Skip to main content

The 11 Best Shows to Watch on HBO Max Right Now

The channel that has maintained a premium status since its conception, HBO is now a major streaming platform for all to enjoy. Much like all the others, HBO Max has many original shows and movies worth talking about but also features some of the best classic movies and shows to ever be released. The reason it has maintained its premium status is that it features some of the best original shows to be released in the past five years, not to mention the fact that it releases specific movies on the same day as their theater release but we’re not here to talk about that.

From comedy to drama, sci-fi to pseudo-documentary, HBO Max has it all. Other than enjoying some spectacularly produced and acted miniseries’, these shows will also teach you something if you let them. Let your mind unwind and hope it’s a weekend because some of these shows will make you want to keep hitting that ‘Next Episode’ button till the sun comes up.

Related Videos

Related Guides

Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000)
Curb Your Enthusiasm
84 %
8.8/10
tv-ma 11 Seasons
Genre Comedy
Cast Larry David, Jeff Garlin, Susie Essman
Created by Larry David
A side-splitting comedy to add to your collection is Curb Your Enthusiasm, a Larry David masterpiece that is outwardly ridiculous while also appealing to life’s simple, somewhat relatable annoyances. Wonderfully satirizing and exaggerating his own life, Larry David attempts to weave through small inconveniences but continues to get hung up on the details, causing an episode-length set of problems for him and his friends.
Curb Your Enthusiasm (2021) | Season 11 Official Trailer | HBO

The White Lotus (2021)
The White Lotus
83 %
7.6/10
tv-ma 1 Season
Genre Comedy, Drama, Mystery
Cast Murray Bartlett, Connie Britton, Jennifer Coolidge
Created by Mike White
A new and interesting mystery/thriller/drama from HBO is The White Lotus, a show that will make you want to scream if you’ve ever worked in the service industry before. The White Lotus is an expensive destination resort in Hawaii where only the richest people go, and where, if money is never an issue, multitudes of other issues are either created out of boredom or presented due to sheer arrogance.
The White Lotus: Official Trailer | HBO

Barry (2018)
Barry
88 %
8.4/10
tv-ma 2 Seasons
Genre Comedy, Crime
Cast Bill Hader, Stephen Root, Henry Winkler
Created by Bill Hader, Alec Berg
An excellent genre mix — but predominantly comedy — of incredible proportions, Barry is a story of a depressed hitman who discovers his passion for acting after being sent to Hollywood to find his ‘mark.’ Featuring Bill Hader as the hitman and Henry Winkler as the acting coach, hilarious parallels are drawn between the world of acting and the darker side of life.
Barry: Season 1 - 'It's A Job' | Official Trailer | HBO

Made For Love (2021)
Made For Love
68 %
6.9/10
tv-ma 2 Seasons
Genre Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Comedy
Cast Cristin Milioti, Billy Magnussen, Ray Romano
Created by Patrick Somerville, Dean Bakopoulos, Alissa Nutting, Christina Lee
A thrilling and simultaneously hilarious sci-fi dramedy to watch is Made For Love, the story of a woman trapped in a corrosive marriage to a tech billionaire who has implanted her with a chip that is supposed to enhance their love life. Though he does all he can — monitors her visually, audibly, and emotionally through this implant — she scrapes and claws her way out by any means necessary, with some surprising moments of comedy that are pure and welcome.
Made For Love | Official Trailer | HBO Max

I May Destroy You (2020)
I May Destroy You
86 %
8.1/10
tv-ma 1 Season
Genre Drama
Cast Michaela Coel, Weruche Opia, Paapa Essiedu
Created by Michaela Coel
Carried masterfully by the debut performance of Michaela Cole (who is also the show’s creator), I May Destroy You takes a deep and abstract dive into the trauma of sexual assault and how it can change the very fabric of one’s being. Though the premise is dark and may be a trigger for some, it brings some smart and dark comedy along with it while showing what it can mean to be forced to reassess your entire life.
I May Destroy You | Official Trailer | HBO

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (2014)
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
76 %
8.9/10
tv-ma 9 Seasons
Genre Talk, Comedy, News
Cast John Oliver
Created by John Oliver
One of the most hard-hitting sources for what’s actually going on in the world today, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver is highly informative and thorough as well as somewhat stress- and existentialism-inducing. Given a chance to show his potential as a standalone voice from his experience writing and co-hosting on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, John Oliver took flight with his own form of impactful journalism that always carries a much-needed comedic bashing of the sheer ridiculousness of our situation.
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Preview (HBO)

Watchmen (2019)
Watchmen
85 %
8.2/10
tv-ma 1 Season
Genre Crime, Drama, Action & Adventure, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Cast Regina King, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jeremy Irons
Created by Damon Lindelof
Set in an alternate history and based on the graphic novel of the same name, Watchmen is a show that balances racism, crime, and only slightly exaggerated social issues that are displayed in an action/mystery format. While it doesn’t follow the exact plot or storyline of any pre-existing Watchmen novel, the story is canon in that the events taking place in those novels happened many years prior to this new story.
Watchmen S1 | Trailer | HBO Series | Showmax

The Larry Sanders Show (1992)
The Larry Sanders Show
95 %
8.5/10
tv-ma 6 Seasons
Genre Comedy
Cast Garry Shandling, Jeffrey Tambor, Wallace Langham
Created by Dennis Klein, Garry Shandling
Truly a one-of-a-kind show on our list today is The Larry Sanders Show, a show about the behind-the-scenes happenings of a late-night talk show. Due to its endlessly witty and crisp writing, the show is an absolutely hilarious perspective that is portrayed by Garry Shandling, Jeffrey Tambor, Rip Torn, and many other surprise guests that may be familiar — if you are familiar with the 90s sitcom era.

Hacks (2021)
Hacks
85 %
8.2/10
tv-ma 1 Season
Genre Comedy, Drama
Cast Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder, Carl Clemons-Hopkins
Created by Jen Statsky, Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs
When a young and inexperienced comedy writer happens upon the once-incredible Las Vegas comedian Deborah Vance (Jean Smart), a twisted and dysfunctional mentorship begins to form and fester. This show is as cleverly written as it is dark, detailing the highs and lows of the industry and all the push and pull it takes to make it in any category.
Hacks Season 1 Trailer | Rotten Tomatoes TV

Chernobyl (2019)
Chernobyl
82 %
9.4/10
tv-ma 1 Season
Genre Drama
Cast Jared Harris, Stellan Skarsgård, Emily Watson
Created by Craig Mazin
A brave and gritty drama to behold is Chernobyl, a show that tells the story of the brave men and women who fought to extinguish the disastrous 1986 nuclear accident, as well as the irresponsible and arrogant men who made it happen. Besides having some fantastic characters backed by some incredible performances, this is a very important story to know for anyone to understand what really happened as it has been described as “hauntingly accurate” by Business Insider’s Aria Bendix.
Chernobyl (2019) | Official Trailer | HBO

Band of Brothers (2001)
Band of Brothers
87 %
9.4/10
tv-ma 1 Season
Genre Drama, War & Politics
Cast Damian Lewis, Donnie Wahlberg, Eion Bailey
A show that has been known to bring many current movie stars to the limelight, Band of Brothers is like an incredible — and accurate — war movie that just keeps going. Following the American 101st Airborne Division through their missions in WWII, ‘Easy Company’ goes through hardships and loss as we are told by actual survivors from the division.
‘It’s Been a Long War, It’s Been a Tough War’ Trailer | Band of Brothers | HBO Classics

Editors' Recommendations

Movie images and data from:
The 13 best Netflix documentaries to stream right now
From food docs to true crime, these are the best documentaries that you can watch on Netflix right now

Documentary can seem, sometimes, like a genre of movie. And it's true, of course, that most documentaries have some basic elements in common. What any real fan of the documentary form knows, though, is that great documentaries can come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Documentaries can be about your next great travel destination, or the best ways to find and appreciate great food, or about a murder case that has been unsolved for decades. What unites great documentaries are the stories they tell, and the powerful emotions they evoke.

If you're looking for great docs, then Netflix is not a bad place to start. It can definitely be overwhelming trying to find the best titles from among their expansive library, though, so we've decided to do some of that for you.

Read more
F1 Saudi Arabian GP live stream: Watch Formula 1 for free
Formula 1 driver exiting turn.

The F1 Championship continues with the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix commencing soon. It's going to be an exciting race with Max Verstappen sure to want to build on his victory in Bahrain earlier this month. If you're keen to see the latest F1 Saudi Arabian live stream, there's a particularly great way to do so and even better -- it won't cost you a cent. Intrigued to know more? Here's all you need to know about how to watch the thrilling race.
Watch the free Saudi Arabian GP live stream
The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix is being aired for free in Austria and Luxembourg. This is great news for those in the countries, but devastating for residents traveling abroad who want to watch the action unfold live in their local language -- especially when it's free-to-watch at home. It's only fitting that an Austrian currently in the United States would want to watch the race in Austrian and not English, right? This is completely safe and legal to do with a VPN like NordVPN. Just install it, choose to the location you wish to connect to, then fire up broadcast. The free streams are ORF in Austria or RTL Zwee in Luxembourg.

Unfortunately, there isn't a free Saudi Arabian GP live stream for residents of other countries. Elsewhere, folks will need to tune in through a local broadcast partner. The race is available on ESPN in the United States, and the best way to tune in is through fuboTV, which offers a one-week free trial to new customers In the United Kingdom, it's available on Sky Sports F1, and over in Canada it's being broadcast in English through TNS and in French through RDS. There are some other options available as well -- below we'll talk you through the different ways you can tune in locally in the United States in more detail.

Read more
The best anime series on Netflix to watch right now
From Carole & Tuesday to Cowboy Bebop, these are the best anime on Netflix now that you should add to your watchlist
One Punch Man

Japanese anime and the many Western series that were influenced by it continue to get more and more popular. As they do, every streaming site is eager to lockdown plenty of exclusive anime titles that will draw fans of the format to their services. Netflix has long had a stockpile of great action movies, but it turns out that the streamer also has a pretty excellent library of anime series as well. The best anime on Netflix draw from a wide array of influences, but should give every fan of the form something to chew on.

While there are plenty of great action series on this list, anime is home to a wide array of different kinds of stories, and all of those stories are represented in one form or another on this list. Netflix is even moving into adapting some of these anime into live-action, although opinions are mixed on whether that strategy is going to work out. Whatever you think about that venture, though, this list is full of titles that are sure to make every anime fan happy.

Read more