- HBO Max has ordered two new drama pilots: the cop drama American Blue and the family saga How To Survive Without Me.
- The shows follow the successful model of the Emmy-winning series The Pitt, featuring 15+ episodes per season, modest budgets, and yearly release schedules.
- This new “prestigurals” strategy aims to merge the reliability of network television with the high quality of prestige streaming content.
- Legendary producers Greg Berlanti (Brothers & Sisters) and Jeremy Carver (Supernatural), alongside Bash Doran (Life After Life), are spearheading the new projects.
A New Blueprint for Streaming Dominance
In a move that signals a major shift in streaming strategy, HBO Max has ordered two drama pilots designed to combat viewer fatigue from short seasons and long waits. Following the massive success of its Emmy-winning medical drama The Pitt, the streamer is doubling down on a model that prioritizes volume and consistency without sacrificing quality. The new projects, cop drama American Blue and family series How To Survive Without Me (working title), will adopt The Pitt’s framework of 15+ episodes per season on a yearly release schedule.
Sarah Aubrey, HBO Max Head of Originals, explained that the goal is to fill a “white space in the streaming landscape.” She noted, “We saw that and thought, Oh, this is this is an opportunity, and made that bet that audiences would flock to that kind of storytelling.”
The New Contenders
American Blue
From Supernatural showrunner Jeremy Carver, American Blue is a cop drama centered on a native son who returns to his hometown of Joliet, Illinois, to help a struggling police force and find his own redemption. Aubrey compared the project to genre classics like Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blue, emphasizing its focus on police officers as integral members of the community they serve. “It is very much in the streets, on their feet, doing the job in 2025,” she said.
How To Survive Without Me
Spearheaded by prolific creator Greg Berlanti and writer Bash Doran, this family drama is being compared to beloved series like Brothers & Sisters and even Six Feet Under. The series will explore the lives of adult siblings and their father as they navigate grief, love, and their lives in Los Angeles. “People would want to live and be a part of this family,” Aubrey commented, highlighting the aspirational and inspirational themes intended to resonate with audiences in tumultuous times.
The Rise of the “Prestigurals”
This new wave of shows, jokingly referred to internally as “prestigurals,” is designed to blend the serialized, character-driven storytelling of prestige TV with the comforting, episodic nature of network procedurals. The model has proven to attract a broader audience, hooking both core prestige viewers and those who come to the service for library content or movies.
This strategy also marks a return to the traditional pilot model. Rather than handing out straight-to-series orders, HBO Max is using pilots as a “proof of concept” to fine-tune large ensembles and ensure the creative engine can sustain over a dozen episodes a year. It’s a deliberate, calculated approach to building a robust slate of dramas that can keep audiences engaged year-round, filling the gaps between HBO’s blockbuster tentpoles like The Last of Us and the upcoming Harry Potter series.