After winning Golden Globes for his work as writer-executive producer of The Office (UK) and HBO’s Extras, Stephen Merchant is now expanding his resume to include leading man in a comedy series.
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.
Accompanying Merchant on Hello Ladies are Christine Woods (Go On) as an unsuccessful and unsure actress, Nate Torrence (She’s Out of My League) as a man still in love with the wife that left him, and Kevin Weisman (Alias) as a crafty pick-up artist. Guests on the show include Crista Flanagan, Jenny Slate, Sean Wing and Sarah Wright.
Created by Stephen Merchant, Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg Hello Ladies begins its eight-episode season on Sunday, September 29, 2013 (10:30-11:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.
HBO has unveiled the upcoming line-up of documentaries for the second half of 2013.
Valentine Road (October 7, 2013) which is directed and produced by first-time filmmaker Marta Cunningham probes the murder of a young teen.
Debuting back-to back are Mondays at Racine (Oct. 14) by Oscar winner Cynthia Wade (Freeheld) who visits a Long Island beauty salon that opens its doors to women diagnosed with cancer, Open Heart helmed by Kief Davidson revolves around an Italian cardiologist in Southern Sudan who performs high-risk heart surgery on young patients travelling from Rwanda, and Redemption directed by Emmy winners Jon Alpert and Matthew O’Neill examines unemployed New Yorkers collecting five-cent bottles and cans.
Life According to Sam(Oct. 21) by Oscar winners Sean and Andrea Fine (Inocente) chronicles a family trying to save their teenage son from a progressive aging disorder known as Progeria.
Seduced and Abandoned(Oct. 28) showcases Alec Baldwin and James Toback trying to secure a deal to do a remake of Last Tango in Paris while attending the Cannes Film Festival.
Tales from the Organ Trade (Nov. 4) by Emmy winner Ric Esther Bienstork (Frontline: Sex Slaves) delves into the world of black market surgical operations.
Dial One for Vets (Nov.11) by Emmy winner Ellen Goosenberg (I have Tourette’s But Tourett’s Doesn’t Have Me) examines the growing inclination among American war veterans to commit suicide.
Whoopie Goldberg Presents Moms Mabley (Nov. 18) honours Jackie “Moms” Malbey who broke racial and sexual boundaries as an African-American stand-up comedienne.
The Battle of Amfar(Dec. 2) co-directed by Oscar winners Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman (Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt) documents the struggles of Hollywood icon Elizabeth Taylor (Butterfield 8) and research scientist Dr. Mathilde Krim to establish America’s first national AIDS research foundation.
Six by Sondheim(Dec. 9) by Tony winner James Lapine (Into the Woods) and features musical segments directed by Lapine, Todd Haynes (I’m Not Here) and Autumn de Wilde recounts the life stories behind six of Broadway lyricist and composer Stephen Sondheim’s most acclaimed songs: Something’s Coming, Opening Doors, Send in the Clowns, I’m Still Here, Being Alive and Sunday.
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Steven Soderbergh (Sex, Lies, and Videotape) might be retiring from making movies but not when it comes to the small screen; the multi-tasking filmmaker known for shooting and editing his projects under pseudonym names is collaborating with Oscar and Emmy nominee Clive Owen (Children of Men) on a Cinemax original series titled The Knick.
The surgeons, nurses and staff of Knickerbocker Hospital push the boundaries of medicine in a time of astonishingly high mortality rates and zero antibiotics.
The drama set in downtown New York in 1900 features the writing talents of Jack Amiel and Michael Begler (Raising Helen) who wrote the pilot for the series and will serve as executive producers, along with Soderbergh, Owen, Michael Sugar (Rendition) and Gregory Jacobs (Behind the Candelabra).
Michael Lombardo, president, HBO Programming, stated in a press release, “We are thrilled that Steven and Clive have chosen to bring this unique and exciting series to Cinemax.” Production for the ten episode season of The Knickstarts in September in New York with the HBO debut set for 2014.