WBD’s Max streamer orders Conan O’Brien travelogue & details launch slate

Conan O’Brien Must Go

Warner Bros. Discovery’s combined streaming service Max has commissioned a new unscripted travel series with Conan O’Brien and detailed its initial slate ahead of launch next week.

The four-part Conan O’Brien Must Go is an international travel show following the US comedian, writer, TV host and producer as he visits new friends he has met through his podcast, Conan O’Brien Needs A Fan. The series is currently in production with Conaco, and is executive produced by O’Brien and Jeff Ross.

Nina Rosenstein, EVP of HBO programming, commented: “Conan is a national treasure… at least that’s what he keeps telling me. It’s been an absolute dream to work with him, Jeff, and the whole Conaco team. They’re everything you’d hope for – insanely smart, ridiculously funny, and nicer than they’d probably want to admit.”

The announcement comes just days before Max launches in the US on 23 May. The long-awaited streamer will combine content from HBO Max and Discovery+, including scripted from HBO and Warner Bros. films, unscripted from the likes of HGTV, Food Network and Discovery Channel and kids content from Cartoon Network.

New titles available at launch will include Max originals such as SmartLess: On the Road, How To Create A Sex Scandal, What Am I Eating? With Zooey Deschanel, Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, Clone High, and Bama Rush, plus feature film Shazam! Fury of the Gods.

The service will also now be the place to see the series finales of HBO originals Succession and Barry, and the season finale of Somebody Somewhere, on 28 May.

Other titles include House of the Dragon, Euphoria, The White Lotus, and The Last of Us, and full seasons of Max Originals including Hacks, And Just Like That… , The Sex Lives of College Girls, Sort Of, Rap Sh!t, Titans, Doom Patrol and Harley Quinn.

The service will be available as ‘Max Ad-Lite’ for $9.99/month or $99.99/year (two concurrent streams, no offline downloads), while a ‘Max Ad Free’ will cost $15.99/month or $149.99/year (two concurrent streams, 30 offline downloads).

The ‘Max Ultimate Ad Free’ will cost $19.99/month or $199.99/year and allows four concurrent streams, up to 4K UHD resolution and 100 offline downloads. In the US, HBO Max had cost $16 per month, or $10 for its ad-supported tier, while Discovery+ is at the lower price of $7 and $5 respectively.

The launch comes after WBD ushered forward Max’s roll-out, after it was initially revealed following the $43bn merger between Discovery and Warner Media last year. While HBO Max is being wound down, Discovery+ is being retained as a solo streamer after the launch of Max.

While much has been revealed about the US service, little detail has emerged around international plans. WBD has previously said Max is set to roll out in the Latin America later this year, with the combined service targeting Europe and Asia in 2024.