LOS ANGELES — HBO is helping little brother Cinemax keep its prized patient alive.

The first season of The Knick, the ever-gnarly Cinemax period drama set in the famed New York hospital at the turn of the 20th Century, is getting a limited run on HBO's digital platforms starting Aug. 14, the cable networks announced Thursday. Cinemax has renewed Steven Soderbergh's show starring Clive Owen for a second season, coming this fall.

SEE ALSO: If You Think 'The Knick' Patients Have it Bad ... Go Back 50 Years

The show garnered five Emmy nominations and is a critical hit, but Cinemax would like to see stronger vitals for a show that clearly isn't cheap to make. That's where HBO, which owns Cinemax and shares parent company Time Warner, comes in.

HBO's digital platforms — HBO GO, HBO Now and HBO on Demand are far more popular than Cinemax's Max Now and other platforms, so the idea is that a limited run there could hook new viewers who will then switch over to Cinemax for a second dose on Oct. 16. HBO2 will also air a marathon of the entire first season.

Though the two channels are closely related, it's the first time HBO has carried another network's programming on its ancillary platforms.

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