VINYL SEASON 1 EPISODES
Martin Scorsese, Mick Jagger, Terence Winter, Victoria Pearman, Rick Yorn, Emma Tillinger Koskoff, John Melfi, Allen Coulter And George Mastras Executive Produce; Executive Music Producer, Mick Jagger; Winter Serves As Showrunner
Episode #10: “Alibi”
Debut: SUNDAY, APRIL 17 (9:00–10:00 p.m. ET/PT)
Other HBO playdates: April 17 (11:30 p.m., 2:00 a.m.), 18 (11:00 p.m.), 19 (9:00 p.m.), 20 (10:30 p.m.), 21 (4:15 a.m.) and 23 (2:20 a.m.)
HBO2 playdates: April 19 (1:00 a.m.), 22 (9:00 p.m.) and 30 (7:00 p.m.)
Season finale. Feeling betrayed by Richie (Bobby Cannavale), Zak (Ray Romano) maps out a dangerous plan to bring down his partner as the Alibi label launch approaches. Kip’s (James Jagger) jealousy toward Alex (Val Emmich) threatens to derail the Nasty Bits just as they’re about to take the stage for the most important gig of their career. Clark (Jack Quaid) and Jorge’s (Christian Navarro) efforts pay off. Richie is privy to the birth of a legendary music venue.
Written by Terence Winter; directed by Allen Coulter.
Episode #9: “Rock and Roll Queen”
Debut: SUNDAY, APRIL 10 (9:00–10:00 p.m.)
Other HBO playdates: April 10 (11:30 p.m., 2:00 a.m.), 11 (10:30 p.m.), 12 (8:00 p.m.), 13 (10:00 p.m.), 14 (2:30 a.m.) and 16 (10:00 p.m.)
HBO2 playdates: April 12 (3:00 a.m.), 15 (9:00 p.m.), 17 (8:00 p.m.), 22 (8:00 p.m.), and 30 (6:00 p.m.)
After an unsettling visit with Devon (Olivia Wilde) and the kids, Richie (Bobby Cannavale) weighs his options as the heat surrounding the Buck Rogers murder case is turned up. Thrown out of her aunt’s townhouse, Jamie (Juno Temple) crashes with Kip (James Jagger) as the Nasty Bits finish their record and do a photo shoot. At American Century, Maury Gold (Paul Ben-Victor) pitches a ’50s compilation LP, while Zak (Ray Romano) tries to fund a band for his wedding singer, Gary, aka “Xavier.” Clark (Jack Quaid) and Jorge (Christian Navarro) bond over an Indigo tune.
Written by Debora Cahn; directed by Carl Franklin.
Episode #8: “E.A.B.”
Debut: SUNDAY, APRIL 3 (9:00–10:00 p.m. ET/PT)
Other HBO playdates: April 3 (11:30 p.m., 2:00 a.m.), 4 (11:00 p.m.), 5 (8:00 p.m.), 6 (10:15 p.m.), 7 (4:00 a.m.) and 9 (11:00 p.m.)
HBO2 playdates: April 5 (2:30 a.m.), 8 (9:00 p.m.), 10 (8:00 p.m.), 15 (8:00 p.m.), 17 (7:00 p.m.) and 30 (5:00 p.m.)
Rebuffed by a loan officer with high-school ties to Zak (Ray Romano), a desperate Richie (Bobby Cannavale) approaches Maury (Paul Ben-Victor) about doing a deal with Galasso (Armen Garo). Devon (Olivia Wilde) and Ingrid (Birgitte Hjort Sørensen) make the scene at Max’s Kansas City, where Devon impresses photographer Billy McVicar (Richard Short) with her ability to charm a major celebrity into giving up his photo. Tasked by Richie to come up with a new song, Kip (James Jagger) and the Nasty Bits get a crash course in the blues from Lester (Ato Essandoh). Andrea (Annie Parisse) fires a longtime American Century employee, angering Richie. Clark (Jack Quaid) finds musical enlightenment from Jorge (Christian Navarro), his onetime mailroom nemesis.
Written by Riccardo DiLoreto & Michael Mitnick; directed by Jon S. Baird.
Episode #7: “The King and I”
Debut: SUNDAY, MARCH 27 (9:00–10:00 p.m.)
Other HBO playdates: March 27 (11:30 p.m., 1:30 a.m.), 28 (12:25 a.m.), 29 (8:00 p.m.), 30 (10:00 p.m.) and 31 (1:20 a.m.), and April 2 (11:20 p.m.)
HBO2 playdates: March 29 (3:05 a.m.) and April 1 (9:00 p.m.), 3 (8:00 p.m.), 8 (8:00 p.m.), 17 (6:00 p.m.) and 30 (4:00 p.m.)
Looking to raise cash for his label, a newly sober Richie (Bobby Cannavale) flies to LA with Zak (Ray Romano), hoping to sell the company jet to Lou Meshejian (John Ventimiglia), a rival record exec. After attending a beachfront party teeming with many of Lou’s music clients, Richie and Zak head to Las Vegas in hopes of somehow convincing Elvis Presley (Shawn Klush) and his manager, Colonel Parker (Gene Jones), that the King should ditch his label and sign with American Century. The detour includes a steamy encounter in which Zak’s fantasies come true, at a price.
Written by David Matthews; directed by Allen Coulter.
Episode #6: “Cyclone”
Debut: SUNDAY, MARCH 20 (9:00–10:00 p.m. ET/PT)
Other HBO playdates: March 20 (11:30 p.m., 2:00 a.m.), 21 (12:15 a.m.), 22 (9:00 p.m.), 23 (10:00 p.m.), 24 (2:15 a.m.) and 26 (2:00 a.m.)
HBO2 playdates: March 22 (2:45 a.m.), 25 (9:00 p.m.), 26 (8:00 p.m.) and 27 (8:00 p.m.), and April 1 (8:00 p.m.), 17 (5:00 p.m.) and 30 (3:00 p.m.)
Devon (Olivia Wilde) seeks refuge at the Chelsea Hotel with Ingrid (Birgitte Hjort Sørensen), a friend from her Warhol days. Meanwhile, Richie (Bobby Cannavale) falls into a deeper well of drugs and depravity, enabled by Ingrid’s nihilistic boyfriend, Ernst (Carrington Vilmont). Andrea Zito (Annie Parisse) rejoins American Century and immediately outlines her plans to revive the label. Kip (James Jagger) follows an unlikely path towards recruiting Alex (Val Emmich), a new lead guitarist for the Nasty Bits. Zak (Ray Romano) allows his raw emotions to surface at the end of his daughter’s Bat Mitzvah.
Written by Carl Capotorto & Erin Cressida Wilson; directed by Nicole Kassell.
Episode #5: “He in Racist Fire”
Debut: SUNDAY, MARCH 13 (9:00–10:00 p.m.)
Other HBO playdates: March 13 (11:30 p.m., 2:00 a.m.), 14 (12:50 a.m.), 15 (9:00 p.m.), 16 (10:00 p.m.), 17 (2:30 a.m.) and 19 (10:00 p.m.)
HBO2 playdates: March 15 (1:30 a.m.), 18 (9:00 p.m.), 20 (8:00 p.m.), 25 (8:00 p.m.) and 26 (7:00 p.m.)
Richie (Bobby Cannavale) visits a close relative in order to leverage a favor to his advantage. Devon (Olivia Wilde) agrees to join Richie for dinner with Hannibal (Daniel J. Watts) and Cece (Susan Heyward), playing up the vixen role to keep one of her husband’s biggest clients signed.
Kip (James Jagger) faces a tough dilemma in the wake of the Nasty Bits’ recent signing: fire one of his bandmates or lose a prime gig opening for the New York Dolls. Desperate to shore up PR at American Century, Richie tries to recruit Andrea Zito (Annie Parisse), a former employee and flame who now works for Jackie Jervis (Ken Marino). Clark (Jack Quaid) gets a new job after an emotional meeting with Julie (Max Casella), while an indignant Jamie (Juno Temple) ends up keeping her old one. Richie has an inspiration for the name of his new label.
Written by Adam Rapp; directed by Peter Sollett.
Episode #4: “The Racket”
Debut: SUNDAY, MARCH 6 (9:00–10:00 p.m.)
Other HBO playdates: March 6 (11:40 p.m., 2:30 a.m.), 7 (11:45 p.m.), 8 (9:00 p.m.), 9 (10:00 p.m.), 10 (3:25 a.m.) and 12 (12:30 a.m.)
HBO2 playdates: March 8 (1:30 a.m.), 11 (9:00 p.m.), 12 (8:00 p.m.), 13 (8:00 p.m.), 18 (8:00 p.m.) and 26 (6:00 p.m.)
In lieu of attending a funeral, Richie (Bobby Cannavale) takes out his anxieties on a couch during a marriage-counseling session with Devon (Olivia Wilde). Later, over the course of a chaotic day at the office, Richie courts funk superstar Hannibal (Daniel J. Watts), agrees to let Robert Goulet (Matt Bogart) record an original song on his upcoming Christmas LP, and gets fired up after an acrimonious meeting with Lester (Ato Essandoh). Meanwhile, Zak (Ray Romano) and Scott (P.J. Byrne) ruminate on their futures in the aftermath of the lost deal with German Polygram.
On the verge of signing with American Century, Kip (James Jagger) and the Nasty Bits enlist a new manager to work out a favorable deal with Richie. Armed with photos from Richie’s temper tantrum, Devon visits a divorce attorney. Skip (J.C. MacKenzie) looks to unload an overrun of bootleg albums, but finds no takers. As he’s about to be detained by two new detectives, Richie learns from Cece (Susan Heyward) that Hannibal is being courted backstage by Jackie Jervis (Ken Marino), and orders his assistant to do whatever it takes to keep the singer in the stable. Later, Richie visits a downtown jazz club in search of an alibi, while Devon has a meltdown at home.
Written by Debora Cahn; directed by S.J. Clarkson
Episode #3: “Whispered Secrets”
Debut: SUNDAY, FEB. 28 (9:00–10:00 p.m.)
Other HBO playdates: Feb. 28 (11:30 p.m., 2:00 a.m.) and 29 (10:25 p.m.), and March 1 (9:00 p.m.), 2 (10:00 p.m.), 3 (2:35 a.m.) and 5 (11:40 p.m.)
HBO2 playdates: March 1 (1:45 a.m.), 4 (9:00 p.m.), 6 (8:00 p.m.), 11 (8:00 p.m.), 12 (7:00 p.m.) and 26 (5:00 p.m.)
At a record producers’ banquet honoring Maury Gold (Paul Ben-Victor), Richie (Bobby Cannavale) is embarrassed when the emcee, rival record exec Jackie Jervis (Ken Marino), makes a joke about the failed German Polygram deal. Later, Maury and mob cohort Corrado Galasso (Armen Garo) pay a visit to American Century to probe a detective’s recent inquiry, and Joe Corso (Bo Dietl) drops by to pitch Richie a demo by his banquet date, Nora (Bianca Madison).
As Richie cuts down his roster to free up money to sign and promote new artists, junior A&R rep Clark Morelle (Jack Quaid) courts Alice Cooper (Dustin Ingram) in an attempt to sign him to a solo deal. Trying to find purpose in the suburbs, Devon (Olivia Wilde) turns to an old friend in hopes of raising funds to renovate a Greenwich barn that could house a displaced Russian ballet company. Approaching Lester (Ato Essandoh) about releasing some of his old blues demos, Richie reopens old wounds instead. The revamped Nasty Bits fail to win over Richie, prompting Jamie (Juno Temple) to change up their set list.
Written by Jonathan Tropper and Debora Cahn & Adam Rapp; directed by Mark Romanek.
Episode #2: “Yesterday Once More”
Debut: SUNDAY, FEB. 21 (9:00–10:00 p.m.)
Other HBO playdates: Feb. 21 (11:30 p.m., 2:00 a.m.), 22 (12:10 a.m.), 23 (9:00 p.m., 4:30 a.m.), 24 (10:00 p.m.), 25 (2:10 a.m.) and 27 (1:30 a.m.)
HBO2 playdates: Feb. 26 (9:00 p.m.) and 28 (8:00 p.m.), and March 4 (8:00 p.m.), 12 (6:00 p.m.) and 26 (4:00 p.m.)
With German Polygram executives in town to complete the deal for American Century, Richie (Bobby Cannavale) delivers a bombshell that shocks the prospective buyers, as well as his partners, Zak Yankovich (Ray Romano), ACR’s head of promotions, and Skip Fontaine (J.C. MacKenzie), head of sales. When the dust settles, the Germans storm out of the ACR offices, leaving Richie to face the ire of Zak, Skip and company attorney Scott Levitt (P.J. Byrne).
In Greenwich, Devon (Olivia Wilde) ponders what to do about her husband, who broke his promise by going off the wagon, though her anger is tempered by memories of the man she fell in love with back in 1966, when she was a fixture in the downtown art/music scene and a muse to Andy Warhol.
Back at American Century, Richie gives the A&R team a mandate to land a cutting-edge act or lose their jobs. Jamie (Juno Temple), pushing The Nasty Bits, is encouraged that Richie is interested in the band, but dismayed she’ll be working with A&R head Julius “Julie” Silver (Max Casella), who vows to polish the Bits’ sound. A devastated Zak considers changing his alibi for a recent injury, while Richie decides to pay a visit to an estranged mentor.
Written by Terence Winter; directed by Allen Coulter.
Episode #1: “Pilot”
Debut: SUNDAY, FEB. 14 (9:00–11:00 p.m. ET/PT)
Other HBO playdates: Feb. 14 (11:30 p.m., 2:00 a.m.), 15 (8:00 p.m.), 16 (10:30 p.m., 3:50 a.m.), 17 (9:00 p.m.), 18 (12:25 a.m.), 20 (11:00 p.m.) and 22 (10:15 p.m.)
HBO2 playdates: Feb. 15 (10:00 p.m.), 21 (7:00 p.m.) and 26 (7:00 p.m.), and March 12 (4:00 p.m.) and 26 (2:00 p.m.)
New York City, 1973. Together with his partners, Richie Finestra (Bobby Cannavale), president of American Century Records, is on the verge of selling his struggling company to German Polygram, in a deal that includes an impending distribution agreement with Led Zeppelin. But after a disastrous meeting, it’s clear that the sale is in jeopardy.
Heading home to Greenwich, Conn., Richie takes a detour to an unplanned reunion with Lester Grimes (Ato Essandoh), a musical artist with whom he has a complicated history. With thoughts of Lester weighing on him, Richie heads to the office, where, in addition to the Led Zeppelin situation, he learns of another problem: Bombastic Frank “Buck” Rogers (Andrew Dice Clay), owner of a chain of radio stations, is about to boycott American Century due to a perceived slight by one of the label’s artists.
In crisis mode, Richie gives his A&R department the mandate to find new acts, prompting office assistant Jamie Vine (Juno Temple) to bring in The Nasty Bits, a proto-punk band unlike anything anyone has ever heard.
Meanwhile, Richie enlists thuggish independent promotion man Joe Corso (Bo Dietl) to help with the Buck Rogers situation. After a three-day coke binge, Corso summons the sober Richie to Rogers’ home, where things go horribly awry.
Despite American Century’s troubles, Richie learns that Polygram has agreed to buy the company after all. That night, with both Lester and the Buck Rogers debacle on his mind, he goes violently off the wagon, trashing the den of his Connecticut home and severely jeopardizing his relationship with his wife, Devon (Olivia Wilde), and their two children.
Richie ultimately finds himself coked out and on his own, drawn by a crowd of young people to the Mercer Arts Center in Manhattan, where he sees The New York Dolls perform, a night that sets him on a completely new course.
Teleplay by Terence Winter and George Mastras; story by Rich Cohen & Mick Jagger & Martin Scorsese and Terence Winter; directed by Martin Scorsese.
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