Hot Take: These Are HBO’s 10 Best Original Series of All Time
Selecting a favorite HBO series is no easy task, especially since the network has been cranking out hits for decades. But I’m feeling bold, so … challenge accepted!
Since its launch on November 8, 1972, HBO has been a leader in subscription television. Their first foray into original programming was a 1983 satirical news show called Not Necessarily The News, and in the late ’90s they branched out further with their first dramatic series, OZ. Soon after, they introduced Sex and the City and The Sopranos, and today HBO is an unequivocal leader in original scripted programming around the world.
HBO currently has so much incredible content to choose from, but only ten shows can fill the top spots of all time. Check out my picks below, and see how they compare with your own list of favorites.
10. True Detective
This anthology crime drama was created and written by Nic Pizzolatto, who acted as showrunner for the first three seasons. While season 1 of Pizzolatto’s reign was a critical and commercial success, the second two seasons flagged a bit as the ensemble casts struggled to find their way. Even so, the drama is always compelling and titillating, exploring the dark side of life through the eyes of hardened detectives who have seen it all.
The fourth season, True Detective: Night Country, marked the end of Pizzolatto’s participation and rejuvenated the series. Issa López was the writer, director, and showrunner, and although the season garnered harsh words (sour grapes?) from Pizzolatto, it wound up earning the highest viewership ratings for the entire series. López is currently working on a fifth season.
9. Insecure
When Insecure premiered on HBO on December 26, 2021, it felt like we were getting a much more modern (and relevant) version of Sex and the City. This comedy-drama was created by Larry Wilmore and Issa Rae, who also stars, and it’s based on Rae’s popular web series Awkward Black Girl. The show follows two characters, Issa (Rae) and Molly (Yvonne Orji), best friends and former college roommates just trying to figure out their careers, love lives, and friendships in South Los Angeles. It’s funny and sincere, and it offers a unique perspective we hadn’t yet seen. The show ran for five seasons and concluded in 2021.
8. The White Lotus
In the early days of COVID-19, writer Mike White was tapped by HBO to create an all-new series that could be filmed entirely on a closed set with minimal production staff, cast, and crew. He decided to set the action at a luxury resort and wrote season 1 of The White Lotus, which was subsequently filmed on location in Maui, Hawai’i. With its lush background and sumptuous details, viewers felt like they too were on vacation while watching, providing a much-needed break from the pandemic.
The show was a big hit, and season 2 was filmed at another incredible resort in Sicily. Somehow, the second season was even more entertaining, bringing back Jennifer Coolidge as the hilariously clueless Tanya and introducing a whole new cast of snooty, self-serving, and overly-privileged resort guests and staff.
The series has earned a slew of awards and accolades, including 15 Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globes. The next season will be set in Thailand, and we can’t wait!
7. Succession
Few series capture the thrill of corporate greed quite as well as Succession. The black comedy/drama was created by Jesse Armstrong and aired for four seasons from 2018 to 2023. It’s about a rich and powerful New York City family headed by Logan Roy (Brian Cox), who also runs an entertainment conglomerate called Waystar RoyCo. When Logan’s health takes a hit in season 1, his four despicable children (played with expert precision and smarm by Alan Ruck, Jeremy Strong, Keiran Culkin, and Sarah Snook) all vie to take over the top spot in the company.
This series is also a critical darling, earning a slew of Primetime Emmys for acting, production, and design.
6. Six Feet Under
I’ve written about my love for Six Feet Under before, but it bears repeating that this is one of the best shows ever made by HBO … or any other network, for that matter. Yes, it’s just that good.
Alan Ball created and produced Six Feet Under, which centers around the Fisher family in Los Angeles, California. The Fishers run a funeral home, and each episode opens with a death that will direct the storyline for the next 60 minutes. It starts with the death of the family patriarch (Richard Jenkins, who returns in ghost form for all five seasons) and the arrival of the prodigal oldest son, Nate (Peter Krause). As the family tries to pick up the pieces and keep the business afloat, they also have to cope with their own personal lives, friends, and lovers.
Six Feet Under is beautifully written and acted, and it won numerous awards for both, but it’s also a reminder to all of us that life is fleeting, and time is never guaranteed.
5. Sex And The City
Admit it, you can hear the theme music just by reading the title! Sex and the City is one of HBO’s flagship shows, and it’s credited with increasing the network’s popularity. Darren Star adapted Candace Bushnell’s 1996 book anthology for the screen, casting Sarah Jessica Parker as the inimitable Carrie Bradshaw. Carrie and her friends take NYC by storm, dating a bunch of unsuitable men (and a few women), falling in love and getting their hearts broken, and discussing sexual taboos never before uttered on television.
The show earned dozens of awards during its run from June 1998 to February 2004. Fans missed it so much that the series was rebooted in 2021. And Just Like That … brought back all of our favorites, except one: Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall) has left the building (for now).
4. The Last of Us
You don’t have to be a fan of Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us video game franchise to love this show. In fact, you don’t even have to play video games at all. If you love high-stakes drama, riveting action scenes, and plenty of emotional moments between characters, this is the show for you.
Since it premiered on January 15, 2023, The Last of Us series has earned high praise for its acting, writing, production design, and score. It’s set twenty years into the future after a pandemic caused a mass fungal infection that turns people into blood-thirsty zombie creatures. Pedro Pascal emerged as a fan favorite playing Joel, a smuggler trying to transport an immune teenager (Bella Ramsey) across an apocalyptic United States.
Season 2 is currently in production and is expected to follow a character called Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) from The Last of Us Part II, the 2020 game sequel.
3. Curb Your Enthusiasm
Grumpy guy Larry David plays a fictionalized himself in this sitcom, which aired from October 15, 2000, to April 7, 2024. Throughout 12 seasons, viewers grew to love Larry’s ridiculous take on life, as well as his interactions with castmates (and real-life friends) Jeff Greene, Susie Essman, and J.B. Smoove. Come for the humor, and stay for the cameos by comedic actors including Richard Lewis, Ted Danson, Wanda Sykes, and more.
2. The Sopranos
How could we ever write a list of HBO’s best shows without mentioning The Sopranos? From the moment this show arrived on January 10, 1999, it was a massive success. Viewers were instantly drawn into the world of New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) as he struggles to juggle life as a family man while also controlling most of the crime in the Garden State. The show centers around Tony and his family but also digs into deeper territory during Tony’s therapy sessions with his psychiatrist, Dr. Melfi (Lorraine Bracco).
The show ran for six spectacular seasons and ended with what is arguably the greatest series finale of all time.
1. Game of Thrones
Last but certainly not least, it’s Game of Thrones. This fantasy drama is based on George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire novels, and it premiered on April 17, 2011. The action is set in a fictional world and populated by a massive ensemble cast, and to say it’s “epic” is doing the series an injustice.
Game of Thrones gives us sword fights, soaring dragons, an ice-cold enemy (the Night King … brrr!), politics, and power plays galore. Viewers align themselves with the Stark family, but that alliance is tested over and over as we learn more about past battles for the Iron Throne and just how far certain enemies would go to secure their place in power. It’s often gruesome, sometimes shocking, and always entertaining, which is why it’s number one on our list.
All of these series are streaming on HBO Max.
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