Max — home to HBO's entire catalog — has one of the strongest libraries in streaming. From prestige dramas to sharp comedies to fantasy epics, Max consistently produces some of the most-talked-about television on the planet. Here are the shows actually worth your time right now in 2026.
If you're new to Max or need a starting point, these are the shows that define why HBO built its reputation. All available now.
Mike White's anthology of wealthy tourists behaving badly is sharp, funny, and devastating. Season 1 (Hawaii) and Season 2 (Sicily) are certified classics. Season 3 moves to Thailand and continues the tradition. Start with Season 1 and don't stop.
HBO's adaptation of the beloved video game is one of the finest game-to-screen translations ever made. A post-apocalyptic story about a smuggler escorting a teenager across a ravaged America. Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey are extraordinary. Season 2 is airing now.
The complete four-season saga of the Roy family's battle over a media empire is one of the greatest television dramas ever made. All seasons available. Wickedly funny, then completely heartbreaking. Watch it if you somehow still haven't.
The Game of Thrones prequel set 200 years earlier, following the Targaryen civil war. Two seasons available, and it largely lives up to the original's best seasons. Season 3 is in production. The dragon sequences are genuinely spectacular.
Bill Hader plays a hitman who tries to become an actor. All four seasons complete. Starts as a dark comedy and transforms into something much weirder and more disturbing by the end. One of the boldest swings in recent TV history.
Season 4 moved to Alaska with Jodie Foster investigating the disappearance of a group of scientists during polar night. The arctic setting creates genuine dread. Each season of True Detective stands alone, so you can start here without watching the others.
Frequently called the greatest television drama ever made. Five seasons examining Baltimore through the lens of its drug trade, schools, docks, politics, and press. It's from 2002–2008 and looks it, but nothing else has matched its depth and ambition.
Nathan Fielder constructs elaborate rehearsals to help people prepare for difficult life conversations. By the end it becomes a deeply strange meditation on reality, performance, and parenthood. Like nothing else on television.
Colin Farrell is unrecognizable as Oz Cobblepot in this gritty crime drama set in Gotham between The Batman films. A proper crime saga that stands on its own, no superhero knowledge required.
Young graduates compete for jobs at a London investment bank. Sounds dry, but it's one of the most propulsive, morally complex dramas on TV. Three seasons available. Rewards viewers who stick with it past episode one.
Max runs $9.99/month (with ads) or $15.99/month (ad-free). Given the depth of the HBO catalog alone — The Sopranos, The Wire, Succession, Game of Thrones, Curb, and new originals every month — it's one of the most defensible streaming subscriptions available. If you can only keep one service, Max has the strongest argument.
💡 The ad-supported tier is worth the $6 savings. Max's ads are less intrusive than most services and don't interrupt at terrible moments.