48 Best Shows on HBO Max Right Now (August 2026): ‘Lanterns’ and More

Green Lantern is one of DC Comics’ oldest and most popular heroes, which is why the 2010 Green Lantern film, with Ryan Reynolds as a wise-cracking Hal Jordan, was such a wasted opportunity. Had the movie been good, it could’ve kickstarted a franchise that would still be continuing to this day. But every cloud has a silver lining, and that movie’s abysmal failure has led to the creation of Lanterns, a new mystery series that features a new Hal, played by Friday Night Lights’ Kyle Chandler, partnered with another Green Lantern, John Stewart (Aaron Pierre).

Instead of being a traditional superhero show, Lanterns is more like True Detective. The show’s central premise involves Hal and John investigating a mysterious murder in America’s heartland. Local cops believe it’s the work of a serial killer, but the two Green Lanterns believe the culprit isn’t human. Is Hal’s former mentor and current enemy Sinestro (Ulrich Thomsen) to blame? Lanterns is executive produced by Damon Lindelof, who was one of the creatives behind Lost, The Leftovers and Watchmen, so Lanterns has the potential to be as good as those shows – and, let’s hope, far better than the failed film.

Lanterns debuts on August 16.

Philadelphia is known as the city of brotherly love, but it was also once the hub of international criminal activity involving … reptile smuggling. You wouldn’t think that would make a great subject for a five-episode docuseries, but think again – Monsters of God is riveting television, even if you don’t care a lick about the illegal exotic animal trade.

Directed by Eric Goode, who also produced Netflix’s COVID-19 hit series Tiger King, Monsters of God focuses on dealers like Hank Molt, who discovered there was money to be made importing exotic and endangered animals from all around the world and selling them at a premium price. The series looks at how Molt and others like him created a black market where these animals were used, abused, and, in one case, buried alive. It’s shocking stuff, but it will open your eyes to a shadow business most people don’t exist – and still thrives today.

Monsters of God starts streaming on August 6.

Remember Stuart (Kevin Sussman), that nerdy comic book shop owner who appeared as a secondary character in the hit show The Big Bang Theory? Well, he’s getting a spinoff show, and it’s definitely not a carbon copy of the original. In Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, the titular character accidentally causes a rift in the time/space continuum, and he has to travel to multiple alternative realities to fix it. If he doesn’t, everyone – and everything – will perish. No pressure, Stuart.

Eschewing the traditional sitcom format of TBBT, SFTSTU takes a bold swing and marries sci-fi adventure with low-key observational comedy. The result is a comedic version of the cult series Sliders, a sitcom that isn’t afraid to embrace its nerd roots while still managing to make you laugh. It’s nice to see Sussman and fellow TBBT veteran John Ross Bowie (as the always obnoxious Eric Kripke) return playing the characters they know best, and the additions of Lauren Lapkus, playing Stuart’s snarky gal pal Denise, and Brian Posehn, whose Bert Kibbler out-nerds even Stuart, to the cast make this spinoff one to watch when it drops on July 23.

Rick and Morty is one of the most successful animated series airing right now, so it was only a matter of time before Adult Swim and co-creator Rick Harmon produced a spinoff show to capitalize on its success. President Curtis follows the titular Commander-in-Chief, Andre Curtis (Keith David), as he grapples with the aftermath of Rick and Morty’s multiversal hijinks.

He’s helped by a ragtag crew of government bureaucrats and overly eager Secret Service agents, including Jim Rash’s by-the-book Special Agent O’Doyle and Stephanie Beatriz’s eager-beaver newcomer, Chief of Staff Banks. 

If The West Wing existed in a universe populated by aliens sliding through wormholes to destroy humanity, it would look something like President Curtis. The series retains all of its sister show’s off-the-wall humor and bonkers sci-fi shenanigans, so Rick and Morty fans should check it out when it premieres on July 26.

Dragons will fly high again in House of the Dragon season 3, and like previous seasons, they’re at war with each other. Or rather, their rides are, as Team Black’s deposed Queen Rhaeneyra (Emma D’Arcy) seeks to reclaim her rightful place on the Game of Thrones and seek revenge for her son’s murder. Team Green, which includes Rhenyra’s reluctant rival, Alicent (Olivia Cooke), isn’t so willing to give up power, and they’ll burn down all of Westeros to keep it.

Already renewed for a fourth and final season, House of the Dragon promises to ramp up the epic battles and royal intrigues as it speeds toward its bloody conclusion. The current season will feature one of George R.R. Martin’s most violent conflicts, The Battle of the Gullet, which will dramatically change the direction of the seemingly never-ending war. Fans better be prepared to say goodbye to a few beloved characters this season; let’s hope they get a better send-off than poor Daenerys. 

House of the Dragon season 3 debuts on June 21.

Filip (Ignacy Liss) likes to drink, party and have lots of meaningless sex, but wouldn’t you if you looked like him? A gay Polish model living in Warsaw, he doesn’t worry about much except when his next hookup will be and where the next rave is. But when a family tragedy strikes, Filip is forced to grow up fast. He has to take care of an infant he barely knows, which is especially challenging for someone who can barely take care of himself. 

Proud is a Polish-language drama that provides a fascinating look at a character unburdened by responsibility who has to change to save the life of another. Filip is often frustrating – he resents being a caregiver and just wants to go back to the hedonistic life he enjoyed in the past. But gradually, he realizes he doesn’t have to change completely – he just has to be a better version of who he already is. 

Want to know one of the best-kept secrets in pop culture? The best version of Superman doesn’t appear in James Gunn’s bombastic Superman movie. All due respect to David Corenswet, but the legendary DC Comics character shines brightest in My Adventures with Superman, a note-perfect take on the Man of Steel that nails the character’s earnestness without overdoing too much on the character’s Boy Scout appeal. 

Jack Quaid lends his vocal talents as Clark Kent and Supes, and he breathes life into a character that’s largely used as a symbol for all that’s good rather than anything else. After two successful seasons, My Adventures with Superman returns for a third season in June. Expect to see new characters like Superboy (voiced by Darren Criss!) and Cyborg Superman, as well as old favorites like Lex Luthor and Supergirl. In addition, the season will adapt the famous “Reign of the Supermen” storyline, which sees four super-powered contenders for Superman’s superhero throne. 

My Adventures with Superman season 3 debuts on June 14.

Hacks may be over, but that doesn’t mean you can’t rewatch the already legendary show’s past episodes. Despite being at odds for most of season 4, Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder) and Deborah(Jean Smart) both took a principled stand against the network and subsequently lost the late-night show that they worked so hard for. Deborah is also locked in an onerous non-compete clause that’s strangling her career.

What’s next for the final season of the show? Maybe a little payback, but definitely a comeback! Deborah wants to be the one in control of her own destiny, and Ava may just be along for the ride. Whatever comes next, they’re facing it together.

Hacks is streaming on HBO Max.

Life comes at you fast, or sometimes not fast enough for Rue Bennett (Zendaya) in Euphoria. A few years have passed since Rue left high school, but she’s somehow found a way to get into even deeper trouble than before. When she’s roped into becoming a drug mule, Rue’s luck may finally run out.

Not that everyone else is doing a whole lot better. Nathaniel “Nate” Jacobs (Jacob Elordi) and Cassandra “Cassie” Howard (Sydney Sweeney) are married, but happiness remains elusive. HBO confirmed that season 3 is the final season of Euphoria, so pay your respects to Rue, Cassie and the rest of the gang.

Jason Momoa was already a movie and TV star when he launched On the Roam on HBO Max in 2024. This reality show follows Momoa as he travels the globe and gets to live out his “crazy dreams,” according to the trailer for season 2.

This season will reunite Momoa with his favorite artist, Julian Schnabel, and feature his adventures with a motorcycle crew and some guitar lessons from another artist. Momoa is just here to have a good time, and he’s inviting viewers to watch him every step of the way.

On the Roam season 2 will premiere on HBO Max on May 14.

Is Song of the Samurai going to be HBO Max’s answer to Shogun? That might be setting the bar too high for this show, but it’s already poised to make an impact in Japan. It’s a live-action adaptation of the popular manga Chiruran: Shinsengumi Requiem, which will be streaming internationally on HBO Max.

Yuki Yamada stars as Toshizo Hijikata, a street fighter living in the Edo period of Japan who is drawn into the Shinsengumi, an elite samurai force that protects Kyoto. Toshizo views his brothers-in-arms as his family, but there’s intrigue and betrayals ahead that may test those bonds as the era of the shogunate enters its twilight years.

Song of the Samurai will stream on HBO Max on May 9.

The fictional private investigator who shares his name with Rooster hangs over the head of author Greg Russo (Steve Carell) in HBO’s latest comedy series. Greg’s been trying to move past the end of his marriage, but all anyone ever wants to talk to him about are his Rooster books.

At the same time, Ray’s adult daughter, Katie (Charly Clive), is in danger of losing her career as a college professor over a mistake that goes out of control. To smooth things over with Ludlow College’s Dean, Walter Mann (John C. McGinley), Greg agrees to be an ongoing guest lecturer. This not only gives Katie a lifeline, it’s also the chance for Greg to write a new chapter for himself as he embraces Rooster and tries to figure out what he’s going to do next.

Rooster is streaming on HBO Max.

Don’t call it a comeback for Valerie Cherish (Lisa Kudrow), if only because all of her previous attempts to resurrect her celebrity status came up short. Much like Valerie herself, HBO’s The Comeback has defied the odds yet again with a third and final season over a decade since the second season debuted.

Valerie’s claim to fame was her stint on a sitcom decades ago, and now she’s got a new show called How’s That?, which she hopes will keep her in the spotlight. But being a star in 2026 isn’t the same as it was in the ’90s. Valerie’s new show is being written by AI, and the entire entertainment industry is having a crisis just as she’s getting her foot back in the door. It’s a lot of pressure for anyone to deal with, and this might be Valerie’s last chance to cement a legacy for herself.

Schitt’s Creek features Eugene Levy and the late Catherine O’Hara as Johnny and Moira Rose, the heads of a wealthy family whose fortunes have shifted against them. After losing all of their money, Johnny and Moira, and their adult children, David (Dan Levy) and Alexis (Annie Murphy), have only one asset to their name, a small town named Schitt’s Creek.

The show follows the Rose family as they attempt to rebuild their lives in the town, while finding a way to co-exist with the people who already live there. Schitt’s Creek had a six-season run, and it’s one of the most popular comedies in recent memory.

Schitt’s Creek is streaming on HBO Max.

Neighbors isn’t intended to be a comedy, but you may find some laughs at the very real people who are at the heart of this docuseries. Amazingly, the producers behind this show refrained from spending all of their time spotlighting the bizarre inhabitants of Florida, although the Sunshine State is well-represented here.

The one thing many of these neighbors have in common is the unshakable mindset that they’re in the right and their neighbors are wrong. Their mutual arguments don’t rise to murder on this show, but mayhem and destruction of property are definitely on the menu. If this is meant to be a reflection of modern society, it plays out more like a fun house mirror than anything else.

Neighbors is streaming on HBO Max.

The most surprising thing about the latest Game of Thrones spinoff, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, is how funny it is compared to its predecessor. It has a willingness to make its main character, Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey), the butt of several jokes and a downtrodden underdog.

A young boy named Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell) sees something in Ser Duncan that inspires him to become the latter’s new squire. Dunk really needs all of the help he can get once he arrives at the tournament that will determine his future. As a hedge knight, Dunk is the object of ridicule. But if he can become a champion, Dunk may find a place for himself in the seven kingdoms.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is streaming on HBO Max.

Dr. Robby Robinavitch (Noah Wyle) may have had enough of the high-wire act of his life, but viewers haven’t. Viewers embraced The Pitt as one of 2025’s best shows, and it feels just as fresh now as Wyle’s groundbreaking medical drama ER did 30 years ago.

The Pitt plays out like a cross between 24 and House, as each season takes place in a single extended shift at an emergency room. There are only 13 episodes in season 2, but Robby’s life is no less intense. He’s planning to step away for an extended sabbatical, assuming he makes it through one last shift.

The Pitt is streaming on HBO Max.

The first season of Industry followed a group of graduates from all walks of life who are vying for a position working in full-time employment for a luxury London insurance bank, Pierpoint. We become acquainted with an eclectic cast of young, ambitious characters: driven New Yorker native Harper Stern (Myha’la Herrold); privileged and well-connected Yasmin Kara-Hanani (Marisa Abel); and openly gay Augustus “Gus” Sackey (David Jonsson).

In season 4, Industry finds Harper and Yasmin navigating their new positions in a totally transformed financial world, while battling it out with fintech company founder Whitney Halberstram (Max Minghella). The new season is already receiving major buzz from critics, who are calling it an incredibly ambitious, sexy and remarkable reinvention. Stranger Things‘ Charlie Heaton and Mad Men‘s Kiernan Shipka join the Industry cast, while regular Harry Lawtley left last season to pursue other projects.

If you’re currently loving the second season of The Pitt, then why not go back to where the creators and star Noah Wyle began? ER aired from 1994 all the way to 2009 and gave A-lister George Clooney his big break as pediatric fellow Doug Ross. ER followed the professional and personal lives of the doctors and physicians working in the emergency room at Cook County General Hospital in Chicago. In addition to Clooney and Wyle, the supporting cast also featured Julianna Margulies, Anthony Edwards, Maria Bello and Linda Cardellini during the show’s run.

ER claims the title as the second-longest-running primetime medical drama in television history (behind Grey’s Anatomy, of course), but it’s possibly the most realistic depiction of the medical profession ever put on TV. That’s not all ER has going for it, though: it also has riveting drama, brilliantly-written characters and fast-paced intensity you can’t turn away from.

One of the best TV shows of all time, Mad Men is now available for the first time on HBO Max. Jon Hamm stars as Don Draper, a 11960s advertising executive who has it all: a great job, a perfect wife and two adorable children. So why is Don driven to adultery, excessive drinking and a subconscious desire to jeopardize it all? Is it because of his need to be the best at his job at Sterling Cooper, an ad agency that’s still struggling to compete with the big boys? Or is it a deep, dark secret from his past?

On the air for seven seasons, Mad Men chronicles the evolution of America from 1960 to 1970 through Don’s story. It’s not just a one-man show, though; Mad Men sports one of the best ensemble casts ever assembled, with outstanding work from Elisabeth Moss, January Jones, John Slattery, Christina Hendricks, Jared Harris and more. There’s not a bad episode among the 92 it produced, so block a few days out and binge-watch the greatest drama you’ll ever see.

What if The Devil Wears Prada was turned into a TV show? That’s kinda what you’ll get with The Bold Type, a Freeform series that chronicles the lives of three young women working at Scarlet, a woman’s magazine overseen by Jacqueline Carlyle (Melora Hardin), a ruthless editor-in-chief not unlike Meryl Streep’s Miranda Priestly.

Combining typical twentysomething coming-of-age drama with soap opera, The Bold Type is an entertaining TV show if you like strong female characters who aren’t afraid to be a little nasty when the occasion calls for it. Among the talented cast, Meghann Fahy stands out as Sutton, who quickly learns that love isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be.

This salacious romance show follows rival hockey players Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie), who spar against one another on the ice. However, the competition between Hollander and Rozanov turns into something else entirely when they find themselves falling for one another. The two lovers try to conceal their passionate affair from the world out of fear of ending each other’s athletic careers.

Adapted from Rachel Reid’s novel of the same name, Heated Rivalry was a smash on social media even before the show premiered on HBO Max on November 28. The titillating trailer sent fans into a tizzy, and the show itself is already satisfying audiences with its erotic sex scenes, palpable chemistry between the two leads and surprisingly emotional story.

A close but dysfunctional friend group reunites after years spent apart. However, once they’re back in each other’s lives, they’re forced to learn how to navigate their relationships in territory, grappling with new relationships and careers out in sunny Los Angeles. Series lead actor, writer and creator Rachel Sennott stars as aspiring talent manager Maia, who resides in the Los Feliz neighborhood of LA.

Sennott started as an internet It-girl and is now an influential creative heavyweight, with critics lauding the young actor’s debut in being a true television auteur. I Love LA excels in its humor and irreverence, satirizing the media-obsessed desperation of Zillennials and being cringey in the best way. It’s still early, but I Love LA could be this generation’s Girls, only with far less Adam Driver.

One of modern horror’s scariest boogeymen returns to spook a new generation in It: Welcome to Derry. This new series serves as a prequel to 2017’s It and 2019’s It Chapter Two, which adapted Stephen King’s 1986 novel about an evil entity, known primarily as Pennywise the Dancing Clown (Bill Skarsgård), terrorizing a group of kids in a small Maine town.

Welcome to Derry is set in 1962 and focuses on a new group of kids, including Ronnie (Amanda Christine), who wants to clear her father’s name, and Will Hanlon (Blake Cameron James), who has just moved to the small town. Sooner or later, they all have to deal with the evil that’s emanating throughout Derry and find a way to stop it — if they can.

Tim Robinson has cornered the market of absurdist humor with his TV shows I Think You Should Leave and films like Friendship, but his latest effort, The Chair Company, amps up the awkwardness — and delivers even more laughs than anything he’s done previously.

Robinson stars as Ron Trosper, an average white-collar worker who experiences an embarrassing incident at work — his chair collapses during an important presentation. Determined to report the issue to the chair’s manufacturer, he discovers that the chair company doesn’t exist — its headquarters is a nearly empty warehouse with only a phone, pornography and a giant red ball. When a stranger warns him to forget about what he discovered, Ron is even more intent on finding out what the hell is going on.

The Chair Company is a weird cross between Office Space and Severance — but what else would you expect from Robinson? He has a gift of making the most mundane settings, people and objects ridiculously funny and also tinged with menace. After watching this show, you’ll never look at or trust your chair ever again.

One of the best shows streaming right now is Task, a crime thriller from the creator of Mare of Easttown. Task is a crime drama set in blue-collar Pennsylvania, starring Mark Ruffalo as Tom, a depressed FBI agent investigating a series of increasingly violent robberies involving Robbie (Tom Pelphrey). Both cop and robber are similar — they are still recovering from the loss of a loved one and have no direction in their personal lives. They’re opposing forces slowly on the path to a collision that will forever change them both. 

On the one hand, Task is a terrific crime procedural that lets you hang out with Tom and his crew as they piece together clues to identify and capture Robbie and his gang. It’s an engrossing character study of a struggling working class on both sides of the law. The performances, particularly by Emilia Jones as Robbie’s fed-up niece, are terrific, and the show’s narrative is almost always gripping. 

Based on the riveting novel of the same name by Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl), Sharp Objects stars Amy Adams as Camille Preaker — an alcoholic journalist who gets pulled back to her Southern hometown to investigate the mysterious disappearances of two girls, one of whom turns up dead. The grisly crime is intertwined with Camille’s family demons, as she must contend with childhood trauma that has continued to haunt her life.

In her first major small-screen role, Adams delivers a gripping performance as Camille — a self-destructive woman struggling to free herself from her past. The eight-episode story is just as much of a page-turner as the original novel, and ruminates on themes of repression, addiction, cycles of abuse and mental health.

Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie’s comedy musical duo, Flight of the Conchords, received the full television show treatment during the mid-2000s. The funny pair plays fictionalized versions of themselves as New Zealanders attempting to take their band to New York City. As they search for success in the Big Apple, they also endure the trials and tribulations of dating and friendship.

The series is a must-watch for fans of deadpan, understated humor, but the many original songs and musical numbers are also fantastic — not to mention catchy. It also features a hilarious recurring character played by Kristen Schaal (Bob’s Burgers) and a number of recognizable guest stars, like fellow New Zealander and collaborator Taika Waititi and Kristen Wiig.

No matter how seasoned a viewer of prestige TV you are, when you watch The Sopranos, it’s immediately obvious how this show changed the game. The series follows the complex life of mob boss Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) and combines gritty crime stories with the ins and outs of his personal life, including his family dynamics and his foray into psychiatric therapy. A character with as many layers as Tony had rarely been seen on TV before, and series creator David Chase leaned into the cinematic nature of the story, using innovative narrative structures and complex arcs. The ensemble cast features Lorraine Bracco as Dr. Jennifer Melfi, Tony’s insightful therapist, and Edie Falco as Carmela Soprano, his dedicated yet conflicted wife.

Decades after its premiere, The Sopranos still holds up as a sophisticated exploration of morality, the American Dream and the duality of human nature.

John Cena is finally returning to the small screen as Chris “Peacemaker” Smith, a vigilante determined to achieve peace, no matter how many men, women or children he has to kill to get it. Or at least, that’s who he used to be.

Throughout the first season of the series, Chris went through some emotional growth, and new season (currently airing) promises to continue that journey. The series mixes action, comedy, and drama as it uncovers Peacemaker’s complex character, challenging the notion of heroism with its morally ambiguous narrative.

Helmed by James Gunn, season 2 of Peacemaker is a direct follow-up to Superman and features cameos from movie characters like Nathan Fillion‘s sarcastic Green Lantern, Guy Gardner. 

Girls has been getting a second life lately — maybe it’s because of general millennial angst, maybe it’s because of Lena Dunham‘s new Netflix show. But if you’ve never seen it, it’s a perfect time to watch it on HBO Max. The show focuses on four young women living in New York City as they navigate the complexities of adulthood, relationships, and their budding careers.

Hannah (Dunham) and her best friends Marnie (Allison Williams), Jessa (Jemima Kirke) and Shoshana (Zosia Mamet) form a rich tapestry of the complexity of modern female friendship in all its epic highs and toxic lows. It’s intimate, funny, uncomfortable and boundary-pushing.

Whether you love it or hate-watch it, you may want to catch up on And Just Like That before the series finale. Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) and Charlotte (Kristin Davis) return to face the challenges of New York City life, along with newer friends like Seema (Sarita Choudhury) and Lisa (Nicole Ari Parker). Together, the friends navigate life in your 50s — which, even if you live in an outrageously gorgeous NYC apartment, isn’t always easy. 

While the storylines aren’t as relatable as the ones in the original Sex and the City, there’s still something lovable and nostalgic about revisiting these characters. (Season 2 even got a long-awaited cameo from Kim Cattrall‘s Samantha, despite the bad blood between her and SJP.) If nothing else, the fashion is always exquisite — and inexplicable. 

This brand-new Spanish comedy, known as Furia in Spanish, is a hilarious and no-holds-barred look at women’s anger — righteous or otherwise. It’s satisfyingly heightened, with that telenovela-esque flair for dramatic reactions. Fires are set, dishes smashed and guns cocked in this anthology series, in which each episode follows a different woman on the brink of a well-deserved crash-out.

The highly saturated, stylized aesthetic makes it an immersive watch, drawing viewers into the chaos. Each character — all loosely connected, whether through friendships or by catching glimpses of one another on TV — feels incredibly well-developed, even with limited screentime. Performances from Carmen Machi, Claudia Salas, Nathalie Poza, Marilú Marini, Pilar Castro and Cecilia Roth will leave you wanting more — and maybe feeling a bit furiosa yourself.

If you’re thirsting for more chapters in the new James Gunn DCU, Creature Commandos is a great way in. Even though it’s an animated series, it’s fully canon to the shared universe, even sharing a character — Rick Flag Sr., played by Frank Grillo — with Peacemaker. In Creature Commandos, Flag leads a troop of highly skilled criminals in another Suicide Squad-esque mission. Despite such task forces being outlawed, ruthless shadow ops coordinator Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) has found a work-around — none of these operatives are human, so normal rules don’t apply to them.

Funny, hyperbolically violent and often heartbreaking, each episode of Creature Commandos delves into the backstory of a team member — from The Bride (Indira Varma), a reanimated corpse who’s been pursued by Frankenstein’s Monster (David Harbour) for centuries, to the Weasel (voiced by Gunn), a mysterious animal whose backstory is far less monstrous than you might expect. 

This gripping three-part docuseries reveals disturbing abuses that took place at a California funeral home via interviews with the unrepentant mortuary director. In the early 1980s, David Sconce, scion of the Lamb family, took over the family business and sought to exploit the deceased in numerous ways to expand their earnings. 

The Mortician has quickly become a hit for HBO, achieving the highest viewership for a documentary series in five years. Sconce, released from prison shortly before the documentary began production, is fascinating, albeit chilling, to watch as he talks about mass cremations and stealing from the dead in a multitude of macabre ways. 

J.J. Abrams reunites with Lost star Josh Holloway in this 1970s FBI show co-created with Into the Badlands writer LaToya Morgan. In Duster, Nina Hayes (Rachel Hilson), the first Black female agent in the FBI, joins forces with Jim Ellis (Holloway), a driver and gopher for a crime kingpin. Hayes enlists Ellis to bring down crime syndicate boss Ezra Saxton (Keith David) in an action-filled thrill ride of a show.

The ’70s aesthetic and excellent writing make Duster an awesome new entry into the HBO Max library. (Bonus: If you’re a fan of classic cars, you should know that the titular Plymouth Duster driven by Ellis is one of 250 vintage vehicles procured for the show. Duster is a feast for the eyes.)

Chock-full of action and intrigue, Duster is an exciting and captivating show with an interesting angle and engaging character dynamics. 

This new docuseries explores of the life and music of Billy Joel — from his original arrival on the music scene to his constant reinventions over the years. It’s a tender examination of the love, loss and struggles that fuel his incredible songwriting.

Featuring exclusive interviews with Joel himself, the two-part docuseries gives fans an inside look at what makes the artist tick. With Joel having recently stopped touring due to illness, this opportunity to learn more about him in his own words feels more precious than ever.

Nathan Fielder‘s bizarre and groundbreaking documentary/comedy series The Rehearsal just completed its second season on HBO and Max. In each episode, Fielder helps ordinary people prepare for significant life events. The twist lies in the meticulous and often bizarre simulations he constructs to help participants anticipate every possible outcome.

In season 2, Fielder continues to tackle bigger and stranger topics, such as the recent rise in airplane crashes and how pilots can be better prepared for emergencies. It’s a strange mix of reality TV, performance art and comedy that results in a fascinating viewing experience, especially for people who are interested in how the human mind responds to pivotal moments.

Zombies are back, and they’re more entertaining than ever. After years of mediocre Walking Dead sequels, spinoffs and ripoffs, TV audiences fell back in love with the undead, or in this case, “the infected,” in early 2023 with The Last of Us. The first season was a fairly faithful adaptation of the 2013 Naughty Dog game, telling the story of outbreak survivors Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) as they cross a postapocalyptic United States.

Season 2 adapts the game’s popular sequel, The Last of Us Part II, with Ellie now in her late teens and Joel still as world-weary as ever. Some major new characters this season include Isabela Merced as Ellie’s girlfriend Dina, Catherine O’Hara as Joel’s therapist and Kaitlyn Dever as the soldier Abby. Season 2 aired its finale on May 25, leaving us on a major cliffhanger. Be warned: tissues will be needed, especially for episodes two and six.

Pope Francis’ recent death and the election of a new pope have ignited a surge of interest in the papacy, and there’s no better show to watch than The Young Pope. Created by Paolo Sorrentino, the show chronicles the unorthodox reign of Pope Pius XIII (Jude Law). Pius isn’t happy with how his predecessors ran the Church, and he’s determined to do something about it. But will his radical vision for the Vatican win over the skeptical clergy who reluctantly elected him, or will it cause his swift downfall?

Like Sorrentino’s film work, The Young Pope blends wicked satire with soulful ruminations about the role of faith and politics in everyday life. Law is terrific as the ambitious pope who hides a deep grudge, and Diane Keaton is just as good as a loyal nun who will do anything for her new spiritual leader. The Young Pope is less serious than straightforward religious dramas like Conclave and The Two Popes, but by the time it reaches its conclusion, it’s deeper and more meaningful than most religious movies.

Come for the exotic locations like Hawaii, Sicily and Thailand, but stay for the razor-sharp commentary about class, sex and money on The White Lotus, HBO’s hit series about a global luxury resort that plays host to a little drama, some comedy and the occasional murder. Mike White, the writer and creator behind the show, clearly loves his characters, even though they often do and say the most despicable things.

Season 1 introduced the world to Jennifer Coolidge’s boozy Tanya and concerned the mysterious death of an unidentified person. (Well, until the jaw-dropping finale). Season 2 saw the return of Tanya at a beautiful Sicilian resort, where new cast members Aubrey Plaza, Theo James and Meghann Fahy swapped stories, drinks and partners. The latest season’s Thailand locale sets the stage for yet another death, a bank robbery, some spoiled rich kids and the return of season 1 fan-favorite Belinda (Natasha Rothwell). Season 3 is now done, so you can binge every episode or revisit some of your favorite moments from the current season. Lorazepam, anyone?

Think of The Gilded Age as Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous circa the 1880s, only with more veiled insults, uncomfortable girdles and pent-up sexuality. Carrie Coon stars as Bertha Russell, whose husband has made tons of money as a robber baron. She wants to be accepted by New York society, specifically Christine Baraski’s old-money snob Agnes van Rhijn, and she’ll do just about anything to do so.

Created by Julian Fellowes, who also wrote Gosford Park and Downton Abbey, The Gilded Age is a costume drama that isn’t as dry and sexless as you might think it is. It paints a detailed portrait of a portion of society not typically seen in American television, and the show’s production values in recreating NYC are genuinely impressive. Coon and Baranski are terrific as the two leads, and they have ample support with co-stars Cynthia Nixon, Morgan Spector and Denee Benton.

Michael Patterson has it all: a successful career as a novelist, a potential future in politics, and a large family who adores him. But his seemingly perfect life is shattered when his wife is found dead at the bottom of their staircase in their palatial North Carolina home. Things only get worse for Michael as the police suspect foul play, and he emerges as their prime suspect.

The Staircase may seem like an ordinary mystery, but it only gets stranger as the series progresses. That the show is based on a true story and adapted from an acclaimed 2004 French documentary of the same name makes it all the more disturbing. The cast is uniformly excellent, with Colin Firth both charming and creepy as Michael, a vulnerable Juliette Binoche as a film editor who becomes enamored with Michael and an outstanding Parker Posey as a country prosecutor. Truth is stranger than fiction, and there’s nothing stranger than The Staircase.

For a show that started as “pret-tay, pret-tay good,” Curb Your Enthusiasm has evolved into a genuine pop culture touchstone almost as revered as Seinfeld. Larry David co-created both of those shows, and his signature comedic style — sharply observant humor about the ridiculousness of society’s banal traditions — is on full display throughout Curb’s 12 seasons.

He’s aided by a stellar supporting cast that includes Cheryl Hines as his long-suffering wife, Jeff Garlin as his immoral agent and Susie Essman as Jeff’s foul-mouthed wife. Curb Your Enthusiasm’s best moments come when Larry absolutely embarrasses himself — which is often — and he pulls no punches in revealing the pettiness of those around him. It’s a show you can watch again and again, even if you don’t share Larry’s contempt for humanity.

Are you a Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) or a Samantha (Kim Cattrall)? Maybe you’re enough of a romantic and a believer in happy endings to call yourself a Charlotte (Kristin Davis)? And Heaven help you if you’re a Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker). Sex and the City is such a part of the zeitgeist that its four central characters have transcended their existence as fictional characters and become a litmus test for our personalities.

Only a great show can pull that off, and Sex and the City, flaws and all, is outstanding for many reasons: for its groundbreaking portrayal of female sexuality; for its portrait of late ‘90s/early 2000s society; and for being an escapist fantasy about living in NYC with no budget and having it all. All these years later, Sex and the City still sparkles, especially its first four seasons. A sequel series, And Just Like That, was launched in 2021, but nothing tops the original.

Who needs to watch another comic book show? Yet Harley Quinn is different than your average spandex series. For starters, it’s animated, and it’s also extremely graphic and dirty. After breaking up with her longtime boyfriend the Joker, psychotic antihero Harley Quinn decides to make a name for herself in Gotham City’s overcrowded underworld. She gets help from her best friend and occasional girlfriend, Poison Ivy, plus other villains like Clayface, King Shark and Kite Man.

If this sounds like your typical superhero show, it’s really not. As Harley, The Big Bang Theory’s Kaley Cuoco might just be the best actress to embody the character since Arleen Sorkin. (Sorry, Margot Robbie.) The show, with its many, many expletives and graphic violence, is most definitely not for kids, and it has more laughs than you might think.

True Detective is a mystery anthology show with vaguely horrific overtones, and it’s often very uneven. But when it’s good, it’s great, and even its flawed seasons are worth taking a look at. A lot of people watched season 1, which premiered in 2014 and starred Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson as two Louisiana detectives obsessed with a serial killer. That season introduced the world to the phrase “time is a flat circle” and established McConaughey’s comeback from bad movie purgatory.

Season 2, with Colin Farrell as a California gumshoe, and season 3, with Mahershala Ali as an Arkansas detective investigating the disappearance of two children, are less successful, largely due to their emphasis on realism over the first season’s oddball quirkiness.

But Season 4, subtitled “Night Country” and set in a remote Alaska town, brought back the show’s freak flag, and gave stars Jodie Foster and Kali Reis two meaty lead roles that earned them widespread critical praise. The show is set to return for a fifth season sometime in the future.

Easttown, Pennsylvania, is an unforgiving place, but it has nothing on Mare Sheehan (Kate Winslet). The fortysomething detective is no-nonsense and shoots from the hip, and she doesn’t have time for fools. When a teenage mother is found brutally murdered in a ravine, she has to figure out not only who did it and why, but also how it connects to a young woman’s disappearance in the recent past.

If it were just a mystery show, Mare of Easttown would merely be great. But the genius of the limited series is how it also functions as a character study of a woman barely holding on under the weight of overwhelming trauma. Mare is imperfect, and she’s frequently haunted by the mistakes she made in her past.

Winslet embodies Mare warts and all, and gives a performance that ranks as one of the best on television in the last decade. She’s as superb as the show she’s in, and the stellar cast (Jean Smart, Julianne Nicholson and Evan Peters) who support her. A second season has been talked about, but nothing has been confirmed yet. Cross your fingers that Mare returns to solve another case and battle more of her inner demons.