10 HBO Shows That Are Bangers From Start to Finish
HBO has for over two decades been the home to game-changing scripted television. Without the boundaries that continue to restrict network television, HBO was able to take risks with its programming, including mature content that was typically only seen on the big screen. This led to inventive, original shows that captivated audiences in ways they never imagined.
HBO’s catalog of wildly entertaining shows forever established the fledgling premium channel as a brand that stood for artistic excellence. From dark comedies to some of the greatest dramas ever created, these are the HBO shows that grabbed viewers and didn’t let them go until the last episode.
10
‘Silicon Valley’ (2014–2019)
Created by John Altschuler, Mike Judge & Dave Krinsky
The tech world gets turned upside down in the addicting comedic half-hour series Silicon Valley. The series follows Richard Hendricks (Thomas Middleditch), a socially awkward engineer who is lost in the mix at the corporate tech juggernaut Hooli. When Richard creates an algorithm that would disrupt the way code is stored, Richard has to decide whether he goes into business for himself or sells out to a company that doesn’t appreciate him.
Co-creator Mike Judge revisited the world of corporate word vomit and cubicle culture he previously lampooned in Office Space to present an updated version of capitalist absurdity. Silicon Valley is a fast-moving comedy that distills the complicated business of technical engineering into easily digestible bites using hilarious characters like the pompous Erlich Bachman (T.J. Miller) and the surly Bertram Gilfoyle (Martin Starr). If the goal is only to watch one episode, it’s best to clear an hour, because you’ll most likely be watching many more.
9
‘True Blood’ (2008–2014)
Created by Alan Ball
Vampires move into the neighborhood after the creation of synthetic blood in the horror drama mashup True Blood. Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) is living a quiet life as a waitress in the backwater town of Bon Temps, Louisiana, when her world is disrupted by the arrival of vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer). Sookie and Bill have an immediate connection that leads to romance and danger when both of their worlds collide in unexpected ways.
Based on the novel series The Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris, True Blood plays like a horror-themed prime-time soap where romantic betrayals are interrupted by the occasional draining of blood. The first season sets up the world and characters, but before long, all forms of mythological characters and secret organizations are introduced to challenge the heroes of Bon Temps. It’s an occasionally messy show, but at its worst, it never stops being campy fun.
8
‘Oz’ (1997–2003)
Created by Tom Fontana
Before Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) walked into a psychiatrist’s office, HBO sent viewers to prison in the groundbreaking drama Oz. The series follows prisoners of Oswald State Correctional Facility, known to the inmates as “Oz”, as they’re selected for an experimental cellblock known as Emerald City. The brainchild behind Emerald City, Tim McManus (Terry Kinney), believes his new approach will get through to the prisoners, but they have plans of their own.
From the very first episode, which includes a surprising death, Oz made it clear to audience members that anything can happen at any moment to any character. The threat of harm to even the most popular characters meant every episode was viewed with a level of tension not felt while watching the standard dramas of the time. Featuring early performances from actors like J.K. Simmons as the vicious Vernon Schillinger and Dean Winters as the cunning Ryan O’Reily, Oz is endless bloody fun.
7
‘Eastbound & Down’ (2009–2013)
Created by Ben Best, Jody Hill, and Danny McBride
Eastbound & Down shows what life looks like on the way down from sports superstardom. Danny McBride stars as Kenny Powers, a disgraced ex-Major League baseball pitcher who made a name for himself by being notoriously awful to the fans and fellow players. Drowning in debt, Powers moves back to his hometown in North Carolina to languish as a substitute teacher at a middle school. Unwilling to accept his new life, Powers looks for a way back into the limelight.
Powers’ profanity-laden delusions of grandeur as he hits rock bottom made him a character that could only flourish on a network like HBO. McBride takes his unique brand of raunchy humor, originally showcased in Foot Fist Way, to an episodic structure with exceptional results. Powers is, on the surface, an irredeemable character who deserves the predicament he’s in the midst of, but as Eastbound & Down continues, the audience bonds and roots for the antihero to reclaim his glory.
6
‘Barry’ (2018–2023)
Created by Alec Berg and Bill Hader
In the darkly funny Barry, Bill Hader is Barry Berkman, a hired killer who spends his life with limited social interaction outside his handler, Monroe Fuches (Stephen Root). When Barry is sent on a job in Los Angeles, he discovers a love for acting that makes him rethink what he wants to do with his life. However, Barry’s mishandling of the job at hand leads him down a deeper path with the criminals he wanted to part ways with.
Although Barry starts as a relatively conventional comedy that satirizes the world of entertainment, the series takes bold and drastic turns to keep the audience off-balance. The performances all the way down the call sheet are pitch-perfect, giving characters that are selfish or flawed layers that make their motivations, if not understandable, at least somewhat sympathetic. The comedy is always on point, but the life-or-death stakes that surround the directionless hitman provide cliffhangers that force viewers to press “next episode quickly.”
5
‘Succession’ (2018–2023)
Created by Jesse Armstrong
A family fights for control of their namesake’s legacy in the much-talked-about dramedy Succession. When media tycoon Logan Roy (Brian Cox) postpones his plans to step down from his one true love, his company Waystay RoyCo, it angers his son Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong), who was set to be next in line. As Kendall angrily sets events in motion for a hostile takeover, his siblings will be pulled into a power struggle that will forever impact them all.
Succession is a show that always feels as if it’s moving at a rapid pace, even when the scene has everyone sitting in a boardroom. Tension is never absent; at best, it only exists at a low hum before a new admission of guilt or ill-timed power play creates a crescendo of agitated barking. Succession proves that there doesn’t need to be a traditional hero in a series to make it compelling, because even though everyone in the Roy family is deeply flawed, they are also riveting to watch.
4
‘Veep’ (2012–2019)
Created by Armando Iannucci
Julia Louis-Dreyfus played one of her most iconic roles in the critically loved political comedy Veep. Louis-Dreyfus stars as Selina Meyer, the Vice President of the United States, who is endlessly irritated she isn’t holding the highest office. Insecure about the perceived disrespect she receives from others in Washington, D.C., Selina constantly tries to raise her political profile while her burned-out staff try to make it through a day without being yelled at.
Each episode of Veep moves at a breakneck speed, leading Selina and her staff from one self-created crisis after another with hilarious results. Where most shows suffer from cast changes, Veep excels at them, showing the disposable nature of politics with ruthless dismissals of trusted advisors if it raises Selina’s approval numbers. Veep is the rare show about politics that anyone can watch, as its aim is not to satirize a particular ideal, but rather the nature of politics itself.
3
‘Sopranos’ (1999–2007)
Created by David Chase
Arguably the most important show HBO ever created, The Sopranos is a nearly perfect gangster series. The Sopranos followed the life of New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano as he balanced his home life with the demanding and dangerous world of organized crime. When the stress overwhelms him to the point of panic attacks, Tony reluctantly starts to see a Psychiatrist, Dr. Jennifer Melfi (Lorraine Bracco), to find the root of his anxiety.
Although certain episodes slowed the pace down considerably, the majority of The Sopranos was an energetic collection of large personalities. The Sopranos would revolutionize television drama with its cinematic camerawork and nuanced writing and performances, elevating any drama that followed it. Although the series has been off the air for nearly two decades, it still lives on with a devoted fanbase who will never rest easy knowing that Russian is still out there somewhere.
2
‘Deadwood’ (2004–2006)
Created by David Milch
Once a staple of television, HBO revived the Western genre with an updated sensibility in the short-lived but much-loved Deadwood. The series chronicles the town of Deadwood, South Dakota, in the 1870s as it grows from a gold mining camp into a proper town annexed into the U.S.. As Deadwood begins, shady saloon owner Al Swearengen (Ian McShane) has run the camp with a shrewd and violent fist, but the arrival of ex-sherrif Seth Bullock (Timothy Olyphant) promises to shake up the status quo.
McShane, as the complicated but intelligent Swearengen, is one of the most captivating characters in the history of television; a man who could deliver long monologues to no one in the room and command full attention while he did it. The series was unfortunately cut short while it was still in its prime, but the three seasons viewers received were consistently intense, brilliantly written, and filled with characters that made Deadwood a dangerous place to live.
1
‘The Wire’ (2002–2008)
Created by David Simon
The criminals and law enforcement of Baltimore, Maryland, are put under the microscope in the fantastic drama The Wire. When self-destructive police detective Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West) breaks ranks to tell a judge about a criminal being ignored, the department is forced to appease higher-ups with a perfunctory task force. Even though the task force is designed to do the bare minimum and move on, they manage to uncover the operation of a successful drug ring.
Even though the pace is more methodical, The Wire is filled with a world of such rich characters that every scene feels crackling with energy. There might never be another show that attempts to tell a story in the way The Wire did, unconcerned with a slow or sometimes confusing start to a season with the confidence that the end game would be worth the momentary resistance. The Wire is a grand, sweeping epic with big aspirations that accomplishes spectacularly in relaying its message.
