Think you’ve seen the best of HBO Max? Not until you’ve watched these 10 shows
Think you’ve seen the best of HBO Max? Not until you’ve watched these 10 shows
One new series just cracked the all-time top 10. Read on to see what made the cut.
HBO Max has been the gold standard for TV for as long as I can remember. Even with the streaming world more crowded than ever, it’s still the place I go when I want something that actually feels crafted instead of churned out. Now that the service has officially returned to the HBO Max name, it felt like the right moment to take another pass through the catalog, from the all-time classics to the newer heavy hitters. One new show cracked the list for the first time, a few shifted around, and some tough calls had to be made. These are the top 10 TV shows that best define what HBO Max does better than anyone else.
Top 10 all-time TV shows streaming on HBO Max:
HBO Max
HBO Max is a subscription video streaming service that gives access to the full HBO library and exclusive Max Originals. There are hubs for content from TLC, HGTV, Food Network, Discovery, TCM, Cartoon Network, Travel Channel, ID, and more. Watch hit series like “The Last of Us,” “House of the Dragon,” “Succession,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” and more. Within Max, B/R Sports allows users to watch NBA, MLB, NHL, March Madness, and NASCAR events.
No. 10: ‘The Pitt’ (2025) | Medical drama
“The Pitt” pulled me in from the first episode and hasn’t let go since. Even if you’ve never heard of it, the hook is instantly clear. The entire show is set inside a busy Pittsburgh ER, and every episode unfolds in real time, tracking just one hour of a brutal 15-hour shift. That choice keeps the tension humming in the background at all times. Noah Wyle, yes the guy from “ER,” plays Dr. Robby Rabinavitch, an exhausted physician trying to keep the place running while the world around him slowly starts to fray.
Season 2 is dropping right now, and it pushes that pressure-cooker setup even further. The whole season centers on a single Fourth of July weekend shift, which immediately raises the stakes with bigger crowds, hotter tempers, and zero room for mistakes. What really makes the show work, though, isn’t just the medical chaos. It’s how grounded the people feel. The burnout, the politics, the quiet moments where you can see the emotional cost of the job all add up to something that feels real. It’s tense, immersive, and strangely hard to turn off, and it’s quickly becoming one of HBO Max’s most compelling originals.
The Pitt
The staff of Pittsburgh’s Trauma Medical Center work around the clock to save lives in an overcrowded and underfunded emergency department.
No. 9: ‘The Leftovers’ (2014) | Drama
When we finally sat down and watched “The Leftovers” all the way through a few years ago, it completely wrecked us in the best way. Here’s the premise: 2% of the world’s population vanishes without explanation, and the show picks up years later, focused entirely on the people left behind. Tara and I burned through the whole series knowing full well it wasn’t always going to give us answers, and that’s kind of the point. What starts as a mystery quickly turns into something much heavier, all about grief, faith, and how people cope when reality breaks.
It’s not an easy watch, and it’s definitely not always clear, but it’s incredibly powerful. The performances, especially Carrie Coon and Justin Theroux, dig deep into emotional territory TV rarely goes this hard on. The show asks you to sit with discomfort, silence, and ambiguity, and it never flinches. If you’re in the mood for something intense, thoughtful, and emotionally overwhelming, this is one of HBO’s boldest swings, and it absolutely earns its place here.
The Leftovers
When 2% of the world’s population abruptly disappears without explanation, the world struggles to understand just what they’re supposed to do about it. This is the story of the people who didn’t make the cut.
No. 8: ‘True Detective’ (2014) | Crime drama
“True Detective” has always been a little uneven, but right now it feels fully locked back in. That first season with Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson is still untouchable when it comes to mood and dialogue, and for a while it felt like the show was chasing that high. The most recent season, “Night Country,” finally proved the anthology still has real gas left in the tank.
This time the story heads to Alaska, where weeks of total darkness hang over a case involving missing scientists. We follow detectives Liz Danvers, played by Jodie Foster, and Evangeline Navarro, played by Kali Reis, as they try to piece together what happened in an environment that already feels unsettling before anything goes wrong. It’s eerie and emotional, and it looks incredible, but what really works is how it leans into moral gray areas and quiet dread. There are more straight-up horror elements this time than we’ve seen before, and honestly, I kind of loved the darker swing. With Issa López back to run Season 5, I’m very on board if she keeps pushing it in this direction.
True Detective
An American anthology police detective series utilizing multiple timelines in which investigations seem to unearth personal and professional secrets of those involved, both within or outside the law.
No. 7: ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ (2000) | Comedy
Larry David is still the king of awkward comedy, and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” is easily his finest work. What started as a scrappy HBO experiment somehow turned into a 12-season classic, with Larry playing a heightened version of himself who has an almost supernatural ability to offend everyone around him. The chaos feels effortless, but it’s incredibly precise, and that’s what makes it so fun to watch.
The show really lives in that loose, unscripted energy, where anything can spiral at a moment’s notice. Cheryl Hines, Jeff Garlin, and Susie Essman are perfect counterweights to Larry’s constant self-sabotage, and the chemistry never gets old. Season 4, when Larry ends up starring in “The Producers,” is an all-timer, but honestly you can jump in almost anywhere and get hooked. It’s brutally honest, consistently hilarious, and it’s still the first comedy I recommend watching when you sign up for HBO Max.
Curb Your Enthusiasm
The off-kilter, unscripted comic vision of Larry David, who plays himself in a parallel universe in which he can’t seem to do anything right, and, by his standards, neither can anyone else.
No. 6: ‘Deadwood’ (2004) | Western drama
One of the newer additions to this list, “Deadwood” absolutely earns its reputation as a cornerstone of HBO storytelling. It’s set in the Dakota Territory in the 1870s, but this isn’t a traditional Western about heroes and villains. It’s about corruption, power, and survival, and how a rough, lawless town slowly tries to turn itself into something resembling a community. Ian McShane’s Al Swearengen sits right at the center of it all, equal parts magnetic and terrifying, and every scene he’s in feels electric.
The first time I watched it, what really caught me off guard was the dialogue. It’s dense, poetic, and somehow turns constant profanity into something that feels almost musical. Creator David Milch gives the town a voice that feels theatrical without ever feeling fake, and beneath all the violence and mud is a surprisingly thoughtful take on how societies form out of chaos. “Deadwood” might be a newer entry on this ranking, but it perfectly represents HBO at its most fearless and ambitious.
Deadwood
The story of the early days of Deadwood, South Dakota; woven around actual historic events with most of the main characters based on real people. Deadwood starts as a gold mining camp and gradually turns from a lawless wild-west community into an organized wild-west civilized town. The story focuses on the real-life characters Seth Bullock and Al Swearengen.
No. 5: ‘Boardwalk Empire’ (2010) | Crime drama
“Boardwalk Empire” is one of those shows that just gets better the more time you spend with it. Set in Atlantic City during Prohibition, it follows Nucky Thompson, played by Steve Buscemi, a smooth political operator whose grip on the city is built on backroom deals, intimidation, and violence. It’s the kind of crime story that moves patiently, letting power shifts and bad decisions stack up until things inevitably explode.
What really stands out is how polished everything feels. Created by Terence Winter and produced by Martin Scorsese, the series looks incredible from start to finish, with costumes, sets, and cinematography that make the era feel fully alive. The cast is stacked, with Michael Shannon, Kelly Macdonald, and the late Michael K. Williams all doing some of their best work. It captures both the glamour and the rot of early American crime in a way that feels immersive and deeply satisfying, which is why it deserves its all-timer status.
Boardwalk Empire
Atlantic City at the dawn of Prohibition is a place where the rules don’t apply. And the man who runs things — legally and otherwise — is the town’s treasurer, Enoch “Nucky” Thompson, who is equal parts politician and gangster.
No. 4: ‘Succession’ (2018) | Drama
I still miss “Succession.” It somehow turned corporate power plays and boardroom politics into something that felt genuinely gripping, and even beautiful in a twisted way. The show is funny and brutal in equal measure, and it’s anchored by an unreal run of performances. Jeremy Strong, Brian Cox, Sarah Snook, Matthew Macfadyen, Kieran Culkin, Alan Ruck, and Nicholas Braun are all operating at the top of their game, and there isn’t a weak link anywhere in that cast.
What really elevates it is the writing. It’s sharp, vicious, and unexpectedly emotional, especially when you realize how deeply these characters tie their self-worth to their father. Every relationship feels transactional until it suddenly doesn’t, and that tension carries the show all the way through. And yes, it’s one of the rare “best of all time” contenders that actually nails the series finale. For all of those reasons, “Succession” earns its spot among the very best shows HBO has ever produced.
Succession
Follow the lives of the Roy family as they contemplate their future once their aging father begins to step back from the media and entertainment conglomerate they control.
No. 3: ‘Game of Thrones’ (2011) | Fantasy drama
I came to “Game of Thrones” a little late. I started watching right before Season 4 dropped, and it immediately became the thing everything else revolved around. Yes, the ending sparked a lot of debate, but it’s impossible to ignore the cultural footprint the show left behind. Adapted from George R.R. Martin’s books, it built a massive, detailed world filled with power struggles, betrayal, and moments that genuinely stopped you in your tracks.
At its best, the show delivered cinematic battles that felt on par with big-budget movies, along with shocking twists that made it clear no one was safe. You’d get attached to characters, root for them, and then watch the show rip them away without blinking. That willingness to kill its heroes, while still making you care every single time, is a huge part of why it worked. “House of the Dragon” is doing a solid job carrying the world forward, but for me, nothing touches the original run at its peak. If you’ve somehow never watched it, I’m genuinely jealous. You’re in for a ride.
Game of Thrones
Seven noble families fight for control of the mythical land of Westeros. Friction between the houses leads to full-scale war. All while a very ancient evil awakens in the farthest north. Amidst the war, a neglected military order of misfits, the Night’s Watch, is all that stands between the realms of men and icy horrors beyond.
No. 2: ‘The Wire’ (2002) | Crime drama
“The Wire” isn’t just another crime show. It feels different almost immediately. David Simon pulled from his time as a reporter in Baltimore, and you can feel that lived-in realism in every scene. You’re not just following cops and criminals. You’re seeing the whole city at work, from the streets and the corners to the people trying to make broken systems function, and the ones getting crushed when they don’t.
What makes it so powerful is how patiently it builds that world. Each season shifts focus to a different layer of the city, whether that’s the docks, the schools, or the newsroom, but it all connects into one larger story about power, greed, and survival. The writing never explains itself or holds your hand. It trusts you to keep up and rewards you when you do. Characters like Omar Little, Stringer Bell, and McNulty feel real, which makes every choice and consequence hit harder. “The Wire” doesn’t just hold up. It still sets the standard for how deep and honest TV storytelling can be.
The Wire
Told from the points of view of both the Baltimore homicide and narcotics detectives and their targets, the series captures a universe in which the national war on drugs has become a permanent, self-sustaining bureaucracy, and distinctions between good and evil are routinely obliterated.
This brilliant series is routinely cited as the best TV show ever made. (Entertainment Weekly, The BBC, The Telegraph, The Guardian, and Salon.com have all ranked it #1.) It is the closest thing we have to a novel on television. Sprawling narratives, unforgettable characters, and jaw-dropping plot twists combine into something remarkable, unique, and definitively American. From the police to the drug dealers to the junkies to blue-collar workers to politicians to journalists to elementary students, all the pieces matter.
No. 1: ‘The Sopranos’ (1999) | Drama
“The Sopranos” is the show that completely rewired what television could be. Tony Soprano isn’t just a mob boss. He’s a husband, a father, and a guy desperately trying to keep his life from collapsing, even when he’s usually the one pushing it there. James Gandolfini brings this incredible mix of menace and vulnerability to the role, and it makes Tony feel uncomfortably real in a way TV hadn’t really done before.
What makes the show so lasting is how it turns everyday moments into something unforgettable. One scene might be a quiet therapy session, the next a sudden act of violence, and somehow both land with the same emotional weight. The writing is sharp, funny, and brutally honest about ambition, guilt, and wanting more than you can handle. Every character, from Carmela to Christopher to Dr. Melfi, feels fully lived in and gets moments that stick with you. And that final scene? People are still arguing about it for a reason. “The Sopranos” isn’t just HBO’s best show. It’s the reason every other series on this list exists at all.
The Sopranos
The story of New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads. Those difficulties are often highlighted through his ongoing professional relationship with psychiatrist Jennifer Melfi. The show features Tony’s family members and Mafia associates in prominent roles and story arcs, most notably his wife Carmela and his cousin and protégé Christopher Moltisanti.