Best Shows on HBO Max
HBO Max is going from strength to strength in the streaming world. It offers everything from gripping dramas to sharp comedies to thrilling mysteries, so where do you start? Explore the best shows on HBO Max and discover your next binge-worthy series today. MORE
Frequently Asked Questions
HBO Max originals include a mix of high-profile dramas, documentaries, horror shows, and comedies you won’t find elsewhere. These shows often set trends globally, and the service’s library of hit content is growing. If you’re looking for premium content with a bit of an edge, HBO originals are a great place to start.
Yes, HBO Max allows you to set up profiles with parental controls – great for if you’re sharing your account with kids or teens and want to filter out mature shows. You can also see content ratings clearly displayed on each title before streaming.
HBO Max focuses more on prestige television, so you’ll find fewer reality shows or casual viewing options (think high-quality, story-driven series with strong casts and writing). It’s less about quantity and more about consistent quality.
Yes, in Australia, HBO Max content is typically available through streaming services like BINGE and Foxtel Now. You don’t need a traditional paid TV plan to access them (just an internet connection). As long as you have a compatible streaming subscription, you can watch all the best HBO Max shows online.
Most shows on HBO Max include subtitles and closed captions. Some also offer audio descriptions for visually impaired users. These features are easy to turn on in your settings, so you can tailor your viewing experience based on what works best for you.
Yes, HBO Max lets you pause a show on one device and pick up where you left off on another. This makes it easy to switch from your TV to your phone or tablet without losing your place, especially useful for long series or weekend binges.
Task
Drama•Crime
Overview
In the working-class suburbs of Philadelphia, an FBI agent heads a task force assembled to put an end to a string of violent robberies led by an unsuspecting family man.
Cast
Mark Ruffalo, Tom Pelphrey, Emilia Jones, Fabien Frankel, Thuso Mbedu
Peacemaker
Comedy•Action•Adventure•Sci-fi•Crime•Fantasy
Overview
The continuing story of Peacemaker – a compellingly vainglorious man who believes in peace at any cost, no matter how many people he has to kill to get it – in the aftermath of the events of “The Suicide Squad.”
Cast
John Cena, Danielle Brooks, Freddie Stroma, Chukwudi Iwuji, Jennifer Holland
The Pitt
Drama
Overview
The staff of Pittsburgh's Trauma Medical Center work around the clock to save lives in an overcrowded and underfunded emergency department.
Cast
Noah Wyle, Tracy Ifeachor, Patrick Ball, Katherine LaNasa, Supriya Ganesh
The Last of Us
Drama•Horror•Sci-fi•Mystery•Thriller•Action•Adventure
Overview
Twenty years after modern civilization has been destroyed, Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie, a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal, heartbreaking journey, as they both must traverse the United States and depend on each other for survival.
Cast
Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey
Duration
73 minutes
The White Lotus
Comedy•Drama•Mystery•Thriller
Overview
Follow the exploits of various guests and employees at an exclusive tropical resort over the span of a week as with each passing day, a darker complexity emerges in these picture-perfect travelers, the hotel’s cheerful employees and the idyllic locale itself.
Cast
Theo James, F. Murray Abraham, Jennifer Coolidge, Adam DiMarco, Meghann Fahy
Bookish
Crime•Drama
Overview
Gabriel Book, proprietor of an antiquarian bookshop, relies on his vast collection to unravel baffling cases. He nurtures a group of lovable yet troubled individuals, providing informal protection and guidance.
Director
Carolina Giammetta
The Big Bang Theory
Comedy•Romance
Overview
Physicists Leonard and Sheldon find their nerd-centric social circle with pals Howard and Raj expanding when aspiring actress Penny moves in next door.
Cast
Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar
True Detective
Crime•Drama•Mystery•Thriller
Overview
An American anthology police detective series utilizing multiple timelines in which investigations seem to unearth personal and professional secrets of those involved, both within or outside the law.
Cast
Mahershala Ali, Stephen Dorff, Carmen Ejogo, Scoot McNairy, Ray Fisher
Friends
Comedy•Romance
Overview
Six young people from New York City, on their own and struggling to survive in the real world, find the companionship, comfort and support they get from each other to be the perfect antidote to the pressures of life.
Cast
Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry
Game of Thrones
Drama•Fantasy•Action•Adventure•Sci-fi
Overview
Seven noble families fight for control of the mythical land of Westeros. Friction between the houses leads to full-scale war. All while a very ancient evil awakens in the farthest north. Amidst the war, a neglected military order of misfits, the Night's Watch, is all that stands between the realms of men and icy horrors beyond.
Director
ERLİK
Cast
Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke, Liam Cunningham, Jacob Anderson, Maisie Williams
C.B. Strike
Crime•Drama•Mystery•Thriller
Overview
A war veteran turned private detective operates out of a tiny office in London’s Denmark Street. Although wounded both physically and psychologically, his unique insight and background as a military police investigator prove crucial in solving complex crimes that have baffled the police. Based on the bestselling novels written by J.K. Rowling under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith.
Cast
Tom Burke, Holliday Grainger
Duration
60 minutes
The Sopranos
Crime•Drama
Overview
The story of New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads. Those difficulties are often highlighted through his ongoing professional relationship with psychiatrist Jennifer Melfi. The show features Tony's family members and Mafia associates in prominent roles and story arcs, most notably his wife Carmela and his cousin and protégé Christopher Moltisanti.
Cast
James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Robert Iler, Lorraine Bracco
Rick and Morty
Animation•Comedy•Sci-fi•Action•Adventure
Overview
Rick is a mentally-unbalanced but scientifically gifted old man who has recently reconnected with his family. He spends most of his time involving his young grandson Morty in dangerous, outlandish adventures throughout space and alternate universes. Compounded with Morty's already unstable family life, these events cause Morty much distress at home and school.
Cast
Chris Parnell, Spencer Grammer, Sarah Chalke
Succession
Drama•Comedy
Overview
Follow the lives of the Roy family as they contemplate their future once their aging father begins to step back from the media and entertainment conglomerate they control.
Cast
Jeremy Strong, Kieran Culkin, Sarah Snook, Brian Cox, Matthew Macfadyen
Brilliant Minds
Drama
Overview
A rare condition — face blindness — gives an eccentric yet incredibly gifted neurologist a unique perspective on care, fueling his mission to change the way people see his patients. Alongside a team of brilliant young interns, he solves some of the world's most puzzling psychological cases while navigating the complicated relationships that come with the job.
Cast
Zachary Quinto, Tamberla Perry, Ashleigh LaThrop, Alex MacNicoll, Aury Krebs
Chernobyl
Drama•History•Thriller•Mystery
Overview
The true story of one of the worst man-made catastrophes in history: the catastrophic nuclear accident at Chernobyl. A tale of the brave men and women who sacrificed to save Europe from unimaginable disaster.
Director
Alexey Muradov
Cast
Aleksandr Ilin, Igor Petrenko, Nadezhda Mikhalkova, Dmitri Ulyanov, Mariya Andreeva
The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst
Documentary•Crime
Overview
Robert Durst, scion of NY's billionaire real-estate family, has been accused of three murders but has evaded justice for over 30 years. Durst speaks in this true crime series, revealing secrets of a case that has baffled authorities.
Director
Andrew Jarecki
Cast
Robert Durst, Andrew Jarecki, Marc Smerling, Zachary Stuart-Pontier, Lynda Obst
And Just Like That...
Comedy•Drama•Romance
Overview
This new chapter of “Sex and the City” follows Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte as they navigate the journey from the complicated reality of life and friendship in their 30s to the even more complicated reality of life and friendship in their 50s.
Cast
Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis, Sara Ramirez, Cathy Ang
ER
Drama•Romance•Documentary
Overview
An emergency physician is accused of negligence, imprisoned, and banned from practising medicine. Released on parole, he gets a job as an ambulance driver. Being part of the ER crew, he can’t hide his medical expertise and keeps saving lives, even if ‘unofficially’. He only wants one thing — to legally practice medicine again. The life of the ER station consists of dramatic and often unconventional medical cases and tumultuous relationships inside the team. The characters’ life stories are troubled, but love heals all their wounds. Meetings and goodbyes, parents and children, personal dramas: it’s all connected in the show while the characters look for and find ways out of the most challenging professional and romantic situations.
Cast
Parminder Nagra, Linda Cardellini, David Lyons, Angela Bassett, Maura Tierney
The Wire
Crime•Drama•Thriller•Mystery
Overview
Told from the points of view of both the Baltimore homicide and narcotics detectives and their targets, the series captures a universe in which the national war on drugs has become a permanent, self-sustaining bureaucracy, and distinctions between good and evil are routinely obliterated.
Cast
Dominic West, Lance Reddick, Sonja Sohn, Wendell Pierce, Michael Kenneth Williams
Somebody Somewhere
Comedy•Drama
Overview
Sam is a true Kansan on the surface but beneath it all struggles to fit the hometown mold. As she grapples with loss and acceptance, singing is Sam’s saving grace and leads her on a journey to discover herself and a community of outsiders that don’t fit in but don’t give up, showing that finding your people, and finding your voice, is possible. Anywhere. Somewhere.
Cast
Bridget Everett, Jeff Hiller, Mary Catherine Garrison, Murray Hill, Tim Bagley
Duration
26 minutes
The Leftovers
Drama•Fantasy•Mystery•Sci-fi•Thriller
Overview
When 2% of the world's population abruptly disappears without explanation, the world struggles to understand just what they're supposed to do about it. This is the story of the people who didn't make the cut.
Cast
Justin Theroux, Amy Brenneman, Christopher Eccleston, Margaret Qualley, Chris Zylka
Supernatural
Drama•Fantasy•Horror•Mystery•Thriller•Sci-fi
Overview
When they were boys, Sam and Dean Winchester lost their mother to a mysterious and demonic supernatural force. Subsequently, their father raised them to be soldiers. He taught them about the paranormal evil that lives in the dark corners and on the back roads of America ... and he taught them how to kill it. Now, the Winchester brothers crisscross the country in their '67 Chevy Impala, battling every kind of supernatural threat they encounter along the way.
Cast
Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, Misha Collins
Big Little Lies
Drama•Crime
Overview
The tale of three mothers of first graders whose apparently perfect lives unravel to the point of murder.
Cast
Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Shailene Woodley, Laura Dern, Adam Scott
Euphoria
Drama
Overview
A group of high school students navigate love and friendships in a world of drugs, sex, trauma, and social media.
Cast
Zendaya, Hunter Schafer, Sydney Sweeney, Alexa Demie, Angus Cloud
Barry
Comedy•Action•Crime•Drama•Adventure
Overview
A listless hitman is enthralled by theatre acting and becomes eager to leave his old life behind in pursuit of a new career.
Cast
Bill Hader, Sarah Goldberg, Anthony Carrigan, Henry Winkler, Stephen Root
Mare of Easttown
Drama•Crime•Mystery•Thriller
Overview
A detective in a small Pennsylvania town investigates a local murder while trying to keep her life from falling apart.
Cast
Kate Winslet, Jean Smart, Julianne Nicholson, Angourie Rice, Evan Peters
Band of Brothers
Drama•History•War•Action•Adventure
Overview
Drawn from interviews with survivors of Easy Company, as well as their journals and letters, Band of Brothers chronicles the experiences of these men from paratrooper training in Georgia through the end of the war. As an elite rifle company parachuting into Normandy early on D-Day morning, participants in the Battle of the Bulge, and witness to the horrors of war, the men of Easy knew extraordinary bravery and extraordinary fear - and became the stuff of legend. Based on Stephen E. Ambrose's acclaimed book of the same name.
Cast
Damian Lewis, Donnie Wahlberg, David Schwimmer, Eion Bailey, Ron Livingston
The Newsroom
Drama
Overview
A behind-the-scenes look at the people who make a nightly cable-news program. Focusing on a network anchor, his new executive producer, the newsroom staff and their boss, the series tracks their quixotic mission to do the news well in the face of corporate and commercial obstacles-not to mention their own personal entanglements.
Cast
Jeff Daniels, Emily Mortimer, John Gallagher Jr., Alison Pill, Thomas Sadoski
The West Wing
Drama
Overview
The West Wing provides a glimpse into presidential politics in the nation's capital as it tells the stories of the members of a fictional presidential administration. These interesting characters have humor and dedication that touches the heart while the politics that they discuss touch on everyday life.
Cast
Martin Sheen, Allison Janney, Richard Schiff, John Spencer, Bradley Whitford
Welcome to Plathville
Reality
Overview
The nine flaxen-haired children in the Plath family have never had a soda, don't know who Spiderman or Tom Brady is and have never watched TV, living remotely in rural Georgia with their "follow their own rules" parents Kim and Barry Plath.
Duration
45 minutes
The Vampire Diaries
Drama•Fantasy•Horror•Mystery•Romance•Thriller•Sci-fi
Overview
The story of two vampire brothers obsessed with the same girl, who bears a striking resemblance to the beautiful but ruthless vampire they knew and loved in 1864.
Cast
Paul Wesley, Ian Somerhalder, Kat Graham, Candice King, Zach Roerig
The O.C.
Drama•Comedy•Romance
Overview
Ryan Atwood, a teen from the wrong side of the tracks, moves in with a wealthy family willing to give him a chance. But Ryan's arrival disturbs the status quo of the affluent, privileged community of Newport Beach, California.
Cast
Peter Gallagher, Kelly Rowan, Ben McKenzie, Adam Brody, Melinda Clarke
Silicon Valley
Comedy
Overview
In the high-tech gold rush of modern Silicon Valley, the people most qualified to succeed are the least capable of handling success. Partially inspired by Mike Judge’s own experiences as a Silicon Valley engineer in the late ‘80s, Silicon Valley is an American sitcom that centers around six programmers who are living together and trying to make it big in the Silicon Valley.
Cast
Thomas Middleditch, Zach Woods, Kumail Nanjiani, Martin Starr, Amanda Crew
House of the Dragon
Drama•Fantasy•Sci-fi•Action•Adventure•Romance
Overview
The Targaryen dynasty is at the absolute apex of its power, with more than 15 dragons under their yoke. Most empires crumble from such heights. In the case of the Targaryens, their slow fall begins when King Viserys breaks with a century of tradition by naming his daughter Rhaenyra heir to the Iron Throne. But when Viserys later fathers a son, the court is shocked when Rhaenyra retains her status as his heir, and seeds of division sow friction across the realm.
Cast
Emma D'Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Rhys Ifans
Duration
1 minutes
Banshee
Thriller•Drama•Action•Crime•Mystery•Adventure
Overview
Banshee is an American drama television series set in a small town in Pennsylvania Amish country and features an enigmatic ex-con posing as a murdered sheriff who imposes his own brand of justice while also cooking up plans that serve his own interests.
Cast
Antony Starr, Ivana Miličević, Ulrich Thomsen, Frankie Faison, Hoon Lee
The Penguin
Crime•Drama•Fantasy
Overview
With the city in peril following the seawall's collapse, Oswald "Oz" Cobb seeks to fill the power vacuum left by the death of Carmine Falcone and finally give his mother Francis the life he's always promised. But first, Oz must confront his enemies and his own demoralizing reputation as "the Penguin."
Cast
Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz, Deirdre O'Connell, Clancy Brown
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Comedy
Overview
The off-kilter, unscripted comic vision of Larry David, who plays himself in a parallel universe in which he can't seem to do anything right, and, by his standards, neither can anyone else.
Cast
Larry David, Jeff Garlin, Susie Essman, Cheryl Hines, J.B. Smoove
Sex and the City
Comedy•Drama•Romance
Overview
Based on the bestselling book by Candace Bushnell, Sex and the City tells the story of four best friends, all single and in their late thirties, as they pursue their careers and talk about their sex lives, all while trying to survive the New York social scene.
Cast
Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis
Shameless
Comedy•Drama
Overview
Chicagoan Frank Gallagher is the proud single dad of six smart, industrious, independent kids, who without him would be... perhaps better off. When Frank's not at the bar spending what little money they have, he's passed out on the floor. But the kids have found ways to grow up in spite of him. They may not be like any family you know, but they make no apologies for being exactly who they are.
Cast
William H. Macy, Jeremy Allen White, Ethan Cutkosky, Shanola Hampton, Steve Howey
Veep
Comedy
Overview
A look into American politics, revolving around former Senator Selina Meyer who finds being Vice President of the United States is nothing like she expected and everything everyone ever warned her about.
Cast
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Anna Chlumsky, Tony Hale, Reid Scott, Timothy Simons
Gilmore Girls
Comedy•Drama
Overview
Set in the charming town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut, the series follows the captivating lives of Lorelai and Rory Gilmore, a mother/daughter pair who have a relationship most people only dream of.
Cast
Lauren Graham, Alexis Bledel, Keiko Agena, Scott Patterson, Yanic Truesdale
Sister Wives
Reality•Drama•Family•Kids
Overview
Husband Kody Brown, along with his four wives (only one of which is legally married to Kody) and their combined 18 children, attempts to navigate life as a "normal" family in a society that shuns their lifestyle.
Cast
Kody Brown
Duration
42 minutes
The Mentalist
Crime•Mystery•Drama•Thriller
Overview
Patrick Jane, a former celebrity psychic medium, uses his razor sharp skills of observation and expertise at "reading" people to solve serious crimes with the California Bureau of Investigation.
Cast
Simon Baker, Robin Tunney, Tim Kang, Rockmond Dunbar, Joe Adler
Smallville
Drama•Action•Adventure•Sci-fi
Overview
The origins of the world’s greatest hero–from Krypton refugee Kal-el’s arrival on Earth through his tumultuous teen years to Clark Kent’s final steps toward embracing his destiny as the Man of Steel.
Cast
Tom Welling, Erica Durance, Cassidy Freeman, Justin Hartley
The Undoing
Drama•Crime•Mystery•Thriller
Overview
Grace and Jonathan Fraser are living the only lives they ever wanted. Overnight a chasm opens in their lives: a violent death and a chain of terrible revelations. Left behind in the wake of a spreading and very public disaster, Grace must dismantle one life and create another for her child and her family.
Cast
Nicole Kidman, Hugh Grant, Edgar Ramírez, Noah Jupe, Lily Rabe
Eastbound & Down
Comedy•Drama•Sport
Overview
Years after he turned his back on his hometown, a burned-out major league ballplayer returns to teach phys ed at his old middle school.
Cast
Danny McBride, Steve Little, Katy Mixon
Billy Joel: And So It Goes
Documentary
Overview
An expansive portrait of the life and music of Billy Joel, exploring the love, loss, and personal struggles that fuel his songwriting. With unprecedented access to never-before-seen performances, home movies, and personal photographs, along with extensive, in-depth one-on-one interviews, the documentary intimately explores the life and work of Joel, whose music has endured across generations.
Cast
Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Sting, Don Henley
The 100
Drama•Sci-fi•Adventure•Action•Crime
Overview
100 years in the future, when the Earth has been abandoned due to radioactivity, the last surviving humans live on an ark orbiting the planet — but the ark won't last forever. So the repressive regime picks 100 expendable juvenile delinquents to send down to Earth to see if the planet is still habitable.
Cast
Eliza Taylor, Tasya Teles, Marie Avgeropoulos, Bob Morley, Chuku Modu
Our Flag Means Death
Comedy•Drama•Action•Adventure•History•Romance
Overview
After trading in the seemingly charmed life of a gentleman for one of a swashbuckling buccaneer, Stede Bonnet becomes captain of the pirate ship Revenge. Struggling to earn the respect of his potentially mutinous crew, Stede’s fortunes change after a fateful run-in with the infamous Captain Blackbeard. Stede and crew attempt to get their ship together and survive life on the high seas.
Cast
Rhys Darby, Taika Waititi, Kristian Nairn, Nathan Foad, Samson Kayo
Duration
29 minutes