1 Ladies’ Detective Agency) that later became regular, ongoing series. We’re excluding made-for-HBO movies, with the exception of the movies ( The No. What is HBO doing here that other media outlets aren’t?Ī quick note about what’s not on the list. Each has their merits - and, no doubt, fans who’ll be mad they’re not ranked higher - but in determining which was a “somewhere in the 50s” show versus “somewhere in the 20s,” we tried to consider not just entertainment value, but originality and ambition. Everything in between falls into more of a loose continuum. The bottom ten would be the dregs: The real misbegotten products of the whole HBO experiment. Generally speaking, the top ten here should be considered canonical television: Shows that didn’t just distinguish themselves with their quality and cultural reach, but which suggested entirely new approaches to making TV.

We looked back at every HBO original comedy and drama series and miniseries: from the ’80s shows that were “regular TV but with naked gals and cusses,” through the explosion in the aughts of some genuinely fresh and even radical television.įiguring out what to put where wasn’t easy. As the network expands into the streaming market with HBO Max - not long after the new owner AT&T began reportedly pushing for more of a Netflix-style “quantity first, quality if there’s time” approach to making television - it’s a good time to reassess what HBO’s programming team has brought to our screens, past and present.

Starting in the late 1990s - and especially after the debut of The Sopranos in 1999 - the network developed a reputation as the place to find the kind of sophisticated original storytelling broadcasters and basic-cable outlets wouldn’t touch.īut not everything HBO executives sign off on has been solid gold. These days, HBO is still one of pay TV’s top draws, but it’s mostly because of shows like Watchmen and Succession and not because subscribers are eager to catch up with Ocean’s 8 and The Predator. ĭuring the rapid expansion of cable and satellite television in the 1980s, HBO was one of the new services’ biggest selling points, thanks to a lineup that featured uncut recent theatrical movies, concerts, stand-up-comedy specials, and even the occasional Broadway show … and not the same ol’ sitcoms and dramas. This story was originally published in 2019 and has been updated to reflect HBO’s more recent titles. Photo-Illustration: Emily Denniston/Vulture and Photos by HBO

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