The Best Shows on HBO Right Now (October 2020)

Neon-Infused Drama Series

1. The Deuce (2017-2019)

The most recent series from David Simon, a near ubiquitous name with HBO, follows the founding days in New York City during the 1970s and '80s when porn and prostitution were rampant in Manhattan. 

James Franco stars in a double role as two brothers, similar to Ewan McGregor in Fargo and Tom Hardy in Legend. Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gbenga Akinnagbe, and Chris Bauer round out the cast of this visually vibrant HBO series.

Insane Docu-Filmmaking

2. The Jinx

Has there ever been anything more crazy than The Jinx? Okay, I know it’s a hyperbole to ask that, but seriously The Jinx is about as insane as filmmaking gets. Andrew Jarecki directs the series as he seeks to unravel the mystery of Robert Durst (Gary Napoli), a wealthy socialite who’s been linked to several high-profile murder cases.

What follows is a descent into the depths of Durst’s mind. It’s chilling, disturbing, yet engrossing to watch. Oh, and it just so happened to conclude with one of the most unforgettable endings in television history.

Neon-Infused Drama Series

3. My Brilliant Friend (2018-present)

My Brilliant Friend is based on The Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante, which is a pseudonym for an unknown author. There are four 'Neapolitan Novels.’ Each season of My Brilliant Friend follows one of the books.

The series follows a woman recounts of the lifelong friendship and conflicts with a girl she met at primary school in Naples during the early 1950s. Critics have given the show rave reviews for its first two seasons.

Award Season Sweeper

4. Big Little Lies (2017-present)

Follow the Blood-Stained Brick Road

5. Oz (1997-2003)

Criminal Justice Series

6. The Night Of (2016)

There are plenty of great mini-series on HBO, but The Night Of may very well be the best of them all. The Night Of follows the story of a young man named Naz (Riz Ahmed), who after a night of partying with a woman he picked up, wakes up to find her stabbed to death and is charged with her murder. Did he do it? We don’t know, at least at first we don’t. By framing the story in this way, writers Steven Zallian and Richard Price really enrapture us into the film-world. 

There are strong performances abound in The Night Of from Riz Ahmed, Michael K. Williams, Bill Camp, and of course, John Turturro.

Raining Cats and Squids

7. Watchmen (2019)

The original Watchmen graphic novel from Alan Moore is one of the most revered graphic novels in the world. In 2009, Watchmen was adapted as a film by Zack Snyder and it received strong reviews from critics. However, many fans of the original comics weren’t as quick to praise the movie.

Enter 2019’s Watchmen HBO series -- a bold reimagining of the universe from Damon Lindelof (Lost, The Leftovers). The show is set in an alternate history where masked vigilantes are treated as outlaws, Watchmen embraces the nostalgia of the original groundbreaking graphic novel of the same name, while attempting to break new ground of its own. Perhaps the best thing about the show is that nobody really knew what it was going to be about, nor when it was going to take place in the film-world. HBO’s Watchmen was certainly a surprise, but in all the best ways.

War Never Changes

8. Band of Brothers (2001)

The HBO epic Band of Brothers is a harrowing recreation of the story of Easy Company of the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division, and their mission in World War II Europe, from Operation Overlord, through V-J Day. Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg served as creators and executive producers.

Band of Brothers is a visceral insight into the horrors of war and the bonds of fraternity that are built because of them. With a massive ensemble cast, Band of Brothers truly displays the giant scope of war.

Death is the Family Business

9. Six Feet Under (2001-2005)

What is family? What does it mean to walk in the footsteps of those who came before us? How do we begin to make sense of death? These are the questions at the heart of Six Feet Under, a familiar chronicle of the lives of a dysfunctional family who run an independent funeral home in Los Angeles.

Peter Krause stars in the show alongside Michael C. Hall, Frances Conroy, and Lauren Ambrose.

Gangsters on the Dock

10. Boardwalk Empire (2009-2014)

How can you not love Steve Buscemi in the role of a prohibition era gangster? Boardwalk Empire not only features Buscemi, but other great actors like Michael Shannon and Stephen Graham as well. The show takes place in an Atlantic City where politician (Steve Buscemi) plays both sides of the law by conspiring with gangsters during the Prohibition era.

Atlantic City was a hot-bed for bootlegging, speakeasies, and other prohibition related crimes. Boardwalk Empire transports us into that world with sweeping visuals and tremendous production design.

Dragons and Disappointment

11. Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

Oh Game of Thrones how I loved thee. Through seven seasons, Game of Thrones achieved some cloud-peaking highs and some deep-sea lows. But through it all, I found myself glued to the TV screen on Sunday nights desperate to see how it would all come together.

Then season eight happened -- an abominable effort that was widely panned by fans and critics. Not since Dexter had a TV show ended so poorly. But still, it’s hard to ignore the enormous impact Game of Thrones had on not just HBO, but the landscape of television.

NoHo Hitman Comedy

12. Barry (2018-present)

Tennessee Williams Meets Conglomerates

13. Succession (2018-present)

To say that the writing in Succession is sharp would be an understatement. Dialogue in Succession cuts like a diamond thanks to some excellent work from creator Jesse Armstrong and the show’s writing team.

Succession also benefits from a tremendous ensemble cast, including Jeremy Strong, Sarah Snook, Kieran Culkin, and of course, Brian Cox. Casting director Francine Maisler knocked it out of the park finding such perfectly fitted actors.

Neon-Infused Drama Series

14. Mr. Show (1995-1998)

Relationship Drama in LA

15. Insecure (2016-present)

Co-creator, writer, and star Issa Rae absolutely knocked it out of the park with Insecure; a show that takes a deep dive into the contemporary setting of Los Angeles.

Insecure strikes a great balance between comedy and drama while showing us the life of the show’s two main characters, Issa and Molly. Insecure is further aided by some excellent cinematography and production design.

Interdimensional Assassin

16. The Leftovers (2014-2017)

Neon-Infused Drama Series

17. Sex and the City (1998-2004)

Late-Night Satire

18. The Larry Sanders Show (1992-1998)

New Jersey Mafia

19. The Sopranos (1999-2007)

Without The Sopranos, HBO wouldn’t be the juggernaut service it is today. Perhaps no show on HBO is more iconic than David Chase’s mafia masterpiece The Sopranos.

The late, great James Gandolfini stars as the titular Tony Soprano — a violent mob-boss who also has a sensitive side. Few shows on television are celebrated more than The Sopranos, evident by the show’s 21 Emmy Award wins.

Sitcom Like None Other

20. Curb Your Enthusiasm 

Okay, who can hate Larry David? Well besides all the characters in Curb Your Enthusiasm that is. Larry David, AKA TV’s most opinionated personality, decided to jump in front of the camera with Curb rather than stick to the pen and paper he used to co-create Seinfeld.

And what a good thing he did. For the past 20 years, Curb Your Enthusiasm has been one of the best comedy shows on television. A tenth season aired in 2020 and showed that there’s no signs of David slowing down.

True Story Drama

21. Show Me a Hero (2015)

“Show me a hero and I’ll write you a tragedy.” That’s the line that begins HBO’s miniseries Show Me a Hero. It’s also largely credited to author
F. Scott Fitzgerald and is associated with the follies of the American dream.

In the 2010s, Oscar Isaac emerged as one of the great actors in the world. He starred in big-budget blockbusters like Star Wars and acclaimed dramas like A Most Violent Year, but perhaps his best performance was in Show Me a Hero as former Yonkers mayor Nick Wasiscko, who was at the time of his election the youngest city mayor in America.

Making of Masterful Music

22. The Defiant Ones (2017)

Horrific Disaster Series

23. Chernobyl (2019)

HBO Classic

24. The Wire (2002-2008)

The setting of The Wire may be relatively small but the scope of its story is near-endless. David Simon created The Wire after years of being a police reporter. Perhaps that’s one reason why the show seems so much more grounded and believable than its contemporaries do.

The Wire is widely hailed as one of the great epic drama series of the 21st century for the ways in which it depicts police and gang life.

Neon-Infused Drama Series

25. Flight of the Conchords (2007-2009)

The American President

26. Veep (2012-2019)

It’s no secret that Julia Louis-Dreyfus became one of the winningest actors of all-time for her performance as Selina Meyer in Veep. Louis-Dreyfus is no stranger to acclaim from critics going all the way back to her days on SNL, but Veep is truly her finest work.

The similarly lauded Armando Ianucci (In the Loop, The Death of Stalin) created the series and wrote or directed many of the episodes.

Papal Corruption

27. The Young Pope & The New Pope 

Technically The Young Pope and The New Pope are different shows. How,  you ask? I couldn’t tell you. The New Pope follows the events of The Young Pope but is about a new Pope… or is it?

It’s all semantics but this much I can tell you: The [insert adjective here] Pope is great. All of the episodes are directed by renowned Italian filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino and he adds his signature visual flair throughout. Few shows in recent history are better looking than Sorrentino’s visual treatise on the Catholic Church.

Tales From the West

28. Deadwood (2004-2006, 2019)

Despite being one of HBO’s most acclaimed dramas, the story of Deadwood was never concluded -- that is until the release of Deadwood: The Movie in 2019.

Existential Detective Thriller

29. True Detective (2014-present)

The first season of True Detective was brought together within a perfect storm. It was written entirely by a largely unknown writer (Nic Pizzolato), directed by a major up-and-coming talent (Cary Joji Fukunaga), and featured two resurgent dramatic actors (Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey). For many, myself included, True Detective Season 1 felt like watching a masterpiece fly out of left field.

Then there was Season 2. Spoilers, it’s bad; bad in a way only incomprehensible dialogue and extensive vape use can be. But then Season 3 brought the series back to a recognizable level of prestige. Although it wasn’t as good as the first, it was still mostly riveting.

Historical Biopic

30. John Adams (2008)

Widely regarded as one of the most historically accurate shows ever made, HBO’s John Adams is a great lesson in reconstructing period detail. Everything from wardrobing to set dressing to hair and makeup is masterclass.

Paul Giamatti stars in the title role as the man who would become the second President of the United States. The miniseries follows over 50 years in the life of Adams from the Boston Massacre in 1770 to his death in 1826.