TV has often been viewed as an inferior form of entertainment compared to film, but one network has dramatically helped alter this narrative more than any other in the past 25 years. HBO has always been willing to take risks, employ star actors, and provide a budget for showrunners that’s unrivaled in television. And while HBO gets the reputation for swaying toward more adult material, it has plenty of diversity in genres and content.
Comedy, drama, high fantasy, the zombie apocalypse, and the White House are all occupants of the network’s prestigious stories and characters. We’re here to celebrate all of the greatness that has taken place on the airwaves of HBO by ranking the top 11 HBO shows ever. Did your favorite HBO series make the list?
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13. True Detective (2014)
4 Seasons
Genre
Drama
Stars
Jodie Foster, Kali Reis, Fiona Shaw
Created by
Issa López, Nic Pizzolatto
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True Detective is an anthology series HBO Original show, which means each season is a self-contained story with a new cast, setting, and case. Each True Detective season follows a police investigation that takes a toll on the detectives involved, revealing their personal and professional struggles. The narratives often jump between different timelines, exploring the case from its initial investigation to later developments. True Detective is known for its bleak and often violent portrayal of crime, and the investigations often involve serial killers, conspiracies, and the occult. Season 1 stars Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey as Louisiana detectives Marty Hart and Rust Cohle as they investigate the ritualistic murder of a young girl in 1995.
12. House of the Dragon (2022)
2 Seasons
Genre
Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama, Action & Adventure
Stars
Emma D'Arcy, Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke
Created by
George R. R. Martin, Ryan Condal
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This Game of Thrones spin-off has proven to be surprisingly sturdy in its own right. Telling the story of a civil war that tore the Targaryen family apart, the series is set hundreds of years before the events of Game of Thrones, and it’s much more narrowly focused on the politics within a single family. Featuring a slew of incredible performances from relative unknowns, House of the Dragon has managed to hold onto much of the bombast of the later seasons of Thrones while reminding us that many of the great conflicts in the history of the world were started by nothing more than petty grudges.
11. Sex and the City (1998)
6 Seasons
Genre
Comedy
Stars
Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon
Created by
Darren Star
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Some series are so groundbreaking that they’re able to endure for decades after their original release. Sex and the City is definitely one of those types of shows. Sarah Jessica Parker leads an ensemble of hilarious ladies who traverse the myriad of issues that face 21st-century women in America. From sexual desires to friendship struggles, this revolutionary comedy was HBO’s way of saying that it was here to stay.
10. Six Feet Under (2001)
5 Seasons
Genre
Drama
Stars
Peter Krause, Michael C. Hall, Frances Conroy
Created by
Alan Ball
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Death is one of those inevitabilities in life that scares the crap out of people, and that’s putting it kindly. None of us know exactly what’s on the other side of the curtain, and Alan Ball’s underrated black comedy does a fantastic job of operating within this presumed framework. The Fisher family runs a funeral home, but that doesn’t mean they’re perfectly in touch with their own mortalities. Michael C. Hall is one of the headliners in the acting department.
9. The Leftovers (2014)
3 Seasons
Genre
Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama
Stars
Justin Theroux, Amy Brenneman, Christopher Eccleston
Created by
Tom Perrotta, Damon Lindelof
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While it only ran for three seasons, The Leftovers created a lasting impression on all of the fans who were willing to give such an offbeat concept a chance. Giving a peak into the lives of those who remain on earth after a sudden and inexplicable rapture, the series grapples with concepts such as magical realism and human purpose. Liv Tyler and Justin Theroux are standout performers.
8. Girls (2012)
6 Seasons
Genre
Drama, Comedy
Stars
Lena Dunham, Allison Williams, Zosia Mamet
Created by
Lena Dunham
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It can be perilous to have your TV show described as the show that defines an entire generation, but Girls kind of felt like that for millennials at the peak of its powers. The series, which is really just about four friends living together in New York City who are trying to make ends meet, could be almost anything from week to week while still maintaining a unified voice and tone. Lena Dunham was the writer and star pushing it all forward, and in her hands, the show became a genuinely great comedy that had entire stretches of brilliance. Girls’ wasn’t always the best, but the show was hugely important while it was on.
7. Game of Thrones (2011)
8 Seasons
Genre
Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama, Action & Adventure
Stars
Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
Created by
David Benioff, D.B. Weiss
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What started as a modest adaptation of G.R.R. Martin’s fantasy novels turned into the biggest TV series of all time. When Game of Thrones really started rolling, the story spread by word of mouth, unlike any other HBO series. Sex, violence, and dragons was a triple threat that attracted every demographic. The last season of the show saw fans incredibly disappointed by the outcome, but you have to smile about the greatness that came before it.
6. Deadwood (2004)
3 Seasons
Genre
Western, Crime, Drama
Stars
Timothy Olyphant, Ian McShane, Molly Parker
Created by
David Milch
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Deadwood isn’t for everyone. The dialogue is dense and filled with expletives (genital referring in particular.) The setting is as Western as it gets, and the story is based on a historical site that is little known outside of history books. Still, this series knows exactly what it’s trying to accomplish, and it does so with aplomb. Ian McShane gives a legendary performance as Al Swearengen, the pimp who runs the settlement of Deadwood by default. He also sports one of the best beards in TV history!
5. Succession (2018)
4 Seasons
Genre
Drama
Stars
Nicholas Braun, Brian Cox, Kieran Culkin
Created by
Jesse Armstrong
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HBO’s current crown jewel is absolute satirical perfection, bristling with sharp retorts and contemporary commentary. Succession obliterates the rich, the nepotists, the conservatives, and everyone and everything in between. Logan Roy stands out as a top TV villain as he lords over both his children and the gremlins of his company, Waystar Royco. Jeremy Strong’s Kendall Roy is perhaps the best character in a show filled with fascinating and tragic people. If you’re looking for something without HBO’s usual violence and nudity, Succession should be number one on your list.
4. Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000)
11 Seasons
Genre
Comedy
Stars
Larry David, Jeff Garlin, Susie Essman
Created by
Larry David
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Comedian Larry David is an all-time performer due to the fact that he was able to find an almost equally successful follow-up to Seinfeld: Curb Your Enthusiasm. The show that premiered in 2000 is still going strong almost 25 years later with the same massive dose of self-referential humor and tremendous guest star acting. The series seems to always know exactly what jokes it’s trying to make, with writing that has unfortunately gone mostly unrecognized by the awards bodies.
3. Veep (2012)
7 Seasons
Genre
Comedy
Stars
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Anna Chlumsky, Tony Hale
Created by
Armando Iannucci
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Political satire is a subject that is easy to attempt, but nearly impossible to master. With Veep, HBO found a way to completely redefine what it means to be successful in the world of political humor. Julia Louis-Dreyfus stars as Selina Meyer, the fictional Vice President and President of the United States. The show has a deep understanding of what makes the government a frequent laughingstock of the American people, and they aren’t afraid to poke holes into the powerful and the mighty.
2. The Wire (2002)
5 Seasons
Genre
Crime, Drama
Stars
Dominic West, Lance Reddick, Sonja Sohn
Created by
David Simon
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You’ve probably had so many people tell you that creator David Simon’s police procedural is the best show of its era that it can’t possibly live up to the hype. The Wire not only deserves its golden reputation, but it should be requisite viewing for every person who considers themselves a TV fan. Following cops, criminals, politicians, and journalists in the complex social body that is Baltimore, Maryland, the show pulls no punches in its depiction of problems that lie about in the area both in fiction and in real life. The people are the heart of the show, though, with breakout performances from Idris Elba, Michael B. Jordan, and several others.
1. The Sopranos (1999)
6 Seasons
Genre
Drama
Stars
James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Jamie-Lynn Sigler
Created by
David Chase
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All these years later, nothing has topped The Sopranos as the best HBO series. This is a show that somehow makes you feel cozy and nauseous at the same time, as creator David Chase has the audience in the palm of his hand by showing America at its absolute best and worst. The Soprano family conjures up images of our own upbringings, that is until patriarch Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) decides he needs to leave lunch early to pull off a mob hit. The Sopranos is a black comedy, a therapy drama, a marital satire, and everything in between. There is no subject left unscathed after six seasons of greatness, except the fate of the main character (although astute viewers definitely know what happened to Tony Soprano).
