HBO Max is making a TV show based on the Griswolds, of National Lampoon’s Vacation fame. As fans of the original movies, we’re both intrigued and terrified. The big question is, when will the show be on HBO Max? Unfortunately, no one knows.
The Griswolds release date
The show was announced on December 12th, 2019. Our best estimate is that The Griswolds release date is likely to be available for the Christmas season of 2021. Though with the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s a possibility that the show may not see the light of day until late 2022 around Thanksgiving or Christmas holidays.
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Who are The Griswolds?
In the movie series, the Griswolds are the family who goes on calamitous vacations, often resulting in countless disasters before a heartwarming redemption.
What we know about the TV series is that it’s a single-camera series, with half-hour episodes, based on the Griswolds’ Chicago suburbs home life. Interestingly, one of the executive producers, Johnny Galecki, starred as Russ Griswold (son) in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. That was the third movie in the Vacation series. Tim Hobert of Scrubs and The Middle fame will write the new show.
The National Lampoon’s Vacation series includes five movies and a made-for-TV sequel spin-off. The legendary John Hughes wrote the first three movies, which also starred Chevy Chase. The best of the three movies was the original, which attained critics and fan approval on Rotten Tomatoes.
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4K/HDR/Dolby Atmos
With more shows getting the 4K/HDR treatment and HBO Max having a premium $14.99 price, it’s likely The Griswolds will have all the audiovisual bells and whistles needed in 2020, including 4K, HDR, and Dolby Atmos.
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The official National Lampoon’s Vacation trailer is below, in homage to this future HBO Max originals show.