age should help out their Gay Twitter brethren

[doubleclutch]

As they say “all good things must come to an end”.

For what it’s worth this series had some of the best/most unique and realistic depictions of basketball I’ve ever seen on TV/Movies.

And a really good cast of actors.

#basketball #lakers #magic johnson #winning time

[flipjack]

Gillian Jacobs behind the scenes on “Winning Time” season 2 (better crop)

#Gillian Jacobs #Winning Time #Community #Britta Perry #Fear Street #Invincible #Atom Eve #Love on Netflix #Mickey Dobbs

[marcorossi]

WINNING TIME 1x07 - INVISIBLE MAN

#winning time #larry bird #winning time: the rise of the lakers dynasty #basketball #idk what else to tag this as uhhhh hope this looks good #making these reminds me why i never use 1080p for gifs

[stone23]

#winning time #hbo

[litwhorees]

my favorite thing about winning time has to be kaj, magic, and norm all being their own respective brand of asshole then theres my sweet prince coop ❤️

#the locker room scene took me tf ouuuttt 😭 #the ‘I’ll wait’ turned my man into a disgruntled school teacher #then Kareem ol angry ass yoking niggas up followed by making them hug it out #it had everything #it was a masterpiece #someone who knows how to make gifs should do that scene honestly #I’d be forever indebted 😚 #winning time #winning time: the rise of the lakers dynasty

[hbomaxemea]

It's almost showtime.

#Winning Time #Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty #HBO Original #HBO Max

[oakleyandallen]

#Winning Time #Pat Riley #Adrien Brody

[louiscreed]

#jason clarke #winning time

[doubleclutch]

Speaking of Magic, anyone else watching Season 2 of HBO’s “Winning Time”?

#basketball #lakers #magic johnson #pat riley #winning time

[flipjack]

Gillian in the latest episode of "Winning Time"

#Gillian Jacobs #Winning Time #John C Reilly #Adrien Brody #Community #Britta Perry #Love on Netflix #Mickey Dobbs #Invincible #Atom Eve

[reflections-in-a-critical-eye]

While trying to come up with a list of favorite/best shows seen in 2023, I realized that this year there hasn't been anything that truly impressed me. Some of them were good, others mediocre and some shows that I started watching and then abandoned for whatever reason. Apart from the last season of Succession, nothing felt exciting enough that would make me impatient for the next episode. I couldn't even gather 10 shows for this list, but anyway, here it goes.

1. Succession

I do think that the last season wasn't as cohesive as the previous ones and sort of lost its direction in the second half, but it still was one of the best tv series of the year. If not for the entire season, at least for the Connor's Wedding episode, which was a masterclass in acting/directing.

2. Barry

It took me a while to get used to Barry and I wasn't really into it at the beginning, but it turned out that season 3 had one of the most interesting pieces of directing in tv and really got out of its way in terms of experimenting with the medium.

3. Rain Dogs

This is a little show, perhaps not very well known. If not for its plot, I think the acting was top notch, but it's something I usually find in a lot of British series.

4. Bad Sisters

I never thought I could hate Claes Bang's face (I really liked him in The Square), but my god, his character was a complete asshole, the worst of its kind. No wonder those sisters came up with 10+ ideas on how to kill him.

5. Jury Duty

I'm always down for a mockumentary and this one was a bit particular, as the main character wasn't aware of what was going on. But I think the project worked and it landed the reveal well. James Marsden was my favorite here.

6. Minx

I've mentioned Minx here before. I'm happy it was picked up by another network after HBO cancelled it. It may not have a big audience, but there's barely any promotion for it. Which is absurd because it's such a fun show about combining feminism with 70s erotica for women in a way that only that decade could have done.

7. Winning Time

Another show barely promoted and also cancelled by HBO after two seasons. I'm not really into sports movies/tv series, but when I'm hooked and the story is interesting enough, I'm all in. I didn't pay any attention to The Lakers before, but its fictional story set in the 80s? Bring it on.

8. Swarm

This is a must see for anyone who is part of a fandom. Yes, it's fiction and it shows a version of what extremism leads to, but I do think it points a mirror to today's understanding of what it means to be a fan. Of taking a really toxic mindset from the online world and applying it in real life. There's a lot of food for thought there.

#m thoughts #top tv series 2023 #swarm #succession #winning time #minx #bad sisters #barry #rain dogs #jury duty

[mulhollanddriver]

FUCK BOSTON!

#WINNING TIME #s1e7 #Katherine Taylor #Larry Bird #Boston Celtics #Los Angeles Lakers

[mirrorraised]

#sad #😔 #winning time hbo #adrien brody #winning time

[hbomaxemea]

It takes more than one championship to build a dynasty.

#Winning Time #Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty #HBO Original #HBO Max

[alog4]

(XユーザーのWinning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynastyさん: 「The greatest rivalry in the league. #WinningTime https://t.co/iyG1i7hvzC」 / Xから)

#winning time #winning time hbo #winning time: the rise of the lakers dynasty #nba