Paramount+ Dramas Like Nicole Kidman's 'Discretion' Could Move to HBO

No show has moved yet, sources say, but HBO drama president Francesca Orsi could oversee prestige Paramount+ dramas either way.

Nicole Kidman and Elle Fanning's legal thriller Discretion was a Paramount+ order, and people keep calling it HBO-like. Now HBO's executives run Paramount+.

The new leadership is discussing moving some upcoming Paramount+ dramas over to HBO, Deadline reported Tuesday. Deadline named Discretion and The Best of Us, a limited series about 9/11 first responders led by Succession star Jeremy Strong, among the logical candidates. Its sources stressed that nothing's been decided. The talks have reached the very top, but every series slated for Paramount+ is staying put for now.

HBO gets a say because of the deal. Paramount closed its purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery on Oct. 6 and named the combined company Skydance, according to its announcement. Casey Bloys, formerly HBO's content chief, now runs content for both streamers. In a staff memo Deadline published Oct. 23, he made Francesca Orsi president of HBO drama series and films. Her new job includes helping him pick which incoming drama projects "best embodies the HBO brand."

The same memo put Sarah Aubrey, HBO Max's head of originals, in charge of all Paramount+ programming. Jane Wiseman, who ran Paramount+ originals, left, and her team now reports to Aubrey. Both shows Deadline flagged as HBO material were Wiseman's calls: she greenlit Discretion and The Best of Us, Media Play News reported, among 28 new series she oversaw in 14 months.

Even if nothing moves, HBO may still get a hand on Paramount+ shows. Deadline reported that Orsi and Aubrey are going through the Paramount+ drama slate together. Orsi could take charge of the prestige dramas that feel most like HBO, whether those shows change streamers or not.

That's a lot of shared turf for the writers and producers who pitch and staff these series. Bloys's own memo said each team's duties had to be clearly defined so the creative community "would also have clarity on where different programming resides." Four weeks after the deal closed, a Paramount+ drama could carry a Paramount+ address and answer to an HBO executive.

What Paramount+ is keeping is a big original drama slate led by Taylor Sheridan's shows, Deadline noted, while the streamer has mostly stayed out of original comedy. Separately, on Oct. 30, Paramount+ said Criminal Minds: Evolution would end with its 20th season. Deadline's sources said the previous regime had recommended that cancellation.

The two streamers are headed for one app anyway. Skydance chief David Ellison has said HBO Max and Paramount+ will become one platform within the next couple of years, Deadline reported, and the merger announcement said the streaming products would unify over time. Until then, Discretion is still a Paramount+ show, and the people deciding whether it stays one all came from HBO.

Source: Deadline, retrieved November 4, 2026. Other sources: skydance.com, Deadline (2), mediaplaynews.com.