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Limited Series – White House Plumbers

Play trailer 2:27 Poster for Limited Series – White House Plumbers May 2023 Biography Drama History Play Trailer Watchlist
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69% Tomatometer 48 Reviews 69% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
"White House Plumbers" goes behind-the-scenes of the Watergate scandal as Nixon's political saboteurs, E. Howard Hunt and G. Gordon Liddy, accidentally topple the presidency they were zealously trying to protect. Chronicling actions on the ground, this satirical drama begins in 1971 when the White House hires Hunt and Liddy, formerly of the CIA and FBI, respectively, to investigate the Pentagon Papers leak. After failing upward, the unlikely pair lands on the committee to reelect the president, plotting several unbelievable covert ops, including bugging the Democratic National Committee offices at the Watergate complex.
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White House Plumbers — Limited Series

White House Plumbers — Limited Series

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Critics Consensus

White House Plumbers gets clogged up by its overstuffed adherence to real history, but with actors this appealing and material that truly is stranger than fiction, it flushes down easy enough.

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Critics Reviews

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Christian Holub Entertainment Weekly 12/20/2023
B-
White House Plumbers thus tells a clear, coherent story about a famous event in American history, and at just five episodes there's not much bloat to complain of. Go to Full Review
Nick Hilton Independent (UK) 06/01/2023
3/5
White House Plumbers is not deadly serious. It is a farce that recognises the Watergate scandal as a political tragedy that has acquired the requisite historical distance to turn it into amiable, if not electric, comedy. Go to Full Review
Ed Power Daily Telegraph (UK) 05/31/2023
4/5
Americans may find it depressing – but for everyone else, it is a period hoot begging to be binged. Go to Full Review
Dónal Lynch Sunday Independent (Ireland) 01/29/2024
I would say most viewers will have long since tapped out and this is a rare flop from HBO’s hit factory. Go to Full Review
Bill Brioux Brioux.tv 08/18/2023
Aside from the speculative nature of the portrayals of Hunt and Liddy, White House Plumbers sticks quite rigorously to the facts. At just five episodes, it’s well worth your time if you’re into history, politics and wild and crazy characters. Go to Full Review
Michael Clark Epoch Times 08/12/2023
4/5
While “Plumbers” offers up nothing previously unknown about Watergate, it does so from a different angle and through a lens that points out its overall comic uselessness. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Avindu G Nov 8 A political drama that demonstrate how failing governance behave. How desperate the mighty structures would get under public scrutiny. Though the outcome of a fanatic plumber may vary, it's a reminder to question and be kind to our self intuition. It's a well acted movie. A great cast. Excellent visuals and music effects. A historic account that's politically enlightening. See more Torin F @nonlinearize 09/22/2024 WHITE HOUSE PLUMBERS brings exceptional comedic chops to the Watergate scandal, creating an elevated satirical political drama capable of accommodating the many stranger-than-fiction details of this major historical episode. At five episodes, this series operates with an efficiency that the perpetrators never managed, but does drag a bit in the last installment as it tries to survey the scandal's political import while also detailing the fallout for the principal characters. Still, a memorably entertaining limited series overall. See more Benjamin H 09/20/2023 A political satirical drama that is accurately portrayed while also demonstrating a jazzy, campy and sometimes exaggerated behavior, White House Plumbers may not tackle the full scope of the real-life scandal and has a bit lackluster writing, but it is a pretty fascinating and well-packed miniseries that also displays good lead performances. See more fred v 09/08/2023 One episode of this over-acted farce was enough. It gets an extra star because Lena Headey is in it... See more Jessa H 07/18/2023 One day, I saw my boyfriend watching the first episode of "White House Plumbers" and I asked him about it.  He said it was about the people behind the famous Watergate scandal.  Now, I was not a huge history buff in high school but I knew that this scandal was the reason Nixon resigned before he could be impeached.  That was as in depth that we really seemed to go into (or at least that is what I gathered from school), so I was down to see what happened.  Turns out, this was a lot more complex than I had originally thought nearly 10 years ago in the classroom. This miniseries adds nothing too original to the biopic-style of show, but the reason why I found this so entertaining was because of the acting.  Woody Harrelson and Justin Theroux star as the main idealists behind the break-in and their chemistry on screen is amazing.  Theroux is a riot as Liddy to the point where I could not stand his character.  Harrelson and Theroux are great when they have their individual scenes throughout the show, but it is when they are together that makes the show thrive.  Lena Heady as Harrelson's wife is also another scene stealer; I did not even recognize that I was watching Cersei Lannister at first because she was so deep into this role.  Her and Harrelson also work well together -- you believe them as a struggling couple but they need to keep it together for the sake of their family.  Their children -- Saint John (Liam James), Lisa (Zoe Levine), David (Tre Ryder) and Kevan (Kiernan Shipka) -- also each have the opportunity to stand out and give us more of a background of how the Hunt family operates.  And everyone's favorite best girlfriend, Judy Greer, is here as Theroux's wife Fran and she is bringing all of the Judy Greer-ness that you can expect from her.  Everyone works so well together it makes the show worth watching.  If anything, I wish we were able to go into more depth with the characters that helped with the break-in alongside Hunt and Liddy.  Each of them were fun to watch, but if they were given more screen time, I feel as though they could have only elevated the show as they all had great chemistry with their counterparts as well. The main format of the show is that you are not really sure if what they are doing is what actually happened.  There is a lot of secrecy between the characters that it adds to the mysterious element of the show.  Even though we are taught a lot of our history and how the government works, we will never have the full story of what really goes on behind the scenes.  This aspect also made me realize how much I either 1. did not pay attention to this lesson in class or 2. we were not taught much about the details of Watergate.  I genuinely was confused about the history behind this scandal because the show kept me questioning.  At certain points, I think it was because the dialogue can get lost with some of the scenes, but I also think it was done intentionally to give it a mysterious undertone.  While I can see some viewers may not feel this way about the format and writing, I think it worked in order to elevate the show from basic biopic to an intriguing story. If you are a history buff or want to learn more about a mysterious part of America's history, then you should check out "White House Plumbers."  Even if the writing is not up to par, stick around for the chemistry between all of the characters. See more Debbie H 07/17/2023 great job all around, start to finish. adding buffoonery to soften the blow of just how insane the extremists were (still are) made me want to revisit all the events of the time that age has helped me to forget. Like the info on Dot, Bay of Pigs...all of it. See more Read all reviews
White House Plumbers — Limited Series

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Episodes

Episode 1 Aired May 1, 2023 The Beverly Hills Burglary E. Howard Hunt and G. Gordon Liddy are tasked with investigating the Pentagon papers leak, gathering a team of Cubans to infiltrate whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist's office; Hunt and his wife, Dorothy, get to know the Liddys. Details Episode 2 Aired May 8, 2023 Please Destroy This, Huh? When a leaked memo from Dita Beard puts Attorney General John Mitchell in legal jeopardy, Liddy and Hunt get a shot at redemption. Details Episode 3 Aired May 15, 2023 Don't Drink the Whiskey at the Watergate Hunt, Liddy and the Cubans attempt to break into the DNC offices at the Watergate to plant listening devices for the White House. Details Episode 4 Aired May 22, 2023 The Writer's Wife Reeling from the arrests at the Watergate, Hunt enlists Saint John's help to dispose of evidence; Liddy warns the Attorney General that the burglaries can be tied back to President; Dorothy must take control to protect her family and the Liddys. Details Episode 5 Aired May 29, 2023 True Believers Liddy shares his concerns about Hunt's stability with John Dean; Hunt's daughter leverages a secret notebook to convince her father to come clean in his Senate testimony; when the President resigns, lives are ruined. Details
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Season Info

Director
David Mandel
Creator
Alex Gregory, Peter Huyck
Executive Producer
David Mandel, Alex Gregory, Peter Huyck, Frank Rich, David Bernad, Gregg Fienberg, Justin Theroux, Woody Harrelson, Len Amato, Ruben Fleischer, Paul Lee, Mark Roybal, Nne Ebong
Screenwriter
Alex Gregory, Peter Huyck
Network
HBO
Rating
TV-MA
Genre
Biography, Drama, History
Original Language
English
Release Date
May 1, 2023