Real Time with Bill Maher
Weekly talk show mixing comedy, interviews, and political debate.
Real Time with Bill Maher is an American television talk show created, written and presented by Bill Maher, airing on HBO since 2003. The program features a panel of guests—typically experts such as journalists, professors, and politicians—who discuss current events in politics and media. It is notable for its weekly hour-long format, live studio audience, and the inclusion of an "Overtime" segment that continues the discussion online.
Quick Facts
- Runtime
- 60 minutes
- Location
- Television City, Fairfax District, Los Angeles, California, United States
- Creator
- Bill Maher
- Country
- United States
- Network
- HBO
- Writer
- Bill Maher
- Scott Carter
- Adam Felber
- Theme music
- Christopher "Kid" Reid
- Language
- English
Facts from the source article.
Format
The opening sequence features a theme song composed by Scott "Shavoni" Parker, Christopher "Kid" Reid, and Louis Brown, accompanied by animated graphics with political and cultural themes. Season 21 introduced an updated version of the theme performed by Green Day. The show begins with a comedy monologue by Maher, followed by a one-on-one interview with a prominent guest. Maher then engages with two or three additional panel guests in discussions and debates. Midway through the panel, Maher performs a comedic bit satirizing a current event. The final segment, "New Rules," presents editorials on popular culture and American politics, with the last "New Rule" serving as Maher's closing editorial monologue. Maher has stated the format is not rigid and prefers in-studio interviews over satellite ones. Because the show airs on HBO, profanity is permitted, and graphics may contain uncensored content. During the first season, Paul F. Tompkins served as a correspondent, and each episode ended with a stand-up comedy performance; both were dropped after episode 10. Viewers could call in live during the first season, but that practice was discontinued. Starting with episode 67, audio-only versions became available as free podcasts via the iTunes Store and as raw RSS feeds, sometimes including bonus material from rehearsals. During Season 4, Maher began hosting a live chat (now called "Overtime") with guests after each broadcast, initially on HBO's website and later broadcast on CNN.
Reception
The first season received mixed reviews, with a Metacritic weighted average score of 43 out of 100 based on five critics' reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews." Nancy Franklin of The New Yorker described Maher as "a jerk of the old school, full of unexamined anxiety and arrogance." The New York Times called the show "Fox News of the antiwar movement" and labeled it "a flagrantly liberal talk show that provides like-minded viewers with instant gratification." Television host Larry King, however, called Real Time "one of the best shows on television." Common Sense Media rated the show 4 out of 5 stars for overall quality, noting that Maher is "very funny, very well-informed, and very insightful, but he's also very crass" and that the humor is "profane and riddled with explicit sexual references." Ruthless Reviews stated the show "works so well because he selects provocative guests" and that Maher "won't let his guests get away with bullshit." Three books by Maher based on the show have been published: New Rules: Polite Musings from a Timid Observer (2005), The New New Rules: A Funny Look at How Everybody but Me Has Their Head Up Their Ass (2011), and What This Comedian Said Will Shock You (2024). The series was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Series every year from 2005 through 2014, and for Outstanding Variety Talk Series in 2016 and 2017.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes of Real Time with Bill Maher are there?
Real Time with Bill Maher has 716 episodes across 24 seasons.
When did Real Time with Bill Maher first air?
Real Time with Bill Maher first aired on 21 February 2003.
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