Game of Thrones and True Blood: HBO Bosses Sound Off on Shows' Future! Plus, Girls Return Date

Girls and Enlightened will return in January 2013, plus an Entourage movie is still in the works

By Tierney Bricker Aug 01, 2012 9:45 PMTags
TRUE BLOODJohn P. Johnson/HBO

No end in sight.

That was the takeaway from the HBO executive session at the 2012 Television Critics Association, where Richard Plepler and Michael Lombardo fielded questions about the future of Game of Thrones and True Blood. (Spoiler: Their futures are looking pretty darn bright.)

And fans of Girls and Enlightened received an early Christmas gift when the comedies' season-two premiere dates were revealed. But what about Entourage fans eagerly awaiting a movie based on their favorite show? Well, it's complicated.

Watch the Throne: Obviously based on the epic series by George R.R. Martin, Game of Thrones' future kind of depends on Martin's pen in many ways. "As long as he keeps writing we'll keep producing, and he seems excited with that prospect," Plepler explains of the hit fantasy's future.

Fresh Blood: HBO's big bosses seemed completely confident in True Blood and its future—despite showrunner Alan Ball stepping down. "This coming year Alan Ball is taking a little bit of a step back, but I think creatively, they're still engaged and excited by the storytelling," Lombardo explains. "As long as it continues to be performing with the consumer, but more importantly exciting the storytellers, I think we're there."

Girls, Girls, Girls: HBO's breakout series Girls, from one of our favorites, Lena Dunham, and Laura Dern's Enlightened will return for their second seasons in January 2013. Both of their sophomore seasons will be 10 episodes.

The Boys Might Be Back: When asked for an update on the Entourage movie, Lombardo jokes. "Doug [Ellin] as of this week is on page 65." But in all seriousness, he says, "He's writing a film script and he's excited about it. I heard a very general pitch for it, and I think after we take a look at the script, we'd still have to make deals with the cast and figure out whether this is something that makes sense or not." Translation: It might be awhile before Vincent, Johnny Drama & Co. visit a theater near you.

Fit to Print: Though The Newsroom hasn't exactly been a hit with some critics, Plepler assures us that the network is very happy with Aaron Sorkin's freshman drama. "We're very proud of it. I think to the original voice point, there's nobody who writes as Aaron writes and nobody who resonates and can create a conversation like Aaron can," he says. "There are seven million people a week who are coming back to that show in a very competitive landscape and who love it. There's only one Aaron Sorkin, and we're very proud that he's working with us."