HBO RENEWS THE NEW COMEDY SERIES BORED TO DEATH, CREATED BY JONATHAN AMES, FOR A SECOND SEASON

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 7, 2009 HBO has renewed the critically acclaimed comedy series BORED TO DEATH, it was announced today by Michael Lombardo, president, Programming Group and West Coast Operations, HBO. Production on the second season will begin in 2010.

To date, the debut episode of BORED TO DEATH has been seen by 4.1 million viewers on HBO and HBO On Demand. In addition, the episode received nearly a half-million downloads/views via a free preview on iTunes and Comcast's Fancast.

Created by Jonathan Ames (author of several books, including the acclaimed graphic novel "The Alcoholic"), BORED TO DEATH follows the misadventures of the fictional Jonathan Ames, a young Brooklyn writer who pursues his quixotic dream of emulating heroes from classic private detective novels. The show stars Jason Schwartzman as Ames; Ted Danson as George Christopher, a high-profile magazine editor and Jonathan's needy boss; and Zach Galifianakis as comic book illustrator Ray Hueston, Jonathan's confidant.

"BORED TO DEATH offers a unique combination of noir mystery and neurotic humor that has been an instant hit with critics, while the audience for the show is growing steadily," noted Lombardo. "I'm delighted that we can bring the show back for another season next year."

Kicking off its eight-episode first season Sept. 20, the offbeat comedy series debuts new episodes on Sunday night, immediately following new episodes of "Curb Your Enthusiasm." BORED TO DEATH has already been called "the best new comedy of the season" by the New York Times, while the Wall Street Journal has hailed the show for "flat-out inspired comedy" and the San Francisco Chronicle has described it as "charming as well as quirky and funny," calling the series "another gem unearthed by HBO."

First season credits: BORED TO DEATH was created by Jonathan Ames; executive producers, Jonathan Ames, Sarah Condon, Stephanie Davis, Dave Becky and Troy Miller; co-executive producers, Tracey Baird and Donick Cary; producers, Mark A. Baker, Anna Dokoza and Martin Gero.