HBO Max was one of the most popular streaming services in the world due to its incredibly high-level content and the sheer amount of shows and movies available. You’ve probably noticed when you log into HBO Max that the platform is now simply rebranded to Max. What does this mean? WarnerMedia and Discovery have merged all of their content into one convenient location. You can still enjoy all of the same stuff like Succession and The Sopranos on Max, and now Discovery+ content like reality shows and cooking competitions, which are now in the library.
From comedy to drama, sci-fi to pseudo-documentary, Max has it all. Other than enjoying some spectacularly produced and acted miniseries entertainment, these shows will also teach you something if you allow them. Let your mind unwind and hope it’s a weekend because some of these are the best shows on Max that will make you want to keep hitting that “Next Episode” button till the sun comes up.
Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000)
11 Seasons
Genre
Comedy
Cast
Larry David, Jeff Garlin, Susie Essman
Created by
Larry David
A side-splitting comedy to add to your collection is Curb Your Enthusiasm, a Larry David masterpiece that is outwardly ridiculous while also appealing to life’s simple, somewhat relatable annoyances. Wonderfully satirizing and exaggerating his own life, Larry David attempts to weave through small inconveniences but continues to get hung up on the details, causing an episode-length set of problems for him and his friends.
The White Lotus (2021)
2 Seasons
Genre
Comedy, Drama, Mystery
Cast
Theo James, F. Murray Abraham, Jennifer Coolidge
Created by
Mike White
One of the most interesting mystery/thriller/dramas from HBO is The White Lotus, a show that will make you want to scream if you’ve ever worked in the service industry before. The White Lotus is an expensive destination resort in Hawaii and Italy where only the richest people go, and where, if money is never an issue, multitudes of other issues are either created out of boredom or presented due to sheer arrogance.
Barry (2018)
2 Seasons
Genre
Comedy, Crime
Cast
Bill Hader, Stephen Root, Henry Winkler
Created by
Bill Hader, Alec Berg
An excellent genre mix — but predominantly comedy — of incredible proportions, Barry is a story of a depressed hitman who discovers his passion for acting after being sent to Hollywood to find his “mark.” Featuring Bill Hader as the hitman and Henry Winkler as the acting coach, hilarious parallels are drawn between the world of acting and the darker side of life.
I May Destroy You (2020)
1 Season
Genre
Drama
Cast
Michaela Coel, Weruche Opia, Paapa Essiedu
Created by
Michaela Coel
Carried masterfully by the debut performance of Michaela Cole (who is also the show’s creator), I May Destroy You takes a deep and abstract dive into the trauma of sexual assault and how it can change the very fabric of one’s being. Though the premise is dark and may be a trigger for some, it brings some smart and dark comedy along with it while showing what it can mean to be forced to reassess your entire life.
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (2014)
9 Seasons
Genre
Talk, Comedy, News
Cast
John Oliver
Created by
John Oliver
One of the most hard-hitting sources for what’s actually going on in the world today, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver is highly informative and thorough as well as somewhat stress- and existentialism-inducing. Given a chance to show his potential as a standalone voice from his experience writing and co-hosting on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, John Oliver took flight with his own form of impactful journalism that always carries a much-needed comedic bashing of the sheer ridiculousness of our situation.
Watchmen (2019)
1 Season
Genre
Crime, Drama, Action & Adventure, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Cast
Regina King, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jeremy Irons
Created by
Damon Lindelof
Set in an alternate history and based on the graphic novel of the same name, Watchmen is a show that balances racism, crime, and only slightly exaggerated social issues that are displayed in an action/mystery format. While it doesn’t follow the exact plot or storyline of any pre-existing Watchmen novel, the story is canon in that the events taking place in those novels happened many years prior to this new story.
The Larry Sanders Show (1992)
6 Seasons
Genre
Comedy
Cast
Garry Shandling, Jeffrey Tambor, Wallace Langham
Created by
Dennis Klein, Garry Shandling
Truly a one-of-a-kind show on our list today is The Larry Sanders Show, a show about the behind-the-scenes happenings of a late-night talk show. Due to its endlessly witty and crisp writing, the show is an absolutely hilarious perspective that is portrayed by Garry Shandling, Jeffrey Tambor, Rip Torn, and many other surprise guests that may be familiar — if you are familiar with the 90s sitcom era.
Hacks (2021)
1 Season
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Cast
Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder, Carl Clemons-Hopkins
Created by
Jen Statsky, Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs
When a young and inexperienced comedy writer happens upon the once-incredible Las Vegas comedian Deborah Vance (Jean Smart), a twisted and dysfunctional mentorship begins to form and fester. This show is as cleverly written as it is dark, detailing the highs and lows of the industry and all the push and pull it takes to make it in any category.
Chernobyl (2019)
1 Season
Genre
Drama
Cast
Jared Harris, Stellan Skarsgård, Emily Watson
Created by
Craig Mazin
A brave and gritty drama to behold is Chernobyl, a show that tells the story of the brave men and women who fought to extinguish the disastrous 1986 nuclear accident, as well as the irresponsible and arrogant men who made it happen. Besides having some fantastic characters backed by some incredible performances, this is a very important story to know for anyone to understand what really happened as it has been described as “hauntingly accurate” by Business Insider’s Aria Bendix.
Band of Brothers (2001)
1 Season
Genre
Drama, War & Politics
Cast
Damian Lewis, Donnie Wahlberg, Eion Bailey
A show that has been known to bring many current movie stars to the limelight, Band of Brothers is like an incredible — and accurate — war movie that just keeps going. Following the American 101st Airborne Division through their missions in WWII, “Easy Company” goes through hardships and loss as we are told by actual survivors from the division.
Succession (2018)
4 Seasons
Genre
Drama
Cast
Nicholas Braun, Brian Cox, Kieran Culkin
Created by
Jesse Armstrong
It’s hard to summarize what Succession is about without it feeling contrived or trite in nature. The greatness of this dark comedy is in the minutiae of a conversation, a zipping one-liner that cuts razor-sharp wounds in your psyche, or the pity you feel for the rich people on screen who should be infinitely happy, yet they aren’t. The Roy family has generational wealth and generational trauma; the fact that the latter often outweighs the former is what makes the show so absolutely compelling.
The Sopranos (1999)
6 Seasons
Genre
Drama
Cast
James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Jamie-Lynn Sigler
Created by
David Chase
The Sopranos first aired its pilot almost a quarter of a century ago, but the show that brought the world the misery and the mishaps of Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) and his business and family associates is still a story many people can relate to. With the mob as the backdrop to something much deeper, Tony’s juggling act of being a gangster and a father is often secondary in the story to the mental health problems and discussion around toxic masculinity as it relates to men and depression.
Friends (1994)
10 Seasons
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Cast
Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow
Created by
Marta Kauffman, David Crane
While it’s often the butt end of jokes now about being outdated or un-relatable to non-white audiences, Friends is still the quintessential comedy about companionship and the feel-good memories that resonate with all humans no matter what age, gender, or demographic we’re boxed into. You can turn this show on and still get at least a few laughs, whether those come from the antics of Joey (Matt LeBlanc) or the nerdiness of Ross (David Schwimmer)!
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