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Most know all about Serena Williams, the 23-time Grand Slam champion and one of the greatest tennis players of all-time. They know Serena the player, but in the newest HBO documentary series, Being Serena, many will get a better idea of who Serena the mother is, and who Serena the wife is.
The series starts on Wednesday, May 2, at 10 p.m. ET/PT and will ultimately consist of five 30-minute parts, which will each air on subsequent Wednesdays.
Fortunately, even if you don’t have cable, you can still watch HBO and Being Serena on your computer, phone, or streaming device by signing up for one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services. With these services, you can either watch live HBO, or you can watch all of HBO’s on-demand content, which will include episodes of Being Serena after they air.
Amazon Prime: If you have Amazon Prime or want to start a free 30-day trial of Amazon Prime, you can watch live HBO and all of HBO’s on-demand library through Amazon Channels. The HBO channel, which costs $14.99 per month, also comes with a free trial.
Once signed up for both Prime and the HBO channel, you can watch HBO and Being Serena live, or you can watch episodes on-demand after they air. With either option, you can watch on your computer via the Amazon website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Amazon Video app.
DirecTV Now: HBO is a $5 per month add-on that can be added to any of DirecTV Now’s four channel packages. You can add it to your existing DirecTV Now account, or if you’re a new subscriber, you can sign up for a free 7-day trial of any base package plus HBO. Additionally, new subscribers can get $25 off your first three months with promo code “YESNOW3”, so if you sign up for the “Live a Little” package and HBO, you would get 60-plus channels, including HBO, for just $15 per month for the first three months.
Once signed up, you can watch HBO and Being Serena live, or you can watch it on-demand after it airs. You can watch on your computer via the DirecTV Now website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the DirecTV Now app. Additionally, you can also use your DirecTV Now credentials to sign in and watch via HBO Go.
Hulu: From now through the end of June, Hulu is offering a special deal that allows you to add HBO’s on-demand library to your new or existing Hulu package for just $4.99 per month. Once signed up, you can then watch Being Serena on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Hulu app.
Preview
Providing a glimpse into Serena off the court starts with her relatively new life as a mother. Following her victory at the 2017 Australian Open, which came while she was pregnant, she begins to battle doubts about her potential ability to successfully return to the court.
“There’s no escaping the fear,” she says in the first episode, which is aptly named “Fear.” “The fear that I might not come back as strong as I was. The fear that I can’t be both the best mother and the best tennis player in the world.”
ESPN’s Kavitha A. Davidson, who got an early look at the first two episodes, explains what makes this series about one of the world’s best athletes so captivating:
In its first two episodes, “Being Serena” is an emotional and intimate profile of a woman whose headline presence tends to overshadow her humanity. While future episodes following her return to training might be of interest to most sports fans, it’s those tiny moments captured, like when she’s singing songs from the movie “Moana” to her baby, that make the series truly compelling.
Being Serena is executive produced by Mark Shapiro, Michael Antinoro and Will Staeger.