“12 Dates of Christmas”
Winter romance meets reality dating in “12 Dates of Christmas”: a delightfully unhinged unscripted series chronicling contestants’ efforts to find love during the holidays.
87 Titles Unceremoniously Removed from HBO Max
Warner Bros. Discovery continues to covertly hack away at HBO Max's offerings ahead of its catalogue merge with Discovery+. "Minx," "Westworld," "Legendary," and more have already left the service.
(Clockwise from bottom left): "The Time Traveler's Wife," "Love Life," "Westworld," "FBOY Island," and "Minx"
HBO Max
The day of reckoning is almost upon us. Soon, HBO Max will simply be known as Max.
The long awaited (if vaguely feared) reboot of Warner Bros. Discovery’s flagship streamer is set to launch next Tuesday on May 23. It’s been a long time coming, after the merger was first announced back in August and rumbles of major shifts at HBO started before that. Since then, we’ve received a ton of updates, including the retention of Discovery+ as a separate service; new titles, such as a serialized “Harry Potter” reboot, getting picked up at Max; and a boatload of cancellations and removals of TV shows and movies from the soon-to-be-defunct HBO Max platform.
And Warner Bros. Discovery isn’t quite done. Several Warner Bros. Television owned titles are still leaving the service in the coming days, before the catalogue combination is set to occur. The shows getting removed from the streamer include late-night satire “Full Frontal With Samantha Bee,” the Adult Swim series “Space Ghost Coast to Coast” and “Metalocalypse,” and a TruTV reality series called “Hack My Life: Inside Hack” (which is about lifestyle improvements and not the Jean Smart-starring dramedy, to be clear.)
It’s a minor culling compared to the much larger content slashes that have occurred in the past; the first round of cuts at the streamer, in August, hit children’s programming and animated series particularly hard, as the company tampered down efforts in those areas. A slash last December moved the focus to more live-action shows for adults, from sci-fi epic “Westworld” to adapted romance “The Time Traveler’s Wife” to period comedy “Minx.”
Reality TV was also decimated, with “Legendary,” “Finding Magic Mike,” and “FBOY Island” also getting dropped by the streamer as the unscripted division faced major layoffs. Unlike their animated brethren, those shows were at least lucky to have since found new homes; “Westworld” and “The Time Traveler’s Wife” are available on FAST platforms, while “Minx” has since been picked up for a new season by Starz.
Will the relaunch be the end of WBD’s reign of terror on their own content? That’s to be determined. But as we brace ourselves for the brave new world of Max, let’s take a minute to mourn what we once shared with the service as we knew it. Here is a list of the 87 shows and films that have been dumped from the streamer since August 2022, including the series that are on the outs in the coming days.
Note: Entries appear alphabetically with children’s programming at the end. This list is not and could not be comprehensive, as some titles have been removed without announcement. Certain titles may still appear on the service for a limited, unknown period.
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Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot -
“About Last Night”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot Hosts Ayesha and Stephen Curry invite celebrity guests to test how well they know their partners in this game show/televised dinner party.
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“Amsterdam”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot Contrary to its title, writer-director Gustavo Taretto’s TV series is a Mexico City-set love story starring Naian González Norvind and Sebastián Buitrón. (“Amsterdam” is the name of a dog.)
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“An American Pickle”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot Seth Rogen delivers one of his best performances in “An American Pickle”: the tale of an early 20th century Jewish American immigrant/pickle factory worker who is (hilariously) transported to the present.
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“Aquaman: King of Atlantis”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot Directed by Keith Pakiz and produced by James Wan, this three-part miniseries delivers a quirky animated take on the titular king of Atlantis with a style far different than the DC Extended Universe.
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“At Home With Amy Sedaris”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot The lifestyle format gets considerably stranger with host Amy Sedaris in this surrealist comedy series from truTV. (HBO Max tweeted that the removal of “At Home with Amy Sedaris” was related to the merger from the services’s customer support account in July.)
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“Baketopia”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot Host Rosanna Pansino tasks bakers with “First Tier” and “Top Tier” cake-centric challenges in this reality competition show.
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“Beartown”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot Also known as “Björnstad,” the five-part Swedish series is based on Fredrick Backma’s novel of the same name. It tells the story of a 15-year-old girl raped by a rising hockey star.
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“Beforeigners”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot First debuted on HBO Nordic, Eilif Skodvin and Anne Bjørnstad’s “Beforeigners” chronicles the arrival of time-traveling beings in contemporary Oslo.
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“Camping”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot Created by Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner, “Camping” chronicles an ill-fated birthday trip with an ensemble cast that includes Jennifer Garner, David Tennant, Juliette Lewis, Janicza Bravo, Cheyenne Haynes, Chris Sullivan, and more.
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“Chad”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot Created by star Nasim Pedrad, “Chad” tells the story of a 14-year-old Persian-American boy battling puberty and popularity in high school.
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“Charm City Kings”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot Executive produced by Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith, and James Lassiter, Angel Manuel Soto’s “Charm City Kings” is a gripping, coming-of-age drama about a Baltimore boy interested in motorcycles.
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“Close Enough”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot Journey to east side Los Angeles with a married couple, their divorced roommates, and a 5-year-old in “Close Enough” from J.G. Quintel, creator of Cartoon Network’s “Regular Show.”
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“Czech It Out!”
Image Credit: HBO Max Father-daughter team Lukáš Hejlík and Klára Hejlíková explore food and architecture in this travel docuseries set in the Czech Republic.
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“FBOY Island”
Image Credit: HBO Max A group of nice guys and so-called “f*** boys” compete for three women’s attention in a reality competition spotlighting first impressions in dating.
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“Full Frontal With Samantha Bee”
Image Credit: ©TBS/Courtesy Everett Collection One of the vanishingly small amount of late night shows fronted by a female host, the Emmy-winning “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee” enjoyed a successful seven season run before getting canceled shortly following the WBD merger (leaving HBO Max May 18).
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“Hack My Life: Inside Hacks”
Image Credit: ©TBS/Courtesy Everett Collection Kevin Pereira and Brooke Van Poppelen hosted this four season TruTV series, based around finding life hacks to make people’s lives easier (leaving May 19).
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“Ellen’s Next Great Designer”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot Host Ellen DeGeneres hunts for a new furniture visionary in this unscripted competition series.
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“Final Space”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot Olan Rogers’ stunning “Final Space” is an adult animated series about an intergalactic prisoner named Gary Goodspeed who joins forces with an alien named Mooncake to save the universe.
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“Finding Magic Mike”
Image Credit: HBO Max Channing Tatum’s horny dance duology gets the reality television treatment in this competition show.
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“Full Bloom”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot Florists battle for $100,000 in this elaborate competition series tasking contestants with creating intricate and sometimes massive floral displays for judges Simon Lycett, Elizabeth Cronin, and Maurice Harris.
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“Generation”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot Justice Smith anchors the ensemble cast of “Generation”: a “Euphoria”-like exploration of adolescence and sexuality set in Orange County, California.
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“Generation Hustle”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot In this biting unscripted series, documentarians look at the extreme lengths contemporary people will go to for clout and capital in the modern, scam-ridden digital landscape.
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“Gordita Chronicles”
Image Credit: HBO Max This scripted comedy sees a mom (Diana-Maria Riva), a dad (Jaun Javier Cardenas), and their two daughters (Olivia Goncalves, Savannah Nicole Ruiz) move from the Dominican Repubic to Miami in the ’80s.
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“Head of the Class”
Image Credit: HBO Max “One Day at a Time” star Isabella Gomez leads this sitcom about a teacher imparting life lessons on a gaggle of teenage overachievers missing out on what really matters.
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“Here and Now”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot Alan Ball, known from “Six Feet Under” and “True Blood,” brings together Tim Robbins, Holly Hunter, and more in this exploration of contemporary issues, including racism and mental illness.
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“Infinity Train”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot Creator Owen Dennis’ sprawling “Infinity Train” explores complex emotional themes against a compelling sci-fi backdrop, chronicling the stories of various protagonists across its four (still-not-enough) seasons.
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“K Street”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot Steven Soderbergh’s undersung “K Street” was a largely improvised drama series about lobbyists that took aim at contemporary issues in 2003.
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“Legendary”
Image Credit: HBO Max Dashaun Wesley serves as Master of Ceremonies on this beloved reality competition show about the art of voguing.
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“Locked Down”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot Filmed at the height the COVID-19 pandemic, “Locked Down” stars Anne Hathaway and Chiwetel Ejiofor as Londoners who plan a socially distanced diamond heist.
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“Love Life”
Image Credit: HBO Max “The Good Place” favorite William Jackson Harper takes over for Anna Kendrick as the star in the second season of this rom-com anthology.
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“Lust” (2022)
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot Four women explore womanhood and sexuality through the lens of family obligation in this Swedish comedy.
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“Made for Love”
Image Credit: HBO Max “Black Mirror” alumna Cristin Milioti grapples with dystopian sci-fi tech once more in this black comedy about a woman stuck with a mirochip from her past marriage.
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“Major Crimes”
Image Credit: ©TNT/Courtesy Everett Collection / Everett Collection A continuation of “The Closer,” “Major Crimes” sees Mary McDonnell take over the head of LAPD and as lead of the show from Kyra Sedgwick (leaving HBO Max May 20).
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“Metalocalypse”
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection Brendon Small and Tommy Blacha’s four season Adult Swim series followed the business and person drama of Dethklok, a heavy metal band so popular they rank as the seventh-largest economy on planet Earth (Leaving May 21).
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“Minx”
Image Credit: HBO Max Ophelia Lovibond and Jake Johnson team up to imagine the first women’s erotic magazine in Ellen Rapoport’s critically acclaimed period comedy.
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“Moonshot”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot Cole Sprouse and Lana Condor lead this sci-fi rom-com from director Chris Winterbauer and writer Max Taxe about a stowaway on a shuttle charted for Mars.
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“Mrs. Fletcher”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot Kathryn Hahn plays a divorced empty-nester struggling to reclaim her identity and sexuality in the limited series adaption of Tom Perrotta’s 2017 novel.
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“My Dinner with Hervé”
Image Credit: HBO/Screenshot Writer-director Sacha Gervasi examines the life of actor Hervé Villechaize in this docudrama starring Peter Dinklage as Villechaize and Jamie Dornan as a journalist profiling him.
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“My Mom, Your Dad”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot “Insecure” star Yvonne Orji hosts this ridiculous unscripted dating show about college kids helping — or preventing — their single parents who are trying to get back out there.
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“Raised by Wolves”
Image Credit: HBO Max Ridley Scott directed the first two episodes of Aaron Guzikowski’s “Raised by Wolves”: a sci-fi drama about androids raising human children on a decimated Earth.
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“Ravi Patel’s Pursuit of Happiness”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot Actor Ravi Patel, known for his previous documentary “Meet the Patels,” considers life’s biggest questions as he journeys through Japan, Mexico, South Korea, and Denmark.
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“Run”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot Created by Vicky Jones, this limited series dramedy stars Domhnall Gleeson and Merritt Wever as former college sweethearts who unexpectedly abandon their lives to run away together.
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“Ruxx”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot A Romanian dramedy about the titular Rux: a young woman who plans to run away to Los Angeles before work and family keep her home.
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“Shadows”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot Originally produced for HBO Europe and also known as “Umbre,” this Romanian crime drama stars Serban Pavlu as a mob enforcer hiding his business from his family.
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“Share”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot Rhianne Barreto stars in this harrowing drama about a young girl who discovers footage on her phone from an assault she doesn’t remember.
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“Snowpiercer”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot Jennifer Connelly and Daveed Diggs anchor this serialized expansion on Bong Joon Ho’s train-set, post-apocalyptic thriller.
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“Space Ghost Coast to Coast”
Image Credit: ©Cartoon Network/Courtesy Everett Collection Adult Swim’s longest-running series in history, “Space Ghost Coast to Coast” followed the titular Hanna-Barbera superhero across 11 seasons of a demented late night talk show parody (leaving HBO Max May 22).
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“Superintelligence”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot Directed by Ben Falcone, “Superintelligence” stars Melissa McCarthy as an unwitting bellwether in this ridiculous sci-fi romp about an artificially intelligent system deciding whether to destroy humankind.
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“The Closer”
Image Credit: ©TNT/Courtesy Everett Collection This 2005-2012 TNT procedural starred Kyra Sedgwick as Brenda Leigh Johnson, a LA deputy chief known for her top-noch interrogation skills (leaving May 17).
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“The Garcias”
Image Credit: HBO Max A sequel to Nickelodeon’s “The Brothers Garcia,” this sitcom spotlights a family that goes on a two-month vacation to Mexico.
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“The Informant”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot Bálint Szentgyörgyi’s “The Informant” is a Hungarian espionage drama set behind the Iron Curtain that begins as a coming-of-age story but blooms into a betrayal-laden thriller.
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“The Last O.G.”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot Tracy Morgan stars as a former inmate who returns to gentrified Brooklyn after 15 years in this dramatic comedy, created by Jordan Peele and John Carcieri.
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“The Misery Index”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot Jameela Jamil combines her comedy powers with the cast of “Impractical Jokers” for “The Misery Index”: a goofy game show about the most unimaginably horrible stories that really happened to someone.
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“The Nevers”
Image Credit: HBO Max Supernatural powers suddenly appear among women in Victorian London in this darkly magical period drama.
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“The Sleepers”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot Created by Ivan Zachariáš and Ondřej Gabriel, “The Sleepers” was a Czech espionage thriller about a woman (Tatiana Pauhofová) who awakes from a coma uncertain whether she’s in political danger.
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“The Time Traveler’s Wife”
Image Credit: HBO Max Rose Leslie plays opposite Theo James in this serialized adaptation of Audrey Niffenegger’s 2003 book of the same name.
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“The Witches” (2020)
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot Directed by Robert Zemeckis, “The Witches” brings together Anne Hathaway, Stanley Tucci, Octavia Spencer, and more for a remake of Nicolas Roeg’s 1990 film (which in turn is based on Roald Dahl’s children’s fantasy book of the same name.)
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“Westworld”
Image Credit: HBO Max Inspired by the 1973 film, this epic sci-fi series tells the story of a western theme park inhabited by artificially intelligent robots.
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“Vinyl”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot Set in ’70s New York City, HBO’s “Vinyl” was the brainchild of Mick Jagger and Martin Scorsese. Bobby Cannavale stars as a struggling music label exec.
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“Wrecked”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot Created by Jordan and Justin Shipley, “Wrecked” parodied “Lost” for three seasons at TBS between 2016 and 2018 and features a hilarious performance from “Our Flag Means Death” star Rhys Darby among others.
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“Craftopia”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot A delightful companion to the also removed “Baketopia,” this unscripted competition show saw host Lauren Riihimaki (aka “LauraDIY” from YouTube) charge young competitors with completing various arts and crafts challenges.
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“Detention Adventure”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot A precocious group of kids act out in hopes of getting detention to explore Alexander Graham Bell’s secret laboratory hidden beneath the library where they’re supposed to be punished.
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“Dodo”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot 11-year-old Joe grapples with classic, cringe-inducing coming-of-age obstacles in this grounded British kids’ show.
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“Elliott from Earth”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot 11-year-old Elliott and his geologist mom uncover alien technology in the form of a 65-million-year-old rock in this animated Cartoon Network show, also featuring a talking dinosaur named Mo.
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“Esme & Roy”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot Babysitters Esme and Roy — a little girl and her monstrous best friend — team up to care for the youngest citizens of Monsterdale in this series that originally aired on HBO and Canada’s Treehouse TV.
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“Little Ellen”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot Ellen DeGeneres gets the Baby Yoda/Baby Peanut/Baby Groot treatment — yes, really — in this short-lived kids’ cartoon.
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“Make It Big, Make It Small”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot 9-year-olds Jenny Stevens and Lucas Dufor guide their fellow kids through STEM-related adventures in this educational unscripted series with a crafting component.
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“Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot An adventurous cat named Mao Mao must protect — and eventually escape — a place called Pure Heart Valley in this former Cartoon Network series.
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“Messy Goes to Okido”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot Inspired by the United Kingdom’s “Okido” children’s magazine, this educational kids’ show sees the titular messy guide young viewers through the fundamentals of science.
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“Mia’s Magic Playground”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot Best friends Mia, Oskar, and Tilde venture through make-believe worlds to learn real life lessons in this children’s show.
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“Mighty Magiswords”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot Warriors for hire Vambre and Prohyas lead this mythical, animated quest to collect the titular “Magiswords.” It ran from 2016 to 2019 as Cartoon Network’s first original online series.
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“Odo”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot An adorable owl named Odo explores big ideas in this wilderness-set animated series for kids.
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“OK K.O.! – Let’s Be Heroes”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot Ian Jones-Quartey’s retro-futuristic animated series focuses on the titular K.O. as he endeavors to become the world’s greatest hero.
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“Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot “The arcade classic gets the cartoon treatment in director Motonori Sakakibara’s animated series, which ran for two seasons from 2013 to 2015.”
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Various “Sesame Street” Specials
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot Comparing what’s been taken from and left behind among HBO Max’s many “Sesame Street” offerings could justify a list unto itself. Suffice to say: In addition to “The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo” a number of specials have been removed.
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“Squish”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot A comic book-loving amoeba stars in this French animated series from John Derevlany.
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“Summer Camp Island”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot Created by Julia Pott, this animated hedgehog-elephant two-hander moved to HBO Max for Seasons 2 through 5 after its first 40 episodes aired on Cartoon Network.
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“The Fungies!”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot Creator Stephen P. Neary invites viewers of all ages into the magical metropolis of Fungietown: a prehistoric land inhabited by talking tree stumps, affable dinosaurs, and bipedal mushroom people.
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“The Not-Too-Late with Elmo Show”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot Elmo joins the late night talk show circuit in this delightful bedtime companion featuring special celebrity guests.
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“The Ollie & Moon Show”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot Based on Diane Kredensor’s book series of the same name, this animated children’s show about two kitties exploring cultures of the world debuted its first season in 2017.
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“The Runaway Bunny”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot Margaret Wise Brown’s cherished 1942 picture book of the same name — about a rabbit exploring life outside its burrow — is brought to beautiful life in this special narrated by Tracee Ellis Ross.
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“Theodosia”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot Eloise Little stars as the 14-year-old explorer of the title in HBO Max’s adaptation of author Robin LaFevers’ well-loved book series set in early 20th century Egypt.
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“Tig n’ Seek”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot Despite its limited two-year availability on the platform, HBO Max’s “Tig n’ Seek” managed to crank out four seasons’ worth of stories about Tiggy, an 8-year-old detective who solves mysteries with his cat Gweeseek.
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“Uncle Grandpa”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot Running only 11 minutes per episode, “Uncle Grandpa” was a surrealist animated series about a shapeshifter and his many bizarre adventures.
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“Victor and Valentino”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot Cartoon Network’s “Victor and Valentino” is about two half-brothers exploring the supernatural remnants of Aztec, Olmec, and Maya mythologies.
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“Yabba Dabba Dinosaurs”
Image Credit: HBO Max/Screenshot Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm grow up and get out of Bedrock in this spin-off “The Flintstones” series, also featuring the beloved Dino.
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