Casey Bloys Talks ‘White Lotus’ S4 Location, ‘Hacks’ Endgame and ‘Big Little Lies’ in Post-Emmys Chat 

Casey Bloys, HBO and HBO Max content chairman and CEO, has a lot to celebrate as this 2025 Emmy season finally comes to a close. His platform topped all others with 142 nominations. The tally of wins, 30, tied Netflix for the year’s biggest haul. The Pitt scored a coup in its best drama win. And Hacks star Jean Smart continues to gain on Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ historic Veep streak with her fourth consecutive win as best comedy actress. 

But seeing as how the HBO and HBO Max slate is a source of constant interest and speculation from viewers and industry denizens alike, Bloys was game when his victory lap quickly devolved into a friendly interrogation about the future of The White Lotus, Hacks, Big Little Lies and a few others. 

Obviously, there were plenty of good shows in the best drama field this year. But the scuttlebutt in town this FYC was that it really was coming down to The Pitt vs Severance. As a programmer, what does The Pitt’s win say to you about where we’re at with TV right now? 

I never count on anything walking into Emmy night, regardless of what prognosticators say. But Severance is a great show, it’s well done and it’s in its second season. I had resigned myself to the fact that they had a pretty good shot [at winning]. And I heard the same things from people talking. So I was thrilled for The Pitt. For a first-season show to break through enough to even be nominated is a big deal. My response to The Pitt is that it is a little bit of a throwback to the principles that made television in the first place: longer order, the ability to return on an annual basis, shooting on a soundstage in Los Angeles. We’ve gotten away from it as an industry. And I think what John Wells, Scott Gemmill and Noah Wyle did with the show is prove that you could do it at a high level. Even with the challenges of bringing something in on a reasonable budget, it is still possible to tell a really compelling story and have something to say —  in this case, the state of medical care in medical responders in the country. All of that together I think just won people over. 

What have you seen of season two? 

I’ve seen four cuts, and they don’t miss a beat. They’re in their groove. The actors know their roles. Producers know what the show is. It’s exactly what you want to see with a second-season show. 

Hannah Einbinder finally won for Hacks, not easy at that point in a show’s lifespan. The creators have always said it’s a five-season plan, but now folks seem less committal about that. Do you know if the next season is the end or not?

They have indicated that five seasons was what they were thinking. Ultimately, it’ll be their choice. I think they’re deciding what they want to do. It’s up to them. 

The White Lotus is an embarrassment of riches in terms of performances, but the abundance of nominees in those two supporting categories obviously has an impact on splitting voting. I’m not suggesting you make high art to strategize wins, but is submitting everyone in supporting something that you guys might reconsider down the line? 

It was an embarrassment of riches and a good problem to have. We’re not making decisions based on how to win or not. I don’t see it when you have that many actors that are deserving. Most important is making sure that people get recognized. So I guess it’s a high-class problem to have that many nominees. Obviously, it’s disappointing [for none to win], but what’s most important is that their work was recognized and nominated. 

Parker Posey is not an official HBO spokesperson, but she did seem to confirm season four will be set in France and that Mike White is working there now. What can you say about that?

Well, if she said it, I will have to agree with her. (Laughs.) But beyond that, locations, anything like that, there’s nothing official [to say]. But Mike has got ideas that he’s working on, and I think it’s going to be great. 

Have you narrowed down the pool of potential hotels at all? 

I don’t even want to classify or categorize the thinking, so I’ll just say he’s narrowing it down. 

Did he call you after he wrapped Survivor production to share any ideas he might have gotten on the island or the woods or wherever they make that show?

I don’t know what it’s like to be on Survivor, but I imagine he had some time to think and maybe even got some ideas around other people there. He’s always thinking, he’s always working things out in his head. But who knows?

The future of late night is a real hot topic right now following CBS’ decision to cancel Stephen Colbert at the end of this season. Your late-night shows operate under very different models, but how do you look at the future of Bill Maher and John Oliver? Is there room for more? There are certainly going to be some talented folks in the market for jobs. 

I’m very happy with the late night portfolio that we have, both Bill and John have been on the air for decades at this point. So I don’t see any changes. There are none planned. As long as they’re happy doing it, I think they’re be there. Subscribers love it. Both shows are doing very well. Obviously, there’s a lot to comment on and make sense of in the world. In terms of adding another one, we’ve dabbled here or there. As you know, it’s really tough to break through and have viewers trust a new voice and stick with them week in and week out. We’ve got a really, really good late night lineup as it is. If something interesting came along, we would always consider it 

How are you feeling about the initial rollout of Task? 

If you look at Rotten Tomatoes, it’s at 90. I’m thrilled with the initial response. I don’t if you saw, but, we do the live plus three ratings. It’s at like 26 percent I think above Mare of Easttown’s first episode.

What goes through your mind when you hear news of this potential Paramount Skydance bid on Warner Bros.? You’ve had a lot of corporate parents over the years.

That is so far above my pay grade. (Laughs.) I have no idea. I don’t think anybody really does at this point. Having been through things like this, there’s really not a lot you can do. And all we really can do is continue to do our jobs, put out the best shows, and we’ll see what happens. But I don’t know. 

Francesca Sloane, a really exciting writer-producer, just signed a deal with HBO and is attached to write this potential third season of Big Little Lies. What can you tell me about where things are going with that?

This is a really dedicated group of producers. They love the show and the property, and Liane Moriarty has a new book. It’s been 10 years, and the kids from Big Little Lies are teenagers. As the parent of teenagers, I can tell you that it does get more complicated raising teenagers. I think there’s a lot of fun stuff for this group to look at. And the producers read and met writers and they loved Francesca. I’m glad that it all worked out.