Top 20 best and top rated shows on HBO Max of all time (2023)

When it comes to quality over quantity television, HBO is king of the hills. The network has been airing critically acclaimed programs for several decades, and with the arrival ofHBO MaxIn 2020 everything lives in one place now. If you're a subscriber to the platform and looking for your next obsession, here we've compiled a list of the top 20 shows available on the platform. Keep in mind that not all of them are HBO Originals, so their distribution platform may vary by country.

The ranking is based on user rating on IMDb. It may not be the most accurate or reliable metric system ever, as it's a site where anyone can input their opinion without necessarily having seen the show, which sometimes invalidates the final figure.

To minimize this effect, we excluded series with fewer than 100,000 user ratings. When two or more series received the same rating on average, we prioritized shows with a higher vote count. Without further ado, here is the list:

20. Deadwood (2004)

Set in South Dakota in 1889, this creation by David Milch stars Timothy Olyphant as Sheriff Seth Bullock and Ian McShane as saloon owner Al Swearengen in the town of Deadwood, two characters with contrasting viewpoints who will clash frequently throughout the series. It spans three seasons with 12 episodes and even inspired a sequel film in 2019.

IMDb rating: 8.6

19. The Newsroom (2012)

Aaron Sorkin returned to television after creating and writing the first four seasons ofThe western wingto tell a story about current politics (back in the early 2010s) from the other side of the spectrum, the press. Jeff Daniels plays Will McAvoy, a news anchor who has lost his appetite for good reporting and has started chasing stories that aren't particularly challenging for viewers.

With the arrival of his ex-girlfriend as the show's new executive producer, MacKenzie McHale, played by Emily Mortimer, the two begin to turn things around and put together a show that will actually serve as an informant for voters wanting to cast their vote. The impressive cast also includes Dev Patel, Sam Waterston, Olivia Munn and Alison Pill.

IMDb rating: 8.6

18. Promenadenreich (2010)

Boardwalk-Imperiumwas created by Terence Winter and is set in Atlantic City in the 1920's, the Prohibition era. It follows the rise to political power of Enoch "Nucky" Thompson (played by Steve Buscemi) in Atlantic City at the time. The rest of the cast includes Michael Shannon, Michael Pitt, Kelly Macdonald, Shea Whigham and Michael K. Williams among others. It ran for five seasons and a total of 53 episodes.

IMDb rating: 8.6

17. Doctor Who (2005)

The revival of the iconic 1963 British series has been running for 13 seasons, with a 14th coming later this year, and they're all available to stream on HBO Max. It follows the adventures of an alien Time Lord named Doctor, who only appears to be human, and travels the universe in a time-traveling spaceship that takes the form of a police box. Every few years the role is recast, with the in-universe explanation being that the character regenerates into a new incarnation of the same being if the wounds he is suffering from are too severe.

IMDb rating: 8.6

16th Oz (1997)

Created by Tom Fontana, this 1997 six-season series is set in the fictional Oswald State Correctional Facility, nicknamed "Oz," also a nod to the classic filmThe Wizard of Oz, and in particular to his iconic phrase "There's no place like home". The cast includes Ernie Hudson, Terry Kinney, Harold Perrineau, Eamonn Walker and J.K. simmons Incidentally, it was the first hour-long dramatic TV series created for HBO.

IMDb rating: 8.7

15. Rom (2005)

Romis an iconic 2005 series, tragically shortened by two seasons, depicting the time of the violent transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire. It's led by two soldiers, Lucius Vorenus (Kevin McKidd) and Titus Pullo (Ray Stevenson), but the cast also includes Ciarán Hinds, Polly Walker, Tobias Menzies, Indira Varma and Kerry Condon, among others. It was originally planned for five seasons, but while it was hugely successful for the network, high production costs forced them to end it at two. Plot points from seasons 3 and 4 were thrown into the season 2 mix.

IMDb rating: 8.7

14. Six Feet Under (2001)

Creator Alan Ball's iconic series aired in 2001 and follows a dysfunctional family who runs an independent funeral home in Los Angeles. Beginning with a death, each episode blends family drama with an exploration of the concept of death from multiple angles, including religion, philosophy and culture, throughout the five seasons. The cast includes Michael C. Hall, Frances Conroy, Lauren Ambrose, Matthew St. Patrick and more.

IMDb rating: 8.7

13. South Park (1998)

Comedy Central's iconic adult animated series is available to stream in full on HBO Max in the US. It centers on four boys living in the fictional town of South Park and uses shock humor fueled by extreme profanity, absurdity, violence and sexual content. Overall, it's an acclaimed satirical comedy that tries to hold up a mirror to its audience and ask questions about how we live our lives and what we're doing to make the world a better place.

IMDb rating: 8.7

12. Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000)

Curb your enthusiasmfollows Larry David (Seinfeld) as a sort of fictionalized version of himself. The plot finds him semi-retired as a TV writer and producer in L.A. Each of the eleven seasons consists of ten episodes, with the addition of a TV special that aired before the first season in 1999 . It is essentially a spiritual sequel toSeinfeld, which also features many prominent guests criticizing themselves and the rest of the world with dark and sickly humor. The cast also includes Jeff Garlin, Cheryl Hines, Susie Essman and J.B. Smoove.

IMDb rating: 8.8

11th Succession (2018)

One of the most awarded TV series in recent years,successorfollows the story of the Roy family, led by patriarch Logan Roy (Brian Cox), who has built a conservative media empire from scratch that will one day be passed on to one of his four troubled children. They are Kendall (Jeremy Strong), the likely heir who has to deal with many inner demons caused by drug addiction and a series of questionable decisions, Shiv (Sarah Snook), the smartest and most accomplished of the four siblings, who opposed her the fact that she never worked for the company, Roman (Kieran Culkin), a highly unpredictable and highly unreliable person who wants his father's approval as much as he wants to see the world burn, and Connor (Alan Ruck), he never wanted anything to do with the family business.

successoris essentially a modern dayGame of Thrones, with constant betrayals, stabbings in the back (though not verbatim) and plenty of character-driven twists.

IMDb rating: 8.8

10. True Detective (2014)

True detectiveis an anthology series that had a highly successful Season 1, starred Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson and was directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga; The story followed two Louisiana State Police detectives investigating the 1995 murder of prostitute Dora Lange. The case comes back to them 17 years later, forcing them to reconsider what they were doing and what their world was like back then.

Season 2 followed with a new cast of characters and a new mystery to solve. It starred Colin Farrell and Rachel McAdams, but it didn't reach the same heights as the first season, nor did it have the same critical reception. A third season starring Mahershala Ali was released in 2019 and a subtitled fourthTrue Detective: Land of the Night, to be released in 2023, starring Jodie Foster.

IMDb rating: 8.9

9. Friends (1994)

Probably the most iconic sitcom of all timeFriendsran for ten seasons from 1994 to 2004. It followed a group of six people in their late 20s as they shared their love and friendship stories as they learned that there is more to life than work. The show takes a comedic approach to virtually every aspect of its characters' lives, from the joy of new relationships and raising children to the tragedy of divorce or being fired from a job. The legendary cast includes Jennifer Anniston, Matthew Perry, David Schwimmer, Courtney Cox, Lisa Kudrow and Matt LeBlanc.

IMDb rating: 8.9

8. Batman: The Animated Series (1992)

Batman: The Animated Series is one of the most popular DC television series of all time. It follows Bruce Wayne/Batman (voiced by Kevin Conroy) as he tries to save Gotham City from its descent into chaos as each episode sees more criminals and antagonists wreak havoc, putting our main character in danger and testing his skills. It also features the iconic voice of Mark Hamill as the Joker.

IMDb rating: 9.0

7. Rick und Morty (2015)

Arguably one of the most popular animated series of recent years,Rick und Mortywas now shadowed byallegations of domestic violenceagainst its co-creatorJustin Rolland. Nonetheless, the series, co-created by Dan Harmon, is a clever and witty take on multiversal journeys that follows cynical mad scientist Rick and his naïve grandson as they embark on a plethora of adventures through infinite parallel realities. The first five of six seasons are currently available on HBO Max.

IMDb rating: 9.1

6. The Sopranos (1999)

The Sopranosis one of the most popular television series of all time. Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) is an Italian-American New Jersey mobster trying to manage his family life at home while serving as the head of a criminal organization. think ofThe Godfatheras serial television. It aired in 1999 and all six seasons are available on HBO Max.

IMDb rating: 9.2

5. Game of Thrones (2011)

Definitely the most talked about series of the 2010sGame of Thronesbecame a worldwide phenomenon and HBO's flagship show, breaking many pop culture barriers and chronicling HBO and television in general. It is set in the fantasy land of Westeros, at a time when the succession to the throne is in question. Several families band together to fight each other over who is the rightful heir, but meanwhile an even greater threat looms up north that no one is prepared for.

The large cast includes Emilia Clarke, Kit Harrington, Sean Bean, Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey, Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams and many, many others. Several spin-off projects are in various stages of development at HBO, with the first prequel series,house of the dragon, which was declared a hit after a hugely successful first season. A second season is on the way.

IMDb rating: 9.2

4. The Last of Us (2023)

Also known as HBO's Next Big Hit,The last of usis airing at the time of publication of this list, but its reception by audiences and critics alike is undeniably excellent. It's obviously expected to fall as more people tune in and rate it, but it's a force to be reckoned with at the moment. Pedro Pascal plays Joel, a survivor of some kind of zombie apocalypse who is hired 20 years after the outbreak to smuggle Ellie (Bella Ramsey) out of a military-established quarantine zone to protect the survivors.

The last of usis an adaptation of the popular 2013 video game by Naughty Dog. Part II of the 2020 video game will be adapted into a previously announced second season. Neil Druckmann, creator, co-writer, and executive producer of the original video game, is also the co-creator, writer, director, and executive producer of the series. is his accompliceChernobylCraig Mazin.

IMDb rating: 9.3

3. The Wire (2005)

The cableis widely considered the best television series of all time. It shows the drug war in the city of Baltimore from every angle - the police, gang members, politicians, civilians and more. It was created by David Simon. It is 60 episodes long over five seasons and its expansive cast includes Wendell Pierce, Dominic West, Lance Reddick, Michael K. Williams, Idris Elba, Aidan Gillen and more.

IMDb rating: 9.3

2nd Volume of Brothers (2001)

Created by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks (who also credits the pilot), this 2001 miniseries chronicles the heroic missions the so-called "Easy" Company went through during World War II, from their large involvement in the European Campaign up to the last days of the war in Japan. The cast includes Damian Lewis, Ron Livingston, Donald Malarkey, Richard D. Winters, Lewis Nixon, Carwood Lipton and Scott Grimes, among others.

IMDb rating: 9.4

1. Chernobyl (2019)

Chernobylis a gripping, heartbreaking and chilling five-episode miniseries that follows the malfunction of the eponymous nuclear power plant in the Soviet Union in 1986. It's used as an example of the multiple levels of corruption and incompetence that ruled Eastern Europe, but it's also a human story about people sacrificing everything under the direst of circumstances. It was created by Craig Mazin who wrote every episode. Directed by Johan Renck; The cast includes Jared Harris, Stellan Skarsgård, Robert Emms, Paul Ritter, Emily Watson and Jessie Buckley in her first notable role.

It showed the horrors of a global pandemic before there was one and perfectly explains why HBO decided to reward Mazin with itThe last of usa few months laterChernobylPremiered. The show was so good that it overtook the pop culture conversation right after the final season ofGame of Thronesfinished its run.

IMDb rating: 9.4

And that completes our list of the 20 best and highest rated shows on HBO Max of all time. What's your favorite series on HBO Max? Comment below.

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