Let’s get real: Max (once HBO Max, and still the unchallenged house of prestige television) has gone through more rebrands than a pop star updating their image, but its roster? Unbeaten. Whether you’re in the mood for propulsive dramas, bite-sharp comedies, or the sort of true-crime mayhem that keeps you up late at night, Max has something to occupy your binge hours. So what do you need to queue up first? Here’s the ultimate countdown of the 10 best shows on Max right now, backward, naturally, because who doesn’t enjoy a little drama?
10. The Pitt
Medical dramas are still kicking, and The Pitt is evidence. Envision ER with a shot of adrenaline episode takes place in real time across a 15-hour shift in a Pittsburgh trauma center. Noah Wyle returns in his scrubs as chief attending, both nostalgic and intense. It’s quick, suspenseful, and already on Emmy radar screens as one of streaming’s first original procedurals to make a big splash.
9. The Gilded Age
If Downton Abbey packed its bags and moved to 1880s New York, you’d get The Gilded Age. Created by Julian Fellowes, this soapy yet lavish period drama is all about status, scandal, and the clash between old money and new. Christine Baranski, Carrie Coon, and Cynthia Nixon lead a powerhouse cast—and the costumes alone are worth the watch.
8. The Righteous Gemstones
What if Succession swapped Wall Street with Sunday sermons? Step forward, The Righteous Gemstones, a raunchy, holy muck about a televangelist dynasty founded on greed and mayhem. Danny McBride, John Goodman, and co are wonderfully over-the-top, serving up a satire that’s both scathing and side-splittingly funny.
7. The White Lotus
Lovely resorts, disheveled individuals, homicide. Mike White’s The White Lotus transports us to a fresh paradise with every season (Hawaii, Sicily, Thailand), but under the pampering is jealousy, dishonesty, and lots of mayhem. With its blend of dark humor and social commentary, it’s the exceptional series that’s as binge-worthy as it is mentally stimulating.
6. Hacks
Jean Smart performs for the ages in Hacks as Deborah Vance, a veteran Las Vegas comedian holding on to her edge. Together with Hannah Einbinder’s clumsy Gen Z writer, the two create an improbable pair in a cutting, affecting comedy that juggles acerbic wit with real feeling. In short, Smart is wonderful—and so is the series.
5. The Rehearsal
Describing The Rehearsal is akin to describing a fever dream. Nathan Fielder goes to rehearse important moments in the lives of strangers, and the project goes off in ever-more-surreal, existential directions. Equally brilliant and cringe-worthy, it’s one of the most innovative reality-experiment television shows ever seen.
4. Peacemaker
John Cena excels as the surprisingly charming antihero in Peacemaker, spun off from James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad. The series is gleefully violent, crass, and ridiculous—but also unexpectedly sentimental. It’s the ideal blend of comic-book mayhem and character-based drama, with Season 2 doubling down as part of Gunn’s new DC universe.
3. The Last of Us
And lastly, a video game adaptation that gets it right. The Last of Us teams Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey for an emotional, suspenseful ride through post-apocalyptic America overrun by fungal terrors. Half heartbreaking and half terrifying, it’s a survival epic of master storytelling and one of HBO’s largest critical and financial successes.
2. House of the Dragon
Hungry for more dragons and politicking backstabbing? House of the Dragon’s got you. Decades ahead of Game of Thrones, it follows the rise and fall of the Targaryen empire. It’s soapy, gory, and filled with fire—literally. No, it doesn’t rehash the formula, but come on: more Thrones can’t hurt anyone.
1. The Sopranos
The crown jewel of HBO still reigns supreme. More than two decades after its debut, The Sopranos remains the gold standard of prestige TV. James Gandolfini’s Tony Soprano is as complex and unforgettable as ever, and the show’s blend of crime, family drama, and dark comedy makes it endlessly rewatchable. Simply put, it’s one of the greatest shows of all time.
So there it is—the absolute best of Max. Whether you’re here for mobsters, dragons, or morally bankrupt televangelists, these shows prove HBO still knows how to deliver television worth obsessing over. Grab your snacks and cancel your plans—it’s binge time.