Time to stock up on peanut butter Oreos and eye drops. Stoner comedy High Maintenance will light up HBOs programming schedule this fall, and the first taste is free with the newly unveiled teaser embedded above.
The six-episode series began as a cult sensation on web video-hosting platform Vimeo, amassing a sizable fanbase that supported the push onto TV. Created by husband-and-wife comedy team Ben Sinclair and Katja Blichfield, the five-to-twelve minute shorts featured Sinclair as an unnamed weed dealer referred to only as The Guy, and followed him on his assorted deliveries around the five boroughs of New York. Each episode offered a voyeuristic little peek into the lives of his eccentric clientele, with well-placed guest spots from Downton Abbeys Dan Stevens, Orange Is the New Black breakout Yael Stone and it-comedian Hannibal Buress as smokers scoring a nice re-up.
Expanding to the usual thirty-minute format, the HBO series will cart in a new lineup of character actors for a few quick hits, with Amy Ryan and Kieran Culkin making split-second appearances in the teaser above. Staying on as creators, Sinclair and Blichfields off-beat brand of observational humor about colorful city weirdoes resonates with everyone, whether youre a twice-a-day-er or dont touch the stuff. Theupgrade to HBO has apparentlycome with a bump up in visual polish as well, as the teaserslovely metropolitan photography harkensback to classic NYC movies (the footage of Sinclair flying through the streets on his bike has notes ofManhattan).
A specific premiere date has yet to be set, but this already-proven show could be a fine addition to HBOs fall lineup. And for even the slowest dealers, a few months should be plenty of time for them to get in gear and come meet you in time for High Maintenances debut.