15 Best HBO Original Series Of All Time, Ranked – TVLine

If there was ever a channel or platform to steer the course of prestige television in the era’s nascent period, it’s HBO. The premium cable channel had been producing original programming for years, but in the ’90s, its shows saw a significant jump in quality. Whether it was trend-setting sitcoms or searingly intimate crime dramas, the channel became the place for must-watch television. With its premium cable distinction, which also allowed for greater creative freedom, the channel has taken full advantage of that freedom across its diverse original series lineup.

Decades later, HBO is still a leading name in superbly crafted television, even with the growing prominence of streaming platforms in the industry. This distinction carries over to virtually every major genre, with the HBO association guaranteeing that each show will at least be well-produced and provide an interesting story. Here are the 15 best HBO original series of all time, ranked and ready for you to stream on HBO Max.

As far as crime thrillers go, few consistently feel like event television more than “True Detective.” An anthology series that premiered in 2014, each season features a different standalone story with its own ensemble of characters investigating a grisly murder. In some cases, as with the first season on the Louisiana bayou and the third season in the Ozarks, these mysteries span multiple time periods. Each season features an all-star cast at the top of their game, bringing a nuanced look at their respective police detective characters as they confront nightmarish crimes.

“True Detective” is neo-noir at its finest, following morally conflicted main characters as they face a greater evil than they’re usually accustomed to. Four seasons deep, “True Detective” continues to grow its audience while the debut of each new set of episodes still feels like a noteworthy occasion. But apart from the sharp writing and stellar rotating casts, the show always brings an ominous mood, giving the story a haunting quality.

When the late-night wars between David Letterman and Jay Leno were heating up in the ’90s, comedian Garry Shandling offered his own hilarious send-up of the format. Premiering in 1992, “The Larry Sanders Show” starred Shandling as the titular late-night talk show host and the production behind his television program. Sanders is joined by producer Artie (Rip Torn) and sidekick Hank Kingsley (Jeffrey Tambor) as they deal with the daily challenges of working in the television industry. Each episode details the making of Larry’s show, complete with actual celebrity guests, juxtaposed with complications in Larry’s messy personal life.

Presented in a proto-mockumentary format years before shows like “The Office” and “Abbott Elementary” embraced the style, “The Larry Sanders Show” was ahead of its time. But beyond its innovative, self-aware approach to contemporary television, it’s worth mentioning that the series was also very funny. Seeing popular actors of the era get in on the fun with Shandling is always a treat, with their self-parodying cameos highlighting some of the show’s essential episodes.

Author Tom Perrotta teamed up with prolific screenwriter and producer Damon Lindelof to adapt his 2011 novel “The Leftovers.” The show opens three years after the sudden and mysterious disappearance of 2% of the world’s population, totaling around 140 million. In the wake of the incident, cults form around the globe, with the most prominent being a group known as the Guilty Remnant. The story follows small-town chief of police Kevin Garvey (Justin Theroux) and grieving mother Nora Dunne (Carrie Coon) as they pick up the pieces of their lives.

Despite its fantasy premise, “The Leftovers” is really a prolonged examination of how we all process grief. Most of the show’s burning questions remain unanswered, and the main characters never fully recover in the conventional sense. Instead, these figures learn to live on in their own ways, with some even reaching a semblance of closure. A heartbreaking drama with a heck of a narrative hook, “The Leftovers” is a haunting three-season ride.

While Larry David didn’t star in “Seinfeld,” the NBC hit he co-created with Jerry Seinfeld, he did take center stage in “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” David played a fictionalized version of himself, depicting his daily life in Los Angeles working in the entertainment industry. The show chronicles the misunderstandings and misanthropic run-ins that are exacerbated by David’s curmudgeonly behavior in everyday scenarios. Later seasons feature more overarching stories, from David starring in a Broadway production of “The Producers” to organizing a “Seinfeld” reunion episode.

“Curb Your Enthusiasm” takes the narrative setup from “Seinfeld,” grounds it in a facsimile of David’s life, and dials it up to 11 as only HBO could allow. With David as the show’s primary creative force, he doubles down on the cringeworthy comedy to great effect. Actors were also given a lot of room to improvise during filming, adding to the naturalistic presentation of the series. Like “Seinfeld,” everyone has their own favorite “Curb Your Enthusiasm” episodes, making it one of TV’s best cringe comedies of all time.

Over a decade after creating the award-winning stage play “Angels in America,” writer Tony Kushner adapted the story for the screen with a 2003 limited series. Set primarily in New York during the Reagan administration, the story delves into a United States ravaged by the AIDS epidemic. The show revolves around the perspectives of six characters amidst the health crisis, with recently infected Prior Walter (Justin Kirk) called on by angels to serve as a prophet. As the characters cope with the epidemic, they face lingering questions about the lives they’ve lived and regrets they continue to carry.

Lushly rendered with a warm surrealism, “Angels in America” successfully translates Kushner’s story to television. With an ensemble cast including Meryl Streep, Emma Thompson, and Al Pacino, all the major players are at the height of their acting talents. The series was edited into a variety of formats, though we personally recommend the two three-hour installments rather than the six-episode version. One of the best HBO miniseries ever made, “Angels in America” is an intimate, humanist tale with divine flourishes.

HBO is no stranger to crafting high-stakes family drama, and few shows make those acrimonious dynamics darkly funnier than “Succession.” The series centers on billionaire mogul Logan Roy (Brian Cox), who heads a media conglomerate based in New York City. As Logan’s health begins to noticeably decline, his estranged children position themselves to lead the family business forward. This inevitably fuels plenty of acerbic bickering within the family, exacerbated by the respective personal hang-ups that threaten to derail their ambitions.

With such a strong focus on family and the intimate workings of Logan’s Waystar Royco conglomerate, “Succession” has one of the best ensemble casts HBO has ever assembled. All of the actors playing the Roy family and their inner circle do incredible work, especially Cox, Sarah Snook, Matthew Macfadyen, and Kieran Culkin. These actors are bitingly funny while evoking a surprising amount of sympathy for their reprehensible characters, earning plenty of award season accolades in the process. “Succession” is all about who will succeed Logan Roy, but the road to get there is the real reward.

Before “The Sopranos,” it was “Sex and the City” that fueled HBO’s boom in the late ’90s, premiering in 1998. The show follows a quartet of four female friends living and working in Manhattan, led by popular columnist Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker). The women compare notes on their sexual misadventures and romantic relationships as Carrie searches for true love, with multiple major suitors who could potentially be the one to fulfill the role.

While the continuation spin-off series “And Just Like That…” may have generated noticeable fan backlash, “Sex and the City” remains a sterling series in HBO’s library. The interplay between the four principal actors is strong throughout its six-season run, with Kristin Davis and Kim Cattrall being the biggest standouts. Something that doesn’t get called out enough is how genuinely funny the show is, usually derived from the romantic hang-ups the characters endure. Ignore the continuation movies and revival spin-off, and just focus on the original “Sex and the City” for its classic laughs and looks.

One of the more ambitious HBO productions of its time was the period piece Western “Deadwood,” drawing from real history behind the South Dakota boomtown. Set in and around the titular town in the 1870s, people flock to Deadwood as part of a sudden gold rush. This includes a bunch of unsavory and dangerous figures preying on the vulnerable in their own murderous ways. In response to the rampant presence of thieves and killers, Seth Bullock (Timothy Olyphant) becomes the town’s sheriff, frequently butting heads with saloon and brothel proprietor Al Swearengen (Ian McShane).

With its extensive ensemble cast and an incredibly detailed look at life in the Wild West, “Deadwood” is one of the best Western series of all time. The complicated interpersonal dynamics make for a complex saga while making the setting feel like an authentically developed community. After its heartbreaking cancellation, the story was picked up again and given a satisfying conclusion with a television movie reuniting the main cast and crew 13 years later.

After creating the YouTube comedy series “Awkward Black Girl,” Issa Rae teamed up with comedian Larry Wilmore to create the HBO series “Insecure.” Taking cues from her previous webseries, Rae stars as socially awkward 20-something Issa Dee, joined by her longtime best friend Molly Carter (Yvonne Orji). As the two women navigate the ins and outs of their hometown of Los Angeles, they encounter difficulties with life and love. As Issa and Molly progress into their 30s, they mature, gain a greater understanding of themselves, and choose the love that’s right for them.

Right from the opening episodes, it’s clear that Issa Rae is a comedic genius, and that feeling doesn’t diminish throughout the series. At the same time, Rae’s dramatic talents deepen across each season, adding to the emotional weight of the story. Just as its characters grow, the maturity and richness of the show’s storytelling advance with them. One of the funniest and most heartfelt original series on HBO, “Insecure” is a cozy classic.

An adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s bestselling novel series “A Song of Ice and Fire,” “Game of Thrones” is set in the medieval fantasy realm of Westeros, with different factions vying for control of the kingdom in the wake of the king’s death. This escalating war for power is juxtaposed with supernatural entities, known as the White Walkers, who raise an army of the undead to conquer everything in their path. Complicating matters further is the rise of Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke), an exiled noble who commands three powerful dragons in her own quest for the throne.

“Game of Thrones” was always going to earn a spot on this list, albeit not as highly as it could have, given the final season’s backlash. Season 8 complaints aside, the series features a multifaceted dark fantasy story that feels every inch as epic as Martin’s novels. This is accentuated by a memorable cast of characters providing multiple perspectives on the war for the throne, along with sweeping battles punctuating the seasons. While HBO has been chasing fantasy success with “Game of Thrones” prequel spin-offs, nothing compares to the original show.

Only HBO could set a family dramedy in a funeral home and make that macabre premise work spectacularly for five seasons. “Six Feet Under” centers on the Fisher family, who run a prolific funeral home in Los Angeles. Leading the ensemble are brothers Nate Fisher (Peter Krause) and David Fisher (Michael C. Hall), whose personal lives inform much of the overarching story. This is punctuated by the Fishers’ usual profession, with most episodes featuring the home working on the freshly deceased.

Morbidly funny without shortchanging the family drama, “Six Feet Under” was a consistently strong ensemble dramedy. The show made stars of Michael C. Hall and Lauren Ambrose, in particular, with both actors bringing a depth and humorous relatability to their characters. Given the family’s line of work, there is a thematic undercurrent of mortality that the characters face, culminating in one of the best finales of all time.

Making “Saving Private Ryan” meant a lot to filmmaker Steven Spielberg, and he continued his examination of World War II with the HBO limited series “Band of Brothers.” Created by Spielberg and his “Saving Private Ryan” star Tom Hanks, the 2001 series provided a much more grounded look at American soldiers during the European Theater of the war. Based on the nonfiction book by Stephen E. Ambrose, the story follows the men of Easy Company as they land in France and push back the Nazis towards Germany. This is juxtaposed with interviews from surviving members of Easy Company recounting the same wartime experiences that are depicted in the episodes.

From its grainy cinematography to the series’ sheer scope, spanning from England to Germany, “Band of Brothers” provided a much more expansive story than “Saving Private Ryan.” The series also took on a more character-focused narrative than the 1998 movie, without making the show’s battles feel any less visceral. Spielberg and Hanks reunited for two WWII television miniseries, including “The Pacific” on HBO, but never quite matched their first HBO collaboration.

While audiences may understandably not be looking to politics for laughs these days, “Veep” finds humor in the Oval Office. After effectively skewering the British government with his previous series “The Thick of It,” series creator Armando Iannucci set his sights on American politics with his HBO series. The series follows Vice President Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), who has her own aspirations to become President of the United States. Despite her staff’s ineptitude, Selina’s dream comes true, but she finds the role more complex than she anticipated.

Louis-Dreyfus is another “Seinfeld” alum who made good on HBO, finding a creative simpatico in Iannucci’s razor-sharp satire. Even with a new showrunner taking over in Season 5, “Veep” maintained its unmatchable wit brought to life by its fan-favorite ensemble cast. This is a series that keeps the jokes coming in fast and furious, appealing to more than just political insiders as an immaculately maintained workplace comedy. At the center of it all is Louis-Dreyfus delivering what’s arguably the finest performance of her celebrated career as the perpetually frustrated Meyer.

If there was ever a single show that propelled HBO to the level of must-watch television, it was “The Sopranos.” Premiering in 1999, the show centered on New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), who lives in the suburbs with his wife and children. As Tony begins suffering from anxiety attacks, he quietly begins seeing a therapist, Jennifer Melfi (Lorraine Bracco), opening up about his deep-seated emotional problems. This comes as Tony balances his duties as a deadly mob boss and as a family man, including tension with a powerful New York-based outfit.

At once a deconstruction of mafia stories and a celebration of them, “The Sopranos” delved deeper with its premise than any mob movie or show had done before. The late, great Gandolfini gave the performance of his life, but, really, the entire ensemble cast around him shines brightly as well. The series went on to launch a whole franchise for HBO, including the prequel movie “The Many Saints of Newark,” with Gandolfini’s son Michael playing a younger Tony. An engrossing look at the foibles of life in the mob, right down to its finale still generating debates years later, “The Sopranos” is television storytelling at its finest.

While “The Sopranos” may have rightfully earned its acclaim and popularity during its run, “The Wire” brought a much different crime saga to HBO. The show provides a multifaceted perspective on the impact of crime, primarily drug trafficking, throughout the city of Baltimore. As a police task force led by Cedric Daniels (Lance Reddick) carries out investigations and busts, everyday people are caught up in drugs and drug-related violence flooding their streets. Later seasons explore the effects of rampant crime on public schools, politics, and local news agencies.

A case study in urban decay, to simply call “The Wire” a crime show feels like grossly underselling its scope. No other show provides such an expansive look at the ongoing effects of crime on a major American city, not just from the perspective of the police and criminals, but also the innocents around them. The show also features arguably the best ensemble cast of any major American television production, really making the characters feel connected in a community, with Baltimore as a character itself. There may be more popular and conventionally acclaimed HBO shows, but “The Wire” exists in a superior league all by itself.