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Doom Patrol: What to know before Season 3 ups the weirdness factor on HBO Max
When there's a pinch of doom in your neighborhood, who ya gonna call? If your answer was anything other than the Doom Patrol, you'd be incorrect. Come on, it's in their freakin' name!
DC's ragtag collection of lovable misfits will officially return for a third season of incredibly strange hijinks on HBO Max at the end of the month. Talking gorillas, scheming brains in jars, a time-traveling eccentric with a missing memory, and hungry monsters that look like butts are just a few of the things you can expect in the upcoming batch of episodes.
Head below for a quick refresher guide on everything you need to know about the show ahead of Season 3...
DC Universe no more
Doom Patrol was originally exclusive to DC Universe prior to the platform's massive rebrand to a comic book reading service in late 2020. Season 2 simultaneously debuted on DC Universe and HBO Max, while Season 3 will be the first installment of the hit series to exclusively premiere on HBO Max.
"On behalf of the wonderful cast, writers and crew, we are thrilled and grateful for the opportunity to return to Doom Manor. And we are especially thankful for our partners at Berlanti Productions, Warner Bros. Television, DC Universe and, of course, HBO Max,” showrunner Jeremy Carver said at the time.
“Doom Patrol came to HBO Max with an already deep and passionate fan base and has risen to the top as one of the most-watched Max originals on the platform,” added Sarah Aubrey, head of original content, HBO Max. “The series sits well in our portfolio and we are glad to green-light a third season to continue this distinctive style of storytelling that resonates so well with critics and fans alike.”
When & how to watch
The first three episodes of Doom Patrol Season 3 arrive on HBO Max Thursday, Sep. 23. Subsequent episodes will then drop on a weekly basis — all the way through the season finale on Thursday, Nov. 11 (Veteran's Day). New shows and films are usually made available on the platform around 12 p.m. PST / 3 a.m. EST. A paid subscription is required to access content, but if you sign up for the special Hulu bundle, you'll get a free, 7-day trial of HBO Max.
Squad goals
The principal cast for Doom Patrol is as follows:
- Brendan Fraser (Cliff Steele/Robotman)
- Matt Bomer (Larry Trainor/Negative Man)
- April Bowlby (Rita Farr/Elasti-Woman)
- Joivan Wade (Victor Stone/Cyborg)
- Diane Guerrero (Crazy Jane)
- Timothy Dalton (Niles Caulder/The Chief)
"People are connecting with the show ... because I think we are all dealing with a lot right now," Guerrero said back in June. "A lot of what has happened to us individually is rising to the top, especially as we all struggle together with the pandemic, with racial injustice. A lot of those feelings are starting to creep up for us and having to deal with it, or knowing how to deal with it, is probably new for some. I think you go through that journey with the characters and you see that if you don't deal with those things that often are not placed in as a higher importance, we see that we often fail or fall. And so, in order for us to rise to the occasion, we need to deal with a lot of those underlying issues that we all have."
The weirdest one yet?
Picking up after Dorothy's (Abi Monterey) confrontation with the Candlemaker (Lex Kang), Season 3 finds the eponymous collection of damaged do-gooders at a difficult crossroads. As each member of the team grapples with who they are and who they'd like to be, a time traveler known as Madame Rouge (Michelle Gomez) shows up with an important mission for them. The only problem? Rouge's memory is in shambles.
"When I was talking to her about the part, I was trying to explain to her that in our eyes the Madame Rouge of Doom Patrol is much like the other characters in that you can't quite pin them as good or bad," Carver told Entertainment Weekly. "They've all done things they're ashamed of, but that doesn't necessarily make them bad people. This wrestling with 'Am I good or bad?' is really at the heart of Michelle's character arc this season, and she wrings more out of a line in terms of finding comedy or pathos than just about anybody. I think what she brings to the show is just thrilling."
In the source material, Rouge (real name: Laura De Mille) is a top member in the Brotherhood of Evil, a villainous organization who will appear in the new episodes. The footage released so far has confirmed appearances from the Brotherhood's founder/leader, The Brain, and his talking gorilla companion, Monsieur Mallah.
Season 3 is also set to feature a second group of baddies called The Sisterhood of Dada (in the comics, they were founded by Mister Nobody and known as the Brotherhood of Dada).
The folks behind the Doom
Doom Patrol is showrun and executive produced by Jeremy Carver. Geoff Johns, Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, Chris Dingess, and Tamara Becher-Wilkinson also serve as executive producers. The overall property is inspired by characters created by Arnold Drake, Bob Haney, and Bruno Premiani.
"I think there were additional pressures on Doom Patrol because of the complexity of production, of the voices, and the live-action characters, and there’s a lot of CGI, and having enough time for post, and stuff like that," Schechter said shortlly after Season 1 premiered in 2019. "But we don’t think about network when we make shows. I mean, we think about the restraints of what network it is, and who the audience is, but ultimately, we just try and do the very best version of the show."
