HBO Max wants to bring back that cable TV sensation with random episodes

Mix with stacked game

Unless you subscribe to a service like YouTube TV, most of us have switched from traditional cable TV to a range of streaming apps like Netflix and Hulu. HBO Max has only been around for a few years, but it’s already established itself among these giants, offering legacy shows like The Sopranos and The Wire alongside hits like Succession. With a new feature, the app wants to make it easier for you to play a random episode of your favorite sitcom – without having to work.

While Netflix focuses on “Play Something,” which selects a random show or movie, HBO’s implementation is much closer to how Hulu works. Select one of the supported shows and you’ll see a new “Shuffle” button appear next to the standard playback controls. Clicking this option launches a random episode from any season. When that episode ends, another random selection begins, and probably, so on, until you realize you’ve been up until 3 a.m. watching Whose Line is that anyway? reruns.

Unsurprisingly, you won’t spot any prestige dramas or serialized series in this lineup. HBO picked out 45 shows it says fit that kind of viewing experience, mostly made up of comedies, animated shows and kids’ shows. Current entries include Adventure Time, The Big Bang Theory, Hot Ones, Sesame Street, and Looney Tunes. Deadline has the whole roster available for playback, in case you’re looking to kick things off tonight.

Unfortunately, while the shuffle button is live for HBO users around the world, you’ll need to turn to your web browser to use it. The company has yet to launch it on other platforms, including streaming TV devices. Considering how buggy the app can be, it might not be at the top of HBO’s priority list. Still, with a library as varied and extensive as possible, hopefully this feature will come to more platforms sooner rather than later.

Read more

About the Author