‘Project Greenlight’ Season Three September Episode Guide

Project Greenlight Season 3 September Episodes
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon from ‘Project Greenlight’ (Photo: John P. Johnson)

It’s been 12 years since season two of Project Greenlight aired on HBO and now the show is finally back for the long-delayed third season beginning on September 13, 2015 at 10pm ET/PT. As they did with seasons one and two, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are involved as executive producers on season three which will consist of eight half-hour episodes. Marc Joubert, TJ Barrack, Perrin Chiles, Marshall Lewy, Zanne Devine, Jane Lipsitz, Dan Cutforth, and Alexander Lipsitz are also on board as executive producers.

Commenting on the return of the HBO series, Affleck said, “Project Greenlight was ahead of its time. Now that technology has caught up to the concept, we thought it was a perfect time to bring it back. A whole new generation of filmmakers has grown up sharing everything, and the next big director could be just an upload away. It is really great having Project Greenlight back at HBO.”

Project Greenlight works — careers have been launched and sustained as a direct result of this contest,” said Damon. “Pete Jones, John Gulager, Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan are just a few of the PGL alums who’ve gone on to do great things in Hollywood, and Ben and I are really proud of that.”

The Plot:

Spanning the entire filmmaking process, Project Greenlight takes a revealing, uncensored look at the challenges facing a first-time director. The show begins with a digital competition, as thousands of aspiring filmmakers submit three-minute short films via a Facebook page. The pool of contestants is eventually narrowed to 13 finalists, who are each given a scene to direct for their final project, based on a script provided to them.

Project Greenlight follows the winner from pre-production and casting through principal photography and post-production. Equipped with a Hollywood-vetted script and surrounded by a team of industry professionals, including filmmaking duo Peter and Bobby Farrelly (There’s Something About Mary), the fledgling director must learn to cope with pressure from the studio and producers, survive on-set politics and lead a veteran cast and crew, all while trying to deliver a viable movie – on schedule and on budget.

Project Greenlight September 2015 Episodes:

Episode #26 (season 4, episode 1)
Debut date: SUNDAY, SEPT. 13 (10:00-10:30 p.m. ET/PT)
Other HBO playdates: Sept. 13 (11:30 p.m., 2:30 a.m.), 14 (2:35 a.m.), 15 (4:45 p.m.), 17 (8:30 p.m.) and 19 (12:10 a.m.)
HBO2 playdates: Sept. 15 (2:20 a.m.) and 19 (8:30 p.m.)
Narrowed down from thousands of submissions, 13 finalists arrive in Los Angeles to meet with Project Greenlight judges: Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, executive Jennifer Todd, producer Marc Joubert, producer Effie Brown, HBO’s Len Amato and the Farrelly brothers. As the judges discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each contestant’s final project, they also debate the importance of artistic vision versus the collaborative skills required to be a successful director, all leading up to a red-carpet event, where Jason Mann is announced as the winner.

Episode #27 (season 4, episode 2)
Debut date: SUNDAY, SEPT. 20 (10:00-10:30 p.m.)
Other HBO playdates: Sept. 20 (11:30 p.m., 1:30 a.m.), 21 (3:00 a.m.), 22 (5:30 p.m.), 24 (8:30 p.m.) and 26 (1:45 a.m.)
HBO2 playdates: Sept. 22 (3:15 a.m.) and 26 (8:30 p.m.)
With two months until production begins, Effie, Marc and Len try to convince Jason that digital is the only way to keep the project on schedule and within budget. Meanwhile, instead of moving forward with the original Project Greenlight script, Jason pitches his own script: a dark comedy titled “The Leisure Class.”

Episode #28 (season 4, episode 3)
Debut date: SUNDAY, SEPT. 27 (10:00-10:30 p.m.)
Other HBO playdates: Sept. 27 (11:30 p.m., 2:30 a.m.), 28 (1:20 a.m.) and 29 (5:45 p.m.), and Oct. 1 (8:00 p.m.) and 3 (2:35 a.m.)
HBO2 playdate: Sept. 29 (3:10 a.m.)
After filling key production-staff roles, Effie brings in the location manager to choose LA-area mansions, but Jason thinks none of them match his creative vision. Meanwhile, the production team begins casting the lead roles, and Pete Farrelly and Effie butt heads about Jason’s continued resistance to shooting digitally.