Let’s be honest, cop dramas or procedurals have become a bit boring. Right? We mean, how many times can we watch The Rookie on Netflix? If you wanna lean more towards prestige shows, then we have the likes of The Wire and Law & Order waiting for you on JioHotstar.
But maybe we should just hold onto our badges, because HBO (the undisputed heavyweight champ of “Prestige TV”) is stepping into the precinct. They’ve just announced a new series called American Blue, and it sounds like the gritty, binge-worthy shake-up we’ve been waiting for.
American Blue is led by Milo Ventimiglia, with David Ayer sitting in the director’s chair. Jeremy Carver will be running the show.
The plot? Ventimiglia plays Brian “Milk” Milkovich, a guy heading back to his hometown of Joliet, Illinois. He’s there to save a struggling police force while trying to fix his own messy life. Standard hero’s journey? Maybe. But this is HBO, so expect it to be dark, complicated, and probably involve some very dramatic smoking and drinking.
If you haven’t caught The Pitt yet, you’re missing the blueprint for “New TV.” HBO realised that people actually miss long seasons, but they hate filler episodes.
The head of Max Original Programming, Sarah Aubrey, basically confirmed they are using the same “magic sauce” for American Blue. Here’s how they’re changing the game.
“As with The Pitt, our goal of longer seasons will allow viewers to sink deeply into this world across multiple episodes and to return to it on an annual basis. We can’t wait for Jeremy Carver’s vision for American Blue to come to life…”
As per online reports, American Blue could get at least 15 tightly written episodes in its first season. That’s long enough to care about the characters and the overall storyline. Moreover, they are opting for the “slow-burn” approach, going over the 50 min mark for every episode.
And most importantly, they want this to be an annual event. No more waiting three years between seasons (looking at you, Euphoria).
While Netflix is busy spending $200 million on movies or shows you forget two days later, and Disney+ is stuck between superhero action and a galaxy far, far away, HBO is doubling down on human drama.
HBO is dead serious in making American Blue a mammoth success like The Pitt. By blending the comfort of a cop show with the high-stakes writing of a prestige drama, American Blue might just be the show that makes us actually want to stay on the couch next year. Let’s see what happens. Stay tuned for more updates.