We'll have to wait until spring before Game of Thrones returns with Season 7 on HBO. But that doesn't mean there's nothing new to watch. Jude Law's The Young Pope will premiere Jan. 15 at 9p.m. EST on HBO.
Jude Law plays Pius XIII, the first American pope and a man the church hopes will restore the establishment and deliver a return to more conservative values in the face of a rapidly changing society. Check out HBO's synopsis of The Young Pope:
From Paolo Sorrentino, director of the Academy Award®-winning film The Great Beauty, The Young Pope tells the controversial story of the beginning of Pius XIII's pontificate. Born Lenny Belardo, he is a complex and conflicted character, so conservative in his choices as to border on obscurantism, yet full of compassion towards the weak and poor. The first American pope, Pius XIII is a man of great power who is stubbornly resistant to the Vatican courtiers, unconcerned with the implications to his authority.
Sorrentino, who also directed of the upcoming 'Youth,' says the series is about "the clear signs of God's existence. The clear signs of God's absence. How faith can be searched for and lost. The greatness of holiness, so great as to be unbearable when you are fighting temptations and when all you can do is to yield to them. The inner struggle between the huge responsibility of the Head of the Catholic Church and the miseries of the simple man that fate (or the Holy Spirit) chose as Pontiff. Finally, how to handle and manipulate power in a state whose dogma and moral imperative is the renunciation of power and selfless love towards one's neighbor."
For those that wish to watch The Young Pope via live stream online, you can sign up for HBO NOW, which is the preferred option for most cord-cutters without a cable subscription. HBO NOW is available to subscribers for $15 a month and offers streaming to mobile devices, Chromecast, gaming consoles and other streaming devices.
For those with cable, DIRECTV NOW offers a free trial for the first seven days for channels including AMC, Comedy Central, Disney, FX, History, Syfy and USA. Add HBO to DIRECTV NOW for an additional $5 a month and you can enjoy shows on mobile devices as well as Chromecast and AppleTV.
Sony's PlayStation Vue live streaming service also offers select cable channels at a reduced fee. A basic Vue package will cost $30 a month while HBO is available for an extra $15. Viewers can catch their favorite shows on the Vue via PS3 and PS4, Chromecast, Roku, and other streaming devices. However, Vue does not allow use of the service outside of your home.
