Bill Maher Delays ‘Real Time’ Start Citing Strike Talks – Variety

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Bill Maher has decided to stop the clock on the return of “Real Time”.

The comedian, who last week pledged to put his HBO topical show back into production, now says he will delay it even longer.

“I made the decision to return to work when it seemed like nothing was happening and there was no end in sight to this strike,” he said on social media. “Now that both sides have agreed to return to the negotiating table, I will postpone the return of Real Time for the time being, and hope they can finally get it done.” All late-night TV shows have been halted in recent months due to the strike, but Maher said he could no longer stand idly by as many of his below-the-line crew were going without being paid.

In doing so, the rebellious host follows in the footsteps of several other high-profile hosts who have chosen in recent days to halt production plans. Drew Barrymore had planned to start a new spin on her daytime show on CBS, and the network was ready to launch its evening series, “The Talk.” Both changed course after the plans sparked backlash. The WGA said it plans to protest outside any production of “Real Time.”

Maher had planned a simple show, devoid of many of his signature elements. Under his plan, the “Real Time” episode produced during the strike would not contain any monologues, comic strips, or the main segment of the series, “New Rules.” “And I’ll say this to the audience: The show I’m going to do without my book is not going to be as good as our usual show, stop,” Maher said last week.

The WGA strike has thwarted the plans of many late-night television networks. CBS had hoped to launch a new 12:30 a.m. show this fall to replace the departing James Corden. The raid changed that timeline, according to people familiar with the matter. Instead of a companion program to Stephen Colbert’s show, CBS tapped “Comics Unleashed,” a collection of stand-up routines produced by businessman Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group on a short-term basis. Comedy Central, which has been testing a wide range of hosts to succeed Trevor Noah on the “Daily Show,” has scuttled those efforts, although comedian Hasan Minhaj is considered a leading candidate for the role.

Late-night television shows continue to spark debates and pop culture threads. But the longer shows like NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” and ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” remain dark, the greater the risk that viewers in the age of streaming video will make permanent changes to their consumption habits. In 2018, seven late-night programs were introduced – NBC’s “Tonight” and “Late Night,” CBS’ “Late Show” and “Late Late Show,” and ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” , “Daily Show” on Comedy Central, and “Saturday Night Live” on NBC. — attracted more than $698 million in advertising in 2018, according to Vivvix, an ad spending tracking company. By 2022, that total had reached $412.7 million, a decline of nearly 41% over five years.

Some hosts seemed keen to return to their antics in the early hours of the night. Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers. Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel and John Oliver have come together to produce a podcast in hopes of donating any revenue it generates to their out-of-work crews.

The strike disrupted production of “Real Time” midway through the series’ 21st season. “Real Time” debuted on HBO in 2003. It incorporates some elements of Maher’s previous show, “Politically Incorrect,” which was shown on both Comedy Central and ABC.