Streaming service HBO Max has given production commitments for three new one-hour dramas from J.J. Abrams and Katie McGrath’s Bad Robot Productions and Warner Bros. Television Group, marking the first new Bad Robot–produced television projects for HBO Max under the exclusive, wide-ranging content collaboration partnership formed by Bad Robot with HBO Max parent company WarnerMedia in fall 2019.
The first series, “Duster,” is to be co-written by J.J. Abrams and LaToya Morgan. Set in the 1970’s Southwest, the life of a gutsy getaway driver for a growing crime syndicate goes from awful to wildly, stupidly, dangerously awful. Morgan is currently a writer on “The Walking Dead”. Previously, she was a co-executive producer and writer of AMC’s “Into the Badlands” and “TURN: Washington’s Spies,” and was a writer for NBC’s “Parenthood” and Showtime’s “Shameless.”
The second series, “Overlook,” is a horror-thriller series inspired by and featuring iconic characters from Stephen King’s masterpiece “The Shining.” “Overlook” explores the untold, terrifying stories of the most famous haunted hotel in American fiction. The project reunites Bad Robot, King and WBTV, who previously collaborated on the acclaimed psychological-horror series “Castle Rock” for Hulu.
The third will be a major series based on DC characters in the “Justice League Dark” Universe, details to be revealed soon.
“What an amazing start to our association with the wildly imaginative Bad Robot team under J.J. and Katie,” said Kevin Reilly, chief content officer, HBO Max and president, TNT, TBS, and truTV. “What could be better than an original J.J. idea and then Warner Bros. letting them loose on iconic I.P. from Stephen King and the DC Universe and to provide more must-have programming on HBO Max.”
All of the Bad Robot series for HBO Max will be executive produced by Abrams and its head of television, Ben Stephenson. Rachel Rusch Rich, Bad Robot’s EVP of television, will serve as a co-executive producer. Warner Bros. International Television Distribution will be the global distributor for the programs.
Current Bad Robot television series produced through Warner Bros. Television include HBO’s “Westworld” and Hulu’s “Castle Rock,” the upcoming “Demimonde” (to be created by Abrams) and “Lovecraft Country” for HBO, as well as “Lisey’s Story,” “Little Voice” and “My Glory Was I Had Such Friends” for Apple TV+.
Despite Beyoncé, Sabrina Carpenter and Kendrick Lamar, ratings for the Grammys fall
Ratings for the Grammy Awards dipped from last year, despite the nail-biting tension of whether Beyoncé would win album of the year and a surprise appearance by The Weeknd.
Sunday night's broadcast on CBS was seen by 15.4 million viewers according to Nielsen. That represents a decline from 2024, which was seen by 16.9 million, a 34% increase from the year before.
The numbers so far only account for viewers on CBS. The telecast was also available to stream by those who purchased the Paramount+ With Showtime package. Due to last month's devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, the Grammys scaled back marketing efforts ahead of the Grammys and canceled several pre-Grammy events.
The three-hour-plus show — with Trevor Noah once again hosting — took place in a Los Angeles still reeling from the wildfires and celebrated the past year's most popular artists, with performances by Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter and Charli xcx.
The show raised nearly $9 million for wildfire relief efforts.
Kendrick Lamar won song and record of the year for his diss track "Not Like Us," taking home two of the night's most prestigious awards, and Shakira won Latin pop album for "Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran."
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