When HBO Max launched in 2020, like any other streaming service, what began as a platform for well-known movies became home to a collection of original content. HBO Max’s partnership with Warner Brothers allows DC fans to have a special place to watch their favorite superhero movies. It gives Potterheads a spot to binge all eight Harry Potter movies. It gives people the chance to rewatch movies they can’t find on other services. Plus, the same-day release plan, which ended in 2022, originally gave viewers the option of traveling to the theater or watching a movie from the comfort of their own home. But other than Warner-specific films or movies in general, HBO Max has also got a heap of its own TV shows.
While the streaming service holds throwbacks like Full House and The Nanny, as well as more recent shows like The Big Bang Theory and its spinoff Young Sheldon, it also has its hand in original series. With the quality content HBO Max releases, it’s no surprise that it has, according to Variety, over 70 million subscribers, and with its low price, it’s no wonder that it’s going head-to-head with Netflix and Disney+ for the contentious title of best streaming service. Undoubtedly, there will be many more shows to come, but until then, here are some of the best TV series to watch on HBO Max.
9 And Just Like That…
The Sex and the City franchise debuted in 1994 with the story being a newspaper column written by The New York Observer’s Candace Bushnell. From there, it was published into a book and became the basis for a 1998 series that spawned two movies and two spinoffs: The CW teen drama, The Carrie Diaries and its most recent HBO Max original, And Just Like That… Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte conquered the New York lifestyle in their 30, and this spinoff sees them as middle-aged women doing it all over again. After much speculation, the show was renewed for a second season, so fans will get to continue to see what’s in store for the group of gal pals.
8 Doom Patrol
The members of the Doom Patrol all have one thing in common: each of them suffered accidents that gave them superhuman abilities. A cyborg, a human android, a radioactive man, a stretchy lady, and a crazy girl make up the team of outcast heroes. The show mixes the right amount of peculiar storytelling with serious content making it one of the best superhero shows currently on air.
7 Euphoria
Fan or not, it seems everyone with access to the Internet has at least heard of HBO Max’s series Euphoria. With Emmy Award-winning actress Zendaya in the lead role, the show has seen massive ratings and trended on Twitter every week during its release, being the most tweeted about show of the decade. Set in high school, Euphoria cinematically displays the teen lifestyle – even if to an excessive extent – dabbling in topics such as sex, drugs, family, and relationships. If the gritty subject matter isn’t enough to draw viewers in, the stunning cinematography might do the trick.
6 The Flight Attendant
Kaley Cuoco stars in the hour-long series The Flight Attendant, based on a novel of the same name by Chris Bohjalian. After a meet-cute with a passenger leads to a romantic night in Bangkok, the lead character Cassie wakes up in bed next to a dead man. But even more bizarre – she has no recollection of the previous night. The thriller drama sees her alcoholic endeavors while on the run from the law and will pick up with a second season in April 2022.
5 Gossip Girl
Teen HBO Max users have another high school centered series to watch. Gossip Girl originally ran from 2007 to 2012 on the CW and its reboot premiered in 2021. Based on a book series by Cecily von Ziegasar, the new Gossip Girl centers on Manhattan private school-goers in the generation of social media. While it is set in the same world of the original show, this sequel series tells the story of a different set of characters’ perspectives. HBO Max has another Pretty Little Liars show, as well as an updated Degrassi also coming to the platform, adding names to the list of shows dominated towards young adults.
4 Harley Quinn
A cartoon indeed but HBO Max’s Harley Quinn is far from child-friendly. The zany blood-filled, expletive-heavy series sees the psychotic former psychiatrist who, like in Birds of Prey, has recently broken up with her clown sweetheart, the Joker. From there, Harley, voiced by Kaley Cuoco, forms her own team of fellow villains including Poison Ivy. The show has received praise for its humor, dark tone portrayal of Harley Quinn who’s been seen on screens since the 90s. It premiered in 2019. and its third season is set to debut in 2022.
3 Peacemaker
John Cena’s character Peacemaker first debuted in the 2021 movie The Suicide Squad. The James Gunn original focuses on the events following those of the film, with the titular character joining forces with a new alliance called ARGUS. Together, they embark on a mission titled “Project Butterfly” to defeat mutant butterfly creatures who have taken over the bodies of humans around the world. Peacemaker has been renewed for a second season, which is said to have more DC character cameos.
2 The Sex Lives Of College Girls
Kimberly, Bela, Leighton, and Whitney are four college freshmen who have just arrived at Essex College. Together they navigate their different college lifestyles, dealing with their own struggles of school, relationships and sex. The show was created by Mindy Kaling, who also created the teen Netflix comedy Never Have I Ever, which gives a slightly less mature look at the same concept with more of a lighthearted tone to appeal to its tween demographic.
1 Titans
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Titans gives a more mature look at the group of superhero teens that has seen different formats. This version follows Robin, Raven, Starfire, and Beast Boy combating evil and fighting crime the way they do in their other formats, but with a much darker tone, sprinkling elements that wouldn’t fit the Cartoon Network counterparts. Still, it can easily appeal to those who grew up watching the animated version as they are likely much older and the target for the series.