Best HBO Series
The best HBO series of all time, ranked. From genre-defining dramas to sharp comedies, these are the shows that set the standard for prestige television.
HBO basically invented prestige TV. From The Sopranos onward, this is the network that proved television could be art. The catalog is stacked with all-time greats: sprawling crime epics, sci-fi mind-benders, dark comedies, and limited series that hit harder than most movies. Some of these shows changed the medium forever. Here are the ones most worth your time, ranked.
#1 PickThe Wire
2002–2008 · 60 min
DramaCrimeThe first season of The Wire (2002) concentrated on the often-futile efforts of police to infiltrate a West Baltimore drug ring headed by Avon Barksdale and his lieutenant, Stringer Bell. In Seasons Two and Three, as the Barksdale investigation escalated, new storylines involving pressures on the working class and the city's political leadership were introduced. Season Four focused on the stories of several young boys in the public school system, struggling with problems at home and the lure of the corner - set against the rise of a new drug empire in West Baltimore and a new Mayor in City Hall. The fifth and final season of The Wire centers on the media's role in addressing - or failing to address - the fundamental political, economic and social realities depicted over the course of the series, while also resolving storylines of the numerous characters woven throughout the narrative arc of the show.
- 2
Six Feet Under
DramaComedyThe Fisher family runs a funeral home in Los Angeles, but the show is really about how they live. Each episode opens with a death, and from there unfolds a deeply human portrait of grief, love, dysfunction, and the messy business of being alive. Raw, funny, and devastating in equal measure.
- 3
Oz
DramaCrimeHBO's violent men-behind-bars drama is an addictive, testosterone-driven soap opera for guys. The eight episodes of the first season set the style for the show: a massive cast of a vivid characters on both sides of the bars, four or five stories unleashed at a breakneck pace and framed by angry, oddball introductions, and a soaring casualty rate. Created by Homicide producer Tom Fontana, this drama quickly earned its rightful reputation as the most brutal show on TV. It's simple chemistry: combine volatile ingredients in a confined space, shut tight, and shake.
- 4
Game of Thrones
DramaAdventureFantasyBased on the bestselling book series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin, this sprawling new HBO drama is set in a world where summers span decades and winters can last a lifetime. From the scheming south and the savage eastern lands, to the frozen north and ancient Wall that protects the realm from the mysterious darkness beyond, the powerful families of the Seven Kingdoms are locked in a battle for the Iron Throne. This is a story of duplicity and treachery, nobility and honor, conquest and triumph. In the Game of Thrones, you either win or you die.
- 5
The Night Of
DramaCrimeLegalThe Night Of is an eight-part limited series that delves into the intricate story of a fictitious murder case in New York City. The series follows the police investigation and legal proceedings, all the while examining the criminal justice system and the purgatory of Rikers Island, where the accused awaits his trial.Filmed in and around Manhattan, the HBO series is based on the BBC's Criminal Justice, created by Peter Moffat.
- 6
Succession
DramaFamilySuccession follows the saga of the Roys, a fictional, American global-media family that is not only rich and powerful but also powerfully dysfunctional. The drama will explore family loyalty, international business and the perils of power in the 21st century.Power, politics, money...it's all in the family in this provocative, funny series about a highly dysfunctional dynasty. When Logan Roy, CEO of one of the world's largest media and entertainment conglomerates, considers retirement, each of his four grown children follows a personal agenda that doesn't always sync with those of their siblings--or of their father.
- 7
True Detective
DramaCrimeThrillerTouch darkness and darkness touches you back. True Detective centers on troubled cops and the investigations that drive them to the edge. Each season features a new cast and a new case.True Detective is an American anthology crime drama television series created and written by Nic Pizzolatto.
- 8
Westworld
DramaScience-FictionWesternWestworld is a dark odyssey about the dawn of artificial consciousness and the evolution of sin. Set at the intersection of the near future and the reimagined past, it explores a world in which every human appetite, no matter how noble or depraved, can be indulged.
- 9
The Leftovers
DramaScience-FictionThrillerThree years after millions of people—some 2% of the world's population—vanished into thin air, residents of Mapleton, NY weigh the pros and cons of a "Heroes Day" tribute to the local "Departed". Attempting to maintain a sense of normalcy in his strained community, police chief Kevin Garvey faces additional challenges at home with his daughter, Jill, who's lost in a cloud of apathy with her friend Aimee, and son, Tom, who has gravitated to a cult led by the charismatic Holy Wayne. Also of concern is a silent, white-clad group of chain-smoking men and women called the Guilty Remnant, who team up in pairs to stake out people and places around town. As tension in Mapleton escalates, the lives of Laurie, an unexpected member of the Guilty Remnant, and Meg, a recently engaged young woman, converge.
- 10
Sharp Objects
DramaMysterySharp Objects centers on reporter Camille Preaker who, fresh from a brief stay at a psychiatric hospital, must return to her tiny hometown to cover the murders of two preteen girls. Trying to put together a psychological puzzle from her past, Camille finds herself identifying with the young victims a bit too closely.
- 11
Curb Your Enthusiasm
ComedyCurb Your Enthusiasm stars Seinfeld co-creator Larry David as himself in an unsparing but tongue-in-cheek depiction of his life. Shot in a verite style and featuring celebrities playing themselves, the episodes are improvised by the actors from an outline created by David.
- 12
The Sopranos
DramaCrimeThe Sopranos, writer-producer-director David Chase's extraordinary television series, is nominally an urban gangster drama, but its true impact strikes closer to home: Like 1999's other screen touchstone, American Beauty, the HBO series chronicles a dysfunctional, suburban American family in bold relief. And for protagonist Tony Soprano, there's the added complexity posed by heading twin families, his collegial mob clan and his own, nouveau riche brood.
- 13
Band of Brothers
DramaActionWarDrawn from interviews with survivors of Easy Company, as well as their journals and letters, Band of Brothers chronicles the experiences of these men from paratrooper training in Georgia through the end of the war. As an elite rifle company parachuting into Normandy early on D-Day morning, participants in the Battle of the Bulge, and witness to the horrors of war, the men of Easy knew extraordinary bravery and extraordinary fear - and became the stuff of legend. Based on Stephen E. Ambrose's acclaimed book of the same name.
- 14
Watchmen
DramaActionScience-FictionBased on the DC Comic graphic novel, Watchmen is an alternative history series following a group of costumed crimefighters investigating the murder of one of their own.
- 15
The Last of Us
DramaActionHorrorAfter a global pandemic destroys civilization, a hardened survivor takes charge of a 14-year-old girl who may be humanity's last hope.
- 16
Station Eleven
DramaAdventureScience-FictionA post-apocalyptic saga spanning multiple timelines, Station Eleven tells the stories of survivors of a devastating flu as they attempt to rebuild and reimagine the world anew while holding on to the best of what's been lost.
- 17
Euphoria
DramaCrimeThrillerEuphoria follows a group of high school students as they navigate love and friendships in a world of drugs, sex, trauma, and social media.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best show on HBO?
Based on our ranking, The Wire is the best show on HBO. It's widely regarded as one of the greatest television series ever made, with its unflinching look at Baltimore's institutions and the people caught between them.
Is HBO Max worth subscribing to?
If you care about quality television, absolutely. HBO's catalog includes some of the most acclaimed series ever made: The Wire, The Sopranos, Succession, Game of Thrones, and many more. The depth of genuinely great shows is unmatched by any other streaming platform.