With a healthy selection of new shows coming to Max all the time, you’ll never run out of things to watch. From dramas to comedies, stories based on real-life events, and others that are complete fiction, the options run the gamut.
You might also want to check out some of the best shows that you never got around to watching, like Game of Thrones, The Last of Us, and The White Lotus. But if you’re looking for something new, or wondering when your favorite shows are returning with new seasons, we have you covered. This list of the best shows on HBO Max (now simply Max) right now will convince you to sign up, upgrade, or keep that subscription going a little bit longer.
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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White House Plumbers2023 - And Just Like That…2021
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- Warrior2019
While the satirical political drama has received mixed reviews, it’s hard to argue with the forces of Woody Harrelson, Justin Theroux, Domhnall Gleeson, and Lena Headey, who star in this miniseries. White House Plumbers follows E. Howard Hunt (Harrelson) and G. Gordon Liddy (Theroux), the masterminds behind Watergate and political operatives known as the White House Plumbers.
While trying to protect the presidency, their actions, which included plugging press leaks, end up accidentally overturning the very president they were supposed to be protecting. Despite being based on a true story, White House Plumbers is also praised for its “stranger than fiction” material.
Fans of the iconic series Sex and the City might be divided on And Just Like That…, but there’s no denying the series has drawn in droves of Gen-Xers who grew up with the original and are curious to see what happens in the later lives of Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker), Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon), and Charlotte York Goldenblatt (Kristin Davis). With Kim Cattrall set to reprise her role as Samantha Jones in at least one short scene of the second season, and the confirmed return of characters like Aidan Shaw (John Corbett), season 2 is piquing curiosity. Fans hope it will be worth the watch
Even as it stands, however, And Just Like That… is a great guilty pleasure to watch with friends, or on your own while reveling in the ladies’ complicated lives, bad decisions, expensive taste, and outlandish fashion.
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.
Originally premiering on Cinemax, this martial arts crime drama based on an original Bruce Lee concept (and executive produced by his daughter Shannon) ceased production in 2020. However, the following year, HBO Max, now known as Max, picked it up for a third season. Warrior is set in San Francisco during the Tong Wars of the late 1870s. The protagonist is Ah Sahm (Andrew Koji), a martial arts prodigy who left China to search for his sister. But he meets conflict when he’s sold to a powerful tong, a secret society often tied to criminal activity, within the city’s Chinatown.
Lee himself came up with the concept for Warrior way back in 1971, and his daughter has finally brought it to life. Praised for its energy, thrills, and high action, Warrior is a clear winner for any fan of martial arts movies and shows, particularly of Lee and his work.
The Other Two is a hilarious comedy hailing from two Saturday Night Live head writers, Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider, and starring former SNL cast member Molly Shannon. Perfectly tackling Millennial and Gen-Z problems, the story centers around Cary (Drew Tarver), an aspiring actor, and his sister, Brooke (Helene Yorke), a former professional dancer. Neither of their career dreams panned out. Meanwhile, their teenage brother, Chase (Case Walker), creates a viral video and instantly becomes famous.
Shannon plays Pat, the mother of the three siblings, who is all too ready to thrust the family into the Hollywood spotlight. With an almost perfect Rotten Tomatoes critic rating, The Other Two is worth watching for its wicked and witty humor and timely pop culture themes.
The second series to center around the story of Candy Montgomery (Jessica Biel played her in the Hulu original series Candy), Elizabeth Olsen takes on the portrayal in Love & Death, a crime drama by TV hitmaker David E. Kelley, the man behind shows like Big Little Lies, Boston Legal, and Chicago Hope.
In 1980, Montgomery was accused of brutally murdering her friend Betty Gore with an axe. Montgomery claimed self-defense, and the controversial trial and story full of twists and turns was followed closely by members of the Texas community. Jesse Plemons also stars in this depiction of the events as Allan Gore, Betty’s husband, and Lily Rabe as Betty.
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.”
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.
An HBO original and based on the same characters featured in the 1957 series (and 1973 revival) that were created by author Erle Stanley Gardner, Perry Mason is a period series starring Matthew Rhys as the title character, a famous defense lawyer during the Great Depression. While dealing with personal demons, including divorce and lingering trauma from the Great War, he quickly becomes immersed in a child kidnapping trial.
Combining all the best elements of a procedural legal drama with the elegance and flair of the 1930s, the second season of Perry Mason will appeal to both fans of the original and the revival as well as those new to the story and its characters who love the genre.
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.
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.
The Staircase is not a love story, but it is a gripping true crime miniseries based upon the real-life tale of Michael Peterson (Colin Firth). When Michael’s second wife, Kathleen Peterson (Toni Collette), is found dead in their home, the crime novelist faces murder charges for her demise.
Michael’s family doesn’t know what to think, and Michael somewhat brazenly allows a documentary crew to chronicle the story of his defense and his family life. The supporting cast is truly impressive, with a lineup that includes Michael Stuhlbarg, Dane DeHaan, Olivia DeJonge, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sophie Turner, Odessa Young, Parker Posey, and Juliette Binoche.
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