‘Girls’ season 3, ‘Looking’ will air new episodes day before Super Bowl

The folks over at HBO, just like last year, are taking almost every precaution that they can to ensure that the Super Bowl does not completely decimate their entire TV lineup.

So when Sunday, February 2 rolls around, there are going to be some episodes of “Girls” season 3 and “Looking” that air. The twist? They will have actually debuted as “new” episodes the day before. The logic in making this move is that it ensures that diehard football fans can still catch the big game, and not feel like they are missing out on Hannah and company in the process. The same goes for those who really enjoyed the “Looking” premiere and are going to stick with it.

As for “True Detective,” HBO has just decided to steer clear of trouble there altogether. There will be no new episode of the Matthew McConaughey police series that weekend, with the date instead being shifted back a week. Given that there are only a handful of episodes in this season, the producers really have the freedom to do this without really messing anything up the rest of the way. The only challenge is getting people to remember that the show is still on, but given that it is something this great, we don’t imagine it being too substantial of a problem at all.

The Super Bowl is the biggest TV event of the year without question, and it has become standard operating procedure for most networks to not even bother competing against it. The only real counter-programming there is comes via the Puppy Bowl, and if you really want to get away from anything related to sports, you are better off just heading to the movies for the night.

You can take a look at what is happening on Sunday night’s “Girls,” which is airing at its regular time, over at the link here. Also, sign up now to get some more updates via our CarterMatt Newsletter.

Photo: HBO