Plot Synopsis

Directed and produced by Matthew O'Neill and Perri Peltz, AXIOS is a four-part documentary series of news-oriented specials, premiering two days before the 2018 midterm elections. In each half-hour episode, AXIOS highlights the week ahead in politics, business and technology -- and the topics shaping the future. Each edition features coverage of a timely big issue, followed by documentary shorts, interviews with major newsmakers, and insights. The news and information outlet Axios was co-founded in 2016 by Mike Allen, Jim VandeHei and Roy Schwartz. AXIOS premiered on Sunday, November 4, 2018 at 6:30pm ET/PT on HBO. The series opener features an exclusive sit-down interview with President Donald J. Trump and Axios journalists Jim VandeHei and Jonathan Swan, covering his views on: birthright citizenship; his relationship with the media; climate change; regulating tech giants like Google, Amazon and Facebook; health care; and the conflict in Yemen.

Season 2 of AXIOS premiered on Sunday, June 2, 2019 at 6pm ET/PT on HBO, featuring an interview with White House adviser Jared Kushner. The season opener is followed by three more editions debuting subsequent Sundays at the same time, highlighted by interviews with Steve Bannon, who takes viewers on the first tour of his monastery in Italy; Google CEO Sundar Pichai; and General Motors CEO Mary Barra. In the season opener, Kushner's interview, which was conducted on two consecutive days by national political reporter Jonathan Swan at Kushner's home and at work, covered a number of subjects he has rarely spoken about publicly. The wide-ranging discussion touches on his outside perspective on Washington politics, his upbringing and career trajectory, and his understanding of his role in furthering the goals of President Trump and his administration. Swan also explores a wide range of other issues with Kushner, including his relationship with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the Khashoggi murder, Palestinian sovereignty, his security clearance and the "birther" controversy. Kushner also responds to questions about reported financial transactions between his family's company and Russian individuals, as well as loans made to the Kushner family company following business leaders' visits to the White House. This week's show also features a segment on the "Greatest Global Threats" as summarized by leading national security experts from the last three administrations, including former national security adviser H.R. McMaster, former homeland security adviser and chief counterterrorism adviser Lisa Monaco, former secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, former secretary of defense, CIA director and White House chief of staff Leon Panetta and former CIA director David Petraeus. AXIOS returned for a four-episode fall season on Sunday, October 20, 2019 t 6pm ET/PT on HBO.

AXIOS returned for its third season on Sunday, March 1, 2020 from 6-6:40pm ET/PT on HBO. AXIOS kicks off its 2020 coverage by discussing the monumental verdict in the Harvey Weinstein criminal case and its impact on future sex crime trials. Axios political reporter Alexi McCammond sits down for an in-depth interview with Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr., whose office oversaw the criminal prosecution of Weinstein, for a conversation about this week's guilty verdict and the evolving challenges of sex crime prosecution. At Washington, D.C.'s Iconic Watergate Hotel, Axios' co-founder Mike Allen talks with the recently convicted political consultant Roger Stone. Against the backdrop of public scrutiny by President Trump of the verdict and sentencing in his case, Allen talks to Stone about his new-found faith, and steadfast belief in the President. As President Trump approaches his 100th campaign rally since his 2017 inauguration, AXIOS takes viewers into the cultural phenomenon of a Trump rally. Allen and Axios national political reporter Jonathan Swan dissect the loyalty displayed at these events, the data gathering techniques put to use, and the spectacle of what has become a pivotal part of Trump's reelection strategy. Just days away from Super Tuesday 2020, AXIOS speaks with three former candidates who reflect on their own experiences. Former Senator Gary Hart, former Governor Michael Dukakis, and former Secretary of State John Kerry shed light on the importance of Super Tuesday to a presidential campaign and how a Super Tuesday victory helps pave the way to the Democratic presidential nomination. The 2020 premiere of AXIOS closes by considering the possibility of a once in a generation political event: a contested convention. With a crowded Democratic field and the chance that no candidate secures a majority of delegates, Axios co-founder Mike Allen talks to Brookings Institution expert Elaine Kamarck about the last contested convention in 1952 and the potential outcomes of this unpredictable Democratic primary campaign. After a one-month break, AXIOS returned with new episodes on a new night and time: Mondays at 11pm. The mid-season premiere features Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) and Walmart President and CEO Doug McMillon.

The fourth season of AXIOS premiered on Sunday, January 31, 2021 at 6pm ET/PT on HBO. Season 4 continues to feature news making interviews with top leaders and decision makers from a range of sectors, including politics, tech, media, science and business. The season opener included an exclusive sit-down interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv and a conversation between Washington Football Team President Jason Wright and Axios co-founder and CEO Jim VandeHei.
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AXIOS on HBO returned Sunday, May 9, 2021 at 6pm ET/PT, with the first of six new episodes, featuring the following segments:

- Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is joined on the road by Axios national political correspondent Jonathan Swan for a revealing conversation about the discord amongst Democrats, the difficulty of negotiating with Republicans, reconciling his support for unions with his support for police reform, why the Democratic Party isn't resonating with working class voters and his efforts to change that.

- Ben van Beurden, CEO of Shell, speaks with Axios business reporter Hope King to discuss his expectation that Shell will be a net-zero emissions energy business by 2050, the choice to transition and his vision for the company's future.

- Sarah Kate Ellis, GLAAD President and CEO, gives Axios chief technology correspondent Ina Fried an exclusive look at their first ever Social Safety Media Index that analyzes how well social media platforms have protected LGBTQ people from abuse and hate.