Maher mixes back in
HBO putting pundit into latenight talkshow
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The Los Angeles-based hour will appear on HBO Fridays at 11:30 p.m., the timeslot previously occupied by half-hour skein "Dennis Miller Live," which wrapped its nine-season run this summer.
Twenty episodes have been ordered of the yet-to-be-titled Maher project, which will be devoted to news and comedy. It will air live on the East Coast, and tape-delayed on the West Coast.
"Bill is at the top of his game right now," said HBO senior veep of original programming Nancy Geller, who will oversee the project for the network and who was one of the exec producers of "Politically Incorrect." "He's really got a lot of terrific stuff to say, and it's a good time for him to say it. We're interested in his opinion and his comedy and his tone. We're fans."
Maher, who created "PI" in addition to starring, will exec produce the HBO skein, along with Brad Grey and his manager, Marc Gurvitz, of Brillstein-Grey.
The series will be produced by HBO in association with Brad Grey Television. Additional exec producers and producers will be announced.
"We're hoping that we'll have our kind of version of a newsshow, a comedy news show," Geller told Daily Variety. "We did 'Not Necessarily the News' and have played around in that area," she added. "To have a voice -- obviously Dennis Miller was a great voice -- but to have a voice back on again is I think important in these times."
Much chatter
Maher's small screen plans have been the subject of much speculation, since the conclusion of "PI," which was produced by HBO Downtown Prods. and Brad Grey Television. (Brad Grey TV joined HBO as producer when the series moved from Comedy Central to ABC in 1997.) Several outlets have pursued him.
"We've been in business with Bill for a long time, with specials, producing 'Politically Incorrect,' but we were not sure we'd get to do a series," Geller said. "Within the last month or two, we started talking, and it came together. It was great because he had a lot of offers on his plate."
Maher also has been touring in support of his latest book, "When You Ride Alone You Ride With Bin Laden: What the Government Should Be Telling Us to Help Fight the War on Terrorism."
Separately, among other HBO original programming developments, a network spokeswoman confirmed that HBO is not going forward on the current incarnation of "Baseball Wives," the hour drama series it previously had on order (Daily Variety, Nov. 7).
However, the pay TV net is looking at redeveloping the series' concept, which centers on the lives of the wives of professional baseball players.
