Let’s be honest, HBO Max always has something new coming out on its service. It’s constantly gaining the rights to new and old franchises and greenlighting fresh series that not even Netflix or Hulu would think about touching, and there’s an exceptional amount of shows to watch in March.
Now that Peacemaker Season 1 and Euphoria Season 2 have come to a close, viewers will be looking for reasons to keep their expensive subscription. From new shows such as Our Flag Means Death to teen cult classic Degrassi: The Next Generation, HBO Max has plenty of reasons to renew that subscription this March.
The Gilded Age Is a New Generation of Downton Abbey
The Gilded Age took, shockingly, 10 years to make and while it’s a shadow of its predecessor, Downton Abbey, it stands well on its own. Created by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes, The Gilded Age is a spin-off set in New York in 1882 with a new money family. Whereas Downton focuses in on one family’s drama and fortitudes, The Gilded Age expands its world and horizons a bit with New York’s social circle.
The old-money-versus-new-money debate is as bright and shiny as ever in this uptown series, which is probably why its so drastically difficult for Downton fans to cling onto. Downton had an obvious class divide between the rich and the servants, but this time around, The Gilded Age is just… the rich versus another type of rich. With a clean slate wiped from the presuppositions of Downton, The Gilded Age is a finer show than expected, especially as it gives new perspective on a whole different time period.
The Gilded Age airs every Monday at 9 pm ET on HBO and is available to stream on HBO Max the same day.
Painting with John Is a Reflective Portrait of a Musician in Season 2
It looks like Bob Ross, it sounds like Bob Ross… so is it Bob Ross? Short answer – not quite, but Painting with John definitely understands this connection. The series premiere titled “Bob Ross Was Wrong” makes it quite clear by host John Lurie that not everybody, in fact, can paint. Following what seems to be an anti-Bob Ross Season 1, Lurie explains that he’s not against the artist, but can’t help to poke fun at his paintings and “unhappy trees” after Ross’ resurgence in popularity among Generation Z.
In Season 2, Lurie continues to discuss his life, lessons he’s learned and reflections on the arts while filming his hobby of watercoloring. There’s more grandeur going into the second season, with animated segments and more stories to tell that makes viewers wonder the type of life the musician/actor/painter has lived. For younger fans of Bob Ross, John Lurie may be the guy to fill that watercolor void.
Painting with John airs every Friday at 11 pm ET on HBO and is available to stream on HBO Max the same day.
Our Flag Means Death Brings Comedy to the Sea
Our Flag Means Death, in simpler terms, is Uncharted meets The Office. The Taika Waititi-produced (and directed) series follows an 18th-century aristocrat who commissions a ship and hires a group of hardened men to make himself a pirate captain. Why? Because why not, it seems. The story is partially based on the protagonist of the same name, Stede Bonnet, who turned to a life of crime even though he was a wealthy land owner, which earned him the name, “The Gentleman Pirate.”
Our Flag Means Death paints The Gentleman Pirate as an 18th-century Michael Scott as he tries to play boss pirate to the other experienced members onboard, living out his dream as an adventurous thief that is way out of his depth. In real life, Bonnet was sentenced to death at the young age of 30, so if the show follows this path, it’ll be a short-lived series.
Our Flag Means Death premieres March 3 on HBO Max.
The Tourist Revisits an Old Trope
Sure, amnesia stories are probably a little overdone in film and television, but The Tourist thinks it can be something different. Played by Jamie Dornan, The Man wakes up with amnesia in an Australian hospital after being involved in a roll-over car accident. The Man knows nothing about his life and must use the little clues he has to discover his identity, in what seems to be in an urgent matter. The opening scene shows The Man being chased in the outback by a tank truck that is trying to run him off the road. Using amnesia as a main focus in a story acts more like a crutch than anything, but there’s no way to know that if it actually serves a purpose in The Tourist until it releases on March 3. It may be the easy way to go, but it sure does keep the mystery alive.
The Tourist premieres March 3 on HBO Max.
Teen Titans Go! Gets the Gang Back Together in Season 7A
As the — technically — longest running DC Universe animated show, Teen Titans Go! never wants to find an end date, and it really shouldn’t. Teen Titans Go! Seasons 1-6 recently found a new home at HBO Max in October, and Season 7A of the series continues the story of the young Titans and their adventures in Jump City. The show has a more comedic take than the 2003 series before it, including hit-or-miss jokes on the DC library that act on its own expense.
Teen Titans Go! Season 7A premieres March 7 on HBO Max.
DMZ Scarily Features a Dark Time for America
DMZ is another DC adaptation to look out for on HBO Max in March, with Ava DuVernay producing the the four-part limited series and Rosario Dawson leading the cast. DMZ takes place in a modern day America that is experiencing a Second Civil War in unprecedented times. In this divided America, there’s the Free States of America and the United States of America that have been living at war for more than eight years, until a hopeful figure comes along.
Dawson’s character was inspired by a medic in the comic of the same name, named Zee, and in the show, she attempts to find her lost child in the demilitarized zone of Manhattan Island. No official trailer has been released for the limited series, but first look photos were revealed at DC FanDome last October.
DMZ premieres March 17 on HBO Max.
After Euphoria, Tackle Degrassi: The Next Generation
Back in January, it was reported that HBO Max secured the U.S. rights for Degrassi: The Next Generation and has greenlit a new spin-off series, Degrassi, adding to the franchise of the same name. With the growing popularity of Euphoria, it only makes sense that HBO Max wants to ride off that high by taking its spiritual predecessor and expanding its franchise for the Gen Z audience.
The Next Generation follows students at Degrassi Community High as they deal with various issues and challenges across 14 seasons such as sex, violence, drugs, mental illnesses and much more. It’s impossible to think of topics that The Next Generation didn’t cover during its run, but now that its releasing on HBO Max, this is the perfect time to start making a list.
Degrassi: The Next Generation premieres March 25 on HBO Max.
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