HBO Max is doing pretty damn well on its 1st anniversary, despite experiencing so much drama

Vulture

"I don’t even think it’s a stretch to call it a significant success on multiple fronts," says Josef Adalian of the WarnerMedia streaming service that launched on May 27, 2020. "It’s been a year for HBO Max, both literally and figuratively: The platform turns one year old (Thursday), and the last 12 months have been, well … eventful," he says. "Debuting amid a global pandemic was never going to be easy, but Max lived up to its moniker by producing the maximum amount of drama. There was that early and very confusing nonsense over the naming of various HBO products; an uninspired launch marketing campaign; COVID-related delays of tentpole shows such as The Flight Attendant and Gossip Girl; and the nasty battle with Roku and Amazon that kept the app unavailable to millions of potential subscribers for months. As if all that weren’t enough, the behind-the-scenes C-suite drama was like a scene out of Succession, culminating a few weeks ago with AT&T deciding to basically sell Max parent company WarnerMedia to Discovery Networks and exit the streaming business altogether." Adalian adds that HBO Max has shown impressive growth. Not Disney+ impressive! But pretty impressive for a streaming service that charges $15 a month. There's also the sterling content. "While WarnerMedia has allowed HBO and HBO Max to maintain separate development teams, both are overseen by HBO vet Casey Bloys and, more importantly, audiences don’t care what label is attached to a program (see also: FX on Hulu)," says Adalian. "So when assessing the strength of HBO Max, it makes no sense to distinguish between the two brands. By that standard, HBO Max’s slate, while not as bountiful as Netflix’s, has more than made up for it in terms of quality, attracting strong buzz and frequent critical acclaim for a long line of programs launched over past year: The Flight Attendant, Lovecraft Country, Hacks, Mare of Easttown, It’s a Sin, I May Destroy You, Perry Mason, Tina, and, yes, The Undoing. Plus, as the post-pandemic production pipeline heats up, Max’s roster will grow stronger still, benefiting from the return of some HBO tentpoles such as Succession, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Barry, Insecure, Westworld, and Euphoria. And next year, Max gets what could be its biggest weapon yet in the fight for subscribers: the Game of Thrones spinoff series House of the Dragon." ALSO: HBO Max's path to its launch was a mess, yet it miraculously isn't a mess.