Cole Escola's Mary Todd Lincoln is coming to your television. HBO announced Wednesday it has picked up a filmed version of "Oh, Mary!", the dark comedy that turned Escola into a Tony winner, for release in 2027. It'll stream on HBO Max as well.

The special isn't a new production. It's a recording of the July 28, 2026 performance at London's Trafalgar Theatre, where the show has been running since its West End premiere. Escola reprises the title role, alongside Giles Terera as Mary's Husband, Bianca Leigh as Mary's Chaperone and Tony Macht as Mary's Husband's Assistant, all reprising parts they originated Off-Broadway. Michael Urie returns too, bringing back his Broadway turn as Mary's Teacher. Sam Pinkleton, who directed the stage production and won a Tony for it, directed the filmed version as well.

HBO teased the news with a bit rather than a straight trailer. Escola, in character, barrels into what's supposed to be HBO's offices demanding to put the play on there. A receptionist offers water and stops them mid-run, and the camera pulls back to reveal Sarah Jessica Parker playing the receptionist, with Cynthia Nixon trailing behind carrying the water on a tray, the "Sex and the City" theme swelling underneath. Escola declines the water and legs it.

"I'm so happy to share this show with a wider audience and spread 'Oh, Mary!' awareness," Escola said in a statement. "Knowing about 'Oh, Mary!' is the first step in getting rid of it."

From a Lyceum record-breaker to a global phenomenon

The play's numbers back up the fuss. It became the first show in the Lyceum Theatre's 121-year history to cross $1 million in a single week, per TheWrap, and has broken its own box office record fifteen times since. Its Off-Broadway debut is dated to January 2024 by TheWrap and February 2024 by The Hollywood Reporter, but both agree it transferred to Broadway's Lyceum Theatre that July, where it's still playing. Meg Stalter currently holds the title role, following a run of high-profile Marys that includes Maya Rudolph, Tituss Burgess, Jinkx Monsoon and Jane Krakowski. Bowen Yang is next in line, taking over from September 15, The Hollywood Reporter reported.

The London production, which opened in December 2025 according to TheWrap, picked up an Olivier for best entertainment or comedy play. A North American tour is also set to launch this month.

Nina Rosenstein, HBO's EVP of programming for late night and specials, called the play "80 minutes of carefully choreographed chaos" in a statement, adding that Escola had "pulled off the almost impossible" by making something that original look effortless.

Pinkleton, for his part, framed the HBO deal as the latest stop in a run he didn't see coming. "Shepherding 'Oh, Mary!' through its many lives (and Marys) has been an ecstatic experience," he said, adding that he's "giddy" the show will now reach households "across America and beyond."

No exact 2027 date has been set yet. Given how HBO has treated this rollout as an event, expect that announcement to come with its own bit.