As HBO Max prepares to rebrand as Max, we can look forward to a whole heaping helping of new offerings coming down the content chute on the streaming service in the next few years. We will get to witness another Game of Thrones spinoff emerge, along with new TV shows based upon the Harry Potter and The Conjuring franchises and a spy-comedy series starring Robert Downey Jr.
Before that happens, Max will remain the home of many iconic, crowd-pleasing series including The Sopranos and The Wire in addition to delivering prestige dramas like Succession and The White Lotusand never forgetting that the people love their dragons. As well, there will still be favorites from beyond the HBO brand available to stream on HBO Max, which means that Harley Quinn continues to receive new seasons for comic book lovers. And don’t forget about Peacemaker, which was a warm up for what James Gunn has in store to reboot the DC Extended Universe of movies and future TV series.
As the world awaits everything that Max has in store for viewers, we compiled a list of the best HBO Max shows that can currently be found on the platform.
Last updated on June 1, 2023.
1. The Sopranos
Year: 1999-2007
Cast: James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Michael Imperioli, Lorraine Braco, Tony Sirico
Genre: Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Six seasons, 86 episodes
Created By: David Chase
Trailer: Watch here
The Sopranos is where prestige TV began. The series, which follows mob boss Tony Soprano who begins seeing a therapist, reinvented the medium of television by integrating elements typically exclusive to film including powerhouse performances from James Gandolfini, Michael Imperioli, and Edie Falco, artistic cinematography, and music. The series applies complex themes and challenges its audience with a protagonist who elicits mixed feelings, at best.
2. Deadwood
Year: 2004-2006, 2019
Cast: Timothy Olyphant, Ian McShane, John Hawkes, Molly Parker, Kim Dickens
Genre: Drama, Western
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Three seasons, 36 episodes, one movie
Created By: David Milch
Trailer: Watch here
“Shakespearean but with a lot of F-bombs” is perhaps the only way to accurately describe Deadwood in just a few words. The series, which ran in the early 2000s and struggled to gain the same momentum as other HBO dramas at the time like The Sopranos and Six Feet Under, was a gem. The series is set in the mining town of Deadwood right after the Civil War, when the town was literally lawless, drawing the kinds of people who are looking to get rich (and/or avoid the law). With a sprawling cast of quirky to menacing characters, it’s as in-depth as it is grotesque, with brilliant performances from people you didn’t know about then but sure as hell know about now including Timothy Olyphant and Ian McShane.
3. Watchmen
Year: 2019
Cast: Regina King, Don Johnson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jeremy Irons, Jean Smart, Tim Blake Nelson
Genre: Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: One season, 8 episodes
Created By: Damon Lindelof
Trailer:Watch here
What could have been just another superhero show turned out to be not only one of the best television shows of the year but one of the best television shows of all time. Damon Lindeloff’s one-season series is not a direct adaptation of the popular graphic novel, but an interpretation that places familiar characters in a different but equally relevant cultural context. The series unpacks decades of white supremacy and Black oppression through the lens of this fictional universe. It’s not always easy to watch, but is mystifying and challenging, with a powerhouse performance from Regina King.
4. Succession
Year: 2018-Present
Cast: Brian Cox, Jeremy Irons, Kieran Culkin, Sarah Snook, Aln Ruck, Matthew Macfadyen
Genre: Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Three seasons, 29 episodes
Created By: Jesse Armstrong
Trailer: Watch here
King Lear, the HBO version. Succession follows the almost disgustingly privileged Roy family, who were born into a media empire that allows them to take helicopters and private planes to and from lavish estates across the country and the globe. But despite their privilege, the Roy kids (Connor, Kendall, Roman, and Shiv) are deeply disturbed in various ways thanks to their verbally abusive father Logan, who is the patriarch of the family and CEO of Waystar Royco. Throughout the series, the question of who will and should succeed Logan is up for debate, which leads to many betrayals. Succession has some of the best performances on television, from its main cast to its supporting cast of beloved New York City actors including J. Smith Cameron and Peter Friedman.
5. Game Of Thrones
Year: 2011-2019
Cast: Peter Dinklage, Sean Bean, Emilia Clarke, Kit Harington, Lenda Headey
Genre: Fantasy, Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Eight seasons, 73 episodes
Created By: David Benioff and D.B. Weiss
Trailer: Watch here
Despite its pitiful final seasons and a flop finale, Game of Thrones is a revelatory show that changed the TV landscape forever. Although the fantasy series set in the fictional country of Westeros is niche and sprawling in scale and scope, its neverending cast of complex characters, sudden deaths, and intriguing politics captured audiences everywhere. The show’s popularity made every network or streamer that releases television desperate for their very own Game of Thrones equivalent (including HBO itself, which has expanded the Westeros universe with House of the Dragon). The first several seasons of Game of Thrones are magical in their precision and confidence and scale. It’s just when the story gets bigger — and the dragons, too — that things go awry. But hey, it will always be the show that introduced us to Pedro Pascal.
6. The Wire
Year: 2002-2008
Cast: Dominic West, Idris Elba, Michael Kenneth Williams, Michael B. Jordan, Wendell Pierce
Genre: Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Five seasons, 70 episodes
Created By: David Simon
Trailer: Watch here
The Wire is a deep dive into the narcotics scene in Baltimore, MD from multiple perspectives including the police, users, and dealers. The Wire takes a somewhat journalistic approach and is many things at the same time, including but certainly not limited to: a deep dive into government, bureaucracy, education, and media, the lives of marginalized people, and a character study. The series also features performances from a (very young) Michael B. Jordan, Idris Elba, Michael K. Williams, and Dominic West.
7. Curb Your Enthusiasm
Year: 2000-Present
Cast: Larry David, Jeff Garlin, Cheryl Hines, Susie Essman, J.B. Smoove
Genre: Comedy
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: 11 seasons, 110 episodes
Created By: Larry David
Trailer: Watch here
On Curb Your Enthusiasm, Larry David plays a heightened (but also possibly not heightened) version of himself as he navigates the mundanities of life in Los Angeles as a person, from pants that look weird sitting down to where people should sit in the waiting room at a doctor’s office. Although the comedy series has been running since the turn of the century, it never gets old. While Larry David remains unchanged, he remains adaptable to throwing himself and his testy, picky personality into the modern world.
8. Chernobyl
Year: 2019
Starring: Jared Harris, Stellan Skarsgård, Emily Watson, Jesse Buckley, Paul Ritter
Genre: Drama series
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 1 (5 episodes)
Director: Johan Renck
Trailer: Watch here
Nuclear crimes are definitely crimes, so this show doubles as a true-crime jaunt as well as a dramatic thriller. Showrunner Craig Mazin did the thing here, long after his work on The Hangover franchise, to give us an unflinching look at one of the most devastating man-made disasters in history. Not only that, but this series proved that event TV could still exist on HBO even after Game of Thrones. Through five rollercoaster episodes, the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant explosion yielded heroic sacrifices and catastrophic f*ckups and the horrifying, heartbreaking story that one won’t find in the history books. Mazin and director Johan Renck left no detail unturned in their quest for authenticity in this period drama, and the dynamic duo of Jared Harris and Stellan Skarsgård can’t be beat for an all-encompassing portrait of the best and worst that humanity has to offer.
9. Euphoria
Year: 2019-Present
Cast: Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney, Hunter Schafer, Alexa Demie, Maude Apatow
Genre: Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Two seasons, 18 episodes
Created By: Sam Levinson
Trailer: Watch here
Euphoria takes the high school drama and amplifies it, which is easy to do when you’re on HBO. The relentlessly popular and frenetic HBO series that follows high schoolers in a fictional California town has influenced fashion and beauty trends, and is just behind Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon as HBO’s most-watched series of all time. Zendaya’s performance as the drug addict Rue has won her two Emmys.
10. True Detective
Year: 2014-Present
Cast: Woody Harrellson, Matthew McConaughey, Mahershala Ali
Genre: Drama, Crime
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Three seasons, 24 episodes
Created By: Nic Pizzolatto
Trailer: Watch here
This cinematic anthology series puts movie stars in a prestige television crime drama (who wold have thought?), as characters who must unpack a complex web to solve a crime, which usually involves some kind of shocking and violent conspiracy. Oh and at the same time, they usually have something going on in their personal lives, too. The first season, which starred Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrellson, was well-received for its story, performances, and style, while season two was a disappointment all around. Seriously, we do not talk about it. Colin Farrell never did that. The third season, starring Mahershala Ali is a welcome return to form with a fresh perspective, grounded in the real world.
11. Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
Year(s): 2014 –
Starring: John Oliver
Genre: Talk/Variety
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 10 (261 episodes)
Trailer: Watch here
No one tells it like John Oliver does, and no one is immune from his skewering, not even Warner Bros. Discovery. The former The Daily Show correspondent will soon move into his tenth season of deep dives filled to the brim with punchy pop cultural allusions and his unique brand of British-American bite. Although you may not always agree with Oliver’s take on any given subject, it’s impossible to deny that his joke delivery never misses. He effortlessly glides through subjects both shallow and full of substance, and his rollicking rants attract a hefty streaming audience, even if you don’t stay up late to watch the Sunday night broadcast.
12. Veep
Year: 2012-2019
Cast: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Anna Chlumsky, Tony Hale, Timothy Simons, Reid Scott, Gary Cole
Genre: Comedy
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: 7 seasons, 65 episodes
Created By: Armando Iannucci
Trailer: Watch here
Veep tells the story of the rise and fall of politician Selina Meyer, who starts off the series as vice president. Like Selina, her staff is more interested in advancing their careers in U.S. politics and bullying each other than actually being politicians (that is, people who are meant to serve the people). The series is heightened for comedy, but in retrospect, is probably more true to life than it ever intended to be.
13. The Last Of Us
Year(s): 2023 –
Starring: Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey
Genre: Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 1 (9 episodes)
Trailer: Watch here
Yes, this show’s not even a month into its run, but it’s already a ratings juggernaut that’s thrilling fans of the video game and those unfamiliar with the source material. After Chernobyl, another hit from Craig Mazin was to be expected, and Boston won’t be on your bucket list after watching this show. It’s time to catch up because no one’s doing “epic” these days like HBO, and this will provide a much different spin on a post-apocalyptic infection than The Walking Dead, although both shows are worth your time.
14. I May Destroy You
Year: 2020
Cast: Michaela Coel, Weruche Opia, Paapa Essiedu
Genre: Dark comedy, Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: One season, 12 episodes
Created By: Michaela Coel
Trailer: Watch here
Michaela Coel’s limited series unpacks the trauma after a sexual assault at a nightclub. The assault changes Arabella (Coel) and her life including her career and her relationships. The series is honest, sharp, fearless, and devastating, but also allows room for some (admittedly very dark) comedy along the way.
15. Barry
Year: 2019-Present
Cast: Bill Hader, Henry Winkler, Sarah Goldberg, Stephen Root
Genre: Dark comedy, Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Three seasons, 24 episodes
Created By: Alec Berg and Bill Hader
Trailer: Watch here
Barry asks an important question: what if a professional assassin got the acting bug? Barry started as a comedy satirizing Hollywood and the concept of acting but has subtly and beautifully evolved into a profound action drama that puts its characters’ (and its audiences’) morals to the test.
16. South Park
Year: 1997 –
Cast: Trey Parker, Matt Stone, and Co.
Genre: Comedy
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 26 (320+ episodes)
Trailer: Watch here
The one and the only. Back when this show debuted in the late 1990s, few would have imagined that Parker and Stone could maintain their edge, and sure enough, they’re branching out to other endeavors like resurrecting Casa Bonita but always come home. The gang (and their central critical characters) remains consistent in their criticism of everything worth skewering in society, and although this show frequently offends many, there’s always a glimmer of truth within their venom. Also, no one is immune from being a South Park subject, and that’s part of the show’s endless appeal.
17. House of the Dragon
Year: 2022
Cast: Milly Alcock, Matt Smith, Emma D-Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Paddy Considine, Rhys Ifans
Genre: Fantasy, Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: One season, ten episodes
Created By: George R.R. Martin and Ryan Condal
Trailer: Watch here
House of the Dragon immediately established that it is not Game of Thrones, which is the best thing the prequel could do. It moves at a different pace (quickly) and isn’t trying so hard to be a prestige TV show (even in its best seasons, GoT was trying hard). In fact, HotD goes out of its way to be a trashy melodrama, like a fantasy version of Gossip Girl, but with dragons, incest, and a king who is quite literally falling apart. If you want good, creative, and unexpected Intellectual Property that will throw in enough references to reward your knowledge but not enough to make you roll your eyes, this is it.
18. Rick and Morty
Year: 2013-Present
Cast: Justin Roiland, Chris Parnell, Spencer Grammer, Sarah Chalke
Genre: Comedy, Animation
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Six seasons, 51 episodes
Created By: Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon
Trailer: Watch here
Most animated series help you relax, with formulaic episodes that put your brain at ease. Rick and Morty is the opposite of that multiplied by millions. The relentlessly meta-animated series documents the many unexplainable adventures of the sociopathic alcoholic scientist Rick Sanchez, whose sidekick is his loser grandson, Morty.
19. The White Lotus
Year: 2021-Present
Cast: Jennifer Coolidge, Murray Bartlett, Aubrey Plaza, Michael Imperioli
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Two seasons, 12 episodes
Created By: Mike White
Trailer: Watch here
The White Lotus is the perfect embodiment of modern culture. It packs a cast of hot, flawed, generationally diverse characters at the same picturesque resort and puts them (and the audience) to the test. Mike White’s series is so well-written that the fact that the first two seasons are framed as murder mysteries and packaged as thrillers is the least interesting (but still very interesting) part of the show. Its greatest strength is its humanity, or in some cases, lack thereof.
20. Lovecraft Country
Year: 2020
Cast: Jurnee Smollett, Jonathan Majors, Courtney B. Vance
Genre: Sci-fi, Horror
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: One season, ten episodes
Created By: Misha Green
Trailer: Watch here
Jurnee Smollett and Jonathan Majors’ performances are the anchors of this sci-fi/horror series that draws inspiration from Lovecraftian lore. Set in the 1950s, Atticus (Majors) sets off on a road trip across the country to find his father who disappeared. Along the way, he faces the oppression of white America and faces monsters seemingly ripped from the work of H.P. Lovecraft.
21. The Rehearsal
Year: 2022
Cast: Nathan Fielder
Genre: Comedy, Documentary
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: One season, six episode
Created By: Nathan Fielder
Trailer: Watch here
If you’re in the mood for hours of uncomfortable laughter, The Rehearsal is perfect for you. Comedian Nathan Fielder of Comedy Central Nathan for You leads convoluted projects in order to help real people prepare for life events, starting with a guy who needs to come forward with the truth about his education and ending with pretending to be a dad for 18 years. Things take a dark but hilarious turn, and Fielder somehow never breaks character.
22. Abbott Elementary
Year: 2021-Present
Cast: Quinta Brunson, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Janelle James, Lisa Ann Walter, Tyler James Willaims, Chris Perfetti
Genre: Comedy
Rating: TV-PG
Runtime: One season, 13 episodes (season two currently airing on ABC)
Created By: Quinta Brunson
Trailer: Watch here
ABC’s Emmy Award-winning comedy series marks a welcome return to the network sitcom. This one follows the teachers at Philly’s Abbott Elementary, who range from type A to completely incompetent. But all of them are equally loveable. With sharp writing and standout performances, this is a smart, pleasant, positive show you don’t want to miss. Currently in its second season airing on ABC, it’s only getting better.
23. Mare of Easttown
Year: 2021
Cast: Kate Winslet, Evan Peters, Guy Perce, Angourie Rice, Sosie bacon, Juliane Nicholson, Jean Smart
Genre: Drama, Crime
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: One season, seven episodes
Created By: Brad Ingelsby
Trailer: Watch here
Sundays on HBO just aren’t the same without Mare and her vape. In the crime drama Mare of Easttown, Kate Winslet plays Mare (of Easttown), a detective trying to solve the brutal murder of a young woman while, of course, managing her complicated personal life. The show is brutal and poignant, but also has its charming moments, thanks to stellar performances from its star-studded cast including Winslet, Guy Pearce, Evan Peters, and Jean Smart.
24. Harley Quinn
Year: 2019-Present
Cast: Kaley Cuoco, Alan Tudyk, Lake Bell
Genre: Comedy, Animation
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Three seasons, 36 episodes
Created By: Paul Dini and Bruce Timm
Trailer: Watch here
After a breakup with her toxic ex The Joker, a newly single Harley Quinn tries to establish herself as an independent, badass criminal of Gotham. She faces many challenges thanks to The Joker’s connections but gathers some of her own via an unlikely group of characters including Poison Ivy and King Shark. The best thing about Harley Quinn is that it doesn’t take Gotham too seriously, especially its interpretation of Bruce Wayne/Batman, who is kind of an idiot.
25. Sex and the City/And Just Like That…
Year: 1997-2004, 2021-Present
Cast: Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, Kristin David, Kim Cattrall
Genre: Comedy
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Seven seasons, 104 episodes
Created By: Darren Starr
Trailer: Watch here
You probably don’t need an explanation for Sex and the City because even if you haven’t seen it, it’s so culturally significant that you get the references: you’re either a Carrie, a Miranda, a Samantha, or a Charlotte. What is so special about the HBO comedy is that it centered exclusively female characters and it allowed all of those women to be sexually active and vocal about it, which, even in the 1990s, was quite revolutionary. The revival series And Just Like That… isn’t nearly as good, but it is admirable in its level of cringe (Che Diaz, anyone?).
26. Miracle Workers
Year: 2019 –
Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Geraldine Viswanathan, Steve Buscemi
Genre: Comedy
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 3 available to stream out of 4 (27 episodes)
Trailer: Watch here
This anthologized series is pure joy to behold. In particular, one really should watch the third season, Oregon Trail, which includes a butt-shaking Daniel Radcliffe for the ages. During that season, Radcliffe portrays an idealistic good preacher named Ezekiel, who must join forces with a wanted outlaw (Steve Buscemi, who played the beer-guzzling God in a previous season) as they set off on the eponymous trail by wagon. This is not a straightforward retelling of 1840s U.S. history, mind you. Expect hipster pioneers and the trashing of toxic masculinity while buffalo roam. It happens.
27. The Leftovers
Year: 2014-2017
Cast: Justin Theroux, Carrie Coon, Christopher Eccleston
Genre: Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Three seasons, 28 episodes
Created By: Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta
Trailer: >Watch here
In the world of the sci-fi drama The Leftovers, millions of people disappeared without a trace. The world adjusts, but not well. Grief over mass unexplainable losses has transformed and divided people. The series spans almost a decade, and hops around the globe, showing the devastation of the Sudden Departure on a bigger scale. The Leftovers is ambitious in its storytelling with bold performances to match, with one of the most satisfying series finales ever made.
28. We Own This City
Year: 2022
Cast: Jon Bernthal
Genre: Crime drama
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 1 (6 episodes)
Created By: George Pelecanos, David Simon
Trailer: Watch here
The Wire creator David Simon heads back to Charm City to dive even deeper into the Baltimore police force’s inner workings. The project is based upon Justin Fenton’s book about Freddie Gray’s 2015 death, which received the national spotlight that still couldn’t fully illuminate the law enforcement maneuvering that followed. Jon Bernthal, who also portrays the cop-averse Frank Castle in The Punisher, portrays a corrupt officer, and this is David Simon territory through and through but with a markedly different approach from The Wire.
29. Girls
Year: 2012-2017
Cast: Lena Dunham, Adam Driver, Allison Williams, Zoisa Mamet, Jemima Kirke, Alex Karpovsky
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Six seasons, 62 episodes
Created By: Lena Dunham
Trailer: Watch here
In retrospect, Girls feels like a time capsule. It was lightning in a bottle at the perfect time: the dramadey captured the millennial mindset of the early 2010s, a generation becoming adults amidst a recession and an ever-evolving world reliant on technology and social media. The series is also what put Adam Driver, now a bonafide movie star with two Oscar nominations, on the map. The series didn’t maintain its early-season momentum, perhaps because the culture changed so rapidly around it, but it’s still significant and enlightening to revisit.
30. Eastbound And Down
Year: 2009 – 2013
Cast: Jody Hill, Ben Best, Danny McBride,
Genre: Comedy
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 4 (29 episodes)
Created By: Danny McBride
Trailer: Watch here
Although this one could be considered an acquired taste, Danny McBride made one of the most underrated cable network comedies of our time. In the process, he delivered a show that is almost too uproariously funny, at times, because as with BoJack Horseman, this show could (arguably) break the world’s heart, too. One could argue that this is a story of Kenny Powers’ quest for redemption, but it’s more than that, deceptively so, and the show even manages to reinvent itself on multiple occasions.
31. Banshee
Year: 2013 – 2016
Cast: Antony Starr, Ilana Milicevec, Ulrich Thomsen, Matt Servitto, Hoon Lee
Genre: Action/Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 4 (38 episodes)
Created By: David Schickler
Trailer: Watch here
Before he became a household name as Homelander, Antony Starr shone as a recently paroled jewel thief who masquerades as a sheriff-in-waiting, Lucas Hood (the real dude is dead), and continues his dark and devious lifestyle. If there was any doubt at all about Starr’s capabilities for the long haul, this show proves that he always brings his A-game and charisma, and in other words, I expect him to eventually follow up The Boys with even more watchable performances.
32. Insecure
Year: 2016-2021
Cast: Issa Rae, Yvonne Orji, Jay Ellis, Amanda Seales
Genre: Comedy
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Five seasons, 44 episodes
Created By: Issa Rae and Larry Wilmore
Trailer: Watch here
Issa Rae’s raunchy comedy Insecure is thoughtfully written and beautifully shot. Based on Rae’s popular web series Awkward Black Girl, the show showcases the lives of awkward Black women based in LA. The show follows best friends Issa and Molly as they and others in their friend circle navigate adulthood. The series presents friendship in an authentic way, with many ups and many downs.
33. Oz
Year(s): 1992 – 2003
Starring: Ernie Hudson, Terry Kinney, Rita Moreno, J. K. Simmons.
Genre: Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 6 (56 episodes)
Trailer: Watch here
If we’re talking about essential HBO shows that it’s never too late to binge for the first time, Oz qualifies as one of the Big Three, along with The Wire and The Sopranos. Although this show about experimental prison delivers upon its straight-up and surreal promises, the show also successfully pushes viewers through every emotion, both positive and negative, and you’ll thank it for the ordeal. Frankly, one still wonders how this show even surfaced, but it’s best not to question a good thing. Chris Meloni (as a psycho) happens to be only one of the attractions, and there’s another important detail to note: this show excelled at grittiness before grittiness became a cliché, and it holds onto that ability.
34. Selena + Chef
Year: 2020-Present
Cast: Selena Gomez, celebrity chefs
Genre: Cooking
Rating: TV-PG
Runtime: Four seasons, 40 episodes
Created By: Aaron Saidman
Trailer: Watch here
Selena Gomez is not much of a cook, but she’s trying. On Selena + Chef, celebrity chefs from Gordon Ramsay to Padma Lakshmi come to Gomez’s kitchen to teach her about cooking. She doesn’t always learn anything, but it’s a delightful time.
35. The Righteous Gemstones
Year: 2019-Present
Cast: Danny McBride, John Goodman, Adam DeVine, Walton Goggins, Edi Patterson, Skylar Gisondo
Genre: Comedy
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Two seasons, 18 episodes
Created By: Danny McBride
Trailer: Watch here
Danny McBride’s completely unfiltered comedy about a family of foul-mouthed televangelists in the South is one of the best shows on television. Like any McBride joint, it is crude and absurd, but its absurdity is true to the televangelist culture in the U.S. It’s like comedy Christian Succession.
36. Perry Mason
Year: 2020-Present
Cast: Matthew Rhys, Juliet Rylance, Shea Whigham, John Lithgow
Genre: Crime, Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: One season, 8 episodes
Created By: Rolin Jones and Ron Fitzgerald
Trailer: Watch here
Matthew Rhys, the master of weepy boys, plays a weepy boy version of the criminal defense attorney in this gritty interpretation of the lawyer’s life, which starts when he’s a struggling private investigator. It’s a gritty reimagining that actually works and doesn’t contradict or attempt to one-up the original series, and that’s the best type of reimagining.
37. Big Little Lies
Year: 2017-2019
Cast: Shailene Woodley, Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Zoe Kravtiz, Laura Dern, Alexander Skarsgård
Genre: Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Two seasons, 14 episodes
Created By: David E. Kelley
Trailer: Watch here
Big Little Lies was a memeable thrilling murder mystery as well as a thorough, authentic depiction of a victim of sexual and physical abuse. Nicole Kidman’s Emmy-winning performance as a woman in an abusive marriage is one of her best and helped similar stories get platformed in the entertainment industry. The second season leans a little more into camp with Meryl Streep screaming, Reese Witherspoon Type-Aing all over the place, and Laura Dern screaming. If any of that interests you, run, don’t walk.
38. Friends
Year: 1994-2004
Cast: Courtney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, Matthew Perry, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow
Genre: Comedy
Rating: TV-14
Runtime: Ten seasons, 236 episodes
Created By: David Krane and Marta Kauffman
Trailer: Watch here
You’ve definitely heard of this one, and you definitely know what it is about. But just in case you’ve just risen from a cave after three decades, Friends was an incredibly popular 90s NBC comedy that followed a group of…. friends… living in massive apartments in New York City.
39. Hacks
Year: 2021-Present
Cast: Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder, Carl Clemons-Hopkins
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Two seasons, 18 episodes
Created By: Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky
Trailer: Watch here
On the Las Vegas-set Hacks, Jean Smart plays Deborah Vance, a legendary stand-up comedian in her later career who is not fond of her new twenty-something writer, a young and entitled television writer. Their simmering hatred of each other eventually evolves into a love/hate relationship and mentorship.
40. The Flight Attendant
Year: 2021-2022
Cast: Kaley Cuoco, Rosie Perez, Zoisa Mamet, T.R. Knight
Genre: Dark comedy, Thriller
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Two seasons,
Created By: Steve Yockey
Trailer: Watch here
Irresponsible alcoholic flight attendant Cassie, who has an incredible coat collection, gets involved in a conspiracy and murder after waking up next to her dead one-night stand, with absolutely no memory of what happened. As she investigates, she gets investigated, and she comes to terms with the trauma that made her the way she is.
41. The Staircase
Year: 2022
Cast: Colin Firth, Toni Collette, Sophie Turner, Michael Stuhlbarg, Julliette Binoche, Parker Posey
Genre: Crime, Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: One season, eight episodes
Created By: Antonio Campos
Trailer: Watch here<
HBO Max’s original series The Staircase, based on the essential documentary of the same name, has no right to be this good (okay, it does, but it is so so good). Unlike other true crime adaptations, The Staircase actually centers around the victim (Kathleen Peterson, played by Toni Collette) and depicts how a death and possible murder (pinned on Michael Peterson, played by Colin Firth) in the family impacts everyone in different ways. The series also goes beyond the documentary, telling a compelling side of the story that the doc did not document.
42. True Blood
Year: 2008 – 2014
Cast: Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Alexander Skarsgård
Genre: Vamp drama
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 7 (80 episodes)
Created By: Alan Ball
Trailer: Watch here
Some people came to this show after hearing abut the twisted sex scenes, and others simply enjoyed them after already being hooked by this story of Southern-fried vampires. This is essentially a blood-sucking soap opera full of gore and otherwise graphic content, and that’s alright. We don’t need every show to be nuanced into oblivion, and although these vampires will likely never scare anyone who’s sitting in the comfort of their own living room, Sookie Stackhouse and company will always entertain. Plus, one can’t turn the TV off when a devilish Skarsgård appears.
43. Peacemaker
Year: 2022-Present
Cast: John Cena, Danielle Brooks
Genre: Action, Comedy
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: One season, eight episodes
Created By: James Gunn
Trailer: Watch here
John Cena is so charismatic that after his movie-stealing performance in The Suicide Squad, a television show practically had to be made about him. Peacemaker is weird and violent but fun with an unusual amount of heart, which pretty much describes anything James Gunn is behind. If anything, you must watch the opening credits, which feature the cast doing an extremely awkward robotic dance for some reason.
44. The Outsider
Year: 2020
Cast: Ben Mendelsohn, Jason Bateman, Bill Camp, Cynthia Erivo
Genre: Thriller, Crime, Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: One season, 10 episodes
Created By: Richard Price
Trailer: Watch here
The Outsider, based on the 2018 Stephen King novel of the same name, follows the investiagtors of the brutal, possibly supernatural murder of a young boy. The series is a slow but satisfrying burn, featuring one-of-a-kind performances from its sprawling cast.
45. Band Of Brothers
Year: 2001
Cast: Scott Grimes, Damian Lewis, Ron Livingston
Genre: Drama/History
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 1 (10 episodes)
Trailer: Watch here
With all of the juggernaut hits that have followed, it’s easy to forget this shattering depiction (brought to the world by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg as a followup to Saving Private Ryan) of the human toll during war. Yet it’s worth revisiting the trials experienced by Easy Company during World War II, and as history (especially as reiterated by Stephen Ambrose in his 1992 non-fiction narrative) tells us, things did not fare well for many of these characters, but oh, what a pivotal journey they take.
46. Boardwalk Empire
Year: 2010 – 2014
Cast: Steve Buscemi, Kelly Macdonald, Michael Shannon
Genre: Crime/Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 3 (56 episodes)
Created By: Terence Winter
Trailer: Watch here
Martin Scorsese directed the pilot episode, and from there, it was off to the races for Steve Buscemi’s Nucky as he reigned over Atlantic City during Prohibition. Terence Winter built this puppy from the ground up and based the story upon the same-named book by Nelson Johnson, and the whole show is a lushly gratuitous portrayal of organized crime and the depths of corruption as reflected against a gritty historical backdrop. It’s also a blast to watch HBO revel in similarly big, gleefully shameless storytelling swings that also both educated and entertained in Deadwood.
47. Doom Patrol
Year: 2019-2022
Cast: Diane Guerrero, Alan Tudyk, Matt Bomer, Brendan Fraser, Timothy Dalton, Michelle Gomez
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Four seasons, 37 episodes
Created By: Jeremy Carver
Trailer: Watch here
The Doom Patrol is a team of superpowered outcasts, all of whom have supernatural abilities following a traumatizing event. Together, they investigate weird phenomena. Oh, and they also act as a support group at the same time. It’s a bizarre but fun show fit for a lazy weekend binge.
48. The New Pope
Year: 2020
Cast: Jude Law, John Malkovich
Genre: Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: One season, nine episodes
Created By: Paolo Sorrentino
Trailer: Watch here
In this continuation of the 2016 series The Young Pope, Jude Law returns as Pope Pius XIII, only to be in a coma, though. John Malkovich’s Pope John Paul III takes over as the (titular) new pope. But when Pius wakes up, a pope war of sorts ensues.
49. Love & Death
Year: 2023
Cast: Elizabeth Olsen, Jesse Plemons, Lily Rabe, Krysten Ritter
Genre: Crime/Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 1 (7 episodes)
Created By: David E. Kelley
Trailer: Watch here
The second Candy Montgomery series (see also Hulu’s Candy) proves that the ax murdering adulterer is having a bit of a moment. As well, David E. Kelley seldom misses, and this HBO Max series takes a more straightforward, linear approach to the horrific story, for which we already know what will come. Love & Death is a more immersive experience than the Hulu show in a way, but it also doesn’t bring enough new insight to the table to fully justify a binge for anyone who’s not a serious true crime junkie. That’s not for lack of trying or talent because there’s a ton of it on display here, especially with Elizabeth Olsen portraying the ennui-filled housewife who’s looking for that missing puzzle piece in life.
50. The Climb
Year: 2023 –
Cast: Jason Momoa, Chris Sharma, Meagan Martin
Genre: Game Show/Reality TV
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 1 (8 episodes)
Trailer: Watch here
A smart man named Brian Grubb once declared that Jason Momoa should be in everything. I’m on board with this concept, and the See star and upcoming Fast and Furious villain has been pounding movies like crazy but still had time to get hands-on for an HBO Max series. The Climb features Momoa bounding off the side of mountains and shouting, “Yeah!” If you wanted to know more (sure, let’s go there), this series pairs him with buddy and the rock-climbing legend himself, Chris Sharma, to ascend as far as possible into the sky. They also guide a group of amateur climbers throughout a competition that’s fraught with danger and dauntlessness. There’s are prizes involved, of course, but also, they got to go adventuring with Momoa.
