The Nazi America twist on Peacemaker season 2 had a lot of fans questioning what characters they did and didn’t like. But we got to meet one alternate universe character in episode 6 that really is kind of iconic. I am talking about Vigilante, of course.

The reveal that we are in a world where the Nazis won World War II comes to us in multiple ways, one being Adrian 2 (Freddie Stroma) telling our original Vigilante that Peacemaker is his enemy and that Vigilante 2 fights with the Sons of Liberty. Meaning that Adrian 2 is fighting for freedom for people oppressed by the Nazi ideals that have taken over that earth.

Adrian 2 shows a stark difference between how some people operate in that world vs. what others can do. Auggie Smith (Robert Patrick) is upholding ideals he doesn’t believe in because it is the way of the world and then we have Adrian 2 who is actively fighting against said ideals. It is a great comparison to our world as well.

Yes, the Nazis did not win World War II here but as Ads (Danielle Brooks) points out on the show: “The sad part is, I’m not so sure this Nazi world is as different from our world as we wish it was.”

But to that point, we do have both the Adrian 2s and the Auggie Smiths in our world as well. Adrian is willing to fight back against the oppressors to help those who need them and Auggie would rather sit back and just uphold the law and benefit from his status as a white man, despite disagreeing with the way of the world.

It ultimately made Adrian 2 an absolute badass and a character that I wanted to know more about.

Is Vigilante the best character on Peacemaker?

When the Prime Adrian meets Adrian 2, he quickly realizes that there are many similarities between them. They both love the same Pokémon and continue to answer questions the same. But when Prime Adrian asks if he’s best friends with Chris Smith, things take a turn. What it shows though is that Adrian is someone willing to stand on business.

We know that our Vigilante is loyal and often to a fault. He loves Chris and will do anything for him. Adrian 2 wants to actually be a hero and will do what it takes to succeed at that. Which makes him a badass.

Yes, Auggie was talking about how he doesn’t agree with the Nazis and the way they think and he was saying that he tries to take on the “monsters” of the world but the Blue Dragon and his sons are known for coming after the Sons of Liberty, a group actively working to oppose the Nazi views. So…does that mean that Auggie considers them monsters?

The entire situation is a lot of complacent behavior on behalf of Auggie but at least this Nazi America has men like Adrian there, ready to fight.

(featured image: HBO Max)

Have a tip we should know? [email protected]

Rachel Leishman

Assistant Editor

Rachel Leishman (She/Her) is an Assistant Editor at the Mary Sue. She’s been a writer professionally since 2016 but was always obsessed with movies and television and writing about them growing up. A lover of Spider-Man and Wanda Maximoff’s biggest defender, she has interests in all things nerdy and a cat named Benjamin Wyatt the cat. If you want to talk classic rock music or all things Harrison Ford, she’s your girl but her interests span far and wide. Yes, she knows she looks like Florence Pugh. She has multiple podcasts, normally has opinions on any bit of pop culture, and can tell you can actors entire filmography off the top of her head. Her current obsession is Glen Powell’s dog, Brisket.

Her work at the Mary Sue often includes Star Wars, Marvel, DC, movie reviews, and interviews.

Last year marked the 25th anniversary of Fight Club, one of the most beloved cult movies of the 20th century.

Given the subject matter covered in the film, it’s also easy to understand why this is one 20th Century Fox film that Disney has largely kept at arm’s length. You may not see this one on Hulu, and it’s definitely not going to Disney+.

However, this movie will be exiting its current streaming home very soon.

That’s why Watch With Us is sharing the reasons why Fight Club is our pick for the great movie you have to watch before it leaves HBO Max in September.

Brad Pitt and Ed Norton Give Terrific Performances

Ed Norton gets top billing over Brad Pitt in this movie, but the latter has the most dynamic performance in the flick. Tyler Durden (Pitt) is everything the unnamed Narrator (Norton) could never be: handsome, charismatic and fully self-assured. He’s kind of the embodiment of the current online manosphere as well. Pitt plays Tyler with conviction and wasn’t afraid to make some over-the-top choices.

The Narrator may not be as flashy, but Norton’s narration gives Fight Club a lot of its funniest moments. He’s a downtrodden cynic until Tyler shows him a new way to find self-respect by beating each other up before they team up to start their own underground fighting club. The Narrator feels a lot more empathetic than Tyler does, and less inclined to make the same choices.

Helena Bonham Carter is also great as Marla Singer, the woman who plays a big role in both of their lives. She doesn’t factor into the story as often as the two guys, but Carter elevates the film whenever she’s on the screen.

The Twist Brings Out the Film’s Dark Humor

Related: 18 Must-Watch Thrillers on HBO Max Right Now (September 2025)

HBO Max’s film selection seems to keep getting better with time, and September is no different. In particular, the streamer is a hot spot for fantastic thrillers, with one of the most popular of 2025 currently available to watch. Thank You! You have successfully subscribed. Subscribe to newsletters Please enter a valid email. Subscribe By […]

As explained by Tyler in the clip above, the first two rules of Fight Club are to never talk about Fight Club. To paraphrase that for anyone who hasn’t seen the movie, the same rule applies for the film’s big twist. That’s why we’re not going to get into the specifics of that here. It’s enough to say that the Narrator learns a big secret during the course of the story that re-frames everything he experienced up to that point.

The twist has been divisive for some movie lovers, but it also sent the story into some unexpectedly hilarious directions. Fincher clearly loves the story’s dark humor, and the Narrator finds himself increasingly isolated when he dares to go against Tyler’s ideology. There are some comedic moments throughout the movie, but those darkly funny aspects rise to the forefront after the Narrator’s revelation.

The Ending Is Incredibly Audacious

The story paints the Narrator into such a dire corner that it creates a great deal of tension as the film nears its climax. There’s almost no way for the Narrator to come out on top. Tyler has planned everything out to a ridiculous degree. And then the Narrator surprises both the audience and Tyler with his ultimate choice.

Related: 25 Must-Watch Movies on HBO Max to Stream Right Now (September 2025)

Sometimes, there are no better films to enjoy on HBO Max than a handful of newly arrived classic movies. Goodfellas certainly fits the bill in September as one of the best movies you can enjoy on HBO Max. Thank You! You have successfully subscribed. Subscribe to newsletters Please enter a valid email. Subscribe By signing […]

Fight Club‘s ending may not work for everyone, but when The Pixies’ “Where Is My Mind?” starts playing, it’s hard not to laugh at those final moments. It’s the happiest ending possible in this world, and an audacious choice that a lesser film wouldn’t attempt. Fight Club probably wouldn’t be as popular as it is today if it hadn’t gone for that bonkers conclusion. That’s definitely the biggest reason I love the movie.

Fight Club is streaming on HBO Max until September 30.

[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for Season 2 of Peacemaker.]

In Season 2 of the eight-episode HBO Max series Peacemaker, Christopher Smith (John Cena) discovered an alternate world where his father (Robert Patrick) and brother (David Denman) are alive and superheroes, forcing him to face his past and re-evaluate his own reality. At the same time, Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo), the new acting director of ARGUS, pursued Peacemaker as a threat after the death of his son, Rick Flag Jr. (Joel Kinnaman), at his hands, putting pressure on Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland) to betray him.

During this one-on-one interview with Collider, show creator James Gunn, who also wrote the entire season, discussed why Peacemaker should actually be titled Chris, how far ahead he thinks about the character’s journey, his 30 Seconds to Mars quip in the first episode this season, the fun of bringing Kinnaman into the mix, having John Cena face off with John Cena, just how big the finale will be, and how fans will react to the end of the season.

Collider: First of all, I want to say thank you for Season 2 of Christopher Smith. It’s much appreciated. It feels weird calling this season Peacemaker since it’s such an emotional deep dive this season.

JAMES GUNN: That’s right. I don’t know if you’ve heard me say it, but I think it should be called Chris.

Showrunner James Gunn Has Always Known How the Peacemaker and Harcourt Relationship Would Progress

“I always knew what he was dealing with.”

Image via HBO Max

When you were writing Season 2, how much did you also think about the next few years of the character?

GUNN: Some of it, I thought about, and some of it, I didn’t. I actually know where Peacemaker is going from here, so that was always a part of it. It was just, what’s the road from A to B, and figuring that out through Season 2. I always knew what he was dealing with, and I knew about the relationship between him and Emilia Harcourt and how that was going to progress, and where her character was going. Those were the basic things I knew.

Did you lay breadcrumbs that we should keep an eye out for?

GUNN: I think that by the time you get to the end of the season, you’re going to have a lot of answers. A lot of where we’re going with everything takes place in the last episode.

You wrote these episodes and you directed the first episode, so obviously you’re responsible for the 30 Seconds to Mars quip that’s in there with Harcourt saying “I’m not on good terms with 30 Seconds to Mars. How dare you.” How did that come about?

GUNN: Yep. I just felt mean about the Spin Doctors being thrown in there. I don’t think that was too fair for us to say Spin Doctors. Nothing wrong with the Spin Doctors.

You didn’t have to carry Joel Kinnaman or Rick Flag over from the original Suicide Squad film into yours, but you did, and then you brought him into this season of Peacemaker. Why did you want to keep telling his story?

GUNN: I always knew, from the beginning. Jen [Holland] and I knew that Harcourt and Flag had been having an affair when The Suicide Squad stuff happened. That was her reason for disliking Peacemaker so much, from the very beginning of episode one of Peacemaker. We knew that she had this relationship with him that was not only a sexual relationship, but that’s just the way that they deal with their stuff. It really was a friendship. And so, that was always a plan. And then, adding in geeky Joel Kinnaman was the most fun I had. Joel’s a good friend of mine. He’s an incredibly funny guy, and people don’t know it. He’s literally never been in a comedy. And so, just allowing him to go out there and be this ridiculous, namby-pamby character was so fun for me. When I was writing it, I was just laughing, knowing I would be making Joel do this. And then, Joel just did it perfectly. It’s so good.

Did you have to make sure he was actually able to do it before you wrote it?

GUNN: No, because I know him well enough that I knew he’d be able to do it. I think that he surprised me with how well he was able to do it. He completely just went for it. The scariest part was that I didn’t direct that episode. That was directed by Greg Mottola. Greg’s the one I trust the most out of the other directors, so I thought he would probably be good with it. It’s great. I loved it.

In Season 2, Peacemaker Wonders if He’s Living in the Wrong Reality

“I knew that was going to happen.”

A dimensional portal that leads to 99 other universes in your bedroom seems like both a great and really terrible idea because you might kill your other-dimensional self and have to chop him up and burn the pieces. Were you just looking for the right moment where John Cena would have to murder John Cena?

GUNN: I really wasn’t. It just ended up that way. It’s just where it led to. I knew that was going to happen. I didn’t know it was going to happen so soon in the season when I was first planning it out, but it makes sense. It fuels Chris’ belief that he’s in the wrong world. He is, at his core, a pretty nice guy and that Peacemaker is not, and yet everyone around that Peacemaker is.

I loved that you roped Freddie Stroma into helping John Cena clean up pieces of his own body. He just wants to be the best friend that he can be.

GUNN: Yeah. And Freddie loves doing that. He’s also very excited about an alternate dimension in which he can meet himself. He’s stoked about that. We’ll see how that ends up going for him.

In episode 3, you have a shootout, you have bombs going off, and there’s a helicopter exploding. What is it like to pull all of that off in one episode? Is it easier to go all out and do a ton of wild stuff in one episode because this is a show that you can balance with other episodes that are more character and relationship-based?

GUNN: Totally, yeah. When you see episode 8, it seems like it’s as big as any other four episodes. So, yeah, you do have to balance out throughout the season what you’re spending your money on. Peacemaker is a wild beast to ride because at times it’s very intimate and very personal. It’s two people in a room talking. I think perhaps our best scene of the season is with Jen and John talking for 10 minutes. It’s the much more raw emotional version of the Lois and Clark scene in Superman. But then, at the same time, some of the big stuff is really wonderful too. You’ve just got to balance it out throughout the season.

We see a Hawkgirl, Green Lantern and Maxwell Lord at the beginning of the season, and we see Rick Flag. Will there be more appearances before the end of the season?

GUNN: You’ll see one more character from Superman. There’s also one really big appearance by somebody in the end of the season that I don’t think people will see coming.

Creator James Gunn Says the ‘Peacemaker’ Season 2 Finale Is “Bittersweet”

“Bittersweet doesn’t even begin to say how bittersweet it is.”

Image via HBO Max

You mentioned giving a lot of answers this season, but what do you think people will say with the last episode? How do you think fans will react to the season finale?

GUNN: Bittersweet doesn’t even begin to say how bittersweet it is.

Release Date

January 13, 2022

Network

HBO Max, Max

Peacemaker is available to stream on HBO Max. Check out the Season 2 trailer:

Looney Tunes‘ search for a streaming home has reached a happy ending—and some consolation after being prominently featured on HBO Max initially and then being wiped from the platform. The series has settled on Tubi, where fans can now find over 700 episodes.

After being removed from the HBO Max media library back in March, the majority of the classic Looney Tunes cartoons were in limbo, but thankfully, Tubi swept in to save them. The rescue all but mirrors the prophetic algorithms-are-evil plot of Space Jam 2, where the Tunes’ franchise world was being threatened with deletion off the fictional Warner 3000 streaming service. Like Jordan and LeBron, Tubi is the real MVP here!

It’s really neat to see the Looney Tunes be widely available on a free platform and not a paywalled streaming service; it reminds me of the accessibility of watching them for free when I was little. Looney Tunes cartoons were how I discovered classical music, slapstick heroics, and a love for animation. I’m delighted a new generation has such readily available access now too.

The HBO Max original Looney Tunes Cartoons series, which began in 2020, as well as recent spin-offs such as Bugs Bunny Builders and Tiny Toons: Looniversity, are all that remain on the WB Discovery streaming service. It is also the streaming home of The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie, which enjoyed a theatrical run—pulling in $15 million at the box office—after Ketchup Entertainment stepped in to give it a big-screen showcase. (Ketchup is also giving the upcoming Coyote vs. Acme its theatrical release.)

This Tubi news is a win for animation and free access to the formative classics in pop culture. Truly you can never underestimate the Looney Tunes characters making a cartoony Hail Mary comeback, no matter which corporation tosses an anvil at them.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

As of this month, Max is once again known as HBO Max. Regardless of the name, it still has one of the best lineups of movies you can find online.

Unfortunately, HBO Max will lose many great titles after July 31, and the clock is ticking if you want to catch your favorites before they leave.

To help you plan out your movie nights, Watch With Us has selected the three must-watch HBO Max movies leaving in July 2025 that you need to stream now.

Our picks include an all-time great rom-com with Richard Gere, a fresh take on a classic literary character and an inventive adaptation of a children’s novel.

Related: 25 Must-Watch Movies on HBO Max to Stream Right Now (July 2025)

HBO Max isn’t content to rest on its laurels. The streamer added one of 2025’s biggest hits, Sinners, at the beginning of July, but it’s still adding more movies to its expanding library. This month, HBO Max added the indie fantasy Death of a Unicorn, a weirdly entertaining comedy fantasy starring Wednesday’s Jenna Ortega and […]

‘Pretty Woman’ (1990)

Few rom-coms have soared higher than Pretty Woman, and this is also the movie that made Julia Roberts a movie star. Roberts plays Vivian Ward, a prostitute whose chance meeting with corporate raider Edward Lewis (Richard Gere) changes both of their lives. Edward is so taken by Vivian that he impulsively hires her to be his escort for an entire week during his high society events.

Vivian gets a crash course in etiquette and learns how to fit in with Edward’s world. As they spend more time together, Edward and Vivian also experience deeper feelings for each other. That may complicate things as their arrangement nears its conclusion.

Pretty Woman is streaming on HBO Max.

‘Sherlock Holmes’ (2009)

Is Sherlock Holmes an action hero? He is in this movie, thanks to director Guy Ritchie. Robert Downey Jr. portrays the great detective at a moment in time when his partner, John Watson (Jude Law), has had enough of him and wants to end their working relationship.

Related: 5 Must-Watch HBO Max Shows That Are Perfect to Stream in the Summer

There are plenty of splashy shows on HBO Max for you to stream this summer. Whether your thing is light, fluffy romance like Sex and the City or intense drama like Big Little Lies, the Warner Bros. Discovery-owned platform has a little bit of everything. Watch With Us has picked out five series that have […]

After Sherlock and John stop serial killer Henry Blackwood (Mark Strong), his inexplicable return from the dead forces the duo to keep working together. Sherlock’s former adversary, Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams), also offers him some clues about this increasingly occult mystery. But this is one case that Sherlock may have to solve with both his fists and his wits.

Sherlock Holmes is streaming on HBO Max.

‘Where the Wild Things Are’ (2009)

If you’ve ever read Maurice Sendak‘s Where the Wild Things Are, you may be surprised by how faithful the movie is to the style of Sendak’s artwork, thanks to a mixture of CGI and animatronics for the Wild Things. Cowriter and director Spike Jonze greatly expanded the original children’s novel, but the heart of the story still revolves around a young boy named Max (Max Records).

After clashing with his mother, Connie (Catherine Keener), Max flees their home and finds himself in the land of the Wild Things. Once there, Max declares himself to be their king while befriending creatures like Carol (James Gandolfini), KW (Lauren Ambrose) and Ira (Forest Whitaker). This fantasy land may reflect Max’s desires, but they also reveal some hard truths he has to face if he ever goes home again.

Where the Wild Things Are is streaming on HBO Max.

HBO Max just released the first photo of Nick Frost in his Rubeus Hagrid costume ahead of the controversial Harry Potter series’ debut. While some are upset that he looks different from the old Hagrid, many feel he doesn’t look different enough. In the end, almost no one was happy.

Featured Video

Multiple casting choices for the upcoming series have caused rumbles on social media as HBO slowly releases the details. Meanwhile, every bit of news riles up strong feelings about J.K. Rowling.

Nick Frost dons the Hagrid beard

Hot Fuzz star Nick Frost’s image spread across social media on Tuesday after HBO Max released a photo of him in the iconic beard, shaggy hair, and coat. While he lacks the soft features of his predecessor, the late Robbie Coltrane, he’s pretty recognizable as the ol’ Hogwarts groundskeeper.

With its premiere date set for 2027, Max or HBO Max, or whatever they’re calling themselves these days, has been letting details come out in a trickle ever since series talks began in 2021. They only just revealed the actors for the young starring trio in late May.

The company revealed Nick Frost’s casting, along with a list of other adult characters, in April. Speaking to Collider in June, the Hagrid actor promised to play Coltrane’s former character differently, but not differently.

“While I’m really aware of what went before me in terms of Robbie [Coltrane]’s amazing performance, I’m never going to try and be Robbie,” he said. “I’m going to try and do something, not ‘different,’ I think you have to be respectful to the subject matter, but within that, there’s scope for minutia.”

With every reveal, trans people and their supporters have railed against another revenue stream for J.K. Rowling. The series author took an anti-trans turn several years ago and never returned, with her transphobic remarks growing worse over time.

Now that she’s created the J.K. Rowling Women’s Fund to support what she calls “women’s sex-based rights,” critics argue that any money made by the HBO series will fund attacks on trans people.

“Temu Hagrid”

The different face coming out of pretty much the same Hagrid costume isn’t doing much for folks on social media, regardless of how they feel about Rowling. A lot of people are making off-brand Hagrid jokes, referencing companies notorious for churning out cheap copies, or posting photos of the film cast’s stunt doubles.

“Temu Hagrid,” declared @BradJay_17.

“Giving stunt double vibes,” said @AlexGNop alongside a Spaceballs screenshot.

Others are so disappointed, they’re accusing HBO of disrespecting the original Harry Potter.

“The disrespect that this is to Robbie Coltrane’s fine work,” wrote @mycrotchetyluv. “Also, gd, is Nick Frost transphobic? I don’t understand how adults who are not can get hired on this thing.”

Meanwhile, some felt that not enough effort went in to making Hagrid’s look unique from the films, making them wonder what the point of the HBO reboot even is.

They’re literally not even changing the style guide. Joanne just wants a new version of the same thing, just without actors who hate her fucking guts. Hysterical, vapid slop. https://t.co/7JshHJRxf0

— Defiant Jazz (@Play_Champion) July 15, 2025

“They’re literally not even changing the style guide,” declared @Play_Champion. “Joanne just wants a new version of the same thing, just without actors who hate her fucking guts. Hysterical, vapid slop.”

It goes on like this all down the quote tweets of pretty much any news outlet’s X post.

I’m a slop enthusiast so naturally I’m gonna watch every second of this but it really just feels like these actors are dressing up as these characters for Halloween. https://t.co/0P8WeA6Lim

— ReelAverageReviews (@ReelAvgReviews) July 15, 2025

whats the fucking point of this show if it adds nothing and just rehashes everything the existing films did ??? stroke jk rowlings ego and get cancelled after max 2 seasons ? https://t.co/wIdqsLEKB4

— д (@basqany) July 15, 2025

i didn’t mind how potter looked. but this… what the fuck is this? why does he look like tim allen cosplaying as hagrid. why is he so skinny. why is the hair not extra puffed and curly on his head? https://t.co/uwTiVP589w

— (@akotalol) July 15, 2025

---

The internet is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here to get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.

J.J. Abrams teamed up once again with Lost star Josh Holloway to bring a new kind of detective story to HBO. Duster starred Holloway and Rachel Hilson in the 1970s crime thriller. Holloway plays Jim, a getaway driver who ends up crossing paths with Nina (Hilson), an FBI detective on a mission. The dynamic between Hilson and Holloway led to plenty of fun interactions and exciting scenes between the two actors for fans to explore. Yet despite the positive response to the series, it wasn’t enough to save the show. Still, it is ranking high in the HBO charts and has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 92%.

Duster has ranked in the Top 10 for the last week, despite the news. But even that wasn’t enough to save the show. While the series remained in the streaming platform’s Top 10, that wasn’t going to grant it a Season 2. The series didn’t reach the Nielsen Top 10 for streaming originals; it did make Luminate’s list of Top 50 streaming originals, but it was in the last spot.

“While HBO Max will not be moving forward with a second season of Duster, we are so grateful to have had the chance to work with the amazingly talented co-creators J.J. Abrams and LaToya Morgan, and our partners at Bad Robot and Warner Bros. Television,” HBO Max said in a statement to Deadline. “We are tremendously proud of this series led by Josh Holloway and Rachel Hilson and we thank them along with our cast and crew for their incredible collaboration and partnership.”

Original Shows Don’t Really Get a Chance

In the era of streaming, many shows don’t get their chance to shine. Platforms like Netflix have been infamous for giving a show two seasons and canceling it prior to the series finding its footing. This famously happened on HBO Max with Our Flag Means Death, which had fans hoping the show would be saved by other networks. Duster being canceled after its freshman outing when the show was critically acclaimed is a bit surprising, but the fact that it wasn’t ranked where it should have outside the streaming platform itself wasn’t enough to save it. Nor was its all-star cast, which also included Keith David and Greg Grunberg outside of Holloway and Hilson.

“J.J. Abrams and LaToya Morgan delivered a thrilling, multi-dimensional crime drama in Duster, with textured characters that took the audience back to the 1970s in a new and innovative way,” WBTV said in a statement to Deadline. “Those characters were brought to life by a wonderful team led by Josh, Rachel, and an extremely talented ensemble cast, along with an expert crew behind the scenes. We are incredibly proud of the show, and while we wish this journey could continue, we are thankful to our partners at HBO Max for the opportunity to tell Jim and Nina’s story.”

You can watch Season 1 of Duster now.

Duster

Release Date

May 14, 2025

Network

Max

Directors

Steph Green

• 

• 

Source: Deadline

A defining bastion of modern television and perhaps the single most pivotal brand in the medium’s rise to become a prestige form of dramatic entertainment in recent decades, HBO is a network and production house that has become synonymous with searing quality and creative dare. It is perhaps no great surprise in that case that the pay television service is home to so many of the greatest TV shows of all time.

While HBO has famously presented some of the greatest miniseries of all time and even five-season sensations like The Wire and Boardwalk Empire, this list will focus solely on the network’s catalogue of shows to have gone beyond Season 5. Ranging from crime dramas to satirical comedies, and even to fantasy phenomena, these 10 titles are a testament to HBO’s insatiable appetite for greatness and grandiosity.

10

‘Sex in the City’ (1998–2004)

Created by Darren Star

An icon of its time, Sex and the City has become as famous for the dialogue surrounding it and its central messaging as it has for its acidic wit, its flawed yet resonant characters, and its ability to mix social milieu with satirical mania. It follows the friendship between four driven and intelligent women living in New York City as they combat everything from strange sexual encounters to modern-day feminism, relationship woes, and the trials and triumphs of their respective career trajectories.

While Sex and the City is easy to criticize retrospectively, it remains a groundbreaking triumph of television that normalized conversations surrounding sexuality from a feminine perspective, depicted the complexity of women’s friendships, and de-stigmatized the notion of subverting gender roles in modern society. With its candid and crass style, which can sometimes be more mocking than observational, the series hasn’t aged as elegantly as other titles from its era, but Sex and the City does still stand as a defining icon of ‘90s/early-2000s television.

9

‘True Blood’ (2008–2014)

Created by Alan Ball

The romanticization and even the eroticism of all manner of things that go bump in the night was a piercing trend of the late 2000s-early 2010s era. While titles like Twilight and The Vampire Diaries leaned into this taboo terror with varying degrees of dare, HBO went all out with True Blood. Adapted from Charlaine Harris’ hit novel series, the show transpires in an alternate world where mythical beasts like vampires, shifters, and witches don’t just exist, but live openly alongside humanity, albeit in a strained interspecies harmony. Louisiana bartender Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) finds her life changing when she meets the vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer).

While the series does dip in quality in its later seasons, True Blood delivers thrills and spills aplenty with its bloodthirsty and lustful story of civil rights, faith, and the marriage of monsters and humanity. At its best, True Blood is nothing short of addictive, a captivating amalgamation of Southern Gothic allure, blood-drenched horror mania, and socially loaded themes that is as heart-racing as it is hilarious.

true blood

Release Date

2008 – 2014-00-00

Network

HBO Max

8

‘Girls’ (2012–2017)

Created by Lena Dunham

It’s not another Sex and the City, but it does follow a group of four women in New York who rely on their friendship as they navigate career obstacles, romantic angst, and personal discoveries, all while struggling to get by in the rigmarole that is early adulthood. To put it simply, the premise of Girls doesn’t exactly deliver anything new, but its genius resides in how it is able to use this familiar framework to bring fresh insights and a cutting commentary on modern society.

Described by some critics as being an exploration of a post-feminist society, the series isn’t afraid to shirk notions of happiness and fulfilling relationships in its endeavor to showcase a more authentic, grounded, and, at times, unflattering illustration of modern life. Mixing this sense of millennial angst and melancholy with unflinching and explicit observations on sex, Girls makes up for its occasional lack of polish with sheer might. Granted, it won’t be to everyone’s taste, but Girls’ six seasons never waver in quality or dare, making for a series that grasps HBO’s famed appetite for boundary-pushing extravagance with absolute conviction.

Girls

Release Date

2012 – 2016

Network

HBO Max

7

‘Entourage’ (2004–2011)

Created by Doug Ellin

There’s a certain juvenile boyishness to Entourage that makes it somewhat polarizing. To some viewers, it’s a hysterical fantasy of wealth, fame, and friendship that never fails to deliver, while others may regard it as a repetitive and immature whirlwind of shallow comedy. Regardless of where one sits on their evaluation of the series, it rockets along its eight-season stretch following young Hollywood star Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier) and his cohort of friends that he has kept with him since his childhood.

Supposedly based on elements of executive producer Mark Wahlberg’s own friends and their misadventures in the City of Angels, Entourage ultimately thrives due to the authentic appeal of its characters and the innate sense of intrigue of the movie star lifestyle. While it did grow oppressively cyclical by its eighth and final season, the series still delivers to be a memorable comedy delight from HBO.

6

‘Oz’ (1997–2003)

Created by Tom Fontana

Premiering in 1997—and thus predating many of HBO’s most pioneering titles of the very late ‘90s and early 2000s—Oz is arguably the true origin point of the golden age of television drama. The grueling prison series follows inmates of an experimental new ward in Oswald Maximum Security Correctional Facility, with hardened criminals from rival gangs being thrust together, the meek getting caught in the crossfire, and the ward manager’s efforts to emphasize rehabilitation over punishment garnering mixed results.

A graphic nightmare of life behind bars, Oz may exaggerate certain aspects of prison life for dramatic effect, but it makes its point with scorching clarity and impact. Disturbing, bleak, confronting, and often deeply upsetting, it is an ultra-violent and unforgiving cautionary tale. And yet, there is plenty of stylistic might and even a few shreds of profound humanity within it. The end result is a compelling and commanding viewing experience that, beyond the bizarre aging pills subplot in Season 4, largely strikes viewers as one of the most sickeningly intense and brutal television series HBO has ever aired.

Oz

Release Date

1997 – 2003-00-00

Network

HBO Max

5

‘Silicon Valley’ (2014–2019)

Created by Mike Judge, John Altschuler, and Dave Krinsky

Co-created by the ever-magnificent and often prescient Mike Judge, Silicon Valley thrives as a piercing and profound parody of the technology industry and fierce entrepreneurial culture of the titular Silicon Valley. It focuses on the career aspirations of Richard Hendricks (Thomas Middleditch) and his friends and colleagues, with Richard trying to secure investors for his groundbreaking app while the other programmers navigate the networking minefield of Silicon Valley with little help from their antisocial predispositions.

Armed with Judge’s real-life experience in the industry, Silicon Valley excels as a perfect marriage of relatable characters, succinct, skewering comedy, and deftly explored, high-concept ideas that are presented in a manner that is digestible to all audiences. Each of Silicon Valley‘s six seasons was met with critical acclaim, making the series one of HBO’s most successful and timely forays into comedy.

4

‘Veep’ (2012–2019)

Created by Armando Iannucci

While it did have to overcome a bit of an uncertain start that was restricted to coasting by on Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ brilliance—which, in itself, is a treat to watch—Veep soon finds its feet as a shocking satire of political callousness and conniving. Louis-Dreyfus stars as Selina Meyer, a former U.S. Senator representing the office of Vice President of the United States where she tries to juggle elements from her professional and personal lives all while quelling political catastrophes before they can ruin her current position, and her grander aspirations.

The series’ wit isn’t just acidic, it’s venomous, a vile and toxic tirade of barbed insults and unadulterated ambitions that, combined with the outstanding, award-winning work of the ensemble cast, makes for a viewing experience that is as vicious as it is addictive. Coming to a note-perfect conclusion with its appropriately absurd and brash seventh and final season, Veep is another of HBO’s most defining and divine comedies in recent years.

Veep

Release Date

2012 – 2018

Network

HBO Max

3

‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ (2000–2024)

Created by Larry David

It is curious that so many of HBO’s longest-running series have been comedies. Perhaps the network’s greatest foray into the genre is the instant classic series, Curb Your Enthusiasm. Starring Larry David as an exaggerated and fictionalized version of himself, a successful and semi-retired television producer and writer famous for his work on Seinfeld. Cantankerous and tired of social conventions, Larry often finds himself being swept away on outrageous misadventures with his friends and celebrity figures around Hollywood.

While the series isn’t immune to the occasional lull in quality, it is defined by its greatest moments, its uproarious sequences of unrestrained comic genius that often stem from the actors’ improvisational talents. Following an initial run of eight seasons from 2000 to 2011, Curb Your Enthusiasm returned in 2017 for a one-off ninth season before Seasons 10-12 premiered from 2020 to 2024.

Curb Your Enthusiasm

Release Date

2000 – 2024-00-00

Network

HBO Max

Showrunner

Jeff Schaffer

Directors

Robert B. Weide, Larry Charles, David Steinberg, Bryan Gordon, Alec Berg, Andy Ackerman, David Mandel, Barry Gordon, Cheryl Hines, Dean Parisot

2

‘Game of Thrones’ (2011–2019)

Created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss

While many would be quick to dismiss Game of Thrones on account of its calamitous final season, such haste would only serve to overlook the seven seasons of not only exceptional but groundbreaking television that came before it. A fantasy epic based on George R. R. Martin’s novel series, Game of Thrones unfolds as the ruling families of Westeros engage in a ferocious power struggle for the Iron Throne, with the political conniving and cold-blooded ruthlessness imbuing the series with many unbearably intense twists along the way.

Transcending television entertainment, Game of Thrones at its peak was a cultural phenomenon. A mixture of outstanding writing, perfect performances, unrivaled production value and narrative scope, and faultless grasp of fantasy storytelling, the series didn’t just enthrall viewers, it absorbed them completely, with each episode’s first airing being an unmissable spectacle that was often rewatched to be digested anew. The fact that the eight-season show came to such a limp conclusion is unfortunate, but it doesn’t change the fact that Game of Thrones saw HBO ascend to a new height of television popularity and prestige, and did so for an extended period.

1

‘The Sopranos’ (1999–2007)

Created by David Chase

The flagship of HBO’s catalogue, The Sopranos isn’t just in the conversation of being the greatest crime series of all time, it is firmly entrenched among the most brilliant and pioneering shows the medium has ever seen. Following New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) as ongoing stress problems due to his complicated work-life balance lead him to begin seeing a psychiatrist, the series excels as the first true great examination of an antihero in television, one that balances dramatic intrigue and visceral violence with a flair for high-end entertainment and even glimpses of comedy.

The series never wavers throughout its acclaimed six-season run, with the exploration of Tony’s complex psyche always supported by a litany of exceptional side characters who propel the story with their own ambitions. The series’ famous final moments are still a hot topic of conversation almost 20 years on since the episode aired, illustrating not only the unrivaled excellence of The Sopranos, but its enduring presence in pop culture as well.

NEXT: The Best HBO Max Shows That Are Less Than 5 Seasons Long