Real Time with Bill Maher: Season 4
Season 4 of Real Time with Bill Maher extends the series’ established format across twenty‑four weekly episodes. Each episode is anchored by host Bill Maher, who convenes a panel of guests that typically includes politicians, journalists, professors and other subject‑matter experts, with a reduced presence of actors and celebrities compared with earlier iterations of the show. The program is recorded in Studio 33, al
Season 4 Lore Primer
Key plot threads, lore context, and character stakes you need to remember before diving into this season.
- Bill Maher hosts a weekly talk‑show that blends comedy with political discussion.
- The show is filmed in Studio 33 at Television City in Los Angeles.
- Panels feature experts such as journalists, professors, and politicians, with fewer actors and celebrities.
- An after‑show segment called “Overtimes” streams on YouTube, answering audience questions.
Season overview
Season 4 of Real Time with Bill Maher extends the series’ established format across twenty‑four weekly episodes. Each episode is anchored by host Bill Maher, who convenes a panel of guests that typically includes politicians, journalists, professors and other subject‑matter experts, with a reduced presence of actors and celebrities compared with earlier iterations of the show. The program is recorded in Studio 33, also known as "Studio Boba Barker," located within Television City in Los Angeles. Following the televised discussion, a ten‑ to fifteen‑minute segment titled “Overtimes” is streamed on YouTube, where Maher addresses viewer‑submitted questions, extending the conversation beyond the broadcast. The season maintains the series’ blend of comedy and political commentary, preserving its talk‑show structure while continuing to prioritize informed debate. By sustaining the panel‑driven format and the supplemental online interaction, Season 4 reinforces the show’s reputation as a platform for current‑affairs discourse presented with a satirical edge.
Episode Guide
Season 4 Progress Shield
February 17, 2006
Feb 17, 2006
Guests: Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI), commentator Fred Barnes, actor Eddie Griffin, reporter Helen Thomas, Iraq advisor Dan Senor Topics: Cheney shooting, on the Patriot Act, Bush, M
February 24, 2006
Feb 24, 2006
Guests: actor Danny Glover, fmr. Sen. Gary Hart, author Irshad Manji, Rep. Heather Wilson, and columnist Nicholas Kristof Topics: Dubai ports, the extreme Left, Iraq, religious us
March 03, 2006
Mar 3, 2006
Guests: Comedian D. L. Hughley, editor/journalist Graydon Carter, correspondent Dana Priest, fmr. Dir. of FEMA Michael Brown, fmr. CIA case officer/author Bob Baer, actor Harry And
March 10, 2006
Mar 10, 2006
Guests: Feminist Gloria Steinem, actor Larry Miller, editor Ramesh Ponnuru, baseball's Pete Rose, reporter John Burns Topics: Port security, baseball, Bush, Iraq
March 17, 2006
Mar 17, 2006
Guests: R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe, actor/comedian Richard Belzer, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), writer Michele Mitchell, television anchor Lou Dobbs Topics: Troops and Iraq, corpo
March 24, 2006
Mar 24, 2006
Guests: Actor Jason Alexander, author/theologian Reza Aslan, Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA), reporter Michael Ware, talk show host Tavis Smiley Topics: Religion, torture, Katrina
March 31, 2006
Mar 31, 2006
Guests: Actor Robert Wuhl, actor Seth Green, author Erica Jong, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, anchorman Jorge Ramos Topics: Immigration, Bush, telling history
April 07, 2006
Apr 7, 2006
Guests: Actor Ben Affleck, Sen. Joe Biden, correspondent Bill Sammon, author/former Republican strategist Kevin Phillips, Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) Topics: Tom DeLay, on Bush's
April 21, 2006
Apr 21, 2006
Guests: Commentator Heather Higgins, Gen. Anthony Zinni, editor/publisher Mortimer Zuckerman, sports commentator Stephen A. Smith, Rep. Rahm Emanuel Topics: Iran, Iraq media bias,
April 28, 2006
Apr 28, 2006
Guests: Actor/director George Clooney, actor Ian McKellen, Rep. Barney Frank, correspondent Michel Martin, and historian Victor Davis Hanson Topics: Darfur, gas prices, immigratio
May 05, 2006
May 5, 2006
Guests: Actor Bradley Whitford, Fmr. PM of Canada Kim Campbell, fmr. Gov. Jim Gilmore, Gen. Wesley Clark, and Sen. Mel Martinez Topics: Democrats, terrorism, Federal Emergency Man
May 12, 2006
May 12, 2006
Guests: Fmr. Sec. of State Madeleine Albright, singer/songwriter John Legend, national security expert Richard Clarke, academic Cornel West and Fox News show host John Gibson Topi
August 25, 2006
Aug 25, 2006
Guests: Filmmaker Spike Lee, music legend Elvis Costello, blogger Markos Moulitsas, fmr. Sen. Max Cleland, author/scholar Vali Nasr, and columnist Christopher Hitchens Topics: Kat
September 01, 2006
Sep 1, 2006
Guests: Magician Penn Jillette, Rep. Darrell Issa, scholar Mary Frances Berry; via satellite, intellectual Fouad Ajami and actor Harry Anderson Topics: Katrina, poverty, church an
September 08, 2006
Sep 8, 2006
Guests: Author P. J. O'Rourke, Salon.com editor Joan Walsh, singer Rob Thomas; via satellite, former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and NBC News correspondent David Greg
September 15, 2006
Sep 15, 2006
Guests: Feminist icon Gloria Steinem, homeland security expert Clark Ervin, actor Michael McKean; via satellite, Pat Buchanan and CNN reporter Christiane Amanpour Topics: Immigrat
September 22, 2006
Sep 22, 2006
Guests: Actor Bradley Whitford, Fox News contributor Sandy Rios, author Reza Aslan; via satellite, New York Times columnist Frank Rich and filmmaker C.C. Goldwater Topics: Iraq Wa
October 06, 2006
Oct 6, 2006
Guests: From Washington, D.C.: Sens. John Kerry and Lincoln Chafee; Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, counter-terrorism expert Richard Clarke, comedian/actor Robin Williams, journalist Chr
October 13, 2006
Oct 13, 2006
Guests: Journalist Lou Dobbs, Danielle Pletka of the American Enterprise Institute, actor Ben Affleck; via satellite, fmr. Sen. John Danforth and Richard Branson of Virgin Group T
October 20, 2006
Oct 20, 2006
Guests: Gov. Bill Richardson, Rep. Barney Frank, actor Jason Alexander, Stephen Moore of The Wall Street Journal; via satellite, author David Kuo Topics: North Korea policy, Congr
October 27, 2006
Oct 27, 2006
Guests: Journalist Andrew Sullivan, politician Christine Todd Whitman, singer Harry Belafonte; via satellite, Rep. Harold Ford, Jr. and Arianna Huffington Topics: Campaign tactics
November 03, 2006
Nov 3, 2006
Guests: Actor Alec Baldwin, Rep. Jack Kingston, The Hill associate editor A.B. Stoddard; via satellite, filmmaker Robert Greenwald and comedienne Roseanne Barr Topics: Cost of Ira
November 10, 2006
Nov 10, 2006
Guests: CNN's Candy Crowley, actor Rainn Wilson, author Salman Rushdie; via satellite, Sen. Charles Schumer and Rep. Jeff Flake Topics: 2006 elections, plan for Iraq, Congressiona
November 17, 2006
Nov 17, 2006
Guests: Guitarist Tom Morello of Audioslave, journalist Dana Priest, actor Richard Dreyfuss; via satellite, journalist Dan Rather and television's Norman Lear Topics: Journalistic