Lights, Camera, HBO: The 21 Unmissable Original Series You Need to See!

What do you get when you combine exceptional storytelling, top-notch production values, and a lineup of talented actors? The answer lies in HBO’s extensive library of TV shows.

The question: What is the best HBO TV show of all time?

Of course, the answers are subjective depending on whether you enjoy action, drama, or comedy, but these were the top-voted responses, which means that many people think that these are the best HBO shows.

Check them out and see if you agree!

Band of Brothers

Damian Lewis, Ron Livingston, Neal McDonough, and Rick Warden in Band of Brothers (2001)
Image Credit: HBO.

Someone wrote, “Band of Brothers, for me personally, is one of the best television shows I’ve ever seen with my own two eyes. So it’s probably that for me. But HBO does so well with their productions that I wouldn’t argue with anyone if they thought another was better.”

The Wire

Sonja Sohn in The Wire (2002)
Image Credit: HBO.

“The Wire is obviously the highlight of his career, but everything David Simon has made for HBO deserves a mention,” someone wrote.

Another added, “The right answer. People can enjoy other shows more, but The Wire is an absolute masterpiece. The character work, the character flaws, the attention to motivations and background is incredible. Though temporal in its plot, the themes and ideas of this show are timeless.”

True Detective

True Detective: Night Country | Jodie Foster, Kali Reis
Photograph by Michele K. Short/HBO.

One person wrote, “True Detective season one for me is peak HBO.” Another added, “That Harrelson and McConaughey duo was undeniably one of the best I’ve ever seen.”

Game of Thrones

Emilia Clarke HBO Game of ThronesSeason 8 - Episode 6
Photograph by Courtesy of HBO.

Someone replied, “Everybody hates on it now, but Game Of Thrones seasons 1-5 were amazing. It cannot be overstated how much of a cultural phenomenon it was.”

Another added, “GOT would be the hands-down correct answer if it didn’t end with such a wet steaming plop.”

Deadwood

Jeffrey Jones, Powers Boothe, Ian McShane, and William Sanderson in Deadwood (2004)
Image Credit: HBO.

One person answered, “Deadwood.” Another added, “My favorite as well, I think, Swearengen might be my favorite anti-hero.”

Veep

VEEP
Photograph by Courtesy of HBO.

One person wrote, “The most perfectly cast show. Impossible to imagine any other actor in any of the roles.” Another added, “I’ve watched it start to finish three times, and each watch was equally funny because I’d catch different jokes every time.”

Six Feet Under

Lauren Ambrose, Frances Conroy, Michael C. Hall, and Peter Krause in Six Feet Under (2001)
Image Credit: HBO.

“Man! Michael C. Hall will always be his character from SFU in my mind. I watched allll of Dexter and loved it, but I really really loved him in Six Feet Under,” one person wrote.

Another said, “Just finished watching this show again since it first aired (22 years ago!).. It was incredibly therapeutic after recently experiencing loss and grief myself. But it was definitely better the second time around oddly because now I relate more with the adult characters where as back then I was closer to Claire’s age group. Regardless of relating to any characters, it’s still an amazing show and holds up today because it was way ahead of it’s time when it came out.”

Curb Your Enthusiasm

Larry David, Ted Danson in HBO Curb Your EnthusiasmSeason 11 - Episode 10
Photograph by John P. Johnson/ HBO.

One person explained, “Whenever I hear the HBO opening, this is the show theme that just feels like it should follow. I also feel like it’s the most consistently good show for the longest period of time.”

Oz

J.K. Simmons and Scott William Winters in Oz (1997)
Image Credit: HBO.

A person explained why this was their pick, “Oz. And I will die on this hill. So many people from that show have gone on to do other things (notably the Law & Order franchises: Chris Meloni as Stabler, Dean Winters, who did SVU and is now Mayhem on the commercials, Ernie Hudson, JK Simmons known as the L&O psychiatrist and now J. Jonah Jameson in MCU or DC Universe, etc.). Plus you never knew who was going to die in that show.”

Silicon Valley

Martin Starr, Amanda Crew, Zach Woods, T.J. Miller, Thomas Middleditch, and Kumail Nanjiani in Silicon Valley (2014)
Image Credit: HBO.

One person wrote, “Best comedy Silicon Valley, I loved that show.” Another person continued, “The middle-out discovery sequence is one of the funniest scenes I have seen in any show or movie ever.”

Westworld

Thandiwe NewtonHBO Westworld Season 4 - Episode 7
Photograph by John Johnson/HBO.

“Season 1 of Westworld is some of the greatest sci-fi I’ve ever seen. The later seasons don’t hold a candle to it, but I don’t think they’re bad enough to tarnish the first season in retrospect. Taken as a limited series, I’d go so far as to say that it’s the best-televised sci-fi since Deep Space Nine,” someone explained.

Barry

Bill HaderHBO Barry Season 3 - Episode 8
Photograph by Merrick Morton/ HBO.

“Personal favorite is Barry,” one person wrote. Another added, “Noho Hank is one of the greatest characters realized in any series, ever.”

Boardwalk Empire

Paul Sparks in Boardwalk Empire (2010)
Image Credit: HBO.

One person explained, “The finale of that series absolutely broke me. The way it reframed and explained everything was unreal. HBO has had so many incredible shows, but start to finish, all things considered, it doesn’t get any better than Boardwalk Empire for me.”

Mare of Easttown

Kate WinsletHBO Mare of Easttown
Photograph by Michele K. Short/HBO.

Someone wrote, “Mare of Easttown anyone?! Not the highest, but incredible short series.” Another wrote, “Amazing series with incredible performances from everyone including Kate Winslet, Evan Peters and Jean Smart. Just loved it.”

Leftovers

Carrie Coon in The Leftovers (2014)
Image Credit: HBO.

Someone commented on this show, “Had to scroll too long for this one. Definitely one of the best shows ever made. Season one takes some to get through, but season 2 is, in hindsight, a near-perfect season of television. Three is just more of the good stuff from 2 and a fantastic finale to this banger of a show.”

Someone added an important disclaimer: “Beautiful show. The only thing with leftovers is that .. please only watch it if you are in a good place in life.”

The Rehearsal

Nathan FielderHBO The Rehearsal Season 1 - Episode 5
Photograph by Courtesy of HBO.

Someone wrote, “For me, it’s the Rehearsal, but only because it’s completely different than anything else HBO typically does. It’s one of the strangest television shows I’ve ever seen, and it made me feel things that no other television show has been able to do.”

Succession

Sarah Snook, Nicholas Braun, Jeremy StrongHBO Succession Season 4 - Episode 5
Photograph by Graeme Hunter/HBO.

One person wrote, “If someone told me I’d be hooked, tuning in every week, to a show about corporate dealings, I’d have said they didn’t know me at all. And yet here we are.”

Carnivale

Adrienne Barbeau in Carnivàle (2003)
Image Credit: HBO.

After this answer got an award, a person wrote, “Only just discovered it recently, what a masterpiece. Ahead of its time.”

Another added, “I came here solely to see this. Love that show.”

The White Lotus

Sydney Sweeney, Brittany O’GradyHBO The White Lotus
Photograph by Mario Perez/HBO.

One person wrote, “Every episode is perfection. Shocked it’s not been mentioned!”

“First season was so {darn} good that it ruined season 2 for me. And I love Michael Imperioli, but it was just so {really} good,” someone added.

The Righteous Gemstones

Edi Patterson, Danny McBride, Adam DevineHBO The Righteous Gemstones Season 2 - Episode 9
Photograph by Ryan Green/ HBO.

Someone wrote, “Righteous Gemstones.” Another person wrote, “I constantly quote this show. It’s so {incredibly} funny. The first scene literally hooked me in the wave pool. I was screaming.”

The Last of Us

Pedro PascalHBO The Last of Us Season 1 - Episode 9
Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.

One person gave quite an accolade, “I don’t care that it’s new and that it’s only been one season. This is going to go down as one of HBO’s best. And season 1, episode 3 is one of the most brilliant, perfect pieces of filmmaking ever. That’s a hill I will die on.”

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Jonathan Bailey as Anthony Bridgerton in episode 205 of Bridgerton
Image Credit: LIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX.

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Marco Polo
Image Credit: Phil Bray/Netflix.

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Beef. Ashley Park as Naomi in episode 105 of Beef.
Image Credit: ANDREW COOPER/NETFLIX.

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Jella Haase, Jürgen Heinrich in Kleo
Image Credit: Netflix.

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THE LOST DAUGHTER. OLIVIA COLMAN as LEDA
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George, Lockwood & Lucy in Lockwood and Co
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Source: Reddit. 

This article was produced and syndicated by A Dime Saved.