The Climb First Look and HBO Max Renews Sort Of

HBO Max has shared a first look at rock climbing competition series The Climb and announced a renewal of comedy series Sort Of.

Max Original rock climbing competition series The Climb debuts Thursday, January 12 with three episodes, followed by three new episodes the following week, concluding with the final two episodes on January 26.

The series is created by Jason Momoa, through his production company On the Roam, legendary rock climber Chris Sharma, and The Intellectual Property Corporation (IPC), a part of Sony Pictures Television.

The Climb is a visually-arresting and life-changing adventure that represents the foundations of rock climbing and exploration of the human spirit.

In this all-encompassing competition, amateur climbers are put through a rigorous series of mental and physical challenges, utilizing some of the most intimidating ascents in the world to crown the world’s best amateur climber with a prAna sponsored climbing ambassadorship and a $100,000 cash prize.

The Climb is executive produced by Eli Holzman, Aaron Saidman, Erin Gamble, Matt Shanfield and Fred Pichel on behalf of The Intellectual Property Corporation (IPC), a part of Sony Pictures Television.

Jason Momoa, Brian Mendoza, and James Mendoza serve as executive producers for On the Roam, as well as Chris Sharma and Jonathan Retseck.

Chevrolet signed on as the title sponsor and prAna is the prizing partner for the HBO Max Original series.

HBO Max and CBC have also renewed Peabody Award-winning comedy series Sort Of for a third season. The Max Original comedy series is a co-production with CBC and Sphere Media.

Created by Bilal Baig and Fab Filippo, the second season of the critically-acclaimed comedy about a gender fluid millennial in transition in every aspect of their life debuted December 1 on HBO Max, following the Canadian premiere on CBC/CBC Gem in November, and will conclude with the final two episodes of the season on December 22.

A coming-of-age story, Sort Of exposes the labels we once poured ourselves into as no longer applicable… to anyone.

“It’s been such a creative and rewarding pleasure to sink deeply into the mess of the lives of these characters in season two,” said Bilal Baig, co-creator, co-showrunner, executive producer and lead actor. “And I look so forward to continuing and expanding the mess, alongside Fab, our gifted writers, the generous teams at Sphere Media, CBC and HBO Max, and our gorgeous cast and crew!”

Sarah Aubrey, Head of Original Content, HBO Max, added: “Baig and Filippo, alongside our partners at CBC and Sienna Films, continue to deliver a heartfelt, empathetic and engaging story and we’re thrilled we get to continue following Sabi, their family, 7ven and the Kaneko-Bauers on their journeys in the new season.”

Sally Catto, General Manager, Entertainment, Factual & Sports, CBC, said: “Sort Of has made its way into the hearts of viewers and critics in Canada, the U.S. and around the world by embracing universal themes that we can all relate to, no matter who we love or how we self-identify.

Catto added: “We are excited to continue our work with Bilal, Fab, HBO Max and Sphere Media, and to keep sharing Sabi’s story with audiences everywhere.”

Jennifer Kawaja, executive producer, Sphere Media, commented: “We love these characters and are thrilled to have the opportunity to continue working with CBC and HBO Max to explore their lives.”

The Max Original and CBC series is created by Bilal Baig and Fab Filippo, who also serve as showrunners and executive producers, and produced with the participation of the Canada Media Fund. Sphere Media’s Jennifer Kawaja is also an executive producer on the series.

Sort Of is distributed worldwide by Sphere Media. Abacus Media Rights handles sales outside of the United States and Latin America.