Image Credit: HBOBill Maher’s left-leaning (and frequently hilarious) HBO talk show Real Time with Bill Maher has been renewed for a ninth season, Variety reports. Not only that, but the ninth season, which will air starting in February 2011, will feature 35 episodes instead of the normal amount of 24 episodes, which means more New Rules! As someone who doesn’t subscribe to HBO (I know, I’m such a sinner), I often catch up on Real Time as YouTube clips inevitably start circulating the web. And in a media landscape that’s so dominated by preordained red vs. blue dialogue, it’s a breath of fresh air to watch Maher — a guy who’s so outside the mainstream political box that he has the freedom to say truly “outrageous” things, and then make you crack up while he does.
So, I’m definitely down for some more Real Time. PopWatchers, what about you? Are you hoping the talk show makes it to the 2012 presidential election?
I’m not attempting to start a political war here (just asking a question) but when he’s “left-leaning (and frequently hilarious)” how is he a breath of fresh air when he in fact DOES fit into “red vs. blue dialogue”? You just said he was a lefty (not that there’s anything right or wrong about your/his leanings). Is it the edginess of the routine that makes his left wing routine fresh? or the fact that he is a left wing comedian sticking it to the right? Because we have seen that before. many times (not that Maher is at all bad at his job).
Again, I’m being serious not condescending, as I view him as a very liberal, very left wing comedian that fits into the expected box, and don’t find his routine any more or less original than other left leaning comedians.
I completely agree with you, M. I think that it’s fairly ridiculous that he tries to pass himself off as a Libertarian. The only thing that sets him apart from a run-of-the-mill liberal is that he doesn’t really have the proverbial “bleeding heart”.
Libertarians aren’t automatically pigeon-holed as conservative righties. Even a quick wikipedia search would show you the breadth of beliefs Libertarians can ascribe to, many of which Bill Maher supports.
If one (loosely (defines Libertarian as one who champions the Individual’s rights with minimal government interference, then certainly his opinions on sex, drugs decriminalization, and the military would fall under that umbrella.
This show SUCKS!!! EW should talk about how awesome HUMAN TARGET is.
Um thanks for that lesson Pastafarian, except that I already knew it. Fiscally speaking, he is not even close to being a libertarian. Please consult wikipedia if you need help understanding what that means.
Way to be a d-bag ben
Then you must have missed the considerable amount of time in which he supported the Iraq war because he thought it would make things better for the region. If you actually watch the show you would know that he frequently has points of view that anger people on various sides of the fence.
Another Palin basher.
You say that like it’s a bad thing.
It is because women around the country allow this a$$clown to pummel her. But heaven forbid anyone goes against Nobama & snakes like Sharpton & Rangel crawl out from under their rocks to play the race card.
That is most likely one of his best attributes.
He has good attributes?
Love Bill! college-crush com
Yeah! Bill Maher is like a sane breath of fresh air amidst the hysteria constantly emanating from Fox Noise and right wing talkers. And Barry–seriously–Palin dug her own grave a long time ago with her obvious lack of education and stupid comments. There are plenty of moderates I know who can’t stand her.
No, people like you & other liberals dug her grave.
Your welcome.
I love Bill Maher and his show. I’m very happy to see that HBO is supporting this show. I love that it’s live, and I really appreciate Bill’s perspective.
Also a note to those searching YouTube for RT highlights. iTunes has a podcast available.
I don’t think Bill is all that “liberal.” If you want to hear what a real liberal sounds like, check out Mike Malloy’s radio program.
Holy cow, how correct you are! And Bill is a “liberal” who doesn’t owe them/us anything except a swift kick in the ass when they/us need it. More to his credit, and always sometimes-painfully accurate reporting. All that and he’s blazingly funny, too.
TYPO! Sorry–when WE need a kick in ass. meh, sorry.
Maher is way too much of a misogynist to be a true liberal. Then again, there aren’t that many of those left in the first place.
My husband and I look forward to Real Time every Friday night! Can’t wait for more seasons. He’s one of the few TV personalities who says it like it is, and thinks along the same lines we (my husband and I) do.
If we could have Jon Stewart as president, I would be THRILLED to have Bill Maher as vice. The more liberals we get in the better. Unfortunately Obama leaned too far center to try for a useless bipartisanship. Maher wouldn’t take that – he’s got it right on – stand up for what you believe and don’t back down because the “scary” right threatens you.
I think Maher and Biden share the same haircut/
Obama leaned towards the center?? What president are you watching? He’s so left it’s scary.
It just struck me that your comment is exactly the type of nonsensical thinking that Bill Maher would skewer. Being scared by Obama is like being scared of a puppy because it might lick you to death. He’s actually very centrist. The difference between him and people who are generally considered centrist is that he actually wants to do something with his time in office. If he was really left, we’d have a public health option, have pulled troops out of Afghanistan instead of adding more, and there wouldn’t be any interest in hearing a conservative point of view on anything instead of having televised u-shaped table discussions.
I wish… he’s very centrist – pro-war, kept the patriot act in place, gitmo still open, caved to drug companies, banks still have the power, off-shore drilling ok’d, and ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ is still in place. i could go on. what you all say is ‘left’ is nowhere near – if we only had a government which was really for *all people* and not just for the rich – that is what ‘left’ really means.
What I didn’t see here is that Bill makes the effort to bring in those with an opposing viewpoint (IOW conservatives). And the great thing is that when they make a point that anyone with common sense knows is ludicrous he smartly shoots them down.
Yay! I’m so glad he’s coming back. New Rules are the best.
It’s nice to have a different perspective. I don’t always agree with everything he says but he does make you stop and look at things differently. That’s a good thing in this World of various and dubious opinions.
Love his show! I’m pretty much never home to watch it live, but I do TIVO it to enjoy later. It always prompts interesting discussions between my husband and me. He brings up topics that I hadn’t heard much about before, though I watch the news and subscribe to The Washington Post. “New Rules” is definitely the best part of the show. When he was on hiatus for a couple months recently, when certain topics were really at a crescendo, I was jonesing for his weekly verbal spankings!
1. It’s disingenous to claim Maher leans to the left… his feet are firmly planted there.
2. iTunes used to carry the audio portion of the episodes as a podcast. They still may – that’s probably better than a hodge-podge of youtube clips.
Honestly, the guy reminds me of Larry King. Tired, angry, and not particularly funny any more. Just my opinion.
Terrific news! Bill Maher’s show is excellent.
People who get really angry at Bill Maher DON’T WATCH BILL MAHER.
They pretend like they’ve watched enough to know, but they’re lying. If you truly watch Bill Maher you’ll find that more often than not, when it comes to politics,hes right.