#45 – David Zaslav’s Max-tacular! (Feat. HBO)

HBO Max is dead! Long live HBO… and, uh… Max! Just separately! But together! Also House Hunters is there! MAX! (Don’t worry, we’ll explain.) But first! Join us as we cruise through the week’s other big streaming stories sipping champagne with Conor and the gang (like the HBO loving coastal elite we know you are): The Mario Movie broke records, but finding it on streaming will only break your brain. WWE and UFC merged, but what will that mean for everyone’s favorite streaming bird: Peacock? Disney tries to reassure fans that Star Wars is definitely, maybe, probably going to make another movie… … and that they promise they won’t make us watch another season of Obi-Wan Kenobi (uhh… kind of a weird flex, but okay!). But no troubled franchise is troubled quite like Amazon’s The Rings of Power, which even fans struggled to finish. We’ll share the eye-popping details from Kim Masters at The Hollywood Reporter. Rumor has it the mad scientists at HBO are getting ready to invent prequel inception with a Game of Thrones prequel prequel… … but first we’re all taking a trip to Thailand with The White Lotus! And, of course, we convene an emergency check-in after last weekend’s big episode of Succession. ——— 📺 Review: Succession (Emergency Check-In) 🚨 Spoiler Alert for All Episodes through Season 4, Episode 3 (“Connor’s Wedding”) (starting at 34:20) 🚨 Number of Seasons Overall: 4 Renewal Status: Going out on top, y’all! Where to Watch: HBO, Sundays at 9 PM ET Where to Stream: HBO Max (Er, “MAX”) ——— 🔗 News Links: When The Super Mario Bros. Movie Starts Streaming – David Thompson, The Direct UFC owner Endeavor to acquire WWE in $9.3 billion deal – Sara Fischer and Tim Baysinger, Axios Kathleen Kennedy on 'Star Wars' Future, Daisy Ridley and Taika Waititi – Amon Warmann, Variety Star Wars not "actively" working on Rian Johnson movies or Obi-Wan season 2, says Kathleen Kennedy – William Hughes, A.V. Club Inside Amazon Studios: Big Swings Hampered by Confusion and Frustration – Kim Masters, The Hollywood Reporter HBO is apparently considering another Game Of Thrones prequel, set before the other prequel – Sam Barsanti, A.V. Club 'Game of Thrones' Prequel About Aegon's Conquest Eyed at HBO – Joe Otterson, Variety 'White Lotus' Season 3 Location: New Season Will Be in Thailand – Ethan Shanfeld, Variety ‘The White Lotus’ Season 3: Which Thailand Hotel Will Star? – Lisa Liebman, Architectural Digest HBO Max Renamed Max With Discovery+ Merger; Price and Launch Date – Todd Spangler, Variety Introducing Max - The One to Watch | Official Promo | Max – , YouTube HBO’s Run as a Mass-Market Streaming Brand Comes to a Merciful End – Felix Gillette, Bloomberg Newly minted "Max" announces a new Harry Potter series, a new Westeros series, and a whole lot more stuff – Mary Kate Carr, A.V. Club Colin Farrell goes full Tony Soprano in The Penguin teaser – Matt Schimkowitz, A.V. Club Max is charging more money for 4K, and that means it can’t suck this time – Alex Cranz, The Verge ——— 🔗 Succession Links: Spoiler Alert, of course! How Brian Cox Felt About That Big Episode 3 Twist in ‘Succession’ – Austin Considine, The New York Times The Succession writers used "Larry David" as the code name for that big thing this week – Katie Chow, A.V. Club 'Succession' Season 4 Episode 3 Ratings: 2.5 Million Viewers – Selome Hailu, Variety Succession | Inside the Episode: Season 4, Episode 3 | HBO Max – , YouTube ——— Subscribe and share at streamageddon.com