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One of the great things about having so much entertainment available at any given time thanks to cable and streaming services is exactly that: having so much entertainment available. But those sort of riches does come with the challenge of figuring what to watch as well as when and how. That’s where the channel guide comes in, a trusty resource that lets us know what programming is airing or available at any given time. It’s a handy tool when you’re looking for something specific or even for when you are just looking for something that might pique your interest. You find something you like, you press play. However, for HBO subscribers and DC fans on Monday, what they thought they were pressing play on wasn’t exactly what they got thanks to a mistake.
Fans who went to HBO on Monday morning may have thought that they were getting 2021’s The Suicide Squad directed by James Gunn. It would be a logical assumption. The overall channel guide listed the film as airing on HBO Movies and when you went to the page directly, it pulled up art for that specific film as well, including John Cena’s Peacemaker. But when you actually clicked in to watch the movie, well. That’s not what you got. Instead, the movie that was actually airing was 2016’s Suicide Squad directed by David Ayer.
The Suicide Squad and Suicide Squad Are Very Different Movies (But It’s Likely Just an Honest Mistake)
In the grand scheme of things, mistaking The Suicide Squad and Suicide Squad in a programming guide is probably just an honest mistake. Let’s be very real for a moment: the movies have extremely similar names, share some actors between the cast, and it’s honestly an easy error to make. It’s probably not something to read too much into. That said. the two films are very, very different. 2016’s Suicide Squad is more of an origin story and has a somewhat more serious and gritty tone while also spending a good bit of time establishing and introducing its characters. There’s a good bit of use of flashback to put the team together even as the story comes together around trying to stop Enchantress from destroying Midway City.
The Suicide Squad, on the other hand, functions as a bit of a reboot. The team already exists so we don’t really have to reintroduce the concept or the characters even though the characters in question shift in focus. The film is also a bit more mature in the sense that has a hard R-rating and is much more graphic with its violence and profanity while also coming across as more comic book-y, something that is exhibited in the story specifically where the team’s mission takes them to an island to take on a giant alien starfish, Starro. The Suicide Squad also has a different emotional anchor as well, with this film featuring filmmaker Gunn’s signature “found family” theme.
While both films have their criticisms as well as their fans and there is absolutely nothing wrong with watching either, for HBO subscribers looking at the guide thinking they’re getting Gunn’s loud and bright The Suicide Squad (and Starro) only to end up with the darker, grittier Ayer Suicide Squad and Jared Leto’s Joker could be a big surprise. Interestingly, this isn’t the first time HBO has made a DC-related gaff. Back in 2021, HBO Max subscribers noticed that the R-rated version of Birds of Prey had been mistakenly replaced with the TV-14 version, albeit briefly. They quickly corrected the issue.
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