HBO sets two documentary shorts for November: The Hotline on the 18th, The Buffalo Miracle on the 24th

HBO said on Thursday, November 5, that The Hotline, a documentary short written and directed by Ricki Stern and Jesse Sweet, will debut on Wednesday, November 18, from 9:00 to 9:36 p.m. ET/PT, and stream on HBO Max. A release posted three days earlier gives a Tuesday, November 24, slot, from 9:00 to 9:37 p.m. ET/PT, for The Buffalo Miracle, a short directed by Ben Proudfoot. HBO Max’s monthly list of October 22 already had both titles on those dates; the new releases add the time slots.

HBO’s documentary run in late November

The two shorts sit alongside two features the site has already covered, When a Witness Recants and The Slightest Touch. That makes four HBO documentaries in nine days, by our count, all starting at 9:00 p.m.

The Hotline

The film is about Never Use Alone, a helpline for people using opioids by themselves. HBO’s synopsis says its volunteers include people who used opioids in the past, while the organization says all its operators have lived experience. The film follows calls as they happen, along with operators talking about what the work means for their own recovery or the people they have lost. Stern also produces, and Simon Kilmurry is the executive producer. HBO’s release credits the pair’s earlier HBO film Nature of the Crime.

The organization’s website adds detail the release leaves out. It describes the service as a national overdose response line, says callers give a first name, which can be made up, along with their exact location, and says operators stay on the line. If a caller stops responding for more than 30 to 45 seconds, the site says, it contacts EMS. Its FAQ also says plainly that it cannot guarantee anyone’s safety, or that an operator will be available in the middle of the night, though its home page describes the line as open 24/7.

The Buffalo Miracle

Proudfoot’s film goes back to the blizzard that shut down the Buffalo region for three days in December 2022, which HBO describes as bringing more than four feet of snow. HBO’s synopsis centers on a McDonald’s whose longtime manager, it says, broke company rules to stay open on Christmas Eve, sheltering strangers who then watched the Buffalo Bills play the Chicago Bears on a laptop. Survivors tell the story, with hand-drawn animation.

The film first played at the Telluride Film Festival. HBO holds its global TV and streaming rights and runs it as part of the NFL Shorts series, with Bills quarterback Josh Allen as an executive producer. Proudfoot has two Oscars for short documentaries, the Academy’s records show: The Queen of Basketball in 2022 and The Last Repair Shop in 2024.

Where they fit on HBO Max

HBO says both films will be available to stream on HBO Max, without giving an hour for the streaming release. Our plan comparison has what each HBO Max tier cost when we checked in late October.