The moment HBO announced the premiere date of their adaptation of Matt Ruff’s Endeavor Award-winning novel Lovecraft Country, I wrote “MAKE SURE YOU’RE HOME ON AUGUST 16TH” in blood-red letters all over my calendar. The trailers, which featured black protagonists at the center of strange and unsettling imagery, only got me more excited for the show. After months of waiting, I finally got to pop some popcorn, hop on my couch, and enjoy every tense, weird and wonderful moment of the premiere episode last Sunday.
As soon as it was done, I wanted every person I knew to watch the episode so we could swap theories about what would happen next. But if they didn’t have an HBO Max or cable subscription, there was no way I could tell my friends which famous black athlete made a hilarious cameo in the opening scene without spoiling who it was… until now.
As reported by Polygon, HBO has made the first episode of Lovecraft Country available for free on YouTube or HBO.com. You don’t need an HBO Max login, a cable subscription, or to sign up for a free trial with a new streaming service. Just head over to either site right now, and you can dive into the world of Lovecraft Country.
The show currently has a critical score of 96% on Rotten Tomatoes and buzz aplenty. But if you’re still on the fence as to whether you should give Lovecraft Country a try, you can read Alex Brown’s first impressions of the premiere (contains spoilers) and decide for yourself. Now if you excuse me, I need to buy a new calendar…
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If they don’t make the entire thing free, as they did with Watchmen, what’s the point? HBO does not have enough interesting material to warrant its subscription price. I need more than a handful of series before I cough up the scratch.
I don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, and I appreciate having a sample to base a subscription decision on, instead of just trailers. Heckuva lot better than putting the whole thing behind a paywall. Note that it’s free to “enter”… not stay ;)
I’ve been burned by that too, though, when a pilot for some reason outshines all subsequent episodes, but that’s usually more rare…