Over a decade after its debut, Steven Soderbergh’s historical medical drama, The Knick, has surged into HBO Max’s Top 10 across several countries to fill the gap left by The Pitt. Set in 1900s New York, the show stars Clive Owenas Dr. John Thackery, who leads a team of doctors at the Knickerbocker Hospital as they pioneer risky, untested medical procedures. Despite its gritty and dark premise, the show is being rediscovered by global audiences on the streaming platform.
The Knick is currently sizzling in the top 10 ballpark in countries including France, Croatia, Portugal, Poland, Romania, and the Netherlands. The period drama is consistently holding the #4 spot in most regions tracked by the platform as of August 7. The 2014 show currently holds a 92% critics’ score and 96% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Knick originally aired for two seasons on Cinemax. Despite the Season 2 finale premiering in December 2015, the show’s cancellation was not announced until 2017. In an interview, Soderbegh explained that the medical drama was meant to rebrand and draw new viewers to Cinemax. However, the higher-ups felt like The Knick hadn’t achieved that by the end of Season 2. The show started streaming on HBO Max in 2021, but wasn’t picked up for a third season due to budgetary constraints and the platform’s shifting priorities.
Clive Owen’s Dystopian Thriller Recently Landed on BBC iPlayer
The 2006 dystopian action thriller, Children of Men, has found a new home on streaming. The film is based on P.D. James’s 1992 novel of the same name, and its story isset in 2027, after two decades of infertility have pushed human civilization to the brink of collapse. Owen takes on the role of Thelonius “Theo” Faron in the film, a former activist tasked with protecting Kee (Clare-Hope Ashitey), the first woman who has gotten pregnant in 18 years.
The film also stars Julianne Moore, Michael Caine, Charlie Hunnam, and Chiwetel Ejiofor in prominent roles. Children of Men is currently rated Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a critics’ score of 92%. Owen has previously talked to Collider about the film’s underwhelming financial performance and shared that, despite the low numbers, he believes it’s one of his best projects of all time. The actor praised Alfonso Cuarón and called him a “visionary director” for his work on Children of Men.
In another interview, the director shared that he was equally impressed by Owen and the “saltiness” he brought to his character. Cuarón revealed that the actor can be aloof one minute and extremely warm the next. “I immediately dug the guy. I really liked him,” he added. Cuarón also confessed that it took him some time to convince Owen to take on the role, but it all worked out in the end. Unfortunately, Children of Men onlyended up collecting $70.5 million worldwide against a budget of $76 million during its theatrical run.
The Knick Seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream on HBO Max. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
