What to watch on HBO Max – quick links
HBO Max: new this week
Big Girls Wanted: Escaping Pearadise – 11 June
Series. Stream every episode, same day as US (3 episodes). In 2020, a social media-driven community known as ‘Pearadise’ began gaining attention online, positioning itself as a space for sisterhood and body positivity for plus-size women.
Based in a Las Vegas mansion and amplified through a growing digital presence, the collective quickly attracted a devoted following. As Pearadise’s profile grew, scrutiny followed. Former participants and observers began raising allegations of misconduct, including claims of harassment, control and coercive dynamics within the community.
HBO Max: recent highlights
Naked and Afraid: Global Showdown – 7 June
Series. Episodes drop weekly (10 episodes). Survivalists from all over the world – including Brazil, Australia, Mexico and the US – represent their homelands in a gruelling 40-day primitive bushcraft competition. Paired with a partner, their skills, toughness and teamwork will be tested as they compete for national pride and the largest cash prize in franchise history.
Australia is well represented, with the Aussie team of Ky Furneaux and Alexa Towersey stepping into the ultimate survival challenge. Naked And Afraid alum Matt Wright also returns to test his skills.
Dead of Winter – 5 June
Film (2025). In a remote Minnesota blizzard, a grief-stricken loner (Emma Thompson) stumbles upon a young woman held captive by a desperate, armed couple. Forced into action, she becomes an unlikely protector in a brutal fight for survival. Starring Thompson, Judy Greer and Marc Menchaca, and directed by Brian Kirk.
Bring Me The Beauties – 2 June
Series. Episodes drop weekly, same day as US (3 episodes). This three-part documentary series follows Hoyt Richards, who at 16 meets a mysterious Manhattan socialite on a Nantucket beach and is drawn into his spiritual group, Eternal Values. As he becomes increasingly involved, Richards simultaneously rises to prominence as one of the first male supermodels of the 1980s.
Make That Movie – 29 May
Series. This new six-part comedy starring Australian comedians Sam Campbell and Aaron Chen follows a hotshot director who scours the country for everyday film ideas, then races to turn each one into a movie in just three days. The crew features Lara Ricote, Helen Bauer and David Hargreaves alongside Chen.
The End – 8 May
Film (2024). Some 25 years after environmental collapse leaves Earth uninhabitable, Mother, Father and Son live in a luxurious bunker, clinging to strict daily rituals to maintain a sense of normalcy – until the arrival of a stranger, Girl, disrupts their fragile existence.
As tensions rise, their carefully controlled world begins to unravel. Starring Tilda Swinton, George MacKay, Moses Ingram and Michael Shannon.
Rick and Morty Season 9 – 25 May
Series. Get ready to portal-jump back into the multiverse. The hit adult animated series returns with a season that’s bigger, bolder and more ambitious than ever. Rick and Morty Season 9 is all certified bangers.
The Long Walk – 30 May
Film (2025). Teens participate in a gruelling high-stakes contest where they must continuously walk or be shot by a member of their military escort. Starring Francis Lawrence, Cooper Hoffman, Ben Wang and Mark Hamill.
