Variety reports that Rich, the former New York Times theatre critic and current contributor, was asked to join the HBO team by cable executives Richard Plepler and Michael Lombardo.

Plepler and Lombardo, who are personal friends of Rich, describe the new arrangement as a casual one. However, Rich will hold the title of producer on certain titles he may develop or bring to HBO.

To avoid any conflict of interest, Rich will no longer cover HBO or Time Warner for the New York Times.

"Frank brought to us a remarkable set of perspectives," Plepler informed Variety. "Not only the creative voices he may run into or the projects he may hear about, but also his instincts and judgments. We decided it made sense to try this out."

Rich hopes to maintain HBO's standing as a television destination for high quality programming, now that both "Sex and the City" and "The Sopranos" have ended their popular runs. Frank Rich served as the chief theatre critic for the New York Times from 1980-1993. Prior to his career with the New York Times, Rich served as a film critic for Time Magazine. He has published the books "Hot Seat: Theater Criticism for The New York Times, 1980-1993," "Ghost Light: A Memoir," and "The Greatest Story Ever Sold: The Decline and Fall of Truth from 9/11 to Katrina."