The 40 Best HBO Series of All Time, Ranked
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Roughly 25 years have passed since HBO first dominated television with The Sopranos and The Wire. Today the network continues to age like a fine wine. Tony Soprano eventually passed the baton to the Boardwalk Empire, and now ol’ Nucky is ready to hand it off to Colin Farrell’s waddling Penguin. Elsewhere, recent shows like True Detective: Night Country sent viewers down (freezing) rabbit holes, while comedies such as Hacks and The White Lotus reminded audiences that HBO isn’t only about the drama. Just don’t remind me that we now live in a world post–Curb Your Enthusiasm and Succession.
With House of the Dragon and The Last of Us continuing to dominate watercooler chatter, it’s obvious that HBO figured out how to rise above the clutter of the streaming wars. On the horizon, the network promises to continue its stellar year with shows like Dune: Prophecy, The Franchise, and the first-ever Harry Potter television series. While we wait to find out if any of the new series will break the list, we’ve ranked the 40 best HBO series of all time.
40. In Treatment
In Treatment was one of HBO’s boldest experiments. The psychotherapy drama’s first season consisted of 43 (!) episodes, which ran every day over the course of nine weeks. In the series, Paul (Gabriel Byrne) would see a different weekly client, with episodes slated for each day of the week—as if their therapy appointment were happening in real time. While In Treatment wasn’t successful enough to justify its massive episode slate, you have to respect its ingenuity.
39. Ballers
Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson starred as retired NFL player Spencer Strasmore in Ballers, a dramedy about sports management that ran for five seasons on HBO. The pilot was directed by Peter Berg (Friday Night Lights) and explored the world of professional athletes who must find a new life for themselves after their playing careers are over. Really it earns a spot on this list because Ballers—we’re saying it!—features Peak Rock. Funny, charming, non-superhero Rock. We want him back!
38. The Night Of
The Night Of is all too often forgotten. The tale of wrongful incarceration and America’s broken prisons features not one but two all-time performances from the show’s leading men: Riz Ahmed and John Turturro. Don’t let this one fade into HBO’s history books.
37. The Young Pope/The New Pope
Jude Law starred as the titular young pope in this drama about a cardinal from New York who becomes the new Pope Pius XIII. Exploring the inner workings of the Vatican’s politics, the series was followed by The New Pope, where Law was joined by John Malkovich. While The New Pope didn’t quite reach the heights of its predecessor, Law’s uber-charismatic performance in The New Pope vaults the papal drama onto this list.
36. My Brilliant Friend
Elena Ferrante’s popular coming-of-age novels were brought to life in My Brilliant Friend, the story of two young women growing up in Naples. While Elena is able to focus on her studies and her career, her friend, Lila, marries at the age of 16. The tale of diverging paths didn’t reach the Sunday-night HBO audience of, say, The White Lotus—but it never had to pull those numbers. My Brilliant Friend is a master class in the bildungsroman nonetheless.
35. Mare of Easttown
Kate Winslet starred in this True Detective–inspired crime drama as a detective who must solve the murder of a teenage mother outside the city of Philadelphia. With a cold case that has haunted her for years as well as overwhelming grief over her divorce and the loss of her son, Marianne “Mare” Sheehan begins to doubt her own abilities. We’ll remember Mare of Easttown for Winslet’s singular performance, sure—but we’ll never forget its hilariously imitable take on the Pennsylvanian accent.
34. Big Little Lies
Reese Witherspoon’s most nuanced performance as an actress is pretty damn watchable. Based on a novel of the same name, the series closely followed the book’s plot during season 1 to winning effect. Big Little Lies’s second season? It proved to be a downbeat for the show. Had season 2 not happened, Big Little Lies would be closer to the top 20 of this list. Let’s hope that a potential third season redeems the series.
33. Silicon Valley
Never forget that Silicon Valley preceded damn near all of those melodramatic Big Tech miniseries (looking at you, WeCrashed)of the late 2010s and early 2020s. Running for six seasons, the comedy continues to draw critical acclaim—and new fans, even several years after its finale.
32. Eastbound & Down
Eastbound & Down! A major comedy vehicle for The Righteous Gemstones’s Danny McBride, Eastbound & Down featured the comedian as a burnt-out pro baseball player who returns to his hometown to teach physical education. The series also had several celebrity cameos, including Will Ferrell, Adam Scott, Craig Robinson, Matthew McConaughey, Lily Tomlin, and Jason Sudeikis. Really, though, the series is a standout because of McBride’s Kenny Powers: He’s one of the funniest television characters of all time.
31. Treme
Treme had a relatively quiet run beginning in 2010, which is a damn shame, because it is one of the best shows in HBO’s library. Following the events of Hurricane Katrina, it serves as a love letter to New Orleans. Treme made the city a character, with all its food, music, and culture. In the years since its debut, Treme has slowly grown into an essential time capsule of one of our largest natural disasters.
30. Hacks
Hacks stars the incomparable Jean Smart as Deborah Vance, a pioneering comedian who has settled into the complacency of a cushy Las Vegas residency. Hannah Einbinder stars opposite Smart as Ava, an outcast 25-year-old comedy writer from Los Angeles. With Deborah on the verge of losing her residency and Ava’s writing career on life support, their shared manager pairs them up to revitalize Deborah’s material. Punctuated by caustic barbs and generational conflict, Deborah and Ava’s animosity softens into a growing friendship. Featuring a career-best performance from Smart, Hacks is an HBO all-timer.
29. Euphoria
Listen: Euphoria is a lot to take in. It also will make you extra grateful to not be coming of age in the Year of Our Lord 2024. When the high-school-set series began, it hinged on Zendaya’s performance, but with each additional installment, its supporting cast has upped the ante. The peephole into addiction, drug access, social pressures, and growing up right now is some of the most visually stimulating and thought-provoking television around.
28. The Righteous Gemstones
Helmed by comedian Danny McBride, the series follows a fictional megachurch leader who has a hard time concealing his hedonistic and arrogant personality.
27. Girls
Created by Lena Dunham, the show follows four young women as they step into adulthood while living in New York City ... for better and, more often, for worse. They can be messy and hypocritical and privileged, but isn’t that the point? Have you met a New Yorker before?! What Dunham created is a triumph—documenting 21st-century women who dare to be adventurous. Give it a rewatch, too. It’s aged better than you think.
26. I May Destroy You
Michaela Coel’s HBO series was widely seen as one of the best series of 2020. In the years since, it’s only grown in esteem. Unrelenting and impossibly brave in its discussion of sexual assault, Coel’s character, Arabella, faces the truths of her past and how it affects her job, her relationships with those closest to her, and most important, herself.
25. The Last of Us
The mushroom monster show made me cry—and that’s one of the many reasons why HBO’s hit drama is already one of its best series of all time. Featuring the acting talents of Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, The Last of Us is also the best video-game-to-live-action adaptation we’ve seen from any scripted series or film. I’m still reeling from that season finale—and it only gets crazier from here on out. We know that Pascal, Ramsey, and Kaitlyn Dever (!) are up for the challenge.
24. The Newsroom
Like The West Wing but about a news station, The Newsroom was a drama that, to an almost eerie degree, followed current politics and how it was covered. A massive hit at the time, it greatly bolstered the career of writer Aaron Sorkin. Now, some moments are cringey to go back and watch, but you’ll struggle to find much more prescient material about the increasingly perilous state of American media.
23. Flight of the Conchords
A niche comedy from New Zealand about the country’s self-described “fourth-most-popular comedy-folk duo,” Flight of the Conchords gained a worldwide cult following for its deadpan humor and catchy songs. Fun fact: Multi-instrumentalists Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement got their start before Conchords in a band alongside Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi. Thanks to Conchords, we know that HBO isn't all about super-serious dramas—it has a masterful funny bone, too.
22. Boardwalk Empire
What happens when you combine Michael K. Williams, Steve Buscemi, New Jersey, and the prohibition era? You end up with a damn great TV show. Boardwalk Empire only falls this low because, from here on out, the list is so incredibly strong. Boardwalk Empire is easily one of the best period dramas to grace our television screens.
21. Chernobyl
Nothing like a massive nuclear accident to get the family around the television, right? The 2019 miniseries was a stalwart during its awards season and still (!) holds a 95 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes—even though Oppenheimer stole its thunder just a few years later.
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