This fall, HBO Canada, a multiplex channel of Bell Media’s The Movie Network (Eastern Canada) and Corus Entertainment’s Movie Central (Western Canada), presents a jam-packed fall season complete with popular returning series, an all-new half-hour comedy from HBO, a new title from HBO Films, and a multitude of fascinating documentaries, making it the premium entertainment destination for Canadians.
HBO Canada’s fall line-up includes: the fourth season of HBO’s Emmy®-nominated Prohibition-era drama BOARDWALK EMPIRE; the fourth and final season of Danny McBride’s cult-hit comedy series EASTBOUND & DOWN; the premiere of new, half-hour comedy HELLO LADIES starring Stephen Merchant (Golden Globe®-winner as writer-executive producer of THE OFFICE UK and HBO’s EXTRAS) in his first lead role in a comedy series; and HBO Films’ MUHAMMAD ALI’S GREATEST FIGHT, a feature-length film about Muhammad Ali’s historic Supreme Court battle. The diverse documentary lineup includes SEDUCED AND ABANDONED, a cinematic romp with Alec Baldwin and James Toback, and VALENTINE ROAD, probing the murder of a young teen.
Additional information about HBO Canada’s fall line-up is outlined below. All new HBO programming premieres day-and-date with HBO in the U.S.:
BOARDWALK EMPIRE, Season 4
Premieres Sunday, Sept. 8 at 9 p.m. ET/MT
Set in the 1920s during Prohibition, this Emmy®– and Golden Globe®-winning drama series stars Steve Buscemi as “Nucky” Thompson, the undisputed leader of Atlantic City. The 12-episode fourth season picks up in February 1924, eight months after the end of Season 3. After barely surviving an overthrow by gangster Gyp Rossetti, Nucky Thompson is laying low at the end of the Boardwalk. But the calm will be short-lived, as Nucky faces new challenges, including a clash with the mayor, a battle with his brother Eli over Eli’s college-age son, and the irresistible lure of lucrative – and perilous – opportunities in Florida. The series also stars Kelly Macdonald as Margaret, Nucky’s estranged wife; Michael Shannon as former Federal Agent Nelson Van Alden, caught up in gangland conflicts; Shea Whigham as Nucky’s brother Elias, whose attempt to steer his son clear of Nucky’s influence sparks fraternal tensions; Jack Huston as disfigured war veteran Richard Harrow, who is searching for a new purpose in life; Stephen Graham as gangster Al Capone; Michael Stuhlbarg as gangster Arnold Rothstein, who’s newly wary of Nucky; Vincent Piazza as gangster Lucky Luciano; Paul Sparks as Mickey Doyle, head of Nucky’s bootlegging operation; Michael Kenneth Williams as Nucky’s ally Chalky White, leader of the city’s African-American community; Gretchen Mol as Gillian, battling demons from her past as she seeks custody of her grandson; and Anthony Laciura as Eddie Kessler, Nucky’s longtime valet. New cast members in Season 4 include Jeffrey Wright as Valentin Narcisse, a violent Harlem power broker who tries to muscle in on Chalky’s action; Ron Livingston as Roy Phillips, a business and romantic prospect of Gillian’s; Patricia Arquette as Sally Wheet, a Florida speakeasy owner; Brian Geraghty as Federal Agent Warren Knox; and Domenick Lombardozzi and Morgan Spector as Al Capone’s brothers, Ralph and Frank.
EASTBOUND & DOWN, Season 4
Premieres Sunday, Sept. 29 at 10:00 p.m. ET/MT
Starring Danny McBride (This Is The End), this raw-and-raunchy comedy series tells the story of a star pitcher Kenny Powers, whose self-destructive behavior knocks him out of major league baseball, leaving him broke, delusional and desperate to regain his former glory. The eight-episode fourth and final season picks up several years after Kenny Powers faked his own death and ran back home to his beloved April, the mother of his child. The fourth season begins with Kenny living the American Dream with his family in North Carolina. The series is executive produced by Jody Hill, Danny McBride, Will Ferrell, Chris Henchy and Adam McKay.
HELLO LADIES, Season 1
Premieres Sunday, Sept. 29 at 10:30 p.m. ET/MT
A recent transplant from England, Stuart is a gawky, 6’ 7” web designer searching for excitement and romance in Los Angeles. Half as charming – and twice as desperate – as he thinks he is, he’s obsessed with infiltrating the glamorous world of beautiful people, who won’t let him in. In his first lead role in a comedy series, Stephen Merchant (Golden Globe®-winner as writer-executive producer of THE OFFICE UK and HBO’s EXTRAS) stars as Stuart in the eight-episode season. Series regulars include Christine Woods (GO ON, PERFECT COUPLES) as Jessica, an unsuccessful actress unsure of both her place in the world and her on-again, off-again romance with her agent; Nate Torrence (Get Smart, She’s Out of My League) as Wade, reluctantly re-entering the dating world after being dumped by the wife he still loves; and Kevin Weisman (ALIAS) as Kives, who parlays disability to his advantage in picking up women. Guests on the show include Crista Flanagan (MAD MEN), Jenny Slate (PARKS AND RECREATION), Sean Wing (90210) and Sarah Wright (PARKS AND RECREATION). Stephen Merchant, Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky executive produce.
MUHAMMAD ALI’S GREATEST FIGHT
Premieres Saturday, Oct. 5 at 8 p.m. ET/MT
Directed by Stephen Frears (Oscar®-nominated for The Queen and The Grifters), MUHAMMAD ALI’s GREATEST FIGHT tells the story of Muhammad Ali’s historic Supreme Court battle from behind closed doors. When Ali was drafted into the Vietnam War at the height of his boxing career, his claim to conscientious objector status led to a controversial legal battle that rattled the U.S. judicial system right up to the highest court in the land. The film uses archival footage of Ali and stars Christopher Plummer as Justice John Harlan, Frank Langella as Justice Warren Burger, Benjamin Walker (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) as Kevin Connolly, and Ed Begley, Jr. as Justice Harry Blackmun.
VALENTINE ROAD
Premieres Monday, Oct. 7 at 9 p.m. ET/MT
VALENTINE ROAD unravels the school shooting of a young teenager who had begun exploring his gender identity, detailing the circumstances that led to his murder by a fellow student, and the complicated aftermath. Directed and produced by first-time filmmaker Marta Cunningham and produced by Sasha Alpert (HBO’s AUTISM: THE MUSICAL) and Eddie Schmidt (HBO’s TWIST OF FAITH), the powerful and disturbing documentary raises questions about the safety of LGBT teens, while challenging the efficacy of the U.S. educational and juvenile justice systems to prevent these kinds of tragedies. VALENTINE ROAD is an official selection of the U.S. Documentary Competition at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival.
MONDAYS AT RACINE
Premieres Monday, Oct. 14 at 9 p.m. ET/MT
Marking Breast Cancer Awareness Month, MONDAYS AT RACINE, directed by Cynthia Wade (Oscar®-winning Freeheld), visits a Long Island beauty salon that opens its doors to women diagnosed with cancer. MONDAYS AT RACINE was nominated for a Documentary Short Subject Oscar® earlier this year.
REDEMPTION
Premieres Monday, Oct. 14 at 9:45 p.m. ET/MT
Directed by Jon Alpert and Matthew O’Neill (Emmy® winners for directing HBO’s BAGHDAD ER), this documentary looks at the growing army of jobless New Yorkers whose treasures are found in trash through collecting five-cent bottles and cans. REDEMPTION was nominated for a Documentary Short Subject Oscar® earlier this year.
LIFE ACCORDING TO SAM
Premieres Monday, Oct. 21 at 9 p.m. ET/MT
LIFE ACCORDING TO SAM explores the remarkable world of 16-year-old Sam Berns, spotlighting his family’s courageous fight to save their son from the extremely rare and fatal disease Progeria, a progressive aging disorder. An official selection of the U.S. Documentary Competition at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, the film chronicles their inspiring, relentless pursuit of a treatment and cure as they empower Sam to enjoy the fullest life possible. Directed by Sean and Andrea Fine (Oscar® winners for Inocente).
SEDUCED AND ABANDONED
Premieres Monday, Oct. 28 at 9 p.m. ET/MT
SEDUCED AND ABANDONED follows Alec Baldwin and James Toback as they attempt to make a deal to produce their version of Last Tango in Paris at the Cannes Film Festival. From intimate chats with Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola and Roman Polanski, to the pursuit of high-profile names like Ryan Gosling and Jessica Chastain, to an exposé of backroom wheeling and dealing, this cinematic romp is a humourous ode to everything alluring about cinema. Directed by James Toback.
In Eastern Canada, episodes and documentaries will be available in High Definition and on TMN GO, HBO Canada OnDemand and HBO Canada OnLine.
In Western Canada, episodes and documentaries will be available in High Definition on HBO Canada HD; on demand, via mobile and online with participating service providers.
