or


[10/01/20 - 10:29 AM]
HBO's "537 Votes," Chronicling the Contested 2000 Presidential Election and the Political Operators Behind the Scenes in Miami, Debuts October 21
The film examines the events in the battleground state of Florida leading up to and after election day in November 2000, when a chaotic voter recount resulted in Texas Governor George W. Bush winning the presidency by a razor-thin margin.

[via press release from HBO]

HBO's 537 VOTES, Chronicling The Contested 2000 Presidential Election And The Political Operators Behind The Scenes In Miami, Debuts October 21

Emmy(R) And Academy Award Winner Adam McKay Executive Produces

537 VOTES, a high-octane feature documentary chronicling the political machinations that led to the unprecedented, contested outcome of the 2000 presidential election, debuts WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21 (9:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT) on HBO. Through interviews with key insiders and a wealth of archival footage, the film examines the events in the battleground state of Florida leading up to and after election day in November 2000, when a chaotic voter recount resulted in Texas Governor George W. Bush winning the presidency by a razor-thin margin. 537 VOTES looks beyond the headlines of undervotes, recounts and hanging chads to reveal the players and politicos locked in a strategic battle for the future of the United States.

537 VOTES will be available on HBO and to stream on HBO Max.

537 VOTES is directed by Billy Corben and produced by Emmy(R) and Peabody Award winning Corben and Alfred Spellman. The film is executive produced by Emmy(R) and Academy Award-winner Adam McKay ("The Big Short," HBO's "Succession") and Todd Schulman.

In early 2000, the international custody battle over a six-year-old Cuban boy, Elian Gonzalez, triggered a political earthquake in the swing state of Florida, ultimately swaying the outcome of the presidential election. With Miami's largely conservative Cuban American population outraged at the Clinton administration's handling of the repatriation of Gonzalez, many called for "el voto castigo:" the punishment vote, to harm Vice President Al Gore's chances at the ballot box. Miami-Dade County mayor, Democrat Alex Penelas, dubbed People magazine's "Sexiest Politician," is surprisingly absent from Gore's side as election fever mounts. After election day, with the margin of victory hinged on Florida, weeks of chaotic ballot recounts, lawsuits, counter lawsuits and public protests ultimately ended with George W. Bush winning the presidency by a mere 537 votes.

With humor, verve and new insights, 537 VOTES exposes the key players who contributed to the chaos in the contested Florida county, featuring interviews and archival footage of insiders and political operatives at the time, including Roger Stone; Joe Geller, Chairman of the Miami-Dade County Democratic Party; Al Cardenas, Chairman of the Florida Republican Party; Cuban American anchorman Rick Sanchez; political consultant Armando Gutierrez; Bush campaign operative Brad Blakeman; Democratic Mayor Alex Penelas; author of Cuba Confidential, Ann Louise Bardach; Democratic political operative Jeff Garcia; Miami political reporter Michael Putney; Gore attorney Mitchell Berger; and Democratic pollster Fernand Amandi.

On election day, November 7, 2000, in one of the narrowest election margins in history, it all came down to Florida, where the state's 25 electoral votes would decide the next president of the United States. The press called Florida for Gore and then retracted it, and Fox News called it for Bush. Gore called Bush to concede, and then all networks deemed Florida "too close to call." Gore then retracted his concession and the recount began.

Both parties braced for a bitter and lengthy legal battle. Bush's campaign mobilized its troops, rallying local Cuban Americans and national GOP figures such as former Secretary of State, James Baker. In turn, Gore's side hired former Secretary of State Warren Christopher and called for a manual recount in four Florida counties, including Miami-Dade. Under heavy scrutiny were 10,750 "no vote" ballots, where "dimpled," "pregnant" or "hanging" chads were not counted by the tabulating machines. After 36 days of legal maneuvering and appeals on both sides, the U.S. Supreme Court, with a conservative majority, ruled to stop the manual recounts, thereby granting the presidency to George W. Bush on December 12, 2000.

537 VOTES pulls back the curtain on a momentous episode in electoral politics, revealing that it was more than just faulty ballots that impacted such a decisive episode of American history. An eye-opening look at the presidential election that had far-reaching global repercussions and set the tone for the future of partisan politics in the United States, the film gives an entirely new perspective on political hustle and hype. It is a cautionary tale for anyone who thinks voting doesn't matter and a sobering look at what it takes to make sure every vote is counted.

HBO Documentary Films Presents a Rakontur Production and a Hyperobject Industries Production; Directed by Billy Corben; Music By Brian Robertson; Edited By Harris Mendheim; Director Of Photography Johnathan Franklin; Executive Producers Adam McKay, Todd Schulman; Producers, Billy Corben, Alfred Spellman. For HBO: Senior Producer, Tina Nguyen; Executive Producers, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller.





  [october 2020]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
    


· SHOWATCH
(series past and present)
· DEVWATCH
(series in development)
· MOVIEWATCH
(tv movies and mini-series)





[10/10/25 - 03:07 PM]
3,287,000 Viewers Tuned in on Average Through Game 4 of the ALDS Across FOX, FS1 and FS2
Through Game 4, coverage of the ALDS across FOX, FS1 and FS2 is up +11% from 2024 and +31% over 2023.

[10/10/25 - 02:46 PM]
Video: "Invincible" Season 4 - Teaser Trailer - Prime Video
Season 4 arrives March 2026 on Prime Video.

[10/10/25 - 02:02 PM]
Warner Bros. Animation, DC, and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Announce "Batman: Knightfall"
Currently in production, "Batman: Knightfall Part 1: Knightfall" will be coming in 2026.

[10/10/25 - 01:07 PM]
Video: "One Day in October" - Official Trailer - HBO Max
"One Day in October," a story of a of love, courage, sacrifice and survival, is a gripping and artistically interwoven narrative based on real-life accounts from the October 7, 2023, the attack on Israel.

[10/10/25 - 12:15 PM]
Video: Prime Video Unveils Exclusive Clip, New Single "Gravity," and New Details About "Hazbin Hotel: Live on Broadway" Event at New York Comic Con for Season Two of "Hazbin Hotel"
The second season, premiering October 29, consists of eight episodes, with two episodes rolling out weekly through November 19.

[10/10/25 - 11:01 AM]
Video: "Leslie Jones: Life: Part 2" - Official Trailer - Peacock Comedy Event
Leslie Jones gives the crowd at The Belasco in LA an inside look at her life - from her many soulmates to going to therapy and even her own funeral.

[10/10/25 - 10:30 AM]
Culinary Icons and Baking Enthusiasts Carla Hall and Candace Nelson Join Gordon Ramsay as Co-Mentors in the All-New Three-Week Special Event Series "Next Level Baker"
The all-new three-week special event series premieres on Thursday, December 4 at 9:00/8:00c on FOX, FOX One and Next Day Hulu.

[10/10/25 - 09:05 AM]
New Three-Part Series "Bigfoot Took Her" Reinvestigates One of History's Strangest Missing Persons Cases
When teenager Theresa Bier mysteriously vanished in California's Sierra National Forest in 1987, a surprising suspect emerged: Bigfoot.

[10/10/25 - 09:04 AM]
"Dancing with the Stars" Scores Historic Growth in Week Four
"Dancing with the Stars" rose for the third straight week following its season premiere, for the first time in the show's history, in both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49.

[10/10/25 - 09:03 AM]
Video: Peacock Debuts Official Trailer, Key Art, and New Images for "All Her Fault"
Starring Sarah Snook, Jake Lacy, Dakota Fanning, Michael Peña, Sophia Lillis, Abby Elliott, Daniel Monks, Jay Ellis, and more, the series premieres November 6.

[10/10/25 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Aileen Wuornos remains a rarity: a female serial killer. From childhood abuse to death-row revelations, this documentary revisits her life and crimes.

[10/10/25 - 06:32 AM]
Video: "Angela Diniz: Murdered and Convicted" - Trailer - New Series - HBO Max
Based on a true crime, the new series arrives November 13 on HBO Max.

[10/10/25 - 03:02 AM]
"Rhythm & Flow Italy": Third Season Confirmed with New Entry Judge Gue
Joining the now-iconic judges Fabri Fibra, Geolier and Rose Villain is another legend of the scene: Guè officially becomes part of the team to raise the bar even higher and discover the next stars of Italian rap.

[10/09/25 - 08:01 PM]
Video: "The Elixir" - Official Trailer - Netflix
An elixir unleashes the undead in a village. A family at odds with one another must unite and fight to survive as their hometown collapses.

[10/09/25 - 05:01 PM]
3,177,000 Viewers Tuned in on Average Through Game 3 of the ALDS Across FOX, FS1 and FS2
Through Game 3, coverage of the ALDS across FOX, FS1 and FS2 is up +14% from 2024 and +28% over 2023.