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HBO has produced more quality television than any other network, and holds its creators to an impressively high standard. Not only did HBO break new ground by developing gritty, thoughtful shows that elevated what the medium of television could be, but it started developing projects that attracted A-list actors and serious filmmaking talent.
HBO has an incredible library of shows, but many might be daunting to start because of how epic they are in length. While everyone deserves the chance to experience The Sopranos at least once in their life, sitting down for six seasons can be a challenge, given how much there is to watch. Thankfully, HBO also has a number of shows that offer a shorter commitment and can be binged in just one weekend. They offer a shorter, but just as meaningful experience for serious television buffs.
10
‘Band of Brothers’ (2001)
Band of Brothers might be the single greatest miniseries of all time because it perfectly captured the entirety of World War II by showing many of the most pivotal moments from the perspective of multiple characters who served in the Allied Forces. Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks had previously worked together to create the best World War II film ever made with Saving Private Ryan, and they reunited to produce Band of Brothers, which was equally acclaimed for its realism and authenticity.
Band of Brothers is more than just a war show because it is an incredible story about the heroism of an entire generation, and contains sequences of military action that rival anything that has been seen in war films in the 25 years since it was released. It’s not just a powerful work of filmmaking, but an important educational tool.
9
‘The Pacific’ (2010)
The Pacific is the perfect companion piece to Band of Brothers because it took a different approach to World War II by exploring the experiences of soldiers who served in the Pacific Theater, which was perhaps even more bloody and disturbing than the conflict in Europe. While Band of Brothers is entirely composed of events that take place during the war itself, The Pacific explores the time leading up to the soldiers’ recruitment, as well as their experiences after their service when they dealt with post-traumatic stress disorder.
The Pacific is a darker series that reflected the theme of “war as hell,” but it also included a number of amazing performances. Rami Malek and Joseph Mazzello made for a particularly effective onscreen team, eight years before they would reunite to star in the Academy Award-winning biopic Bohemian Rhapsody together.
8
‘Angels in America’ (2003)
Angels in America is a miniseries like no other because it was based on the acclaimed stage play of the same name by Tony Kushner, who wrote a powerful exploration of the AIDS crisis and the devastating effect that it had upon the LGBTQ community in the 1980s. There’s a reason that Angels in America looks and feels like a cinematic experience, and it has everything to do with director Mike Nichols, one of the finest directors ever; Nichols had already won numerous accolades for his work in film, including the Academy Award for Best Director for The Graduate, and Angels in America was just as ambitious an effort.
Angels in America is a story that needs to be told as LGBTQ people continue to face injustice around the world, and includes some of the greatest performances ever from Al Pacino and Meryl Streep.
7
‘Watchmen’ (2019)
Watchmen is the single greatest superhero television show because it wasn’t a straight-up adaptation of Alan Moore’s legendary graphic novel of the same name, but a continuation and reinterpretation that treated the original source material as the historical text for a modern story. Although Watchmen delved into some important aspects of American history, including the horrific destruction of “Black Wall Street” in the 1920s, it also tied back into the graphic novel in clever ways that offered new takes on some of the classic characters and images.
Every single episode of Watchmen is a masterpiece, with the black-and-white episode “This Extraordinary Being” being a standout because of the genius ways that it retold the origin story of “Hooded Justice,” a character who had been shrouded in mystery and subjected to fan theories ever since Moore created him in 1985.
6
‘John Adams’ (2008)
John Adams is a timeless American epic in which Paul Giamatti gives an amazing performance as the second President of the United States, who also helped to lead the fight for independence in the Continental Congress during the early days of the American Revolutionary War. Impressively, John Adams is able to cover an extraordinary amount of its subject’s life by exploring the consequences of the Boston Massacre, his role within the formation of the American Union, and his tenure as President and failed re-election.
John Adams offers a fair and balanced perspective on one of the greatest leaders in American history, but the story is more than just one man; Laura Linney gives an equally amazing performance as Abigail Adams, who both played an important role in the revolution and became her husband’s most trusted advisor throughout his political career.
5
‘The Young Pope’ (2017)
The Young Pope is a show that was ahead of its time, as it aired during a time in which the notion of the first American pope in history seemed like a novelty that would never happen. The series from master filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino examines the political game of chess that goes on behind the scenes in determining the makeup of the Catholic Church, offering a modern meditation on religion that is both thought-provoking and transgressive.
The Young Pope is a singular work of art of incredible imagination, and there simply isn’t another series that has such bold and exciting storytelling. Although it is arguably Sorrentino who has the strongest influence on the series because of his auteur sensibilities, Jude Law also gives one of the greatest performances of his career as a prickly character who ends up being surprisingly empathetic.
4
‘Station Eleven’ (2021–2022)
Station Eleven is another series that was ahead of its time, as it had already begun production by the time that the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the world and forced society to remain insular. A series with subject material that is so dour had the possibility to be a completely hopeless experience, but Station Eleven is remarkably honest about humanity and uses its non-linear narrative techniques to show how the power of love reverberates across generations.
Station Eleven is powerful as an expression of how art has the power to heal, as it celebrates the art of storytelling through theater, music, writing, and visuals. While the series will certainly have power for those who have read the book and understand how clever it is as a feat of adaptation, it’s also a great work of psychological drama that doesn’t require preordained knowledge.
3
‘Show Me a Hero’ (2015)
Show Me a Hero is among the most underrated shows in the history of HBO, as it came from The Wire creator David Simon. Simon has often told stories about American politics and society, as he is a former journalist who spent over a decade writing about crime and events, and Show Me a Hero is a pitch-perfect deconstruction of legislative issues within mayoral infrastructure.
Show Me a Hero has a number of great performances, including Winona Ryder right before she got a comeback with Stranger Things, but the series is stolen by Oscar Isaac’s lead performance, which is one of the best of his entire career. Isaac has often been thought of as potentially being “the next Al Pacino” because of what a dynamic and engaging leading man he is, and Show Me a Hero offers evidence that this is definitely the case.
2
‘Chernobyl’ (2019)
Chernobyl is a perfect, but completely brutal miniseries based on the horrific nuclear meltdown that caused significant environmental damage, signifying to the world that the price of lies was unsustainable. The series was developed by Craig Mazin, who would go on to develop the HBO adaptation of The Last of Us, and it earned high praise from scientists, historians, and survivors who were involved with the breakdown when it happened.
Chernobyl is a piece of history that comes to life because of how palpable it is emotionally, and how effectively Mazin explores the system of checks and balances that caused such a horrific event. While the sheer amount of disturbing content ensures that Chernobyl is by no means an easy series to watch, it offers insights that are so valuable that its importance as a historical landmark cannot be understated.
1
‘DTF St. Louis’ (2026)
DTF St. Louis is a show that probably only could have been made by HBO because it is equally funny, sad, and surprising without ever committing to just one genre. Creator Steven Conrad had a talent for writing offbeat stories about troubled people, and DTF St. Louis is a beguiling crime mystery that ends up being a powerful examination of middle-aged malaise and the silent battles people wage for their mental health.
DTF St. Louis is the rare show that can invoke both laughter and tears, as it includes both hilarious moments of raunchy comedy and overwhelmingly melancholy moments of human emotion. It’s a series that is made to be discussed and features a trio of excellent performances, and the fact that it is a limited event that does not have the possibility of a Season 2 makes its ending even more powerful.
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https://collider.com/hbo-shows-perfect-weekend-binge/
Liam Gaughan
Almontather Rassoul
