The 50 Best Shows on HBO and Max Right Now (June 2024)

The battle for the crown is real at Max. Yes, we all know about Season 2 of House of the Dragon and the struggle for power between Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower, but don't miss another clash for succession in the new show Ren Faire. The three-episode docuseries follows the bizarre occupational exploits at the largest renaissance faire in the country after the aging owner decides to step down and hand over the business to one of his employees. It's a staggering look at control set in an entirely unique universe, with an ending that's pure perfection. (I hope we can say the same for House of the Dragon.)

A note about how this list was made: In the interest of keeping it relevant, we're emphasizing new releases, shows recently added to Max, and HBO/Max originals, but we've also made sure to add the shows we personally can't stop recommending to our friends. We'll be updating this list regularly.

Last updated June 25; most recent additions at the top.

More on HBO and Max:

• The best movies on Max
• What's new on and coming to HBO and Max

House of the Dragon 

House of the Dragon, HBO's Game of Thrones prequel series, needs no introduction, but I'll attempt to give it one anyway: Set two centuries before Game of Thrones, the series centers on the Targaryen family as they fight for control of the Iron Throne. Expect power struggles and white hair. In his review of Season 1 for TV Guide, Liam Mathews wrote that the show doesn't "break the wheel" — it's really just more Game of Thrones, which isn't a bad thing: "If you're even a little bit open to getting burned by dragon fire, House of the Dragon is willing to meet you where you're at." -Allison Picurro [Trailer]

Ren Faire

Everything is bigger in Texas, including its renaissance faires. This Safdie brothers-produced documentary series follows the tooth-and-nail battle between potential successors of the country's biggest ren faire, after the octogenarian millionaire owner decides to step down. But, as with all good docs, it's the subjects who make it worth a watch, and Ren Faire has a cast of unique oddballs that will leave you in awe. It starts with owner King George, who decides at his ripe old age that he's ready to take on a lady companion and openly discusses the medical assistance he's employing to enjoy his bed time with his future wife, while he plans to end his own life by lethal injection (or die by "snu snu"). It's all set up like something out of Succession via Game of Thrones, with the medieval backdrop of the day-to-day business adding a delightful layer of absurdity to the proceedings, and the unique folk-horror vibes of the direction adding extra weight to everything. -Tim Surette [Trailer]

Smiling Friends

In the world of absurd adult animation, there's a fine line between idiotically lol random and dementedly brilliant. Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Rick & Morty fall into the latter category, and they're clearly influences on Adult Swim's latest gem, Smiling Friends. As is usually the case with this type of show, the "plot" matters little — but in case you must know, it's about four weirdos who work for a company dedicated to spreading happiness — and the bizarre adventures matter a lot. And oh, the adventures they go on. Smiling Friends also can't be contained by one animation style, mixing CGI, stop-motion animation, and more into its crude drawings. It's a trip. -Tim Surette [Trailer]

The Jinx

The original The Jinx gave us one of the more bizarre pop culture moments of the past decade when the documentary production uncovered new evidence that would eventually lead to Durst's conviction for murder — not to mention his apparent outright confession on a hot mic. The Jinx – Part Two, then, is the truest of sequels: one that deals directly with the fallout from the first one. Part Two follows Durst from the immediate aftermath of the airing of the original series, when he went on the run, to his trial, time in prison, and eventually his death in 2022. It's all interesting on its own, of course, but it's that meta aspect — this stuff wouldn't be happening if they hadn't made The Jinx a decade ago — that gives it its real hook. And we're just as enthralled by this saga now as we were in 2015. -Phil Owen [Trailer]

Conan O'Brien Must Go

Conan O'Brien used to do his Conan Without Borders segments for his TBS series, and now he's expanded that idea into a full-on travel show of his own on Max. It's only four episodes, sadly, but it hits all the right notes as it effectively lampoons the travel show format, with Conan visiting random fans he'd met on his podcast and participating in local culture in a very Conan sort of way. The series takes Conan on adventures to Norway, Argentina, and Thailand, before wrapping up with a trip to Ireland that got a little bit poignant as he learns about his family history. But don't worry, it's not so poignant that it stops being hilarious. -Phil Owen [Trailer]

Hacks

Jean Smart is a living legend, and we owe it to human civilization to do everything we can to support her, starting with watching everything she's in. Smart stars in what's easily Max's best original comedy as Deborah Vance, an aging Las Vegas comedian whose time at the top is nearing its end, so circumstance teams her up with an entitled young comedian (Hannah Einbinder) recently canceled for a joke she made on Twitter. The cast also includes Kaitlin Olson and co-creator Paul W. Downs. -Tim Surette [Trailer] 

The Sympathizer 

The adaptation of Viet Thanh Nguyen's 2015 book of the same name follows a conflicted spy for the Communist party in Vietnam over the course of his life and mixes dark humor with espionage thrills during the Cold War. Co-created by Park Chan-wook (Oldboy) and Don McKellar, The Sympathizer's '70s and '80s vibe oozes off the screen with style, thanks in part to a trio of cool directors behind the camera — Park, City of God's Fernando Meirelles, and Utopia's Mark Mullen. Hoa Xuande stars as the unnamed protagonist, with Sandra Oh and Robert Downey Jr., in several roles, supporting. -Tim Surette [Trailer] 

Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show

One of the most exciting comedians working today is Jerrod Carmichael, who has taken the unusual path of working with indie rappers, headlining network comedies, and refusing lots of money to do even more mainstream projects in favor of being as authentic to himself as he can be. His 2022 Emmy-winning comedy special Rothaniel was his most raw yet and focused on Carmichael coming out as gay, and his new project Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show accelerates his newfound openness with no filters. Jerrod lets the world in on his life of crushes and relationships, his love of anonymous sex, and his complicated issues with his religious parents, offering a unique look into what it's like to be a celebrity when all you have are normal issues. -Tim Surette [Trailer]

Curb Your Enthusiasm

Curb Your Enthusiasm, now in its 12th and allegedly actual final season, is a show that needs no introduction. But I'll give one anyway in case you somehow haven't heard of it: Larry David plays a fictionalized version of himself and the show follows him as he goes through life being inconvenienced by normal, everyday things. In 12 seasons, nothing has really changed, and that's the whole point. It's actually kind of incredible that it's still funny after all these years — even deep in his 70s, Larry David's still got it. -Allison Picurro [Trailer] 

True Detective

Each season of True Detective is its own separate story with a completely new cast, but there's one major aspect that all four seasons have shared: a deadly serious noir-thriller vibe and a morally grey story that will make you feel bad about, uh, many things. The newest season, dubbed True Detective: Night Country, stars Jodie Foster in the same sort of role that won her an Oscar for Silence of the Lambs, and it's the best season of True Detective since the first. -Phil Owen [Trailer]

The Curious Case of Natalia Grace

The wildest reality docuseries since Tiger King blew up in 2020 is Investigation Discovery's The Curious Case of Natalia Grace, which features more twists than Chubby Checker working at a pretzel factory in the middle of a tornado. The saga follows the story of Natalia Grace, a Ukranian child who was adopted by an American family but become a terrifying burden to them. Well, according to the parents. Was she actually a 30-year-old with dwarfism conning everyone around her? What really was happening is still up for debate, stuck in a web of lies, abuse charges, and legal chokeholds. It's the kind of series that will leave everyone with an opinion and more questions than answers. The second season features Natalia telling her side of the story and comes with a finale bombshell that all but guarantees a third season. -Tim Surette [Trailer]

Murder in Boston: Roots, Rampage & Reckoning

Boston's checkered past with racism is examined in this three-part docuseries following the murder of a pregnant white woman and the shooting of her husband in the late 1980s, the reaction of the city's government and law enforcement, and the pain and suffering of a community that ensued. Under the direction of The Last Dance's Jason Hehir, Murder in Boston is part history lesson and part true-crime series, looking back at the crime and even further back at the building blocks that created one of America's most segregated and racially tense cities. -Tim Surette [Trailer] 

Starstruck

The rom-com isn't dead; it just moved to television. Like a reverse Notting Hill, the endearing series Starstruck follows Jessie (played by creator Rose Matafeo), a New Zealander living in London who spends a boozy New Year's Eve with a guy named Tom (Nikesh Patel), only to wake up to the realization that he's a famous movie star. The whole thing — each season zips by in six half-hour episodes — plays like an old-school screwball comedy. They just can't quit each other. -Kelly Connolly [Trailer] 

How to with John Wilson

How to With John Wilson is a philosophizing Peeping Tom series that undergoes two sets of different "through my eyes" filtration. First, through its creator John Wilson, an introverted master of observation who distills complex social interactions to their simplest explanations, and second, through the lens of the camera he carries around New York City (as well as Idaho, Florida, and other spots his investigations take him), which concentrates his viewpoint into a single image, like that weirdo from American Beauty. It's all edited together to tell his story in ways no one expects. Wilson is able to take these ill-fitting themes and massage them into a cohesive, touching rumination on existence. It's a show that is impossible to explain, but one watch, and you'll get it. -Tim Surette [Trailer] 

Harley Quinn

The hit DC animated series will be back for a fifth season on the same Bat-channel. In the meantime, catch up on Season 4 of Harley Quinn, which picks up with Harley (Kaley Cuoco) teaming up with the Bat-Family now that Batgirl (Briana Cuoco) has taken the reins — and Bruce Wayne (Diedrich Bader) has gone to jail for tax invasion. Superhero stories like this don't come along every day. -Kelly Connolly [Trailer]       

Warrior

Warrior is a breakthrough in Asian representation on the screen, but that's just a bonus of this action drama that's finding new life on Max after toiling in obscurity on Cinemax. Based on the writings of Bruce Lee and brought to the screen by his daughter Shannon, Warrior's depiction of the Tong Wars in San Francisco in the late 1800s is appropriately gruesome and takes more turns than Lombard Street, showing a time, place, and people that television somehow always overlooks. It's Peaky Blinders with an added layer of racial issues. It's Gangs of New York with more flying kicks. But it's also wholly original as a story of immigrants making their way in a country that only barely tolerated them and fighting back against that hatred. -Tim Surette [Trailer] 

Sex and the City

Even if you haven't seen Sex and the City, you know about Sex and the City. Four best friends in New York City! Navigating love, navigating life, navigating the transition from late '90s fashion (fun) to early 2000s fashion (horrendous)! It's always been enormously popular, but hasn't always gotten credit as a quote-unquote "important" show, as is usually the case with a lot of things that are quote-unquote "for women," but it really is a great show, even for all of its many faults. Its sequel series, And Just Like That..., which premiered in 2021 and catches up with three out of four of the women now that they're in their 50s, is not as great, but if you're a fan, it's hard to resist. -Allison Picurro [Trailer] 

The Righteous Gemstones

Danny McBride is so good at making shows about awful, obnoxious people. His latest, The Righteous Gemstones, is a dark comedy about a world-famous televangelist family whose patriarch, Eli (John Goodman), has made his fortune by preaching the good word of the Lord to the public and opening a string of megachurches, often at the cost of smaller churches. McBride, Edi Patterson, and Adam DeVine play his three horrible adult children, all of whom are in constant competition with each other to see who can become Daddy's favorite and take over the empire (seriously, it's Succession), and Walton Goggins plays his loathsome brother-in-law. Every comedy is actually a drama these days, but The Righteous Gemstones is, thankfully, first and foremost occupied with making you laugh, even as its characters do and say absolutely despicable things. -Allison Picurro [Trailer] 

The Other Two

Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider's showbiz comedy is one of the funniest shows of the last decade, period. It follows forgotten older siblings Cary (Drew Tarver) and Brooke (Heléne Yorke) who have to deal with the fact that their teen brother has become a world famous pop star overnight. As his star rises, they flail forward, trying to forge their own career paths despite the world constantly kicking them down at every turn. It's a satire that isn't cynical or smug, and it's the surprisingly rare comedy of today that is primarily focused on packing as many jokes into each episode as possible. -Allison Picurro [Trailer] 

Unicorn: Warriors Eternal

Unicorn: Warriors Eternal is an impossible animated series to accurately describe, but here we go. A steampunk robot travels through time imbuing teenagers in Victorian England with the spirits of warriors tasked with battling an entity for eternity, forcing these unsuspecting vessels to abandon their lives and save the world. The better description is to say it's another winner from Genndy Tartakovsky (Primal, Samurai Jack), a visually stunning, emotionally rich piece of oddball art. -Tim Surette [Trailer]     

Somebody Somewhere

Comedian Bridget Everett stars in this indie-com about a woman named Sam learning to find herself in Kansas after the untimely death of her sister. But it's not a sad show! In fact, Somebody Somewhere is about relishing the joys of friendship, expressing yourself, and embracing what makes you unique, but in that weird way that the choir club at high school used to do. -Tim Surette [Trailer]

Barry

Barry, which follows Bill Hader's titular depressed hitman trying to make it as an actor in Los Angeles, is either TV's funniest drama or its most dramatic comedy. In four seasons, it rarely missed, and it solidified itself as one of our best character studies of damaged people. Its frequent moments of sly, absurd humor keep it from diving into unwatchably dark territory, and the material is elevated by a dynamite ensemble cast, which features the great Henry Winkler, Sarah Goldberg, Anthony Carrigan, and Stephen Root. -Tim Surette [Trailer]  

Succession

Jesse Armstrong's series about the power struggles of the members of the exorbitantly rich Roy family, whose father is the CEO of a billion-dollar media conglomerate, is worth every bit of the hype surrounding it. Yes, it's about the business stuff (though I don't really know anyone watching it because they're super passionate about business), but it's mostly about the truly horrifically twisted family dynamics, and about the awful things wealth and power do to people. Considering the clashing personality types at play — from king sad boy Kendall (Jeremy Strong) to slimy, immature Roman (Kieran Culkin) to cold, calculating Shiv (Sarah Snook) — it's not difficult to understand why it's inspired so many memes. Sometimes it's just fun to watch bad people behave badly, when it's all happening within the confines of a fictional TV show. -Allison Picurro [Trailer] 

Perry Mason

You probably remember Perry Mason as an imposing defense attorney somewhere inside that imposing suit as he boiled down murder cases and, like clockwork, wrung out a confession from someone who wasn't his client to prove his client's innocence. Throw most of that out the window, as HBO reboots Perry Mason with a terrific Matthew Rhys playing the iconic TV character as a slightly disheveled, grumpy, boozing, f---ing malcontent who, in Season 1, works a case about a murdered baby in dirty, grimy 1930s Los Angeles. This is how prestige television is done — even if the story ultimately comes up a bit short, the performances and visuals are enough to keep you watching — and its second (and, ultimately, final) season was a marked improvement. -Tim Surette [Trailer] 

The Last of Us

One of the best video games of the past decade gets its long-awaited live-action adaptation in HBO's The Last of Us. The drama is set in a desolate, post-apocalyptic version of the U.S. that has been overrun by cannibalistic, zombified creatures and follows a survivor's (Pedro Pascal) journey to smuggle a teenage girl (Bella Ramsey) out of the quarantine zone. The series was co-developed by Chernobyl's Craig Mazin and the game's creative director Neil Druckmann, with an ensemble cast that reads like a Who's Who of great TV character actors like Murray Bartlett, Anna Torv, and Melanie Lynskey. -Allison Picurro [Trailer]

I Hate Suzie

It's OK to watch someone during the worst time of their life, really! It's good for learning from their mistakes and enjoying a little schadenfreude, and in the SkyTV series I Hate Suzie, it's also very funny. Billie Piper delivers an award-worthy performance as she absolutely becomes Suzie Pickles, an actress whose career and family get blown to bits when her phone is hacked and racy photos are leaked on the internet. The scramble to save face and her marriage is a bumpy one for Suzie, who goes through the wringer in the dark comedy that isn't afraid to mix raunch with sharp observations about celebrity. There's an element of horror to the show as the walls close in on Suzie and she retreats into some self-destructive behavior in strange places, and the anxiety it produces is almost too much, in a great way. In its three-episode second season, the delirium continues as Suzie gets a part in a televised Christmas special and fights to regain the love of the public. -Tim Surette [Trailer]

South Side

South Side follows two friends in Chicago who are trying to become venture capitalists but are stuck working boring day jobs until it happens. Creators Bashir Salahuddin and Diallo Riddle have created a delightfully singular little world. This is the ultimate hangout show in that nothing really happens, but the jokes are laugh-out-loud funny and the characters are excellent. It's the kind of show you watch and wonder why you didn't start watching it sooner. -Allison Picurro [Trailer] 

Sort Of

A tender, low-key dramedy about a non-binary millennial who drops everything to care for the young kids they nanny after the mother of the family suffers an accident, Sort Of is a quietly groundbreaking gem of a series. It avoids leaning into self-importance and flows with the unhurried authenticity of everyday life, all anchored by its wonderful star and co-creator, Bilal Baig. Its explorations of identity are presented with droll frankness; its jokes can catch you by surprise with their subtlety. It's like a breath of fresh air in TV form. -Allison Picurro [Trailer] 

The White Lotus

The first season of Mike White's riveting dramedy was set at an exclusive billion-star Hawaiian resort, though it was hardly relaxing for any of its characters, whether they were there for vacation or working to meet the needy needs of their wealthy clients. In Season 2, the location changes to Italy and a whole new cast of high-strung characters take the spotlight. White has created a dark comedy that he's proven works well in any corner of the world, and it's a joy to watch even when it seems as though the stakes are low. -Tim Surette [Trailer] 

Los Espookys 

Los Espookys, HBO's zany Spanish-language comedy about a group of friends who turn their love of horror into a peculiar business, deserves to be a huge hit. Julio Torres, Ana Fabrega, and Fred Armisen co-created and star in the series, which is finally releasing its second season after a long COVID-induced hiatus, and hopefully the world will finally come around to its many goth charms. There's nothing quite like it on TV, taking place in the cross-section between the real and the surreal, and relishing its own oddness. It was canceled after Season 2, sadly. -Allison Picurro [Trailer] 

Abbott Elementary 

Abbot Elementary is a mockumentary in the vein of The Office or Parks and Recreation about an underfunded public elementary school in Philadelphia, where the teachers try to provide for their students as best they can without getting burnt out by the lack of resources, respect, administrative support, and difficulty of the job itself. The main character is Janine Teagues (series creator Quinta Brunson), an idealistic second-grade teacher in her second year on the job. Every episode, she tries to go above and beyond the call of duty, with alternately triumphant or humbling results. The show has a sweet-and-salty sense of humor and a cast of characters who feel like people who could actually exist in real life. We've all relied on commiseration with competent coworkers to help us endure bad bosses like Ava Coleman, the preening and vindictive principal hilariously played by Janelle James. -Liam Mathews [Trailer] 

Industry

Industry, which can best be described as the exact midpoint between "Succession for Instagram influencers" and "Euphoria for business majors," is just so good. The finance world series revolves around a group of young bankers trying to secure their dream jobs at a prestigious London investment bank, and focuses as much on their career drama as it does on their interpersonal drama. The market is always in shambles. Alliances are always shifting. Sometimes Jay Duplass is there. It's a great show. -Allison Picurro [Trailer]

The Rehearsal

Nathan Fielder is really good at making social experiment TV (like his great Comedy Central series Nathan for You, or How to With John Wilson, which he produces) in which many episodes are built around interactions with everyday people. His latest series is a little harder to describe — in it, Fielder helps people plan for big moments in their lives through elaborately constructed rehearsals, but as is usually the case with Fielder's work, it becomes about so much more the longer it goes on. If Fielder's deadpan character appeals to you, and you can allow yourself to be in on the joke with him, you'll love The Rehearsal. -Allison Picurro [Trailer]

The Staircase

2022 was a banner year for true crime cases getting turned into scripted miniseries, and The Staircase comfortably slotted right in among the rest. Colin Firth, in one of the more impressive performances of that year, plays the author Michael Peterson, who in 2001 was accused of murdering his wife after claiming she died by falling down the stairs. The starry cast also includes Toni Collette, Parker Posey, Sophie Turner, and Michael Stuhlbarg. Before you say, "Well I've already seen the documentary, I don't need to see this," know that this adaptation adds enough to make it interesting, including the making of the documentary. -Allison Picurro [Trailer]    

The Flight Attendant

Sometimes you just want to kick back and watch people make bad choices. The Flight Attendant delivers. The darkly comedic thriller stars Kaley Cuoco, never better, as a hot-mess flight attendant named Cassie who wakes up after a boozy night in Bangkok next to her fling's dead body. Cassie's fumbling quest to clear her name forces her to face what's screwed up in her, confronting memories she's repressed for decades. It's a fizzy, addictive caper with a Hitchcockian flair, and Cuoco makes it impossible to look away as her character spirals. -Kelly Connolly [Trailer]

Peacemaker

John Cena brings his The Suicide Squad DC Comics character Peacemaker — a buff guy who wants peace so badly he's willing to be extremely violent about it — to the small screen, with James Gunn writing all the episodes and directing five of them. If you saw the surprisingly great The Suicide Squad (not to be confused with but of course it's going to be confused with the dud Suicide Squad), you know the tone of this, with Gunn riding the gross-out humor of The Suicide Squad into an origin tale of the best character from the film who wasn't a walking weasel and Cena showing off his magnetic star power as a doofus meathead. Superhero purists may scoff at this, but those who love muscles, violence, and perverted jokes will lap it up. -Tim Surette [Trailer]

Euphoria

Euphoria is the kind of show that'll make you say, "I'm never having kids!" Sam Levinson's gloriously messy, semi-autobiographical series centers around Rue (Zendaya), a high school student fresh out of rehab who has no intention of staying sober, and her toxic friendship with Jules (Hunter Schafer). Rue, Jules, and their classmates party, do drugs, and engage in general debauchery as they struggle to find themselves, but the show is so lovingly empathetic of their uniquely teenage despair while also having some of the best cinematography on television. -Allison Picurro [Trailer] 

Search Party

Search Party originally aired on TBS, where it was generally ignored for its first two seasons, but thankfully, Max rescued it from getting lost in the shuffle of cable TV. The satirical comedy stars Alia Shawkat as Dory, an aimless twenty-something living in Brooklyn who decides to assign purpose to her life by tracking down an old college classmate who has recently gone missing. That's how it starts out, anyway. Search Party goes to all kinds of audacious, dark places, boldly switching genres every season by adding in elements of crime thrillers and court dramas, and upping the stakes all while retaining its signature sharp sense of humor. It's a trip, but if you're willing to go along with it, you're in for a great ride. -Allison Picurro [Trailer] 

Station Eleven

For better or worse, many shows have already addressed the pandemic, but Station Eleven is a little different than the rest, if only because the book it's based on (also called Station Eleven, written by Emily St. John Mandel) was written years before COVID (the miniseries also started filming before the pandemic). It centers on a group of survivors in the wake of a global pandemic that has ravaged much of the world as they work to figure out how to go on in the face of so much devastation, with the story often switching back and forth between the pre-virus past and the post-virus future. Mackenzie Davis, Matilda Lawler, and Himesh Patel star. -Allison Picurro [Trailer] 

Insecure

Issa Rae's opus centers around her alter-ego Issa Dee and Issa's best friend Molly (Yvonne Orji), who are both trying their best in their careers, their relationships, and their lives. Insecure is so good at so many things: presenting nuanced looks at the friendships between Black women, making life's everyday hardships alternately funny and heartbreaking, and of course, having a never-ending rotating door of handsome dudes. It's one of the best, funniest, and smartest comedies of the past decade. -Allison Picurro [Trailer] 

Gossip Girl

The crown jewel of late aughts TV, Gossip Girl revolves around a group of rich kids who go to an elite Manhattan high school, all while their scandalous inner lives are tracked and put on display by the mysterious Gossip Girl. It's silly, it's stupid, it's perfect, and it catapulted people like Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, and Penn Badgley to stardom. Max also put out a, to be nice about it, not as perfect revival in 2021 that focuses on a new cast. -Allison Picurro [Trailer]  

David Makes Man

Nothing else on TV moves like David Makes Man, a tender coming-of-age drama from Moonlight co-writer Tarell Alvin McCraney. The first season is told through the eyes of 14-year-old David (powerhouse talent Akili McDowell), who can't reconcile the person he is at his magnet school with his home life in the projects. As he deals with academic pressure, his mother's struggle to make rent, and the local boys who are eager to recruit him to the drug trade, each world he inhabits is written with equal empathy and humanity. When Season 2 jumps ahead to find David (played as an adult by Kwame Patterson) in his 30s, it only underlines the way adults still carry their youth with them. David Makes Man is a remarkable show, suffused with magical realism and drenched in the sunlight and sweat of South Florida. The impression it leaves is vivid and unforgettable. -Kelly Connolly [Trailer]

Mare of Easttown

On the surface, Mare of Easttown seems like any other crime show about a grizzled cop solving a case. The series follows Mare (Kate Winslet, giving one of the best performances of her career), a Pennsylvania detective, as she investigates the killing of a local teen girl while simultaneously coping with her own trauma. But despite how many dark murder dramas are out there, Mare is singular: It's an enthralling mystery; it's a character study of damaged people; it is, occasionally, a mother-daughter sitcom. It'll keep you hooked until the final shot, in which Mare finally begins dealing with the piece of her past she's had the most difficulty accepting. -Allison Picurro [Trailer] 

Six Feet Under

Alan Ball's series follows the lives of the Fisher family, who take over the Los Angeles funeral home that was left to them by their recently deceased father. You may or may not know that Six Feet Under is best remembered for its iconic series finale sequence, but most everything that happens before that is incredible too. The Fisher family is dysfunctional and troubled, and the show is unique for its willingness to have frank, complicated discussions about the many facets of dying and grief. While you should probably know before going in that this one is pretty dark (each episode begins with a different death), don't let that deter you from watching. It's something special. -Allison Picurro [Trailer]

The Leftovers

Co-created by Lost's Damon Lindelof and author Tom Perrotta, The Leftovers could be read as a direct response to the controversy around the Lost finale: On The Leftovers, the lack of answers was the point. Set in the dazed aftermath of the sudden vanishing of 2 percent of the world's population, the series evolved past its bleak first season to tell a story more expansive, and more quietly magical, than anything else on TV. But while the unrelenting anguish of the first few episodes turned some viewers off, it wasn't a flaw in the big picture. The distance between where The Leftovers began and where it ended was part of what made the second and third seasons so effective: It was thrilling to watch the show break its own rules. When the characters found their own ways to heal, it was both a rebellion and a relief. The Leftovers didn't capture life exactly as it is but as it feels. It will be looked back on as a snapshot of a chaotic era striving for grace. -Kelly Connolly [Trailer] 

The Wire

Created by David Simon, The Wire is rightfully lauded as being one of the greatest shows of all time. Set in Baltimore, the crime drama focuses largely on the city's drug trade, but with each season it peels back another layer, expertly exploring other facets of the city, from the local government to the educational system. It's unflinching and fascinating, set on exposing the American underbelly, but more than anything, it really just is that good. -Allison Picurro [Trailer] 

The Sopranos

Have you heard of this one? David Chase's groundbreaking drama is about as popular now as it was when it first aired, and for good reason. It is quite simply one of the best to ever do it, following James Gandolfini's mafia man with feelings, Tony Soprano, as he tries to reckon with the weight of the horrifically violent things he's done as a mob boss while balancing his role as a husband and father. It's an absorbingly vibrant story about America, the things capitalism does to a person's soul, and track suits. If you love any show made after The Sopranos, there's a pretty good chance it was, in some way, inspired by The Sopranos. -Allison Picurro [Trailer] 

Enlightened

One of the best series HBO has ever produced, Mike White's half-hour dramedy Enlightened stars Laura Dern — in arguably her greatest TV performance — as a former corporate exec who heads to a spiritual retreat after a mental breakdown. There, she becomes a new age, eco-friendly goddess who rejoins her company at the bottom, where she plots to take down the corporation. Extremely touching and hilarious, Enlightened was ahead of its time. -Allison Picurro [Trailer] 

Watchmen

Based on Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' graphic novel and created by Damon Lindelof, Watchmen is the rare superhero story that resonates with people who love superheroes and people who hate superheroes. Set in an alternate version of Tulsa, Oklahoma, where cops conceal their identities to protect themselves, it picks up 34 years after the original Watchmen story. Regina King gives a powerhouse performance as Angela Abar, who is unexpectedly drawn into a mysterious conspiracy after the death of a colleague. The show is an incredible showcase for actors like King, Jean Smart, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, while also serving as a history lesson, bringing the 1921 Tulsa race massacre to greater public consciousness. It also notably manages to make such a sprawling story digestible to people who aren't familiar with the original Watchmen. From start to finish, it's an expertly crafted series. -Allison Picurro [Trailer] 

I May Destroy You

Rising super-talent Michaela Coel created, writes, directs, and stars in this timely and unflinching drama made in partnership with the BBC. She plays Arabella, an author who is drugged and sexually assaulted in a bar, and comes to with a vague memory that something bad happened to her, but she's not sure who's responsible. She tries to find out who did it, while also maintaining her friendships and finishing her book. The series deals with some intensely heavy topics, but it has a sly sense of humor that will make you laugh when you're least expecting it. -Liam Mathews [Trailer]