HBO is famous for high-quality TV shows, having consistently delivered excellent original programming for over twenty-five years that viewers and critics have loved. When people discuss the best HBO shows, certain titles always come up.
If you demand consistently excellent quality – meaning no weak episodes at all – the list of truly great TV series shrinks considerably. Shows like The Sopranos or Curb Your Enthusiasm, while generally fantastic, often have episodes that fans consider disappointing or just not up to par. It’s natural for long-running shows with many episodes to have a few missteps along the way. However, these 7 HBO series managed to avoid those pitfalls and consistently deliver exceptional viewing experiences.
7) Veep
Unlike most of the shows on this list, Veep is a pure comedy, and it lasted the longest – seven seasons! Remarkably, the show never lost its edge, actually becoming better as time went on, mirroring how increasingly strange real politics became. Its quality is undeniable: Veep received Emmy nominations for seven years straight, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus won the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series six of those seven years.
Veep centers around Selina Meyer, a fictional U.S. Vice President, and her attempts to matter in Washington while also aiming for the presidency. Created by Amanda Iannucci (for four seasons) and later David Mandel (for three seasons), the show is a sharp satire of the often unpleasant and self-interested world of politics, poking fun at politicians, lobbyists, and anyone else chasing power. Once you start watching, you’ll quickly find it’s a series you won’t want to stop – all seven seasons fly by!
6) Task
It’s easy to be impressed with the newest show, and Task was the latest HBO series, created by Brad Ingelsby – the same creator behind the Emmy-winning Mare of Easttown. While Mare of Easttown was a complex mystery focused on Pennsylvania life, Task offered a more streamlined and polished take on the classic cops-and-criminals story, also set in Pennsylvania’s suburbs.
Each episode of Task (Season 1) is a gripping, suspenseful experience, featuring well-developed characters and strong acting, particularly from Emilia Jones (known for CODA and The Running Man) and Fabien Frankel (House of the Dragon). The series centers on Tom Brandis, an FBI agent struggling with a personal loss, who is tasked with solving a string of violent robberies seemingly connected to a local motorcycle gang, despite limited support.
The robberies are being orchestrated by Robbie Prendergrast (Tom Pelphrey), a seemingly ordinary garbage collector with a complicated past connected to the biker gang. He’s using the robberies to get revenge. But when a child from the gang witnesses a robbery that turns deadly, Robbie, his team, and his own family find themselves in increasing danger as both the FBI and the bikers begin to hunt them down.
5) Barry
Created by Bill Hader (known for Saturday Night Live) and Alec Berg (Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Eurotrip), Barry aired from 2018 to 2023. The show centers on Barry (played by Hader), a hitman assigned to kill an actor in Los Angeles who had an affair with a mob boss’s wife. However, while following his target, Barry unexpectedly becomes friends with him and even joins his acting class, taught by the quirky Henry Winkler (Happy Days). This unexpected turn sets off a chain reaction of chaotic events and heartbreaking encounters, which the show explores over four seasons and 32 episodes. Every moment of the series is skillfully crafted and serves a purpose.
Barry becomes infatuated with Sally, an aspiring but self-absorbed actress, and quickly finds himself caught up in dangerous gang conflicts. He also creates tension within his already chaotic world of hitmen, managers, and fixers, constantly struggling to hide his violent past as he tries to pursue a career as an actor. Many felt Barry didn’t receive the recognition it deserved as a kind of opposite of Breaking Bad. It told a similar story – a criminal attempting to change his ways – but was perhaps more streamlined, darkly humorous, emotionally resonant, and featured equally bizarre, high-quality television episodes.
4) Chernobyl
Before creating the acclaimed TV series The Last of Us, Craig Mazin demonstrated his talent with a groundbreaking historical drama in 2019. While many know about the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Russia, HBO’s miniseries brought the event to life in a way never seen before.
The first episode felt like a complete disaster movie, powerfully showing how things could go wrong at a nuclear power plant. But the show really shines in the episodes that follow, exploring the consequences of the disaster – both for the environment and the people affected. It wasn’t just entertainment; it was a relevant look at how political and financial interests often take priority over safety, and a tribute to the individuals and scientific thinking that strive to solve major crises, even when it means personal sacrifice.
2) Succession
Many shows start strong but lose their impact over time as storylines and character conflicts repeat. Succession is different—it’s a brilliant, modern take on a Shakespearean drama, exploring themes of wealth, power, and family. It’s a true masterpiece, worthy of any stage.
Similar to Barry, Succession aired for four seasons, from 2018 to 2023. It became a major cultural hit in its later seasons, winning three Golden Globe Awards and three Primetime Emmy Awards for being the best television series. The show centers on the Roy family and their father, Logan (played by Brian Cox), who controls the powerful media company Waystar Royco – a fictionalized version of Fox News and the Murdoch family. As the political landscape changes and tech companies gain influence, Logan Roy starts to think about his life, what he’ll be remembered for, and whether it’s time to step down.
The core problem is that the media mogul, Logan Roy, finds fault with all of his potential heirs. His eldest son, Connor, is a detached socialite still benefiting from his parents’ divorce. Second son, Kendall, struggles with addiction and emotional instability. Middle child Roman is a mischievous troublemaker who doesn’t take anything seriously, and youngest daughter Shiv is so focused on proving herself that she presents a cold, unapproachable exterior. Those around the Roys – executives and partners alike – often get caught in the crossfire as Logan and his children constantly manipulate and compete with each other for power.
There’s a good reason Succession won so many awards. Each episode feels like a complete story on its own, with its own plot, message, and hidden meanings, but also builds on the characters and their relationships, leading to a thrilling and satisfying finale. In short, it’s truly one of the best shows you can watch.
1) The Wire
You’ve probably heard a lot about this show, and if you still haven’t seen it, you really should. Many consider it the best show of the last hundred years!
Created by writer David Simon and airing from 2002 to 2008, The Wire is considered his masterpiece. The show draws heavily from Simon’s experiences as a journalist in Baltimore, Maryland. It begins with a seemingly straightforward conflict between the police and drug dealers: a rebellious detective, Jimmy McNulty, targets the powerful drug lord Avon Barksdale and his partner, Stringer Bell. But as the investigation unfolds, the series reveals the intricate and often ambiguous realities of crime, policing, and the human impact of the American drug trade.
Building on the success of its first season, The Wire (seasons 2-5) delves deeper into complex issues. It explores how dockworkers and unions become involved in international crime and drug trafficking (season 2), how politicians use crime statistics for political gain (season 3), how underfunded schools contribute to youth crime (season 4), and how the news media was grappling with the rise of sensationalism versus responsible journalism (season 5).
The brilliance of The Wire only grows over time because, sadly, its warnings have come true – the social problems it highlighted have only gotten worse. Despite consistently being overlooked by major award shows, the series launched the careers of now-famous actors like Dominic West, Idris Elba, Michael B. Jordan, and many others. It also gave us memorable characters like Hassan Johnson’s Wee-Bey and Isiah Whitlock Jr.’s Senator Clay Davis, and showcased incredible talents we’ve tragically lost, including Lance Reddick and Michael K. Williams. The Wire remains the most complete picture of America’s gradual decline, and it’s one of the best ensemble dramas ever created. Each episode felt like a movie, and many are powerfully impactful, proving what television can achieve.
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2026-01-02 03:12