10 Great HBO Shows That Are Actually Worth the Hype

Image via HBO Published Jul 18, 2026, 6:08 PM EDT Lucas Kloberdanz-Dyck is a writer for Collider. He grew up creating lists, stories, and worlds, which led to his love of anime and video games. He attended Sheridan College where he earned an Honours Bachelor of Game Design. Lucas and his group won 1st place for technical innovation at LevelUp Toronto 2023, and he was also an intern for the Oakville Film Festival of Arts. Sign in to your Collider account HBO is home to some of the greatest television series of all time, including the biggest show of all time, Game of Thrones. However, as such a prestigious streaming platform, a lot of their shows get blown out of proportion in terms of hype, with it never really living up to what it is hailed to be. Everyone regards True Detective as a masterpiece, but outside the first season, it isn't anything special. However, HBO didn't get the fame it did without delivering some good shows, which is why this list will feature the great HBO shows that are actually worth the hype they get. Based on popularity, critical acclaim, fan opinion in comparison to writing, directing, originality, and influence, these shows are absolute must-watches that live up to the infinite praise they receive. 'Veep' (2012–2019) Image via HBO HBO is mostly known for their prestigious dramas, but they have a handful of acclaimed comedies, including Veep. Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) is the current Vice President of the United States of America, but her dream job isn't as dreamy as she once thought. From the chaotic lifestyle to incompetent co-workers, she really has her work cut out for her. Veep represents a distinct corner of HBO, delivering an unforgettable comedy that is both hilarious, smart, and political. Despite its absurdity, there is a lot of authenticity behind this series, which partially makes it an acclaimed series. However, the sharp dialogue and rapid-fire jokes elevate Veep to the status of a comedic masterpiece. 'The Penguin' (2024) Image via HBO The Batman Part II is still a long way away, but fans at least got a spin-off in the meantime with The Penguin, starring Colin Farrell as the titular villain. This series serves as his origin story after the events of the first movie, and with other gangsters out of the way, Oswald can begin his crime empire, but he must fight for whatever he earns, building his legacy up from scraps. DC has a unique mark on HBO, and out of all the shows on there, The Penguin is by far the best. It isn't just a Batman spin-off, but its own drama series that rivals even some of the best mobster shows. As the best DC TV show, it uses the dark vibe and masterful writing to create a tense, unpredictable, and thrilling drama series that can compete with the best of the best. 'Deadwood' (2004–2006) Image via HBO Westerns aren't as popular as they used to be, but shows like Deadwood keep the genre alive and in its peak form. This television series chronicles the life and development of the titular town, which evolved from a simple encampment to a well-organized mining town. However, it didn't just become like that; the people needed to put in blood, sweat, and tears to make their Wild West dream come true. Deadwood is hands down one of the best Western television shows of all time, and it lives up to that hype by promising some of the greatest dialogue fans will ever hear. Featuring some of the most compelling characters in TV history, this Western isn't just about action, but it also delivers the profound writing and character development that HBO is known for. 'Succession' (2018–2023) Image via HBO Most of HBO's best shows come from the late 1990s and mid-2000s, but fans shouldn't discredit the modern age, which has aired remarkable series such as Succession. Logan Roy (Brian Cox), the CEO of a multimedia empire, is considering retirement, and this pits his children against each other in a petty and vicious war to take his spot. As one of the best modern-day HBO shows, Succession has won countless awards, yet some still question its praise. It can flip between absurd comedy about the oddities of the wealthy elite and a touching emotional story about kids and their father. Delving into political territory, Succession is especially relevant and gripping at the same time, proving its hype is more than worth it. Collider Exclusive · Game of Thrones Personality Quiz Which Game of Thrones House Do You Belong To? Stark · Lannister · Targaryen · Baratheon · Tyrell Five great houses. Five completely different answers to the same question: how do you hold power in a world that will take it from you the moment you stop paying attention? Eight questions will determine where your loyalties — and your nature — truly lie. 🐺Stark 🦁Lannister 🐉Targaryen 🦌Baratheon 🌹Tyrell FIND YOUR HOUSE → 01 Someone powerful is acting dishonourably and everyone knows it. What do you do? In Westeros, the answer to this question has ended more than one great house. ACall it out, openly and on the record. If honour means anything, it has to mean something when it's costly. BUse it. Information about someone else's dishonour is leverage — and leverage is power. CAct decisively to correct it — with or without the approval of those around me. DChallenge them directly. Strength settles disputes more honestly than courtroom manoeuvring. ENavigate carefully — build alliances, apply quiet pressure, and create a situation where the right outcome becomes inevitable. NEXT QUESTION → 02 What is the source of your power? Every house endures because of something. What is it for yours? AThe loyalty of people who trust me — earned over generations, not bought with gold. BWealth, intelligence, and the willingness to use both without sentiment. CA legacy so fearsome and a vision so total that opposition becomes unthinkable. DPhysical strength, military force, and the respect that comes from being the kind of person nobody wants to fight. ECharm, connection, and the ability to make powerful people feel that my success is also theirs. NEXT QUESTION → 03 Who do you truly fight for? Strip away the banners and the words. The honest answer tells you everything. AMy family and my people — those who depend on me and have kept faith with me through everything. BMy family — the ones who share my blood, even when they exhaust me, even when they disappoint me. CMy cause — a vision larger than any single person, including me. DMyself, and those few who've proven themselves worth fighting beside. EMy house — its name, its future, the position I intend to leave it in when I'm gone. NEXT QUESTION → 04 How do you deal with your enemies? A house's method reveals its character as clearly as its words ever could. AHonestly — I face them directly, and I give quarter when it's warranted. BThoroughly — I don't leave loose ends, and I don't make the same enemy twice. CDecisively — fire answers questions that diplomacy only delays. DHead-on — I'd rather meet a threat on the battlefield than behind closed doors. EElegantly — I prefer to make former enemies into allies, or at least into people who owe me something. NEXT QUESTION → 05 What kind of ruler do you believe in? Westeros is full of answers to this question. Most of them end badly. AA just one — someone who serves the realm rather than using it, who leads by example rather than fear. BA capable one — someone smart enough to navigate the game, ruthless enough to win it, and realistic about what winning costs. CA transformative one — someone who doesn't just rule what exists but reshapes what's possible. DA strong one — someone whose authority is beyond question because the alternative is obviously worse. EA wise one — someone who understands that the realm is fed by more than armies, and that a full stomach keeps more peace than a sharp sword. NEXT QUESTION → 06 You suffer a devastating loss. How does your house respond? How a house handles defeat tells you more about it than how it handles victory. AWe grieve, properly and together — and then we endure, because endurance is what we do. BWe adapt. We reassess. And we ensure that whoever caused this loss comes to regret it completely. CWe burn hotter. Setbacks don't soften us — they clarify what needs to happen next. DWe hit back. Grief and revenge are the same motion in our house. EWe regroup quietly, rebuild our position, and return when we're ready — on our terms, not theirs. NEXT QUESTION → 07 Which of these truths about Westeros do you most believe? Every house has a philosophy. This is yours. AThe lone wolf dies, but the pack survives. Nothing matters more than the people you protect. BA Lannister always pays their debts — in gold or in kind. Reputation is built on consistency. CI am the blood of the dragon. Some destinies are written before the person who carries them is born. DOurs is the fury. When we move, we move completely — and we don't stop until it's done. EGrowing strong means knowing when to bloom and when to wait. Patience is its own kind of power. NEXT QUESTION → 08 The Iron Throne is within reach. What do you do? The answer reveals not just your ambition — but your character. AClaim it only if the realm needs me to — and rule in a way that makes it worth having. BEnsure someone who owes us sits in it. The power behind the throne is safer than the throne itself. CTake it. It was always meant to be mine — I feel that in my bones and in my blood. DSeize it — with both hands, without hesitation. Opportunity in Westeros does not wait to be asked. EPosition my house to be indispensable to whoever sits there — influence outlasts any single reign. REVEAL MY HOUSE → The Maester Has Spoken Your House Is…Your answers point to the great house whose words, values, and way of surviving in Westeros match your own. Bend the knee — or don't. That's very much up to you. 🐺 House StarkWinter is Coming — and you have always known it. You prepare not out of fear but out of duty, because the people who depend on you deserve someone who takes the long view. You lead with honour even when it costs you, because you understand that a reputation built on integrity is the only one worth having. Your loyalty to family and people runs deep — not as sentiment but as a code that doesn't bend when things get difficult. The North endures because Starks endure — not by being the cleverest players in the game, but by being the kind of people others are willing to follow into the cold. You are that kind of person. The pack survives. The lone wolf dies. You already know which one you are. 🦁 House LannisterYou understand the game — its rules, its exceptions, and exactly when the rules become the exception. You play it without illusions and without apology. You are sharper than most people realise, and you have learned to use that gap to your advantage. A Lannister always pays their debts — and you always keep your word, because your word is an instrument of power, and instruments must be kept in working order. You love your family with a ferocity that sometimes blinds you, and you know it, and you do it anyway. The lion doesn't concern itself with the opinion of sheep. Neither, in the end, do you. 🐉 House TargaryenYou carry a sense of destiny that is difficult to explain and impossible to ignore — the feeling that you are not simply participating in the world but meant to reshape it. You are capable of extraordinary things, and you know it, and that knowledge is both your greatest strength and your most dangerous quality. Fire and blood are not just words to you — they are a philosophy about what change requires and what it costs. The Targaryens at their best were transformative rulers who broke chains and defied the limits of what anyone thought possible. At your best, so are you. The dragon has three heads. You are one of them. 🦌 House BaratheonYou are a force — direct, powerful, and difficult to ignore when you enter a room or a conflict. You do not negotiate with challenges. You meet them. Ours is the fury — and yours is a kind of intensity that commands attention, respect, and occasionally fear from those who underestimate what's behind it. You value strength and straight dealing. You'd rather know where you stand in a fight than navigate a web of courtly whispers. The Baratheons built their house on the back of one of the greatest military victories in Westerosi history — and then struggled with what came after. The lesson of your house is that winning is not the end of the story. Governing is. You are learning that too. 🌹 House TyrellYou understand that power does not always announce itself — that sometimes it arrives with flowers, good wine, and a smile that doesn't quite reach the eyes. Growing strong is your house's motto, and you live it: patiently, strategically, always investing in the relationships and resources that will matter most when it counts. You are charming by choice and calculating by nature — a combination that makes you one of the most effective players in any room you enter. The Tyrells fed King's Landing and shaped its politics without ever sitting on the Iron Throne — and they were arguably more powerful for it. You know that the person who controls the food controls the kingdom. And you always know where the food is. ↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ 'Chernobyl' (2019) Image via HBO HBO has some of the greatest miniseries of all time, and one incredible work is Chernobyl, based on the events of the tragic nuclear facility meltdown. After the haunting events, this miniseries follows a handful of characters affected by it, including nearby residents, the first responders, and the higher-ups who were planning for a way to stop the spread of radiation. Chernobyl is terrifyingly realistic, and it earns its hype by delivering such an authentic story that focuses on not just the event, but the people, making it an emotional and personal story. This intimate view of the event is no doubt disturbing, but it is also a fascinating examination of the cost of incompetence, and that affects normal people. 'Band of Brothers' (2001) Image via HBO Following one of the best miniseries ever is yet another remarkable miniseries, this time being the epic war drama, Band of Brothers. This war drama is about Easy Company, a military squadron during the Second World War. It chronicles their history from their very first training session all the way to the end of the war and all the tragedy that happens in between. No war series gives fans a better look at the battle and the personal state of the soldiers like Band of Brothers, which gives a great view of the life of a soldier during the war using ground-level cinematography that makes things even more immersive, yet harder to watch. Everyone talks about Band of Brothers and how good it is, and that hype isn't wasted, because it proves it is one of the best American war shows through grounded realism and character-focused storytelling. 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' (2026–Present) Game of Thrones is one of the most hyped-up shows in TV history, so much so that it is impossible to live up to the hype. House of the Dragon is also good, but when it comes to being worth the hype, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms takes the cake. After the death of his master, Duncan (Peter Claffey) aims to become a hedge knight himself, but first he will have to prove himself in a tournament. Game of Thrones has a horrible ending, and House of the Dragon is good, but not worth the hype. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, on the other hand, is a delightful change of pace with quaint storytelling, endearing characters, charming humor, and an engaging plot. It was one of the biggest surprises of 2026, easily becoming a must-watch show that is better than what the hype is saying. 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' (2000–2024) Image via HBO As mentioned, HBO isn't known for their comedies, but maybe they should be, because not only do they have Veep, but the platform is also home to Curb Your Enthusiasm. This show features an exaggerated version of Larry David, following his life in Los Angeles as he tackles unspoken rules with ignorance that usually turn into awkward misunderstandings and minor inconveniences that get blown out of proportion. David has a distinct plot structure in his works, and he perfected the intersecting structure and adapted it into Curb Your Enthusiasm using improvised moments and authentic storytelling. With a much more personal touch and relatable style, this show became the king of cringe comedy, slowly escalating until it concludes with absolutely ridiculous moments, proving it is one of the best American sitcoms ever. 'Barry' (2018–2023) Image via HBO Succession was the big breakaway success for HBO in the modern era, but 2018 brought another masterpiece in the form of a dramatic comedy, Barry. Bill Hader plays the titular character, who is a hitman at the end of his wits, but finding new life in acting. However, he struggles to balance the two incompatible lives, wondering which one will take over the other. For fans of the surreal, Barry is the show for them. From absurd moments to shocking twists and all-around bizarreness, this series is unlike anything fans will ever experience. Barry can switch from a hilarious satire to a tense drama in the matter of seconds, and with a remarkable cast of characters and flawless acting, this show earns all of its praise and then some. 'The Sopranos' (1999–2007) Image via HBO HBO houses some of the greatest TV shows of all time, including what many consider to be the best, The Sopranos. Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) is the head of a crime family, but lately he has struggled to manage life between the family business and his family life, with each one taking its toll on the other. In terms of how much hype a show gets, it doesn't get more hyped than The Sopranos, yet somehow, it still manages to be worth it. Boasting some of the best episodes on television, it birthed the modern era of TV prestige, influencing the landscape of the medium. Not only that, but The Sopranos is a psychological masterclass and has genius character writing, which combine to create an unforgettable masterpiece. The Sopranos Release Date 1999 - 2007 Network HBO Showrunner David Chase Directors Tim Van Patten, John Patterson, Alan Taylor, Jack Bender, Steve Buscemi, Daniel Attias, David Chase, Andy Wolk, Danny Leiner, David Nutter, James Hayman, Lee Tamahori, Lorraine Senna, Matthew Penn, Mike Figgis, Nick Gomez, Peter Bogdanovich, Phil Abraham, Rodrigo García Writers Michael Imperioli, Jason Cahill, Lawrence Konner, David Flebotte, James Manos, Jr., Salvatore Stabile, Toni Kalem, Mark Saraceni, Nick Santora Main Genre Crime Seasons 6 Producers Allen Coulter, Andrew Schneider, Diane Frolov, Gianna Maria Smart, Henry J. Bronchtein, Martin Bruestle, Terence Winter, Todd A. Kessler Creator(s) David Chase Streaming Service(s) M Executive Producer(s) Brad Grey, Ilene S. Landress, Mitchell Burgess, Robin Green, Matthew Weiner, David Chase