Unlock the Ultimate HBO Showdown: Which 50 Series Dominated Screen and Culture Like No Other?

Unlock the Ultimate HBO Showdown: Which 50 Series Dominated Screen and Culture Like No Other?

With just three simple letters—HBO—television flipped the script forever. Since its 1972 debut as a pioneering pay-TV channel, HBO has transformed from a humble movie and live event outlet into a titan that practically defines what we crave in quality TV. Ever notice how just hearing that iconic channel flicker, followed by that angelic choral tune, signals we’re in for a treat? Somehow, despite all the corporate shuffle—HBO, HBO Max, MAX (wait, what?)—HBO’s allure remains unshaken. But what shows truly earn the crown in HBO’s storied lineup? From ‘The Sopranos’ setting prestige TV on fire to mind-bending spectacles like ‘Westworld,’ the network’s shows have stirred our emotions, challenged our perspectives, and kept us glued to our screens. So, with all my years of scanning the digital landscape for gems, here’s my take: Let’s dive into the crème de la crème of HBO’s 50 best shows—a list that’s bound to spark debates, fond memories, and maybe even inspire your next binge session. Ready to get started?

LEARN MORE

Estimated read time19 min read

With just three letters, television was changed forever: HBO. Launched in 1972 as one of the first (but not only) pay-TV channels for movies and live events, HBO is now one of the biggest names in television. It’s a brand that commands history and prestige, even if the corporate happenings and mega-mergers at the tippy top seem a touch chaotic. All it takes is the sound of a channel flicker and an angelic choir to tell us we’re watching something good.

Not long after its launch, HBO entered the arena of original programming. First was Not Necessarily the News, a satirical sketch series in 1982 (a kind of precursor to Last Week Tonight), and Fraggle Rock, a Jim Henson-produced musical comedy with singing puppets. By the late 1990s, HBO got more serious about its original productions, with the release of the acclaimed prison drama Oz in 1997 and a little show called The Sopranos in 1999. You might have heard of them.

In 2026, HBO is still as important as ever, never mind all that confusing wackiness with HBO and HBO Max and MAX a few years back. If you want good TV, you go to HBO first. Which is why Esquire’s entertainment team saw fit to rank the absolute best 50 HBO shows across the channel/streamer’s long, long history. Agree or disagree with our choices, there’s no denying that these shows are the cream of the Sunday-night crop.

50. Entourage

If Sex and the City was for girlfriends, Entourage was for boyfriends. The dude-centric comedy chronicled the ups and downs of Hollywood star Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier) and his childhood buds from Queens navigating their own path in the City of Angels. Half raunchy comedy and half clever roast of late-aughts Hollywood (remember when Vincent starred in Aquaman before Warner Bros. actually made it a billion-dollar franchise?), it’s frankly irresistible to imagine what Vincent’s career might look like today amid streaming and studio mega-mergers shrinking Tinseltown.

Watch Now

49. Euphoria

Yeah, we know. Euphoria was a lot. What started as a glitzy and grimy high school drama—heavily inspired by the visual style of photographer Petra Collins—the show’s third season turned into young adult Grand Theft Auto with storylines involving drug trafficking, mob vendettas, and OnlyFans sex work. But Euphoria was never boring, and its emotionally-charged finale and send-off of Zendaya’s Rue will let it go down as one of the greats, bumpy roads and all.

Watch Now

48. Westworld

Westworld might have gone off the rails by its third season, but it’s hard to ignore the chokehold its first and second seasons had on Sunday nights once upon a time. Adapted from the 1973 film by Michael Crichton (who also, rather famously, wrote the novel Jurassic Park), the sci-fi series took place at an ultra-expensive, technologically sophisticated theme park inspired by the Old West. Much like Jurassic Park, the android inhabitants of “Westworld” slowly seize their agency and consciousness to fight back against their human oppressors. Airing well before generative AI became commonplace, Westworld challenged Sunday primetime viewers with questions about autonomy, ethics of technology, and what it means to really be human.

Watch Now

47. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

When you think Game of Thrones, you think: political intrigue, brutal violence, and lots and lots and lots of dragons. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms takes all of that and finds the unexpected humor and heart at the center of it all. Based on George R.R. Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas (which share the same continuity as his popular A Song of Fire and Ice), this prequel series to Game of Thrones follows a too-tall hedge knight who develops an unexpected friendship with a future king of Westeros.

Watch Now

46. Ballers

From 2015 to 2019, movie star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson spent time on HBO living out his own unfulfilled football dreams in Ballers, a somewhat darker and more ruthless take on Jerry Maguire. Johnson starred as former NFL star Spencer Strasmore, who now leads a second career as a manager of other athletes past their prime. The pilot was directed by Peter Berg (Friday Night Lights) and earns a spot on this list because Ballers—we’re saying it!—is one of the best onscreen versions of The Rock we’ve ever seen, behind Southland Tales and The Smashing Machine.

Watch Now

45. How to Make It in America

Before hustle culture and the hedonistic strut of Instagram influencers and entrepreneurs took root, one HBO series saw it all coming: How to Make It in America. In its two-season run between 2010 and 2011, How to Make It in America chronicled the rags-to-riches journey of aspiring fashion designers Ben (Bryan Grenberg) and Cam (Victor Rasuk) as they try to claim their place in the cutthroat world of New York’s fashion scene. Though the series had a lukewarm reception during its short run, the series has found retrospective appreciation for the way it anticipated Internet virality and the intoxicating power of algorithms and glossy social content to promote one’s dreams. Truly, that is how you make it in America today.

Watch Now

44. Scavengers Reign

One of HBO’s few forays into original animation, the dazzling 2023 series Scavengers Reign challenged notions of what TV could look and feel like. Told across twelve semi-connected episodes, the stranded crew of the crashed cargo ship Demeter 227 works to survive against the elements on a beautiful, yet dangerous, uncharted alien planet. (Think 2001: A Space Odyssey meets Lost, and you’ve got the gist.) Kaleidoscopic visuals and heartfelt storytelling make Scavengers Reign a poignant journey through time and space—one you’ll never want to forget.

Watch Now

43. True Blood

In an era when Twilight had tweens in a vice grip, True Blood had adults screaming for more. In its seven-season run on HBO, True Blood became one of the most popular (and let’s say it, hottest) vampire dramas of all time. Based on the novels by Charlaine Harris and set in a world where vampires are publicly fighting for their civil rights, the series follows a telepathic Louisiana waitress (Anna Paquin) who meets and falls in love with a vampire (Stephen Moyer). True Blood was good, dirty fun that sunk its teeth into our skin in all the right ways.

Watch Now

42. In Treatment

In Treatment was one of HBO’s boldest experiments. The psychotherapy drama’s first season consisted of 43 (!) episodes, which ran every day over the course of nine weeks. In the series, Paul (Gabriel Byrne) would see a different weekly client, with episodes slated for each day of the week—as if their therapy appointment were happening in real time. While In Treatment wasn’t successful enough to justify its massive episode slate, you have to respect its ingenuity.

Watch Now

41. Warrior

Bruce Lee never saw his ultimate dream realized, but what a dream it was. Warrior is a handsome action-drama set against the turbulent Tong Wars of the late 1870s and Chinese immigration to American shores. A muscular Andrew Koji stars as Ah Sahm, a kung fu master who searches high and low for his lost sister in the seedy underworld of San Francisco’s Chinatown. The series is based on Bruce Lee’s manuscripts for an unproduced TV show that was rejected by networks due to the supposed unprofitability of Asian leads during his lifetime. Though technically not an HBO show—it started on sibling network Cinemax—Warrior landed on HBO Max for its third and final season, and made a hell of a lasting impression along the way.

Watch Now

40. Rooster

It has been many years since Steve Carell was bumbling Michael Scott in The Office. In his silver fox era, the decorated comedy star is once again an awkward but charming leading man in Bill Lawrence’s delightful Rooster. Carell stars as a successful pulp author who takes a job teaching at a Massachusetts university to help his daughter, an art history professor, get back on her feet after her divorce. Kind of like Ted Lasso for English majors, Rooster will make you miss your college days with its warm sense of humor and absolutely gorgeous New England fall scenery.

Watch Now

39. Eastbound & Down

Eastbound & Down! A major comedy vehicle for The Righteous Gemstones’s Danny McBride, Eastbound & Down featured the comedian as a burnt-out pro baseball player who returns to his hometown to teach physical education. The series also had several celebrity cameos, including Will Ferrell, Adam Scott, Craig Robinson, Matthew McConaughey, Lily Tomlin, and Jason Sudeikis. Really, though, the series is a standout because of McBride’s Kenny Powers: He’s one of the funniest television characters of all time.

Watch Now

38. Winning Time

Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty dramatized Magic Johnson’s rookie year on the Los Angeles Lakers in 1979, as well as the first year that Jerry Buss took over as owner of the team. The series starred John C. Reilly, Quincy Isaiah, Jason Segel, and Adrien Brody.

Watch Now

37. The Jinx

Very few true crime documentaries that work through unsolved cases can boast that they caught the killer. The Jinx is the rare exception, after New York real estate heir Robert Durst accidentally confessed to the murders off-camera.

Watch Now

36. Mare of Easttown

Kate Winslet starred in this True Detective–inspired crime drama as a detective who must solve the murder of a teenage mother outside the city of Philadelphia. With a cold case that has haunted her for years as well as overwhelming grief over her divorce and the loss of her son, Marianne “Mare” Sheehan begins to doubt her own abilities. We’ll remember Mare of Easttown for Winslet’s singular performance, sure—but we’ll never forget its hilariously imitable take on the Pennsylvanian accent.

Watch Now

35. The Night Of

The Night Of is all too often forgotten. The tale of wrongful incarceration and America’s broken prisons features not one but two all-time performances from the show’s leading men: Riz Ahmed and John Turturro. Don’t let this one fade into HBO’s history books.

Watch Now

34. Peacemaker

Before James Gunn took control of the DC Universe, his 2021 film The Suicide Squad segued into his riveting 2022 series spin-off Peacemaker. A revelatory John Cena reprises his role as the chromed-domed antihero who survives the harrowing mission of The Suicide Squad and resumes a humdrum life in his hometown. Along the way, he joins a secret task force on a mission to investigate a possible alien invasion. Sure, “violent superheroes” is hardly a new thing, but a captivating John Cena makes all the bloodletting feel profound.

Watch Now

33. Silicon Valley

Never forget that Silicon Valley preceded damn near all of those melodramatic Big Tech miniseries (looking at you, WeCrashed) of the late 2010s and early 2020s. Running for six seasons, the comedy continues to draw critical acclaim—and new fans, even several years after its finale.

Watch Now

32. The Last of Us

The mushroom monster show made us cry—and that’s one of the many reasons why HBO’s hit drama is one of its best series of all time. Based on the acclaimed PlayStation video games, the series—from creator Craig Mazin—takes place twenty years into a post-apocalyptic America after the rise of a fungal virus that turns most of the world’s population into monstrous zombies. Pedro Pascal lets his daddy flag fly as he becomes the guardian of a young girl, played by Bella Ramsey, whose blood may have the cure for humanity. A divisive second season hasn’t dampened our enthusiasm, and it’s everyone’s hope that a third season can bring the series home.

Watch Now

31. Station Eleven

Audiences were probably too weary to enjoy Station Eleven in 2021. Set against a post-pandemic world, Station Eleven follows an actress, played by Mackenzie Davis, who travels with a performance troupe that strives to keep the works of Shakespeare alive in the post-apocalypse. A parallel story follows her in the past as a young girl (played by Matilda Lawler) who is taken in by a helpful stranger (Himesh Patel) at the onset of the pandemic. Deep, thoughtful, and even hopeful, Station Eleven earned critical acclaim at a time its subject matter frankly hit a little too close for comfort.

Watch Now

30. Treme

Treme had a relatively quiet run beginning in 2010, which is a damn shame, because it is one of the best shows in HBO’s library. Following the events of Hurricane Katrina, it serves as a love letter to New Orleans. Treme made the city a character, with all its food, music, and culture. In the years since its debut, Treme has slowly grown into an essential time capsule of one of our largest natural disasters.

Watch Now

29. The Gilded Age

If HBO does anything exceptionally well, it’s period pieces. So, it’s no wonder that The Gilded Age with Carrie Coon is one of their best ongoing series. The story follows a woman who attempts to break into high society in 1880s New York City, featuring guests such as Audra McDonald, Nathan Lane, Cynthia Nixon, and Christine Baranski.

Watch Now

28. The Penguin

Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti elevated this spinoff of Matt Reeves’ The Batman into one of the most entertaining crime dramas of the past decade. Set after the events of The Batman, the show sees Farrell reprise his Penguin as the Batman villain rises to power in Gotham City’s underworld. Farrell is a powerhouse, but Milioti is a stunning showstopper in her Emmy-winning performance as the daughter of Penguin’s rival. “A Batman Show Without Batman” sounds like a mistake, but The Penguin puts all doubt on ice.

Watch Now

27. Girls

Created by Lena Dunham, the show follows four young women as they step into adulthood while living in New York City … for better and, more often, for worse. They can be messy and hypocritical and privileged, but isn’t that the point? Have you met a New Yorker before?! What Dunham created is a triumph—documenting 21st-century women who dare to be adventurous. Give it a rewatch, too. It’s aged better than you think.

Watch Now

26. The Righteous Gemstones

Helmed by comedian Danny McBride, the series follows a fictional megachurch leader who has a hard time concealing his hedonistic and arrogant personality.

Watch Now

25. Flight of the Conchords

The brainchild of New Zealand’s “fourth-most-popular comedy-folk duo,” Flight of the Conchords gained a cult following in the late 2000s for its deadpan Kiwi humor and comically catchy songs. (Personal story: I once subjected my high school French teacher to “Foux Da Fafa.” She was not amused.) Where most HBO shows are polished, high-budget productions for A-listers to gun for Emmys, Flight of the Conchords was a gleeful lo-fi detour into the surreal and the strange.

Watch Now

24. Watchmen

In the same year that Avengers: Endgame grossed billions and superheroes seemed unstoppable, HBO’s Watchmen dared to challenge their power. Conceived by Damon Lindelof as a New Testament-like sequel to Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ seminal graphic novel, Watchmen took place in an alternate 2019 to follow Regina King as a Tulsa Police detective—who operates under the alter ego Sister Night—as she investigates a conspiracy that plagues her home. Heavily concerned with racism in America and the thin line separating heroes from masked vigilantes, Watchmen did the impossible, even despite its creators’ wishes: to be worthy of its mantle. If nothing else, more people know about the 1921 Tulsa massacre because of Watchmen more than any history textbook could ever teach.

Watch Now

23. Hacks

Hacks stars the incomparable Jean Smart as Deborah Vance, a pioneering comedian who has settled into the complacency of a cushy Las Vegas residency. Hannah Einbinder stars opposite Smart as Ava, an outcast 25-year-old comedy writer from Los Angeles. With Deborah on the verge of losing her residency and Ava’s writing career on life support, their shared manager pairs them up to revitalize Deborah’s material. Punctuated by caustic barbs and generational conflict, Deborah and Ava’s animosity softens into a growing friendship. Featuring a career-best performance from Smart, Hacks is an HBO all-timer.

Watch Now

22. Boardwalk Empire

This ain’t your daddy’s game of Monopoly. In this enthralling period piece set against the Prohibition period, Boardwalk Empire chronicles the efforts of a corrupt political treasurer, Nucky Thompson (an enthralling Steve Buscemi), who bets his fortune on the growth of Atlantic City, New Jersey. Flappers, bootleggers, mob hitmen—Boardwalk Empire is an immaculate production that brings the history books to life. Smack between the golden age of television and the peak TV eras, Boardwalk Empire saw the future of television and spared no expense in its five-season run.

Watch Now

21. Chernobyl

“What is the cost of lies?” So begins the award-winning 2019 miniseries by Craig Mazin that heavily dramatized the real-life Chernobyl nuclear accident of 1986. Part disaster horror and part psychological political thriller, Chernobyl came at the right place, right time. Amid “fake news” and political cowardice, the series—led by Jared Harris—stirred in its viewership how to hold the powerful accountable and show what true bravery really looks like.

Watch Now

20. Industry

Succession meets Gossip Girl… is how I might describe Industry, but that awkward vibe comp doesn’t do any justice for how singularly rich it really is. Set at a prestigious London investment bank, the series follows a group of ambitious young grads who work their way up the ladder at Pierpoint & Co, only to consider the grave costs to their personal happiness. The way the show blabs through the finer points of UK finance laws without sacrificing the sweet juice of its interpersonal drama is what makes Industry a standout. Myha’la leads the ensemble cast as Harper Stern, a young working-class woman from New York who tries to assert her place in the London financial sector. Also starring Ken Leung, Marisa Abela, and Harry Lawtey, Industry is on track to become one of the greatest HBO shows of all time

Watch Now

19. The Pitt

In a short year, The Pitt went from buzzy medical drama to crown jewel in the HBO content library. Noah Wyle transfers all his expertise honed from ER to The Pitt, a medical soap that unfolds in real-time (24 style) and immerses viewers into an overworked, understaffed hospital emergency room in Pittsburgh. Celebrated for its sympathetic storytelling and realistic depictions of emergency care, The Pitt is a reminder of why audiences flock to HBO in the first place.

Watch Now

18. Oz

Oz was ahead of its time. Set in a fictional men’s prison, the series ran for six seasons and tackled topics that were, at the time of its 1997 premiere, too taboo for any other channel. It helped usher in a new era of television, one that skips the fluff and gets into difficult conversations. Also, more heavyweights appeared in this series than you remember: Rita Moreno, Christopher Meloni, J.K. Simmons, Ernie Hudson, Lance Reddick, and many more.

Watch Now

17. Six Feet Under

Six Feet Under—a dark, comedic look at death through the lens of a funeral home—gets only better as the years pass. The writing is smart, the acting is stellar, and Six Feet Under’s meditation on grieving is completely cathartic. Plus, the cast is stacked: Peter Krause, Lauren Ambrose, Rachel Griffiths, and Dexter before he was Dexter? Damn.

Watch Now

16. The White Lotus

In this sensational black comedy anthology series, various groups of wealthy guests of the luxury resort chain White Lotus see their lives turned upside down. Every season is a different exotic locale, from Italy to Bangkok, and different familiar faces whose deep secrets are unearthed against bigger criminal plots (usually murder). The White Lotus is a pure HBO delicacy, and hilarious to consider how not one of the locations has ever closed down. The upcoming fourth season is poised to take audiences to a new White Lotus in beautiful France.

Watch Now

15. I May Destroy You

One of the most critically acclaimed shows of 2020, Michaela Coel’s I May Destroy You is an emotional tour de force about a woman’s memory blackout over the night of her sexual assault. The brainchild of writer and actress Michaela Coel, I May Destroy You is a decade-defining masterwork that has only accrued more power in the years since its pandemic-era premiere.

Watch Now

14. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

For 13 seasons and counting, former Daily Show correspondent John Oliver has guided Sunday viewers through the dumpster fire that is our political, social, and economic reality with punchlines sold by his dry British wit. The late-night news magazine program has basically been the only thing keeping all of our sanity in check, and its many, many accolades—including 32 Emmy awards, three Peabody Awards, and eleven Writers Guild of America awards—show how grateful the world is for John Oliver and his team’s brand of chaotic good journalism.

Watch Now

13. True Detective

The immaculate first season of True Detective is standout, revolutionary television. The rest? Pretty good! Mostly. While True Detective hasn’t reached the same mountain tops it did back in 2014, let’s be honest: No show can. The other seasons of this gritty anthology series range from middling to really solid in their own right. The most recent fourth season—2024’s True Detective: Night Country—brandishes echoes of the creepy cosmic horror undertones that defined season 1 all those years ago. And man, does that intro still hit.

Watch Now

12. The Larry Sanders Show

Long before Eric André and Taylor Tomlinson and before 30 Rock walked its walk, Garry Shandling broke the mold with The Larry Sanders Show. Set behind the scenes of a fictional late-night comedy show, the series roasted the state of Hollywood in the 1990s with politically incorrect irreverence. The show’s revolving door of celebrity guests—many of them playing themselves—is a snapshot of what our mainstream monoculture looked like in the years before the Internet came and ruined it all. These days, it feels like a historical artifact, and a priceless one at that.

Watch Now

11. Barry

Bill Hader was stellar on Saturday Night Live, but his turn in HBO’s Barry is the role he was meant for. The dark comedy follows Hader as Barry, a Marine-turned-hitman who just happened to find his bliss (or, you know, get closer to it) by joining the theater scene in Los Angeles. The dream! (Just remember to always yes and…) Barry’s series finale aired just after the more-buzzed-about Succession’s grand conclusion, but it was no less daring. In a few years, it might just be remembered as the better ending.

Watch Now

10. Sex and the City

As I’m ranking the greatest HBO shows of all time, I couldn’t help but wonder: Is my inability to rank Sex and the City outside the Top 10 like Big’s inability to commit? Forget the reboots and tween prequels and wretched movies: The original Sex and the City is perfect television. A revolutionary portrait of thirty-something women living aspirational metropolitan lifestyles, the adventures of Carrie, Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte exist now as snapshots of pre-9/11 New York before algorithms and apps ruined the thrill of finding someone new. It was risque, daring, and most of all, a blast. Like a night out with your girls, basically.

Watch Now

9. Game of Thrones

Placing Game of Thrones is difficult. It’s Game of Thrones. Whatever your feelings may be about the finale, you can’t ignore how it changed everything for almost a decade. Its translation of dense books by George R.R. Martin into binge-worthy big-budget TV commanded legions of superfans during its heyday; we were all horrified by the Red Wedding, and captivated during Oberyn’s showdown with The Mountain. At the same time Marvel’s superheroes ruled the big screen, Game of Thrones’ conniving medieval power players dominated the small—and we may never see a show like it again. (Jury’s out if House of the Dragon will ultimately live up to its predecessor.) If you have a problem with where it landed on the list, tell Cersei it was me.

Watch Now

8. Curb Your Enthusiasm

Improv on television? Sounds like a recipe for disaster. But Seinfeld co-creator Larry David created one of the most hilarious and unpredictable comedies when he turned the cameras on himself. Lasting an impressive twelve nonconsecutive seasons across nearly 25 years, Curb Your Enthusiasm defined cynicism and dared to say that optimism is a fool’s errand; the water’s better when you don’t jump in it.

Watch Now

7. Band of Brothers

Created by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks (ever heard of them?), Band of Brothers is one of the greatest World War II dramatizations we’ve ever seen. Gritty, gripping, and above all devastating, the miniseries is one of a few projects that set the standard for how we remember World War II onscreen. Over 20 years later, you can still see its impact in the way modern filmmakers capture the devastation, patriotism, and hope of World War II–era American life. (Case in point: Apple TV+’s Masters of the Air, which is also produced by Spielberg and Hanks.)

Watch Now

6. Deadwood

Deadwood is the kind of Western that just belongs on HBO. Set in South Dakota during the 1870s gold rush, the series shows the evolution of a lawless mining town into a frontier settlement—and the blood spilled to build it all. A remarkable exhibition of master actors like Timothy Olyphant and Ian McShane, Deadwood inspired countless gritty historical shows in its wake, but nothing ever touched the shine of Deadwood.

Watch Now

5. Veep

Selina Meyer predicted something that we could have never seen coming: What happens when someone absolutely bananas ends up in the highest office in the land? The dark side of the coin shared by Parks & Recreation, Veep showcased a post-Seinfeld Julia Louis-Dreyfus as the not-so-presidential head of a political office in disarray. Besides Louis-Dreyfus putting in incredible character work here, Veep sharply lampooned the Saturday morning cartoon that is our national politics right before it became a horror show.

Watch Now

4. Succession

One of the darkest family dramas of the 2020s is also one of the funniest. A black comedy with the bone structure of Shakespearean, Succession follows a family who sit atop a New York media empire and prepare for the imminent retirement of their grouchy, stubborn patriarch, Logan Roy (Brian Cox). With each of Roy siblings ready to grab hold of the brass ring, they’ll come to terms with what they’re willing to sacrifice, and who they really are to each other. Succession ran for a brief but meaningful four seasons on HBO, and its influence over modern social satires cannot be overstated. Or, as Cousing Greg put it: If it is to be said, so it be, so it is.

Watch Now

3. The Leftovers

The Leftovers dared to be adventurous in ways that many shows shy away from: big mysteries, a controversial ending, and a crash course in just how good Carrie Coon is. Plus, the series firmly established the greatness of Justin Theroux and Damon Lindelof—the former, for his staggering, often gut-wrenching leading turn and the latter for his damn near godly ability to spin a yarn.

Watch Now

2. The Sopranos

Never has a cut to black caused so much controversy. But well beyond its shockingly ambivalent ending, the mob series set the tone for modern, elevated television. The Sopranos is responsible for prestige TV as we know it. Ultimately, no other series on this list would be what it is without its guidance. Also, without The Sopranos, America would still have a feeble understanding of what the heck gabagool is.

Watch Now

1. The Wire

At the top of every HBO list is one of two culprits: The Sopranos and The Wire. While The Sopranos may have edged out The Leftovers, it’s just impossible to beat The Wire, at least here at Esquire. The show captured the complexity of the Baltimore narcotics scene and the War on Drugs in a way that all the talking heads could not. Plus, it came to painful, hyperreal life thanks to turns from Michael K. Williams, Idris Elba, and Dominic West. This isn’t just HBO’s best series—it’s one of the greatest television shows of all time.

Watch Now

Post Comment

WIN $500 OF SHOPPING!

    This will close in 0 seconds