THE GRISWOLDS Are Getting Their Very Own HBO Max Series

HBO Max is still months away from launching (it'll be here in May), and it's spending the interim lining up as much exclusive programming as it can find. Their latest addition? A comedy series called The Griswolds, based on the wacky family at the heart of National Lampoon's Vacation franchise.

Says THR:

"Johnny Galecki is bringing a new take on National Lampoon's beloved Vacation franchise to HBO Max. The Big Bang Theory grad will exec produce The Griswolds, a single-camera comedy about what happens when the disaster-prone family returns home from vacation.

The Griswolds, which currently has a script development deal, will follow the family and explore their daily lives in the suburbs of modern-day Chicago." 

Galecki's got plenty of experience in the TV comedy world, given his work on both Roseanne and The Big Bang Theory, and also has experience within the Vacation series: he played Rusty in 1989's National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Can these characters sustain an entire series? Well, that remains to be seen. Remove the holiday element from the equation and you're basically just making another TV show about a family of well-meaning knuckleheads. 

Furthermore, it's unclear which set of Griswolds we're talking about here. Will this be a prequel series, documenting the lives of the Griswolds pre-the original Vacation? Or will it be a sequel series, following Rusty Griswold's family (as the recent and already-forgotten Vacation reboot did)? If so, will Chevy Chase be involved in any way? We have lots of questions, but for now there are precious few answers.

Nothing further to report at this time, but we're curious to see how it shakes out. Stay tuned for further The Griswolds updates as they roll in.