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The 21st century has presented the golden age of television drama, marking an era where the medium has evolved from being a formulaic and routine assembly of police procedurals, soap operas, and family sitcoms into a prestigious form of visual storytelling. While streaming services and television networks have capitalized on this momentous shift, there is only one brand that is truly synonymous with the small-screen’s ascent, and that, of course, is HBO.
The premium network began blazing a new trail as early as the 1990s, with hit series like Oz and The Sopranos pushing the envelope of what was possible to depict on television not only in terms of graphic content, but in terms of storytelling styles and production quality as well. Over the past 26 years, HBO has remained a spearhead of small-screen greatness with a litany of iconic and universally admired shows that range from intense crime thrillers to skewering satires, piercing historical dramas, and monumental fantasy epics.
10
‘The Pitt’ (2025–Present)
Marking one of HBO’s most recent television triumphs, The Pitt has reinvented the nature of medical drama, imbuing the genre with an urgency and drive through its unique real-time approach and its grueling authenticity. Set in the ER of the fictional Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center, both of its 15-episode seasons so far have unfolded over the course of a tumultuous shift, with each episode covering an hour in the intense, high-pressure, and woefully understaffed and under-resourced medical facility.
Using documentary-style realism and focusing on the many plights that healthcare workers must endure and overcome in the modern, post-COVID age, The Pitt soars as an immersive descent into the frenetic chaos of life in an ER. Anchored by its deeply human characters, strong thematic messaging, and the atmospheric suspense of its presentation, The Pitt has emerged as one of the defining series of the 2020s and has already established itself as yet another masterpiece produced by HBO.
9
‘Veep’ (2012–2019)
Political satire has seldom been so acidic. Hot off the back of his success with the BBC’s production of The Thick of It, renowned satirist Armando Iannucci made for America and the production powers of HBO to lampoon the political landscape within the White House. Julia Louis-Dreyfus is sublime as Selina Meyer, a former senator now serving as the Vice President who tries to use the position to elevate her own legacy while navigating a litany of issues in her private life.
Its seven-season run is a glorious procession of comedic wit at its most barbed, with Veep constantly evolving as a farcical and frenzied skewering of American politics that reduces political figures to fiercely immoral egomaniacs and depicts the nature of power as being one panicked, unmitigated calamity after another. Profane, profound, and perfectly puerile, Veep stands tall among the best comedies HBO has ever produced and remains one of the network’s most cutting and shocking productions.
8
‘Game of Thrones’ (2011–2019)
An awe-inspiring feat of small-screen production, Game of Thrones is the embodiment of television at its most epic and astonishing. Even if its ill-fated final season did leave fans underwhelmed, the scope of what the series achieved, particularly in the first half of its eight-season run, remains the most stunning achievement the medium has ever seen, a wickedly addictive and often frightfully graphic story of power, betrayal, and violence realized with enormous scope and richly immersive production value.
Based on George R. R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” novel series, it focuses on the war that erupts in the fantasy realm of Westeros when the region’s lords enter a conflict for the Iron Throne while an ancient evil gathers power. At its best, there was no show as compelling or commanding. Its penchant for killing off main characters created an atmosphere of sickening suspense and unpredictability, while the intricacies of its political detail and immoral characters made for must-watch television. Through its spin-off series like House of the Dragon and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Game of Thrones remains the greatest pop-culture icon in television history and the most stunning foray into high-concept fantasy the medium has ever seen.
7
‘Six Feet Under’ (2001–2006)
Pivoting from one of HBO’s greatest ever successes to an underrated gem that deserves far more recognition even 20 years on from its finale, Six Feet Under excels as a gripping dark dramedy revolving around the highly dysfunctional Fisher family. Following the death of their patriarchal figure, the surviving members of the Fisher family oversee the management of the Fisher & Sons funeral home, leading to a procession of obstacles as their efforts to run the business clash with the ugly complexity of their personal lives.
Seamlessly transitioning between black comic brilliance, thought-provoking surrealism, and devastating moments of poignant emotional realism, Six Feet Under shines through its character development and its mature exploration of such themes as mortality, family friction, and a cohort of grounded life issues like sexuality, mental health, and identity. Complimented by one of the greatest series finales of all time, Six Feet Under stands tall among HBO’s greatest ever TV shows, even if it has been forgotten by the masses over time.
6
‘Deadwood’ (2004–2006)
Presenting Western drama as it has seldom been seen before or since, Deadwood combines the violent and confronting grit of the Old West with mesmerizing and profanity-laden Shakespearean dialogue, masterful world-building, and compelling observations on the nature of civilization. Created by David Milch, it transpires as swarms of people flock to the titular South Dakota town in the 1870s in search of riches. However, with the population boom also comes a wave of crime and chaos that the understaffed sheriff’s office is ill-equipped to manage.
While its abrupt ending due to the post-season 3 cancelation does make its ending a little unrewarding, Deadwood still excels with its impeccably designed character arcs and its brilliant analysis of how the town was caught in the thralls of capitalist greed. Unlike other Western dramas, it is unflinching and unromantic, presenting a grim vision of an 1870s gold mining town complete with grime, squalor, violence, ambition, and tragedy.
5
‘Succession’ (2018–2023)
An essential landmark of television greatness over the past decade, Succession boasts both brilliantly barbed comedic instincts and a relentless sense of high-stakes tension as it immerses viewers in the chaotic lifestyle of immense wealth and power. Revolving around Waystar RoyCo, a multi-billion-dollar multimedia conglomerate with worldwide influence, it unfolds as the aging CEO and owner, Logan Roy (Brian Cox), signals his intent to step down, leading to a volatile power struggle between his three children as they each try to present themselves as the best candidate to succeed him.
Combining elements of operatic Shakespearean tragedy and cringe-worthy satire, Succession presents a fiendishly enthralling sibling rivalry that revels in betrayals and barbed insults while still touching on serious issues of generational trauma and self-worth with dignity and depth. A true masterclass in television spectacle throughout the entirety of its four-season run, Succession sits comfortably among HBO’s greatest series of the 21st century.
4
‘The Leftovers’ (2014–2017)
Moody, meditative, and magnificent from start to finish, The Leftovers has an ensnaring depth and complexity to it as it substitutes the traditional narrative drive of television drama for a richly impressionable and somber exploration of grief and loss. It transpires in the aftermath of the “Sudden Departure,” an inexplicable event in which two percent of the world’s population vanished. Three years later, the world is still reeling as some people have turned to extremist cults to cope with their trauma, while others try to maintain a sense of normality for themselves and their families.
Investing all of its energy into the emotional journeys of those who remain, it doesn’t run as a frenetic mystery or even as a typical post-apocalyptic thriller but as a thought-provoking drama defined by the piercing brilliance of its performances and the emotional and psychological depth of the writing. The Leftovers is, above all else, profoundly empathetic, using its restraint and concentration to grapple with the intricacies of the human condition while realizing a stunning world of pain and despair. It stands not only as one of the best HBO shows of all time, but as the network’s most underrated production as well.
3
‘Chernobyl’ (2019)
A defining highlight of limited series prestige, Chernobyl is the best production HBO has overseen in the past decade, and it could easily be viewed as the best piece of television drama over the same timeframe. The grueling historical drama explores the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster, covering the immediate aftermath, the tireless efforts to contain the radioactive fallout in an ongoing operation overseen by Valery Legaslov (Jared Harris), and the eventual political ramifications that befell the leaders of the Soviet Union who tried to conceal the true nature of the incident.
Exuding a sense of horror-like suspense and presenting some of the most frightfully unbearable sequences in television history, Chernobyl is a masterclass in immersive filmmaking. Compounding this visceral realism with a scorching message on the cost of lies and the price of deceit, the five-part miniseries is the epitome of small-screen drama at its absolute best, and it is certain to endure for many years to come as both a triumph of dramatic tension and a timeless commentary on political malpractice.
2
‘Band of Brothers’ (2001)
From the best miniseries in recent years to the best miniseries of all time, Band of Brothers has aged brilliantly for 25 years now as one of the most powerful and humanistic portrayals of the brutality of WWII. Based on the experiences of real soldiers—even including snippets of testimonial interviews from some of the actual troops—it follows the men of Easy Company through their involvement in the European Theater of the war, starting with their training regime and airdrop into Normandy on the eve of D-Day, covering the many battlefields they fought on the frontlines of, and ending with their presence in Germany in the final stages of the war.
Powered by the creative input of Hollywood legends Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, Band of Brothers amazes even today with the scope and realism of its production. Its authenticity conjures a viscerally confronting spectacle that not only serves as a respectful display of the battlefields of WWII but also allows for the miniseries’ emphasis on the camaraderie between soldiers to feel more poignant and meaningful as well. It remains the greatest war drama the small screen has ever seen and is one of the most distinguished achievements in the history of HBO.
1
‘The Wire’ (2002–2008)
While it wasn’t the biggest ratings success when it aired throughout the 2000s, The Wire has come to be celebrated by many as HBO’s finest ever production and one of the most important series in television history. Functioning as so much more than just a crime series, it proceeds with unflinching realism as it explores the hierarchy of the drug trade, the inner workings of the Baltimore Police Department, and the abysmal failure of societal institutions that are depended on, ranging from public education to City Hall.
Its sociological examination is strengthened by its scope and its moral ambiguity, with the series refusing to depict police and politicians as altruistic heroes, nor drug dealers as wicked and evil. There is a sense of tragedy that the issues The Wire explores, such as crime, corruption, addiction, and the inefficiency of bureaucracy, are still so relevant nearly 20 years on from its finale, but it does imbue the series with a timelessness and power that few other shows can match. It remains enshrined among the greatest feats in television history, and is certain to stand as a defining triumph of HBO for many years to come.
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Ryan Heffernan
Almontather Rassoul
