Bill Maher, the host of HBO‘s weekly late-night series Real Time, is bringing his Overtime segments to CNN starting Friday, February 3.
The show is slated to air on at 11:30 pm on Friday nights, following new episodes of Real Time on HBO Fridays at 10 pm.
Maher’s Overtime segments have been produced alongside the HBO show for years, which featured segments of Maher and his panel of guests continuing their conversation in Real Time, culture, business, politics, or other current events. It was previously only available to be streamed online; however, with the new CNN deal, it will now have a linear cable channel as a home.
The Maher move is another example of Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN’s parent company, looking for ways to share programming even as it cuts costs. Several CNN shows are already featured on Discovery+ and HBO Max, while CNN showcases guests from other networks, such as chef Bobby Flay, who talked about inflation and food costs during a recent live segment.
Although Maher is not a journalist, Overtime can serve as news and comedy programming, suggesting the network is keen on different formatted television, other than its usual desk anchor or field correspondent format.
According to reports, CNN chief Chris Licht has been thinking about hiring a “news entertainment” personality to fill their primetime spot following the firing of anchor Chris Cuomo. It was previously reported that the network was in talks with HBO to air segments of Real Talk.
However, Licht says he’s not looking to add a “topical comedy show” to primetime despite saying he’s talking with comedians to become part of the network.
