Other streaming services, like Netflix and Prime Video, might have more movies and TV shows, but HBO Max makes up for its slightly smaller quantity with quality.
For one, it gives you access to the HBO vault, which includes decades of acclaimed series, like “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “Six Feet Under.” For two, HBO Max’s own shows (a.k.a. Max Originals like “Hacks” and “The Flight Attendant”) rank among the best you can stream.
It wasn’t easy to narrow down, but we’ve curated this list of some of our favorites currently available to stream on HBO Max.
Recommended TV shows on HBO Max
“The Righteous Gemstones” | Comedy, drama
This rip-roaring send-up of megachurches and televangelism comes from the twisted mind of Danny McBride (Eastbound & Down, Vice Principals), so you know it delivers the glorious goods. Of course, a banner cast helps, and the Gemstone family is stacked with crack actors: John Goodman (“The Big Lebowski”) the family patriarch/church founder, McBride is the firstborn son, Adam Devine (“Workaholics”) is the closeted young brother (emphasis on bro), Edi Patterson (“Knives Out”) plays the marginalized, pick-me middle sister, and Walton Goggins (“The White Lotus”) portrays the one and only Baby Billy. Now how much would you donate to the Lord for a quality show like this? Don’t answer now; search your heart and a number will come to you.
“The White Lotus” | Comedy, drama
Set in an idyllic Hawaiian resort (The White Lotus, of course), the first season of Mike White’s “The White Lotus” follows a group of guests (including Jennifer Coolidge, Connie Britton, Steve Zahn, Jake Lacey, and Alexandra Daddario) who come to realize there’s a darkness behind the Lotus’s sunny façade. In keeping with the Mike White brand, things get weird from there. The even-better second season goes to Sicily with Aubrey Plaza, Meghann Fahy, and Michael Imperioli.
“Hacks” | Comedy, drama
Veteran actress Jean Smart commands her role as Deborah Vance, a longtime Las Vegas comedian whose withering casino showcase residency is being threatened by younger acts. Reluctantly, she hires 20-something comedy writer Ava (Hannah Einbinder) to punch up her material. Sparks fly, but then a sweetly funny frenemy-ship is forged between these hacks.
“The Flight Attendant” | Comedy, drama
Kaley Cuoco jettisons her “Big Bang Theory” sitcom image with Cassie, a boozy international flight attendant who wakes up from her latest one-night stand next to a dead body. Soon, she’s on the run from the authorities and the killer, never without a vodka soda in hand or a terrible decision in mind. “The Flight Attendant” is a darkly comedic murder mystery that doesn’t let up.
“Succession” | Drama
If you think your family has problems, wait till you meet the Roys. As aging patriarch Logan Roy (Brian Cox) clings to his role as head of a billion-dollar media conglomerate, he also pits his children (Jeremy Strong, Sarah Snook, Kieran Culkin, and Alan Ruck) against each other to become his successor. This dark wealth satire is as unpredictable as it is biting, with almost no redeemable characters—and yet “Succession” is still addictive. You’ll (almost) pity the rich.
“Barry” | Comedy, drama
Hitman-for-hire Barry (Bill Hader) travels to Los Angeles for a job, but inadvertently becomes involved with the local theater scene and decides to pursue acting. Unfortunately, his mentor (Stephen Root) and the Chechen mob (including scene-stealer Anthony Carrigan as “NoHo Hank”) won’t let him out of the criminal life. Hader kills it, in every sense, as the titular assassin.
More of the best TV shows on HBO Max
- “Curb Your Enthusiasm”
- “Euphoria”
- “Insecure”
- “House of the Dragon”
- “The Last of Us”
- “Perry Mason”
- “Rap Sh!t”
- “The Rehearsal”
- “Watchmen”
- “The Wire”
Best movies on HBO Max
“Barbie” | Comedy, fantasy
Barbie (Margot Robbie) has an existential crisis in sunny Barbieland, so she and Ken (Ryan Gosling) travel to the real world for answers from The Patriarchy. That’s just one story in 2023’s billion-dollar “Barbie”—there are plenty more, and they’re all pitch-perfect. Greta Gerwig’s pink-powered pronouncement for feminism was more than right-wing talking news heads (who are now targeting another blonde, Taylor Swift) could handle, so you know it’s on to something. For all the feels and all the fun, “Barbie” is the one.
“The Menu” | Drama, thriller
Obnoxious foodie Tyler (Nicholas Hoult) and paid escort Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy) sail to an exotic island to dine at Master Chef Slowik’s (Ralph Fiennes) ridiculously exclusive restaurant. Slowly, it becomes obvious that Chef Slowik has darker plans aside from serving a $1,200-a-plate dinner to a gaggle of annoying snobs (including John Leguizamo, Janet McTeer, and Judith Light). The Menu is tense, funny, terrifying, and mouthwatering all at once—eat up!
“Zack Snyder’s Justice League” | Action, drama
Zack Snyder left 2017’s “Justice League” to another director, who turned it into a colorful, quippy mess that didn’t impress critics or fans. “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” is a four-hour reset of his own DC universe, a spectacularly indulgent but still entertaining dark superhero fable that does better by its characters. Without “ZSJL,” we might not have fully appreciated “The Suicide Squad.”
“Malignant” | Horror, thriller
Horror master James Wan (“The Conjuring,” “Insidious,” “Saw”) strikes again with “Malignant,” a brand-new tale of psychological terror he says has more in common with pulpy Italian Giallo thrillers than traditional American shock flicks. Madison (Annabelle Wallis) is tormented by constant dreams of horrific murders, only to find out they’re real. Maybe don’t watch “Malignant” alone.
“The Janes” | Documentary
Sundance hit documentary “The Janes” looks at the underground Chicago network The Jane Collective, a group that secretly provided women with access to safe abortions before Roe v. Wade in the 1970s. Using safe houses, fronts, and code names to protect themselves, The Jane Collective operated covertly until seven women were arrested in a 1972 police raid. Unfortunately, “The Janes” is as relevant as ever right now.
- “The Batman”
- “Birds of Prey: Harley Quinn”
- “Jurassic Park”
- “Last Night in Soho”
- “The Matrix”
- “Nightmare Alley”
- “Nobody”
- “Old”
- “Paddington 2”
- “The Suicide Squad”
Best Studio Ghibli movies on HBO Max
- “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind”
- “Howl’s Moving Castle”
- “Kiki’s Delivery Service”
- “Ponyo”
- “Castle in the Sky”
- “Princess Mononoke”
- “Spirited Away”
- “The Secret World of Arrietty”
- “The Cat Returns”
- “My Neighbor Totoro”
Want more TV recommendations?
Sign up for our newsletter to stay tuned for the latest recommendations plus deals, contests, and more.
By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy & Terms and Conditions.
Best Max Originals
- “Doom Patrol”
- “The Flight Attendant”
- “Gossip Girl”
- “Harley Quinn”
- “I Hate Suzie”
- “Peacemaker”
- “Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin”
- “Our Flag Means Death”
- “Station Eleven”
- “Tokyo Vice”
Best HBO series on HBO Max
- “A Black Lady Sketch Show”
- “Boardwalk Empire”
- “Lovecraft County”
- “Mare of Easttown”
- “Perry Mason”
- “Six Feet Under”
- “The Sopranos”
- “True Detective”
- “Veep”
- “We Own This City”
Best documentaries on HBO Max
- “Allen v. Farrow”
- “Class Action Park”
- “The Cost of Winning”
- “Generation Hustle”
- “Heaven’s Gate”
- “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark”
- “The Last Movie Stars”
- “Telemarketers”
- “The Vow”
- “The Way Down”
- “All That Glitters”
- “The Bachelor”
- “The Bachelorette”
- “Baketopia”
- “The Big Brunch”
- “Chillin’ Island”
- “Craftopia”
- “Haute Dog”
- “The Hype”
- “Sweet Life: Los Angeles”
Best LGBTQ+ shows on HBO Max
- “Angels in America”
- “Equal”
- “Gentleman Jack”
- “It’s a Sin”
- “Legendary”
- “Our Flag Means Death”
- “Silent Valley”
- “Trigonometry”
- “We Are Who We Are”
- “Years and Years”
Best kids’ shows on HBO Max
- “Apple & Onion”
- “Ben 10”
- “Craig of the Creek”
- “Dexter’s Laboratory”
- “Esme & Roy”
- “The Amazing World of Gumball”
- “Jellystone!”
- “We Baby Bears”
- “Sesame Street”
- “Steven Universe”
