HBO's Christmas Miracle: 'Avenue 5'

Set to premiere January 19th, 2020, this HBO original series has begun launching into the thick of its advertising campaign to reel in a fan following before the fast-approaching holiday season. Set in an unspecified future where space travel is open to the public as a tourist service, Avenue 5 promises to be a misanthropic satire that will sit up there will the other heavy hitters: from Barry and Veep to It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

Now, whether or not the series will deliver on those promises will only become clear once the premiere date rolls around. However, considering the absolutely stellar cast and crew that this project has on board, it's difficult to imagine a world where this HBO brainchild doesn't hit the mark.

The show's headliner is, of course, Sir Hugh Laurie. Known for his roles in such classics as Stuart Little and Black Adder, as well as his iconic turn as the titular House, Laurie is set to play the struggling captain of the unfortunate pleasure cruiser, Avenue 5. Among his crew, we find such stars as Zach Woods, better known as Gabe from The Office, as well as Josh Gad (Olaf from Frozen), Lenora Crichlow (of Being Human and Black Mirror fame), Nikki Amuka-Bird (Luther), Himesh Patel (Yesterday), and a sprawling host of other strong talent.

Of course, this is not to reduce the worth of these actors to single, popular roles, but more to demonstrate the strength and star-power of this iconic pool of performers. Clearly, HBO is hardly leaving this fledgeling series out to dry, as the creator of the Emmy award-winning Veep, Armando Iannucci, is set to run the series with such an eye-catching cast and an apparently handsome, albeit undocumented, budget.

Apart from the published list of main cast members, the brief online synopsis of the series, and the short character bios HBO has published to their website, not much else is known of the series. Luckily, the gambit of short trailers and teasers that the company has begun to roll out say more than words ever could about the style, tone, and trajectory of the project. So far, with little more than a month left until showtime and millions tuning into the show's main trailer, it looks like smooth sailing for this hopeful young comedy. And if all goes well, tv watchers everywhere might have the pleasure of receiving a genuinely funny, clever, and unique little comedy to unpack this holiday season.