Yahoo News ‘Real Time With Bill Maher’ Gets Two More Years at HBO
One of HBO’s longest-running series ever will further extend its time on the premium cable channel.
HBO has picked up two more seasons of Real Time With Bill Maher, which will take the weekly talk show through its 24th season in 2026. The show’s current order was due to expire at the end of this year.
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The renewal comes a few months after HBO also extended its other late-night staple, Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, through 2026.
“Two more years in the dream job of a lifetime, on the network so many dream of being on — I think that’s what we call a no-brainer,” Maher said in a statement.
Real Time, which premiered in 2003, is second in HBO history only to the recently ended Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel in the number of seasons it has produced. Curb Your Enthusiasm’s premiere predates Real Time by three years, but the Larry David comedy has only made 12 seasons in that time, with occasional multi-year breaks in between.
“For 22 seasons and counting, Bill Maher remains a uniquely powerful voice in politics and culture. Real Time is the rare place where people can both disagree and find common ground, which is more vital than ever,” said Nina Rosenstein, executive vp HBO programming, late night and specials. “We’re thrilled to continue working with Bill and his incredibly talented team for two more seasons.”
Maher courted controversy in September when he announced plans to resume Real Time without its striking writers, saying “It has been five months, and it is time to bring people back to work.” He reversed course a few days later — after coming under heavy criticism from striking members of the Writers Guild of America — and then restarted the show two days after the strike ended in September, thanking the writers and other crew members for mounting a show that quickly.
Maher executive produces Real Time with Sheila Griffiths, Marc Gurvitz, Dean Johnsen and Billy Martin. Chris Kelly is co-EP, and Matt Wood produces. Paul Casey directs.
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