'The Knick' Will Be Available To Stream On HBO Max This Weekend
The Knick, Steven Soderbergh's amazing series about the life and times of people working in and around a fictional 1900s New York hospital, is finally headed to HBO Max. The series ran for two seasons on Cinemax, but even though Cinemax and HBO Max are owned by the same company, The Knick hasn't been available to stream on the new-ish streaming service. That's going to change this weekend, with The Knick streaming on HBO Max starting February 20. In addition to that, another Cinemax show, Banshee, is also headed to HBO Max next week.
If you've been waiting for The Knick on HBO Max, your wait is almost over. The Steven Soderbergh series is headed to the streaming service on February 20, 2021, and it's about damn time. The Knick premiered on Cinemax in 2014, and was pretty damn incredible right out of the gate. Steven Soderbergh directed the entire series (this was during his "retirement" period, where he stopped making movies for a while but kept creating other things), which was created by Jack Amiel and Michael Begler.
Clive Owen, Andre Holland, Jeremy Bobb, Juliet Rylance, Eve Hewson, Michael Angarano, Chris Sullivan, and Cara Seymour starred on the show, which had the following synopsis:
In New York City in 1900, the Knickerbocker Hospital operates with inventive surgeons, nurses and staff who struggle against the limitations of medical understanding and practice, to minimize morbidity and mortality. Dr. John Thackery, the new leader of the surgery staff, balances his cocaine and opium addictions against his ambition for medical discovery and his reputation among his peers. Dr. Algernon Edwards, a Harvard-educated Black American surgeon who trained in Paris, and is much more qualified than any other candidate, must fight for respect among the all-white hospital staff, as well as in the racially charged city. While struggling to keep the lights on, the hospital attempts to attract a wealthy clientele, without sacrificing quality of care.
Visually stunning and often featuring some vivid and ghastly medical procedures, The Knick earned high praise but was canceled after two seasons. Thankfully, the folks running the show knew the end was in sight, and were able to craft a definitive (and rather bleak) final episode. That said, there might still be more Knick to come. Last year, Soderbergh revealed that star Andre Holland was working with filmmaking Barry Jenkins on either a third season or a reboot (he was a bit vague on specifics). Soderbergh also added that series creators Jack Amiel and Michael Begler were involved as well.
In addition to The Knick, the Cinemax series Banshee is also headed to HBO Max – on February 23. I have not watched Banshee, so I can't comment on it in detail. However, I've heard good things, so I think I'm going to finally check it out (after I rewatch The Knick, that is). Banshee was set in the small town of Banshee in Pennsylvania Amish country, and follows an "enigmatic ex-con (Antony Starr), who assumes the identity of Lucas Hood, the town's murdered sheriff, to hide from powerful crime lord, Rabbit (Ben Cross)." The show ran for four seasons.