Cinemax has set a Friday, September 22, 2017 premiere date for the animated series, Mike Judge Presents: Tales from the Tour Bus. Judge co-created, narrates, and executive produces the series which is set in the Country music world and features interviews with bandmates, friends, and other associates of Country artists. Season one will consist of eight half-hour episodes focusing on Johnny Paycheck, Jerry Lee Lewis, George Jones, Tammy Wynette, Billy Joe Shaver, Waylon Jennings (two parts), and Blaze Foley.
Tales from the Tour Bus is a return to the animated genre for Mike Judge who created Beavis and Butt-Head and co-created King of the Hill. Richard Mullins and Dub Cornett co-created Tales from the Tour Bus and executive produce with Glen Zipper, Sean Stuart and Dub Cornett. John Frizzell (The Following, United States of Tara) composed the series’ music.
The Plot: Mike Judge Presents: Tales from the Tour Bus recounts the raucous adventures of these musicians, as told by those who knew them best. The series includes uncensored anecdotes about the exploits of these artists, brought to life by animated reenactments, woven together with live-action archival performance footage and photos.
Tales from the Tour Bus Episodes:
Episode #1: “Johnny Paycheck”
Debut: FRIDAY, SEPT. 22 (10:00-10:30 p.m. ET/PT)
In addition to selling 40 million records and producing chart-topping hits like “She’s All I Got” and “Take This Job and Shove It,” country music outlaw Johnny Paycheck became notorious for living the part. He was known for his music, grand theft auto, drug binges and stints in jail. At the height of Paycheck’s fame, he shot a man over a turtle soup recipe, which led to a high-profile trial, a prison sentence and one of his greatest hits, “Old Violin.”
Written by Mike Judge, Dub Cornett, Richard Mullins, Jeff Feuerzeig, Julien Nitzberg; directed by Mike Judge.
Episode #2: “Jerry Lee Lewis”
Debut: FRIDAY, SEPT. 29 (10:00-10:30 p.m.)
One of the pioneers of rock’n’roll, Jerry Lee Lewis also happened to be a country music singer who liked to call himself “The Killer.” He made a name for himself not just as a magnetic piano-playing singer, but also as an impulsive, gun-wielding wild man, who stoked epic rivalries with the likes of Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley. The Killer also notoriously married his 13-year-old second cousin, setting off an epic worldwide scandal.
Written by Mike Judge, Mark Monroe; directed by Mike Judge.
Episode #3: “George Jones and Tammy Wynette (Part One)”
Debut: FRIDAY, OCT. 6 (10:00-10:30 p.m.)
He was a poor boy from a bootleggers’ town in the Texas backwoods. She was a cotton-picking Mississippi girl dreaming of stardom in Nashville. Together, George Jones and Tammy Wynette became the first power couple in country music. They were perfect in the public eye, but their tumultuous relationship was punctuated by George’s alcohol-fueled escapades and his paranoia over Tammy’s romantic past. She tried to keep the marriage from turning toxic, singing “Stand By Your Man,” her greatest hit, onstage with her husband every night.
Written by Mike Judge, Mark Monroe, Jeff Feuerzeig, Julien Nitzberg; directed by Mike Judge.
Episode #4: “George Jones and Tammy Wynette (Part Two)”
Debut: FRIDAY, OCT. 13 (10:00-10:30 p.m.)
Collaborating on 33 hit songs and nine studio albums, George Jones and Tammy Wynette projected an image of marital bliss. Backstage, real life was more of a mess, highlighted by actual gunplay, an accusation of poisoning and ingenious disappearing acts in the name of alcohol. The marriage was ultimately sacrificed, but the music survived. Despite George’s split personalities and Tammy’s endless string of men, the two maintained an artistic partnership that stood the test of time and gave them one of their greatest hits, “Golden Rings,” about love and marriage.
Written by Mike Judge, Mark Monroe, Jeff Feuerzeig, Julien Nitzberg; directed by Mike Judge.
