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November 25, 2022 8:15 AM

The 50 greatest HBO shows ever – ranked

50. Industry (2020-present)
49. The Comeback (2005-2014)
48. Sharp Objects (2018)
47. The Corner (2000)
46. Treme (2010-2013)
45. Mildred Pierce (2011)
44. Entourage (2004-2011)
43. The Rehearsal (2022)
42. Big Love (2006-2011)
41. The Deuce (2017-2019)
40. In Treatment (2008-2021)
39. Mr Show With Bob and David (1995-1998)
38. Lovecraft Country (2020)
37. Show Me a Hero (2015)
36. Olive Kitteridge (2014)
35. When the Levees Broke (2006)
34. Looking (2014-2016)
33. Big Little Lies (2017-2019)
32. True Blood (2008-2014)
31. Insecure (2016-2021)
30. The Night Of (2016)
29. Euphoria (2019-present)
28. The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst (2015)
27. True Detective (2014-present)
26. Oz (1997-2003)
25. Veep (2012-2019)
24. My Brilliant Friend (2018-present)
23. Last Week Tonight With John Oliver (2014-present)
22. Girls (2012-2017)
21. The White Lotus (2021-present)
20. Silicon Valley (2014-2019)
19. Flight of the Conchords (2007-2009)
18. Watchmen (2019)
17. Angels in America (2003)
16. Band of Brothers (2001)
15. Boardwalk Empire (2010-2014)
14. Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000-present)
13. Deadwood (2004-2019)
12. Mare of Easttown (2021)
11. Barry (2018-present)
10. The Larry Sanders Show (1992-1998)
9. The Leftovers (2014-2017)
8. Game of Thrones (2011-2019)
7. Sex and the City (1998-2004)
6. Chernobyl (2019)
5. I May Destroy You (2020)
4. Six Feet Under (2001-2005)
3. Succession (2018-present)
2. The Wire (2002-2008)
1. The Sopranos (1999-2007)

posted by ShooBoo (51 comments total)

I can't wait until people start watching Random Acts of Flyness...admittedly I've been waiting for years, but I'm still holding out hope for one day.
posted by sibboleth at 8:26 AM on November 25, 2022

Kind of upset they left out Not Necessarily The News.
posted by bondcliff at 8:33 AM on November 25, 2022 [6 favorites]

We truly are in a Golden Age of Ranked Lists. Or as the famous quote from Chernobyl puts it:

We are so focused on our search for the truth we fail to consider how few actually want us to find it. But it is always there whether we see it or not, whether we choose to or not. The truth doesn't care about our needs or wants, it doesn't care about our governments, our ideologies, our religions. It will lie in wait for all time. And this, at last, is the gift of the Ranked List. Where I once would fear the cost of truth, now I only ask: What is the cost of lies?

posted by gwint at 8:34 AM on November 25, 2022 [10 favorites]

So glad to see The Leftovers get recognition. It's such an excellent show. And so weird. You don't see many shows about nihilism, despair, and religious ecstasy.
posted by Nelson at 8:45 AM on November 25, 2022 [9 favorites]

I would've thought that Game of Thrones would've taught them the danger of ranking shows that aren't over yet (especially of ranking them as high as they've ranked Succession), but apparently not.
posted by mstokes650 at 8:45 AM on November 25, 2022 [1 favorite]

I think Years and Years needs to be in there. As the person who recommended it to me said, I think about it all the time; it seems to have managed to predict the past few years pretty well. A warning: it can be very stressful to watch. Sort of like a shortform Six Feet Under mixed with Black Mirror...
posted by msbrauer at 8:47 AM on November 25, 2022 [7 favorites]

Chernobyl should be #3. Larry Sanders should be #4. The Deuce should be a lot higher. I like Euphoria, but it's all over the place and should be TBD until it ends its run.

I don't know how to rank Oz. It was such an absurd show; a soap-opera for men. But it was incredibly influential. HBO probably would not have produced The Sopranos if Oz hadn't worked out first, kick starting our golden age of TV. The Wire is practically an Oz cast reunion.
posted by riruro at 8:47 AM on November 25, 2022 [4 favorites]

Treme at 46? Get the hell outta here.
posted by Special Agent Dale Cooper at 9:09 AM on November 25, 2022 [7 favorites]

I would argue that The Leftovers is much, much better than Game of Thrones: better world-building, better weirdness, better everything. Plus, it was a show about grief. I've never seen that before.

GoT started strong, but quickly devolved into such stupidity, with villains basically twirling their mustaches they were so 2-D. It was a grimdark adult version of a kids' cartoon. The one thing it had going for it -- a fantasy that ditches the whole hero's journey -- was replaced by the stupidest ending in modern tv. To this day I cannot believe people still like this show. Add to that the fact that The Leftovers had an actual ending, that left one satisfied, and there's no way GoT is higher.
posted by nushustu at 9:17 AM on November 25, 2022 [11 favorites]

Also Treme and Deadwood should both be lots higher. I'd stick Deadwood in the top ten.
posted by nushustu at 9:17 AM on November 25, 2022 [4 favorites]

I like Euphoria, but it's all over the place and should be TBD until it ends its run.

Agree that the show is a mess and problematic, but I think it actually deserves a high rank based on what it does deliver (some kind of concentrated teenage emo adrenaline straight into your veins.)
posted by anhedonic at 9:36 AM on November 25, 2022

Carnivale never got to finish any arcs, otherwise it'd be on here for sure.
posted by cobaltnine at 9:40 AM on November 25, 2022 [6 favorites]

The Night Of started strong, but was pretty meh by the end - little was resolved, and it never came back for a second season. Not sure it belongs on the list.

Meanwhile, no space for Enlightened?
posted by coffeecat at 9:49 AM on November 25, 2022 [5 favorites]

What, no "Dream On"?
posted by potrzebie at 9:49 AM on November 25, 2022 [4 favorites]

True Detective should be listed as individual seasons.
posted by guiseroom at 10:04 AM on November 25, 2022 [11 favorites]

I don't have HBO but I occasionally buy series that interest me. Lovecraft Country was imperfect (despite having Michael Kenneth Williams), but the episode Jig-A-Bobo (trailer for episode) was brilliant and maybe the most terrifying piece I've seen in series television.

The trailer doesn't spoil the plot or give away the horror.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 10:16 AM on November 25, 2022

i’m not sure what i would replace it with but i don’t get why industry is on this list, it’s a television show based on the premise that young people have very boring sex, money yadda yadda, a terrible and extremely dull show
posted by dis_integration at 10:52 AM on November 25, 2022 [1 favorite]

Did I miss Rome somewhere on this list?
posted by Parasite Unseen at 11:00 AM on November 25, 2022 [12 favorites]

No Rome? How did that not make the list?
posted by tgrundke at 11:04 AM on November 25, 2022 [4 favorites]

No Arli$$?
posted by tinlids at 11:18 AM on November 25, 2022 [2 favorites]

Yes, where the heck is Rome?

The best HBO series I’ve seen recently that isn’t on this list is Somebody Somewhere. It introduced me to the fantastic Bridget Everett and Jeff Hiller, and it is perfection. RIP Mike Hagerty as Bridget’s dad : (
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 11:20 AM on November 25, 2022 [9 favorites]

I'll have to admit I haven't watched a number of these (i might be the only person on Earth who has never watched GoT), but happy to see My Brilliant Friend on here. Such a well-written show that I'm always recommending to people - I would put it in the top 10.
posted by photo guy at 11:20 AM on November 25, 2022 [1 favorite]

Me and the author of this listicle are the only people who fondly remember Flight of the Conchordes, I think.

I never really understood why Insecure was not more popular, it was so consistently good.

Watchmen was so very very much better than it had any right to be. Definitely something I would not have greenlit if I were in charge, even though I looooove the Leftovers, which also had Lindlehof behind it.

One thing I’ve noticed with sadness is the diminishing cultural relevance of some of HBOs older shows, just because they broke ground that is now so well-trodden. The Sopranos doesn’t feel like Important Television, just and old show that was pretty good.
posted by skewed at 11:24 AM on November 25, 2022 [2 favorites]

Where's 1ST & Ten: Going for Broke? *flips table*
posted by Stonestock Relentless at 11:49 AM on November 25, 2022

The Sopranos doesn’t feel like Important Television, just and old show that was pretty good.

In his multi-hour review of Doom, Tim Rogers makes a similar point when discussing how some critics at the time looked at Doom and demanded that it be much more than it was, precisely because merely seeing Doom suddenly mades it possible to imagine whole new ways of telling interactive stories.

Watching The Sopranos now evokes a similar feeling, in that it's a transitional show between an earlier generation of prestige television (that needed to tolerate a fairly large share of the audience that was missing episodes) and the HBO era that relied much more heavily on the marketing of DVD boxed sets (resulting in many people renting entire seasons, whether from rental stores or through the mail via early Netflix). This, in turn, was the precursor to a modern streaming model that can be fully serialized without any need for episodes to be self-contained. It's a show that is just modern enough that we now feel as though it could (and maybe even should) be doing more things, which serves to obscure how ahead of its time it actually was.
posted by belarius at 12:25 PM on November 25, 2022 [1 favorite]

Fraggle Rock is not listed.
Burn this list.
posted by DigDoug at 12:26 PM on November 25, 2022 [10 favorites]

The quote about Watchmen is wrong :

Damon Lindelof’s ambitious alternate take on Alan Moore’s masked vigilantes....

It's not an alternate take, it is a continuation of the story. And a bloody good one at that. Should be higher than 18. Easily top ten for me.

And Silicon Valley is great, also top ten for me. Gavin Belson just screams Elon Musk to me....
posted by Pendragon at 12:39 PM on November 25, 2022 [5 favorites]

Me and the author of this listicle are the only people who fondly remember Flight of the Conchordes, I think.

My family and I have listened to their Issues album at least twice this week (and most weeks), expressed dismay when our visit to Burlington was a week before Bret's recent performance there about a month ago, and periodically rewatch and quote the show. You are not alone.
posted by msbrauer at 12:53 PM on November 25, 2022 [6 favorites]

We truly are in a Golden Age of Ranked Lists.

Sure, but is it really THE Golden Age of Ranked Lists? Were there Ages that had more Ranked Lists, or did them better? And how do those Ages compare against each other?
posted by Harvey Kilobit at 1:33 PM on November 25, 2022 [1 favorite]

Mare of Easttown, a subpar detective story full of bullshit and plot holes ahead of Deadwood, one of the greatest pieces of art ever created?! Fuck this list. What is the point of such nonsense?

Yeah, yeah. I know. My favorite show sucks.
posted by dobbs at 1:34 PM on November 25, 2022 [6 favorites]

I loved the Watchmen, but it took all episodes combined to make it come together for me: so much was dependent on the final episode. (What's with Ozymandias and this other world? How can they leave out Dr. Manhattan? (they don't.))
The title of the episode: A God Walks into Abar is a favorite pun.
Probably helps if you read the source material (which is very different).
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 1:39 PM on November 25, 2022 [2 favorites]

I'm trying to imagine showing my kid or early adult selves this list, back in the 1970s or 80s. "Look, here's a trove of riches."
"On tv?"
"Yes!"
"So these are movies that this channel bought and rebroadcast?"
"No!"
posted by doctornemo at 2:10 PM on November 25, 2022

Before now I hadn’t realized that what I really need is a list of the best lists.
posted by MorgansAmoebas at 2:43 PM on November 25, 2022

Also, I’m so effing tired of posts linking to lists ranking shit that perhaps the admins can create a space called MefiRanks or some shit like that and stop the madness.
posted by MorgansAmoebas at 2:46 PM on November 25, 2022 [1 favorite]

I haven't watched all these shows, but of the ones I have seen it seems like a solid enough ranking (and, hey, I have HBO Max, maybe I should get to working on that).

But I remain unconvinced that every one of the shows on this list is better than The Righteous Gemstones.
posted by box at 2:49 PM on November 25, 2022 [3 favorites]

I gave up on watching TV series, but loved Sopranos, Six feet under and The Wire. People keep telling me about Succession, but is it really that great?
posted by beesbees at 3:05 PM on November 25, 2022

What, no "Dream On"?

This was on in the late 80s or so? Very funny at the time but I wonder if it's aged well. My guess is no...
posted by zardoz at 3:18 PM on November 25, 2022

Me and the author of this listicle are the only people who fondly remember Flight of the Conchordes, I think.

The episode "The New Cup" from Flight of the Conchords is one of my favorite episodes of television comedy, ever. (first couple minutes on Invidious, or YouTube)
posted by chinesefood at 3:47 PM on November 25, 2022 [1 favorite]

The fact that Entourage is on this list at all renders it utterly meaningless.
posted by Token Meme at 5:44 PM on November 25, 2022 [2 favorites]

Perhaps they haven't rewatched Sex and the City (#7 ??) since it concluded? When it was on, I found it fun enough, but certainly not great, and boy has it not aged well.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 7:34 PM on November 25, 2022 [1 favorite]

At last, a TV listicle where I've seen every show!

But only because I worked at the HBO operations center for 37 years.
posted by Marky at 11:03 PM on November 25, 2022 [3 favorites]

At last, a TV listicle where I've seen every show! But only because I worked at the HBO operations center for 37 years.

I would love to see your - let's say - top 10 list. Not trying to put too much work on you, but I'd be damn curious what you'd pick
posted by revmitcz at 1:45 AM on November 26, 2022

That’s awfully high for Boardwalk Empire
posted by thivaia at 6:00 AM on November 26, 2022

No Generation Kill?
posted by fullerine at 6:16 AM on November 26, 2022 [2 favorites]

Entourage, but none of Danny McBride's shows?

That's certainly a choice.
posted by gaspode at 6:35 AM on November 26, 2022 [3 favorites]

Well, after you add four David Simon shows, you only have so much room.

Never worked at HBO, but here's a top ten off the top of my head in two minutes:

10. True Detective
9. Barry
8. Deadwood
7. Succession
6. The Righteous Gemstones
5. Chernobyl
4. Veep
3. The Sopranos
2. Six Feet Under
1. The Wire
posted by box at 6:43 AM on November 26, 2022 [5 favorites]

I would love to see your - let's say - top 10 list.

It's hard to make a judgement, some are so different. Thrones vs Veep, Wire vs Curb, Sopranos vs Deadwood, I really can't say.

But there were some shows we always watched before air, just because we could. Big Love, True Blood, True Detective, Veep, Deadwood, Game of Thrones, Succession, The Wire, The Sopranos were always viewed as soon as they came in house. I always saw John Oliver before air, they fed the show live to us Sunday afternoon for us to record.

The only one I skipped was the last Sopranos, we were really busy that night. Fortunately, my partner had. When they cut to black at the end I freaked out thinking we had screwed up the finale, reached for the intercom to call the control room to take the backup. She grabbed my hand and said "It's OK, that's the way it ends" then laughed at me saying "You should have seen your face!"

I got even with her when we previewed the Game of Thrones red wedding episode. I knew what was coming, and got to watch her shock.
posted by Marky at 1:12 PM on November 26, 2022 [5 favorites]

No Bored to Death? Trash list.

I’m just kidding, I love it but I don’t know if many other people outside a very narrow demo even saw the damn thing, let alone find it funny.
posted by bxvr at 6:24 PM on November 26, 2022 [1 favorite]

People keep telling me about Succession, but is it really that great?


If it is to be said, so it be, so it is.
posted by Chuffy at 11:21 AM on November 28, 2022 [2 favorites]

Good to see Treme on this list. It was always overshadowed by Simon's other productions and it is delightful on its own terms.
posted by thoughtful_jester at 9:48 AM on November 30, 2022

I completely forgot to add Station Eleven to my previous comment. I loved it so much and thought it more than did justice to the book.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 10:40 PM on December 3, 2022