‘Real Time With Bill Maher’ Explores Studio Return Following Summer Break

Peter White
·3 min read

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EXCLUSIVE: Bill Maher could become the first late-night host to return to the studio as his HBO show explores options following his summer break.

The most recent episode of Real Time With Bill Maher aired on June 26, with guests including John Bolton, Kara Swisher, Wes Moore and James Carville, from Maher’s home. Maher is now off on his traditional summer break until July 31.

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In the meantime, producers and the network are looking at how they can get production safely back into the studio on his return. Sources tells Deadline that the show is continuing to monitor options to return to the studio.

This comes as Conan O’Brien became the first late night host to reveal that he was leaving his house with the former Tonight Show host moving his TBS show to Largo from Monday. Conan is set to have a small crew filming at the West Hollywood comedy club and will follow health and safety guidelines from the government and industry to film.

Similarly, Real Time With Bill Maher, which is produced by HBO Entertainment in association with Bill Maher Productions, is looking at how they can film safely now that the production shutdown has officially lifted.

It follows shows such as NBC’s America’s Got Talent, which was one of the first entertainment shows to return to production with an outdoor shoot in the Simi Valley for the talent format’s Judge Cuts episode.

Real Time With Bill Maher’s last show in a studio – filmed at CBS Television City’s Studio 33 – was on March 13. It shut down for a few weeks, coming back on April 3 at Maher’s home.

It’s no secret that Maher prefers doing his show in the studio. On his first show back, he referenced it during his monologue, which he launched with a laugh track. “We’re going to be doing something a bit differently today, we’re going to be taping the show from my backyard, where I have a bar. What did you expect to see, a child’s playpen?,” he said. “Is this really what it’s come to? I’m going to be shot on an iPhone; I feel like an entrée at a Cheesecake Factory. I want to go out but Gavin Newsom says I’m grounded.”

Real Time With Bill Maher is exec produced by Maher, Sheila Griffiths, Dean E. Johnsen, Marc Gurvitz, Billy Martin with Chris Kelly as co-exec producer.

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