From The Last of Us to Succession, The White Lotus to Barry, the best shows on Max (formerly HBO Max) right now include plenty of Max originals. It’s no surprise that HBO and the Max streaming service dominate in nominations come awards season. Every month, new shows or seasons are added to the list, so there’s always something entertaining to check out on Max.
If you don’t know where to start, we’re here to help. This list of the best shows on Max right now is always updated with new shows as they come out. But we only include the shows that are truly worth watching. We also want to keep you apprised of when your favorite shows return with new seasons. Bottom line: this list is a one-stop shop for helping you decide what to watch next.
Looking for something else? We’ve also rounded up the best shows on Hulu, the best shows on Netflix, the best shows on Amazon Prime Video, and the best shows on Disney+.
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Bookie2023
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Bookie (2023) new
Chuck Lorre and Charlie Sheen have put their once held difference aside and are surprisingly working together on a new show. It’s the first collaboration since the public controversy surrounding Sheen’s exit from Two and a Half Men. Sheen isn’t the main character on Bookie, however. He’s playing a version of himself in a supporting role. At the center of Bookie is Danny, played by stand-up comedian Sebastian Maniscalco. He’s facing an end to his livelihood with the possibility of sports gambling becoming legalized in California. As he grapples with the potential repercussions, Danny must tie up loose ends with his many often unstable Los Angeles-based clients.
Maniscalco is backed by a strong supporting cast, including Omar J. Dorsey as his best friend and former NFL player Ray, Vanessa Ferlito as his sister Lorraine, and Jorge Garcia as reformed drug dealer Hector. Bookie offers the same charming, crass, sometimes even dry humor fans of Lorre’s many shows have come to know and love.
30 Coins (30 Monedas) (2020) new
Father Vergara, a former convict and exorcist, is exiled from the church and moves to a remote town in Spain to work as a priest. But when strange and paranormal things begin to happen, the mayor and a local veterinarian suspect that Vergara’s arrival might have sparked the puzzling occurrences. The unlikely pair team up with him to investigate the mystery behind a coin he owns and learn more about Vergara’s troubled past. What they find, however, is more than they could ever have imagined.
The mystery, fantasy, horror series 30 Coins, also known as 30 Monedas, is offered in Spanish language with subtitles. Paul Giamatti joined the cast for season 2 in the role of Christian Barbrow, a tech billionaire from America who also heads up a mysterious brotherhood. The series has a 91% Rotten Tomatoes score, with critics saying it offers “propulsive action, effective haunts, and just the right amount of absurdity.”
Friends (1994)
With the untimely passing of Matthew Perry, who’s most recognizable role was as Chandler Bing in this iconic sitcom, it’s a good time to binge all 10 seasons of Friends. Remember not only what makes the series part of pop culture history but also how fabulously hilarious Perry and the rest of the talented cast were in their roles. Relive some of the best episodes of Friends and the funny moments, quotable quotes, and sarcastic one-liners.
Scavengers Reign (2023)
Combine your love of sci-fi with adult animation in Scavenger’s Reign, an animated drama about a group of survivors on a cargo ship that was destroyed after landing on an alien planet. The planet is habitable, but it’s also filled with plenty of danger.
There are five main characters, including Azi (Wunmi Mosaku) and her robot friend Levi, voiced by Alia Shawkat, along with Ursula (Sunita Mani), Sam (Bob Stephenson), and Kamen (Ted Travelstead). While Scavenger’s Reign hasn’t been one of the more high-profile show launches, the critics who have watched have given it a perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes score, calling the series “magnificent” and “hypnotic.” There are a dozen episodes in season 1.
Julia (2022)
Sarah Lancashire completely embodies Julia Child, one of the most influential celebrity cooks and a mainstay on television screens in the 1960s. Her signature style while filming her iconic show The French Chef has inspired many who came after her.
Julia is a comedy-drama that is based on her life, including her marriage to husband, Paul (David Hyde Pierce), an artist and retired diplomat; her book editor, Fiona Glascott (Judith Jones); and others with whom she worked and spent time. Lancashire brings Child’s big personality to life in this inspiring, fun, and humorous depiction.
Sesame Street (1969)
The long-running educational children’s program, and one of the longest-running shows in the world, Sesame Street is now in it 54th season and still going strong. Hailing from the Sesame Workshop and featuring the Jim Henson Muppets, the series combines live action with sketch comedy, animation, and puppetry, and features a list of celebrity appearances every season.
Kids learn not only about letters, numbers, and more, but also about everything from kindness to politics, race, emotions, and other topics to help their developing minds grow and their learning flourish. As a show that many parents, and even grandparents, watched as kids themselves, Sesame Street is a must-watch for any household with preschool children.
Our Flag Means Death (2022)
Doom Patrol (2019)
Gangs of London (2020)
Part of the AMC+ Picks on Max collection of shows that will be available for 60 days, Gangs of London is a British series based on the video game of the same name. As the title indicates, the series follows several rival gangs throughout London and their struggles for power. The story begins when the head of the most powerful crime family in the city is assassinated and an all-out war brews as the gangs try and uncover who ordered his murder. Meanwhile, an undercover police officer has managed to infiltrate one of the gangs and hopes to bring the crimes to an end.
Highly praised by critics who call Gangs of London a “modern crime family masterpiece,” the series has a total of two seasons and 17 episodes available to stream for a limited time.
A Discovery of Witches (2018)
Another selection within the AMC+ Picks on Max collection, A Discovery of Witches is worth watching before it’s gone. Diana (Teresa Palmer) is a historian and witch who comes across a bewitched manuscript in a local library. This forces her to get back into the world of witchcraft, working alongside a vampire named Matthew (Matthew Goode) to investigate the secrets behind the magical beings described in the book. But it won’t be easy as Diana and Matthew must thwart threats from other creatures.
The British fantasy series has three seasons, which originally aired from 2018 through 2022. The chemistry between the two leads is a particular standout of the series, which was nominated for Best New Drama at the National Television Awards.
Killing Eve (2018)
A hit Emmy-winning series for Hulu, Killing Eve is now available to stream on Max for a limited time as another option in the new AMC+ Picks on Max collection. The spy thriller based on the Luke Jennings novel series and features Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny) as its head writer for the first season. It explores the relationship between a psychopathic assassin named Villanelle (Jodie Comer) and a British intelligence investigator named Eve (Sandra Oh), who has been tasked with capturing her.
The two women soon strike up an intense bond as they each obsess about their respective missions. A love story as much as it is a spy thriller, Killing Eve ended its run with a fourth and final season in 2022. If you haven’t yet encountered spoilers about the explosive ending, it’s worth a watch to see one of the best female-led series of the decade.
Harley Quinn (2019)
Looney Tunes Cartoons (2020)
The Righteous Gemstones (2019)
John Goodman heads up the ensemble cast in this Danny McBride-created black comedy crime series about a family of televangelists and megachurch pastors. They speak the word of the Lord, but their padded pocketbooks suggest they really speak the word of capitalism. The family’s opulent lifestyle also indicates that donations from parishioners are being used for a lot more than just giving back.
Goodman is Eli Gemstone in The Righteous Gemstones, a widow who heads up the church/company, while his three children Jesse (McBride), Judy (Edi Patterson), and Kelvin (Adam DeVine) are involved in varying ways. But their immaturity and spoiled nature mean they’re not up to the task of actually running things. Called “uproariously funny,” reviews for The Righteous Gemstones get better with each season.
Rick and Morty (2013)
Barry (2018)
Somebody Somewhere (2022)
Receiving rave reviews for its first season and now back for a second season, Somebody, Somewhere is a comedy-drama starring comedian, actor, singer, writer, and cabaret performer Bridgett Everett. She’s a woman named Sam dealing with a midlife crisis following the death of her sister.
Inspired by Everett’s real life, the show boasts a perfect Rotten Tomatoes rating, with critics calling Everett “captivating” and applauding the way the show “exposes the human condition with tenderness, grace, and warmth.”
Succession (2018)
With several Emmy wins under its belt, including Outstanding Drama Series, Succession has become one of HBO’s most popular series. Waystar Royco is a global media and hospitality empire headed up by the cutthroat, cruel Logan Roy. As he reaches retirement age and suffers a health setback, he must look to his rich and entitled children to find a successor. But who of his four children, from the arrogant playboy to the power-hungry and visionary addict, is really ready and deserving? And will Logan ever be ready to hand over the reins anyway?
The question of who will take over hovers above every episode and season as the company, Logan, and the Roy family engage in dirty tactics, flaunt their wealth, and find themselves constantly embroiled in controversy. With everything coming to a head in the fourth and final season, Succession is poised to go down in history as not only one of the best shows on HBO, but also one of the best shows of this decade, period.
The Last of Us (2023)
Pedro Pascal stars in this post-apocalyptic drama as Joel, a smuggler transporting a teenage girl named Ellie (Bell Ramsey) out of a quarantine zone and across the U.S., two decades after the end of modern civilization. Through the brutal journey, the two must rely on one another more than they realized, but Joel has his own demons, tormented by his past.
Considered to be the largest TV production ever in Canada (it was filmed in Alberta) and the first from HBO to be based on a video game, The Last of Us boasts an impressive supporting cast as well. This includes Gabriel Luna (Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) as Tommy, Joel’s younger brother and a hopeful former soldier, and Merle Dandridge as Marlene, head of a resistance movement, who is reprising her role from the video games. Guest stars include Murray Bartlett (The White Lotus) and Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation) as survivalists, and Melanie Lynskey (Yellowjackets) as the leader of a revolutionary movement.
The Sex Lives of College Girls (2021)
His Dark Materials (2019)
The White Lotus (2021)
It’s probably a good thing that the chain of White Lotus luxury resorts isn’t actually real. Because the vacations in seasons 1 and 2 just go completely off the rails. And that’s before the dead bodies start showing up!
Initially planned as a single season, The White Lotus follows an odd assortment of guests and the beleaguered hotel staff who labor to keep them happy. It works really well as both a comedy and a drama, which is why we’re currently checking in for the new episodes streaming each week. You don’t necessarily have to watch season 1 to enjoy season 2, both with different settings and (almost) entirely new casts.
House of the Dragon (2022)
Hacks (2021)
Tokyo Vice (2022)
Peacemaker (2022)
Fringe (2008)
Station Eleven (2021)
Babylon 5 (1994)
The Outsider (2020)
Band of Brothers (2001)
Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000)
Chernobyl (2019)
Mare of Easttown (2021)
Deadwood (2004)
Search Party (2016)
Batman: The Animated Series (1992)
The West Wing (1999)
Young Justice (2010)
Veep (2012)
The Wire (2002)
Sex and the City (1998)
Game of Thrones (2011)
Doctor Who (2005)
The Sopranos (1999)
Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown (2013)
South Park (1997)
Watchmen (2019)
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