All’s well that ends well.

LOS ANGELES, CA, November 13, 2024 /24-7PressRelease/ — With many of HBO’s major Emmy contenders—The White Lotus, The Last of Us, House of the Dragon, and Euphoria—not airing new seasons during the 2024 Emmy qualification window, and with shows like Succession and Barry now concluded, the network had anticipated a tough year in comparison. However, HBO still managed to surprise many by walking away with a top program Emmy on Sunday, scoring a major win for Hacks in the Outstanding Comedy Series category.

This marked the first time that Hacks, a Max original, went head-to-head with FX’s favorite, The Bear, after a long break between seasons two and three. Hacks not only claimed the top prize for Comedy Series but also took home awards for Lead Actress (Jean Smart) and Writing (Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky).

In an interview at the HBO | Max Emmy afterparty, Casey Bloys, Chairman and Chief Content Officer for HBO and Max, discussed Hacks’ impressive win. “It was a great surprise,” Bloys remarked. “Everyone thought The Bear would win, including myself. But I couldn’t be happier for Jean, Paul, Lucia, and Jen.”

Bloys also weighed in on the ongoing debate about categorizing certain shows as comedy or drama. “I’ve been on both sides of that debate,” Bloys said. “I think the more natural distinction is between half-hour and hour-long formats rather than comedy versus drama.” He humorously added that the debate can sometimes feel like people are “trolling” the boundaries of what makes a show one genre or another, but he was thrilled that Hacks was recognized for its writing and Smart’s stellar performance.

Beyond Hacks, Bloys also shared updates on several upcoming HBO projects, including The White Lotus, The Last of Us, and Harry Potter. While some fans expected the Harry Potter series to arrive sooner, Bloys confirmed that it might debut later than previously thought, potentially around 2026 or 2027.

“We’ve just started the writing process, and director – Mark Mylod is beginning to assemble the team,” Bloys said. “It’s too early to confirm a start date for production, but we’re aiming for late ’26 or early ’27 for the series launch.”

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