HBO teases new episodes of Succession, Westworld and more in 2020

HBO had a strong year. Watchmen was a celebrated new hit, Succession picked up stream, and His Dark Materials…happened. And of course the final season of Game of Thrones pulled in record numbers.

But HBO is going to have to kick it up a notch if it wants to stay competitive in a new environment that includes new heavy hitters like Disney+, plus the continued expansion of giants like Netflix. Game of Thrones is over. What else does the network have to attract viewers? Take a look at its 2020 sizzle reel and see:

If anything, there’s too much to look forward to. So far as returning shows go, I’m excited for new seasons of Westworld, Succession, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Barry. There’s also a lot of intriguing new stuff on the table, including the period horror drama Lovecraft Country — from executive producers Jordan Peele and J.J. Abrams — Steven King adaptation The Outsider, and Avenue 5. I’m particularly happy about that last one — I’ve been itching for another fast-talking Armando Iannucci comedy since Veep ended. And this one is set on a luxury liner in outer space? Yes please.

And this isn’t the only trailer making the rounds. Netflix has dropped a trailer for Dracula, its coproduction with the BBC. This new show comes from Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, the Doctor Who vets who made Sherlock, and stars Claes Bang as the bloodsucker of honor. Have a watch:

The fly is crawling into the guy’s eye. Why did I have to see that?

And finally, Paramount released a trailer for Top Gun: Maverick, featuring Tom Cruise — ageless as ever — returning to the role of Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. The new trailer is big on the high-flying aerial stunt work. Those prone to nausea: beware.

The synopsis reads thusly:

"After more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him. When he finds himself training a detachment of Top Gun graduates for a specialized mission the likes of which no living pilot has ever seen, Maverick encounters Lt. Bradley Bradshaw (Miles Teller), call sign: “Rooster,” the son of Maverick’s late friend and Radar Intercept Officer Lt. Nick Bradshaw, aka “Goose.”Facing an uncertain future and confronting the ghosts of his past, Maverick is drawn into a confrontation with his own deepest fears, culminating in a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those who will be chosen to fly it."

Top Gun: Maverick is out in June.

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