Are you wondering what the best shows on Max are this month? Well, you’re in luck because, like all the best streaming services, Max (formerly HBO Max) is home to some phenomenal programming. But unlike the others, Max also happens to include the entirety of HBO's prestigious back catalogue. From The Sopranos to The Wire, you'll struggle to find as many classic shows elsewhere. That's before we even get into newer outings that are already considered some of the best TV shows ever made, such as Succession.
But what really sets Max out as unique in this ever-evolving landscape is the streamer's newer originals that are among the best the past decade of TV has to offer. Shows like Scavengers Reign and the multiple Emmy award-winning Hacks are just the tip of the iceberg. But fair warning before we get started rounding up the best of the best on Max: you won’t find most of the mentioned above classics in this ranking.
For the most part, we're going to stick with Max originals in our list of recommendations, although we couldn't help but include a few new TV shows and ongoing HBO highlights, too. So, without further ado, let's get started with our ranking of the 10 best TV shows you'll find on Max.
10. Rap Sh!t
Year: 2022
Seasons: 2
All eyes were on Issa Rae following the end of her signature series Insecure, excited to see what she'd make next. Thankfully, Rap Sh!t is a worthy follow-up, tapping into similar themes while still bringing something fresh with this story of a struggling rapper named Shawna (Aida Osman) who reluctantly forms a group with her estranged high school friend Mia (KaMillion). The result is a raucously funny comedy that also plays with the medium via various framing devices that reimagine how integral social media can be to storytelling on TV.
After more HBO picks? Check out our list of the best movies on Max right now.
9. House of the Dragon
Year: 2022
Seasons: 2
Game of Thrones was a true behemoth of television, a dragon that towered over pop culture for almost a decade. HBO's first attempt at a spinoff, the House of the Dragon prequel, doesn't quite soar in the same way, but watching white-haired Targaryens battle for the Iron Throne all over again is still a thrill that can't be missed.
In a standout cast bursting with talent, it's the dual talents of Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cook that will burn in your memory long after the show's over and the timelines converge. House of the Dragon season 3 is also on its way, so now is the time to get caught up with one of the best shows that Max has to offer.
If you need a Westeros refresher, you can read our House of the Dragon timeline guide or check out this House of the Dragon season 2 review.
8. Search Party
Year: 2016
Seasons: 5
After making the leap from TBS to Max, two seasons in, Search Party somehow became even better, captivating us more than ever as the story of a New Yorker searching for a missing person took us to new places we could have never guessed or imagined.
Each season threw a new problem at Dory's (Alia Shawkat) quirky, somewhat unhinged friend group, and the creators (Sarah-Violet Bliss, Charles Rogers, and Michael Showalter) weren't afraid to play with genre either. Is Search Party a comedy, a drama, a thriller, or even a horror? It doesn't matter. What we can tell you is that Search Party is one of the most original originals you'll ever see, exactly the kind of ambition that TV thrives on.
7. Doom Patrol
Year: 2019
Seasons: 4
The heroes of Doom Patrol are a scrappy, ragtag bunch of weirdos whose powers have only brought them trouble, but the real tragedy is how overlooked DC's best series was across four seasons. Such bizarre source material shouldn't work in live-action, yet even with The Beard Hunter and the horny cockroach and, of course, those zombie Were-Butts, Doom Patrol was just as heartfelt as it was hilarious.
It helped that the cast was so game, too, including Brendan Fraser and Matt Bomer, who gave two of their most moving performances here despite rarely appearing as their characters in the flesh. It's rather fitting that these strange oddballs weren't widely appreciated at the time, though, because that's true to the essence of Doom Patrol, through and through.
While Doom Patrol is over, you can still keep up to date on the newest superheroes by reading our handy guide on all the upcoming DC movies and TV shows.
6. The Last of Us
Year: 2023
Seasons: 1
Video game adaptations often make people cry for all the wrong reasons, but with such cinematic source material to work with, The Last of Us is the rare show that gets it right, channeling the bleak apocalyptic horror of the games through a tender lens. Much of that emotional heft comes from Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, who trek together across a zombified wasteland in search of hope, but the show succeeds on just about every other level, too, and even more when it deviates from the game.
Who could have ever known that the mushroom zombie show would give us one of the most enduring gay love stories of the past decade? The Last of Us season 2 is also racing towards us, so now is the best time to catch up on all the Clicker action over on Max.
For more information on this post-apocalyptic gem, read our The Last of Us episode 1 review.
5. The Other Two
Year: 2019
Seasons: 3
When their 13-year-old brother Chase (Case Walker) becomes an overnight YouTube sensation, his adult siblings Brooke (Heléne York) and Cary (Drew Tarver) struggle to reconcile his success with their own perceived failures. Sounds grim, but in this harrowing disappointment, The Other Two mines actual gold with what might be the most obnoxiously funny comedy of the decade.
The jokes hit even faster than Chase releases singles, including the all-time classic "My Brother's Gay and That's Okay!" It's the kind of series that demands endless rewatches so you can catch every joke and quote them endlessly to your other chronically online friends. They'll thank you for it.
4. Our Flag Means Death
Year: 2022
Seasons: 2
What starts off as a slightly uneven comedy about a fledgling pirate determined to escape a midlife crisis becomes much more poignant as he falls in love with Taika Waititi's ruthless Blackbeard. Rhys Darby and Taika Waititi are endlessly charming as the two pirates who meet in the middle and find something special, despite hailing from two very different worlds.
Season two, especially, is the equivalent of buried treasure for anyone who hasn't discovered the delights of Our Flag Means Death yet. Jump aboard and binge both seasons as heartily as you can before joining the campaign to renew this series for another much-needed and well-deserved third season.
Check out our Our Flag Means Death season 2 review for more details on this delightful pirate streaming pick.
3. Scavengers Reign
Year: 2023
Seasons: 1
Scavengers Reign literally transports you to another world with its story of a spaceship crew stranded on a strange alien planet where they must do everything they can to survive. Hypnotically beautiful yet disturbingly dangerous, the eco-system they find themselves in is one of animation's most visually inventive.
Every frame could be hung in the Louvre, and the same could be said for every page of the script as well because this is astonishingly well-written and paced, capturing deeply complex existential thoughts and philosophical musings with gorgeous symbolism in an eco-horror framework. You'd be hard-pressed to find a better sci-fi to represent the best this genre is capable of.
Read our list of the best animated TV shows of all time if you want more recommendations, like Scavengers Reign!
2. Station Eleven
Year: 2021
Seasons: 1
Depending on your outlook, Station Eleven either dropped at the worst or best time possible, arriving in the middle of the pandemic. "Worst" because it asks us to visit a fictional world that's been ravaged by disease like our own, or "Best" because it asks viewers to reckon with the pain we all faced while finding something beautiful in that strength to endure.
Those willing to stick with Max's adaptation of the book were deeply rewarded by a deeply emotional, bittersweet tale that reminded us how powerful art and expression can be at a time when that was the only thing keeping us all sane back home.
1. Hacks
Year: 2021
Seasons: 3
The legendary Jean Smart plays a very different kind of legend in Hacks. As the cantankerous comedian Deborah Vance, Smart is brash and gaudy and even unlikeable at points, but you'll love her anyway thanks to Jean's charisma, which carries Deborah through a hilarious set one minute and a deeply heartbreaking revelation the next.
Paired with Hannah Einbinder's 25-year-old mentee, an outspoken oversharer who's often offended by Vance, the two find they have much more in common than either of them initially realize. So begins an incredibly smart two-hander who's rightly nabbed Smart an acting Emmy for every season produced so far. Expect people to look back on Hacks as legendary in its own right in years to come, the kind of series that only comes once a decade or once a streamer, as might be more fitting these days.
For more on Max, check out our guide on all the deals and prices available. We also have a list of the best shows on Netflix and the best shows on Amazon Prime if you fancy more streaming picks.
