HBO to Premiere New Comedy Series THE BRINK, 6/21

When a ROGUE general seizes control of Pakistan and its nuclear arsenal, the fate of the world rests on the shoulders of three improbable Americans: Secretary of State Walter Larson, lowly Foreign Service officer Alex Talbot and ace Navy fighter pilot Zeke Tilson. From the turbulent streets of the Middle East, to the White House situation room, to an aircraft carrier on the Red Sea, these three compromised souls must pull through the chaos around them to save the planet from World War Three.

Executive produced by Jerry Weintraub, Roberto Benabib and Jay Roach, who also directed the pilot, and created by Roberto Benabib and Kim Benabib, the epic dark comedy series THE BRINK focuses on a geopolitical crisis and its effect on three disparate, desperate men. The show's ten-episode season begins SUNDAY, JUNE 21 (10:30-11:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.

THE BRINK stars Jack Black (Golden Globe nominee for "School of Rock" and "Bernie") as Alex Talbot, Tim Robbins (Best Supporting Actor Oscar® winner for "Mystic River," Best Director Oscar®nominee for "Dead Man Walking") as Walter Larson and Pablo Schreiber ( "Law and Order: SVU," HBO's "The Wire") as Zeke Tilson.

Other series regulars include Aasif Mandvi ("The Daily Show with Jon Stewart"), Maribeth Monroe ("Workaholics"), Eric Ladin ("The Killing," HBO's "Boardwalk Empire"), Esai Morales ("NYPD Blue") and Geoff Pierson ("Dexter").

Additional cast members include John Larroquette, Carla Gugino, Mimi Kennedy, Melanie Kannokada, Marshall Manesh, Meera Syal, Erick Avari, Iqbal Theba, Rob Brydon, Michelle Gomez, Lamont Thompson, Bernard White, Jaimie Alexander and Mary Farber.

June's episodes:

Episode #1: "Pilot"

Debut date: SUNDAY, JUNE 21 (10:30-11:00 p.m. ET/PT)

Other HBO playdates: June 21 (12:30 a.m., 3:30 a.m.), 22 (11:30 p.m.), 23 (11:30 p.m., 3:30 a.m.), 24 (7:30 p.m.), 25 (8:00 p.m.) and 26 (1:00 a.m.)

HBO2 playdates: June 22 (10:00 p.m.), 26 (4:35 a.m.), 27 (1:30 p.m.) and 28 (5:25 p.m.)

In Islamabad, Pakistan, low-level State Department bureaucrat Alex Talbot (Jack Black) asks his driver Rafiq (Aasif Mandvi) to take him to a bazaar to score some weed. Encountering a mass protest that turns violent, they flee their car and take refuge in the house Rafiq shares with his parents and sister. In Washington, D.C., Secretary of State Walter Larson (Tim Robbins) is fetched from a hotel tryst by his seen-it-all aide, Kendra Peterson (Maribeth Monroe), to attend an emergency White House meeting on the growing unrest in Pakistan. After learning that paranoid General Umair Zaman (Iqbal Theba) is threatening the region with destruction, President Navarro (Esai Morales) and ultra-hawkish Secretary of Defense Grey (Geoff Pierson) put a plan in motion to remove Pakistan's nuclear arsenal, against Larson's advice that such an operation is risky and reckless.

The group soon discovers that Alex is their only source of hard information on the ground in Pakistan. Meanwhile, onboard an aircraft carrier in the region, ace pilot Zeke "Z-Pak" Tilson (Pablo Schreiber) calls his ex-wife, Ashley (Mary Faber), in Florida, urging her to send more "product" for his lucrative side business selling drugs. Later, Zeke's mounting troubles are put on hold when he and his co-pilot, Glenn (Eric Ladin), are ordered to take off on a mission he knows could lead to catastrophe.

Written by Roberto Benabib & Kim Benabib; directed by Jay Roach.

Episode #2: "Half-Cocked"

Debut date: SUNDAY, JUNE 28 (10:30-11:00 p.m.)

Other HBO playdates: June 28 (12:30 a.m., 3:30 a.m.), 29 (1:45 a.m.) and 30 (10:30 p.m., 2:55 a.m.), and July 1 (7:30 p.m.), 2 (8:00 p.m.) and 3 (11:00 p.m.)

HBO2 playdate: June 29 (10:00 p.m.)

With President Navarro and Defense Secretary Grey ordering a military response to General Zaman's threats, Walter argues that an air strike could unleash a world war. He and Kendra must track down a moderate contact inside the Pakistan government to defuse the crisis. Meanwhile, after learning that classified information has been sent from Rafiq's house, Zaman's men storm the place, threaten Rafiq's family, and drag Alex to an undisclosed location for interrogation of the worst kind. In the skies over Pakistan, with Walter and the president looking on via an airborne camera, Zeke tries to sober up a drug-addled Glenn, but his partner accidentally launches a missile that creates high anxiety in three world capitals.

Written by Roberto Benabib & Kim Benabib; directed by Tim Robbins.

THE BRINK was created by Roberto Benabib & Kim Benabib; executive produced by Jerry Weintraub, Roberto Benabib and Jay Roach; co-executive producers, Kim Benabib and Susan Ekins; producers, Jack Black, Tim Robbins, Robert Lloyd Lewis and Dave Holstein.

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