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Holly Hunter to star in new Alan Ball show: how his work led to HBO success

Hunter will star in an untitled TV show that is being created by Ball for HBO. Ball has previously worked on the TV shows 'Six Feet Under' and 'True Blood.'

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Mark Blinch/Reuters
Holly Hunter arrives on the red carpet for the film 'Strange Weather' during the 41st Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto, Canada, on September 16, 2016. Hunter will star in an upcoming HBO series.

Actress Holly Hunter will star in a new program on HBO created by Alan Ball, his latest program for the network. 

“Batman v. Superman” actress Hunter will appear on the program as Audrey Black, a lawyer married to a philosophy teacher, and mother to four children, three of whom are adopted.

Hunter also recently appeared in the “Bonnie & Clyde” miniseries, the TV show “Top of the Lake,” and the 2012 film “Won’t Back Down.” She won an Oscar for Best Actress for the 1993 movie “The Piano.”

Ball's name is a familiar one for HBO fans, as he was also the creator for the acclaimed HBO TV program “Six Feet Under” and HBO’s “True Blood.” 

“Six,” which stars Frances Conroy, Michael C. Hall, and Peter Krause, depicts the life of a family that is in charge of a funeral home, and is still regularly named one of the best TV programs ever. It aired on HBO from 2001 to 2005. Ball’s show “True Blood,” which stars Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, and Alexander Skarsgard, aired from 2008 to 2014 and centers on supernatural events that occur in a small Louisiana town. 

Early shows like “The Sopranos” and “Six” helped make HBO a destination for acclaimed programming, with other well-reviewed shows that came later including “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Big Love,” “Boardwalk Empire,” and “Game of Thrones.” 

Today, HBO continues to be a strong presence at, for example, the Emmys, often regarded as TV’s highest honor. Earlier this year, HBO became the network to pick up the most Emmys overall again, with its programs “Game of Thrones,” “Veep,” and “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” all winning prizes. HBO held the title of most-winning network the two years before that, as well. 

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