when will bill maher return in 2026

Bill Maher’s HBO show Real Time with Bill Maher is expected to return in late January 2026, with several outlets pointing specifically to Friday, January 23, 2026, as the planned Season 24 premiere date, though HBO has not heavily promoted anything beyond that season yet.

Quick Scoop

• Real Time with Bill Maher finished its Season 23 run on November 21, 2025, and then went on a planned two‑month hiatus.

• Coverage of that finale notes that the show is “anticipated” to come back on January 23, 2026, for Season 24, framing it as the second of a two‑season renewal through 2026.

• Separate TV news coverage describes Season 24 as premiering “sometime in 2026,” likely in early January following the pattern of Season 23, which began January 17, 2025.

What this means for 2026

• If the January 23, 2026 date holds, new episodes would resume on HBO on that Friday night slot, continuing the usual weekly format.

• The current public information guarantees the show through its 24th season in 2026, but there is no official word yet on seasons beyond that.

In short, expect Real Time with Bill Maher back on HBO in late January 2026, most likely January 23, unless HBO announces a schedule change closer to that time.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.