Get ready for a documentary-heavy month on HBO Max, with new and returning original shows and some delectable movies making their streaming debuts. Whether you’re craving epic fantasy, sharp comedy, or prestige indie films, the platform has plenty of new content to satiate your desires.
While viewers are in for plenty of entertainment — including a unique new Larry David comedy series produced alongside Barack Obama — our top pick is the penultimate season of hit fantasy series House of the Dragon.
Kicking off the month on HBO Max is the new original docuseries Bring Me the Beauties: A Model Cult, which uses the story of one of the first male supermodels of the 1980s to expose a little-known cult that ran rampant throughout the industry.
The three-episode show chronicles Hoyt Richards, who, at just 16 years old, meets an enigmatic Manhattan socialite on a Nantucket beach and is sucked into his spiritual group, Eternal Values. Not long after, Richards ascends to fame, and the cult-like group’s larger-than-life leader, Frederick von Mierers, leverages the glamorous world of 1980s New York to prey upon a community of young models and professionals. With his New Age cocktail of metaphysical and spiritual teachings, von Mierers seduces and entangles them in a web of lies and exploitation.
Bring Me the Beauties: A Model Cult debuts June 1. New episodes will roll out weekly through June 15.
Glen Powell (Twisters), Margaret Qualley (The Substance), and Ed Harris (Pollock) star in How to Make a Killing, a dark comedy revenge thriller that also features performances by Zach Woods (Silicon Valley), Jessica Henwick (Game of Thrones), and Topher Grace (That ‘70s Show).
Disowned at birth by his obscenely wealthy family, Becket Redfellow (Powell) grows to become a blue-collar man who will stop at nothing to reclaim his inheritance, no matter how many relatives stand in his way.
How to Make a Killing debuts June 19.
Life, Larry, and the Pursuit of Unhappiness is written by Larry David, which he executive produces alongside Barack and Michelle Obama. The former president and first lady wanted to honor America’s 250th anniversary and celebrate its history, but then Larry David called.
Instead of standard, celebratory historical retrospectives, the seven-episode show parodies famous civic and historical milestones by injecting David’s signature brand of annoyance, social awkwardness, and self-serving behavior into the events. It also features a mix of Curb Your Enthusiasm veterans alongside noteworthy guest stars, including Bill Hader, Kathryn Hahn, Jon Hamm, Sean Hayes, Jeff Garlin, Susie Essman, and J.B. Smoove.
Life, Larry, and the Pursuit of Unhappiness debuts June 26. New episodes will debut weekly through August 7.
Per the official logline, acclaimed producer, director, and musician Ahmir Thompson, aka Questlove, tells the story of the legendary nine-time Grammy Award-winning band Earth, Wind & Fire.
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In tracing the band’s genesis through late founding member Maurice White, the series chronicles their evolution, highs and lows, and relevance from the 1970s into the present day. It also explores the deep philosophical and spiritual meaning behind their message and music.
Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial vs. That’s the Weight of the World) debuts June 7.
Directed by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Josh Fox (Gasland), The Welcome Table is an original documentary telling the story of climate refugees across six continents.
The film celebrates the voices and experiences of people living at the forefront of the climate crisis, displaced from their homes by climate disasters. Featuring John Boutté, John Cameron Mitchell, and celebrated New Orleans musicians, it weaves together stories of migration and resilience through music, performance, and the installation of a 1,000-foot table along the New Orleans levee, where communities gather in conversation, solidarity, and celebration.
The Welcome Table debuts June 23.
Bang My Box: The Robin Byrd Story is a new HBO original documentary celebrating a woman who defied expectations and remains a pioneer in the world of content creation as well as a cult icon. Byrd, an iconic former adult film actress, was also a pioneering host on cable access television.
Before the internet and the ubiquity of social media influencers, there was Robin Byrd, a spirited, anything-goes New York City public access host, clad only in her signature black crochet bikini. From 1977 to 1998, Byrd created, produced, and hosted a late-night call-in show that incorporated performances and interviews with adult entertainers and experimental artists. Each show ended with a bawdy song and dance, turning her unapologetic, eponymous show into a national platform for sex positivity, free speech, and a joyful approach to adult entertainment.
Bang My Box: The Robin Byrd Story debuts June 30.
Making its streaming debut exclusively on HBO Max, Pillion is a dark, romantic dramedy led by the versatile Alexander Skarsgård (True Blood). The A24 movie is based on the novella Box Hill: A Story of Low Self-Esteem by Adam Mars-Jones.
Colin (Harry Potter’s Harry Melling) is a shy, directionless man. When he meets Ray (Skarsgård), a charming, confident leader of a gay biker gang, he’s swept off his feet and initiated into a submissive relationship that challenges his mundane existence. While Colin initially finds fulfillment in this new lifestyle, his relationship with Ray soon becomes more complex and prompts intense personal growth through their unconventional dynamic.
Pillion makes its streaming debut June 5.
HBO original House of the Dragon returns for an epic penultimate season that is, according to Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell), “a blitz straight out of the gate.”
Season 3 of the fantasy series is slated to bring us the war that has been building for two seasons. The season premiere kicks off with the Battle of the Gullet, one of the most violent sea battles in the history of this fantasy world. Its scarring aftermath will reportedly carry both the Greens — supporters of King Aegon’s (Tom Glynn-Carney) claim to the Iron Throne — and the Blacks — supporters of Queen Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) — through to the inevitable conclusion. We’ll see a conflict that has been primarily interpersonal and intrafamily explode across the realm as a whole, so buckle up for some no-holds-barred, exciting action.
House of the Dragon season 3 debuts June 21. New episodes will roll out weekly through August 9.
For a full list of everything coming to HBO Max this month, be sure to check out the streamer’s June lineup.
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