Max Head Talks About Everchanging Plans With Strike Still Ongoing

HBO once defined itself with its dramatic lineup from The Sopranos which revolutionized the “prestige drama” to Oz and Six Feet Under. With the Game of Thrones spin-off House of the Dragon coming back and will be at least three seasons long, and the adaptation of The Last of Us also returning, the heads over at the newly christened Max are coming up with a game plan to keep people plugged in despite the ongoing WGA strike.

“While everything at this moment is pencils down, I’m hopeful that we can come to terms sooner than later. Otherwise, we will have to assess what is the end of the ’24 schedule, what are the shows that are going to be delivered for 2025,” said Max’s head of drama Francesca Orsi told Deadline. “At this point, those shows that I’m looking to air wouldn’t necessarily be ready if this strike lasts six to nine months. So yes, that’s a big question for us, but I think we’ll cross that road once we come to it.”

The Last of Us Season 2 was planned for 2025, prior to the beginning of the strike, Orsi explained. The strike has already affected another Game of Thrones spin-off, A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight. Freshman shows like Euphoria and Perry Mason were delayed because of COVID going into their second season, as well, and no date has been set for further seasons in the pipeline. Fan favorites The Gilded Age and Winning Time are returning this year for their second season, too, but everything is now on a day-to-day basis on renewal.

“Of course, each show has a job to do, given the price tag that we give to it, and there’s a viewership, component and there’s a critical response element to it and of course, the buzz nature of a show,” Orsi explained. “It’s those elements that we are always keeping in mind and discussing relative to whether or not a show will continue.”