HBO Max is hitting a lot of high notes at the moment with new seasons of The Last of Us and The White Lotus coming in hot this year. New content is being released at a pretty impressive clip without sacrificing quality. Can the same be said for its rival streaming services?
If you’re subscribed to HBO Max and have already gone through the brand new seasons of Hacks, The Rehearsal, or And Just Like That, but need some new suggestions, I have some non-obvious ideas. I dug into the streamer’s catalog to uncover the hidden gems—like I did with Apple TV+ and Amazon Prime Video—across various categories. Mark these picks down and give them a try to get the most out of the streaming video service.
The Limited Series, Perfect for a Quick Binge
People who like to keep things short and sweet with a definitive ending should gobble up these mini-series. You should be able to knock each of these out in a weekend.
The Undoing
A star-studded cast gives this criminal mystery the charisma it needs to keep you hanging on throughout its six-episode run. Like any good crime thriller, multiple people could be the killer. So while it’s clear there will be a twist and proper doubt is sewn early on, the show is good enough to keep you hanging on until the reveal.
Director: Susanne Bier / Cast: Nicole Kidman, Hugh Grant, Donald Sutherland / Genre: Crime, Drama / Rating: TV-MA / Released: 2020 / IMDb Rating: 7.4/10
Landscapers
What happens when two dead bodies are discovered in the backyard of unlikely suspects? Based on a true story, Landscapers is a short, four-episode mini-series that mixes the styles of a documentary and drama thriller to create a unique kind of show.
Director: Will Sharpe / Cast: Olivia Colman, David Thewlis / Genre: Crime, Drama / Rating: TV-MA / Released: 2021 / IMDb Rating: 7/10
Chernobyl
You might know the story of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, but you probably haven’t seen it dramatized quite like this. This five-part series (from Last of Us co-writer Craig Mazin) explores the immediate aftermath, the coverup, and the long-term impact on those in the radiation zone. (Be sure to check out the accompanying podcast for more behind-the-scenes details.)
Director: Johan Renck / Cast: Jessie Buckley, Jared Harris, Stellan Skarsgård / Genre: Historical drama / Rating: TV-MA / Released: 2019 / IMDb Rating: 9.3/10
John Adams
A look back at the founding of America, through the lens and life of President John Adams, isn’t the worst way to spend a few evenings in 2025. This dramatic seven-part series might even be a good watch for older teens having trouble contextualizing events in history from a textbook.
Director: Tom Hooper / Cast: Paul Giamatti, Laura Linney, John Dossett / Genre: Drama / Rating: TV-14 / Released: 2008 / IMDb Rating: 8.4/10
Recommended If You Like…
All of these picks should feel familiar because they have creators who made other series in the same vein. Liking the past work isn’t a prerequisite, but there’s a good chance that if you like one of these shows, you’ll like the other.
The Newsroom
If you like The West Wing or Sports Radio, then you should give The Newsroom a shot. It brings Aaron Sorkin’s typical wit and style, but applied to a cable newsroom. Because it’s an HBO show, it is more adult than those other shows.
Director: Alan Poul / Cast: Jeff Daniels, Emily Mortimer, John Gallagher Jr. / Genre: Political drama / Rating: TV-MA / Released: 2012 / IMDb Rating: 8/10
The Gilded Age
Fans of Downton Abbey and Julian Fellowes should be all over The Gilded Age. The show explores life at the turn of the century in New York, when old money and new (railroad) money collide. It carries all the drama of Downton, but with an American flare thrown in for fun and style.
Director: Michael Engler / Cast: Carrie Coon, Morgan Spector, Louisa Jacobson / Genre: Period drama / Rating: TV-MA / Released: 2021 / IMDb Rating: 8/10
The Leftovers
The Leftovers is not another Lost, but the show does find Damon Lindelof helming another character-driven show where no one knows what’s going on. It begins when a sizable portion of the world’s population suddenly disappears and continues from there. Although most viewers would probably say The Leftovers is worth the ride, you’ll need a little patience as it gets going.
Director: Mimi Leder / Cast: Justin Theroux, Amy Brenneman, Liv Tyler / Genre: Thriller / Rating: TV-MA / Released: 2014 / IMDb Rating: 8.3/10
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The Pitt
Even if you didn’t watch ER, you may still dig The Pitt for its fast-paced, drama-filled episodes taking place in an emergency room throughout a single shift. I’m not generally into medical shows, but The Pitt still managed to hook me. Forget about the genre and give it a shot. (For a throwback, ER is streaming on Hulu.)
Director: John Wells / Cast: Noah Wyle, Tracy Ifeachor, Patrick Ball / Genre: Drama / Rating: TV-MA / Released: 2025 / IMDb Rating: 8.9/10
Animation, But Not for Young Kids
Just because the animation is the medium doesn’t mean these are kids’ shows or movies. But to be clear, these also aren’t the inappropriate adult cartoons that are vulgar for shock value.
The Wind Rises
From childhood to adulthood, The Wind Rises chronicles the highs and lows of a boy dreaming of designing airplanes and his path to get there. A range of emotions and themes flow through the film that should make it appeal to a lot of people. And while there’s not a single, definitive Studio Ghibli to start with, The Wind Rises is as good a place to start as any.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki / Cast (English): Joseph Gordon-Levitt, John Krasinski, Emily Blunt / Genre: Drama, animation / Rating: PG-13 / Released: 2014 / IMDb Rating: 7.8/10
Lazarus
Lazarus is a smooth, thrilling anime series that pits a group of thieves against the clock as they search for the only person who poisoned the world with his miracle drug. It might not be the show you were looking for, but don’t skip out on the easy-to-consume show.
Director: Shinichirō Watanabe / Cast (English): Jack Stansbury, Jovan Jackson / Genre: Sci-fi, animation / Rating: TV-14 / Released: 2025 / IMDb Rating: 7.2/10
Recommended by Our Editors
Scavengers Reign
Survivors of an intergalactic space crew land on a mysterious planet and see things they’ve never encountered before. This series could have been a great live-action show, but in its animated form, it’s able to do more, unique things with aliens and unique lifeforms.
Director: Vincent Tsui / Cast: Sunita Mani, Wunmi Mosaku / Genre: Sci-fi, animation / Rating: TV-MA / Released: 2023 / IMDb Rating: 8.6/10
These Are Great, With Some Caveats
Consider these the riskier picks, given the potentially triggering return to the pandemic era and yet another comic book adaptation. Still, if you’re willing to take a chance, these might be your next obsession.
Kimi
After months spent inside during the heart of the COVID pandemic, it was clear that the experience made an impression on some filmmakers. This is one of those movies. On the surface, Kimi is about a tech worker discovering evidence of a crime and trying to report it. More deeply, it’s about anxiety and recovering from isolation. It’s fast-paced and zips by, but it might also spark some memories of the stay-at-home orders.
Director: Steven Soderbergh / Cast: Zoë Kravitz, Rita Wilson / Genre: Thriller / Rating: R / Released: 2022 / IMDb Rating: 6.3/10
The Penguin
Spin-offs are always a risk, and no one needs another comic book story, but I think The Penguin pulls it off. This backstory of the Batman villain feels less like an anti-hero story and more like a crime ring thriller.
Director: Craig Zobel / Cast: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz / Genre: Drama / Rating: TV-MA / Released: 2024 / IMDb Rating: 8.6/10
Station Eleven
Based on the book by Emily St. John Mandel, published in 2014, Station Eleven instantly hooked me with its practical look at an apocalypse-level event caused by an airborne virus. The show is one of my favorites, but anyone still haunted by the COVID pandemic may find it hits a little too hard.
Director: Hiro Murai / Cast: Mackenzie Davis, Himesh Patel, Lori Petty / Genre: Drama / Rating: TV-MA / Released: 2021 / IMDb Rating: 7.6/10
The Flight Attendant
A flight attendant meets a man during a trip, and the next morning, when she wakes up in his room, he’s dead. Beyond the typical, who-did-it aspect, there’s a lot of the story that is tied to alcoholism—part of the reason she can’t remember certain things. That may be a trigger for some people, but otherwise, the story mostly pays off in the end—even if you’re not in for the second season, which feels a little tacked on.
Director: Susanna Fogel / Cast: Kaley Cuoco, Rosie Perez, Griffin Matthews / Genre: Comedy, drama / Rating: TV-MA / Released: 2020 / IMDb Rating: 7.1/10
Everything you need to know about the history behind ‘The Gilded Age’
About Tyler Hayes
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