Taking stock of the premium networks formidable catalogue.
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But not everything HBO executives sign off on has been solid gold.Some well-intentioned experiments fizzled.
Some attempts to tap into the Zeitgeist proved painfully awkward.
Some big stars and legendary creators suffered embarrassing failures.
Figuring out what to put where wasnt easy.
The bottom twelve would be the dregs: The real misbegotten products of the whole HBO experiment.
Everything in between falls into more of a loose continuum.
What is HBO doing here that other media outletsarent?
A quick note about whatsnoton the list.
Were excluding made-for-HBO movies, with the exception of the movies (The No.
1 Ladies Detective Agency) that later became regular, ongoing series.
(Apologies toReal Sexfans.)
Your favorite prestige television heavyweights?
113.1st & Ten(198490)
113.
But other distinctions were nonexistent.
(Cue excruciating tight end joke.)
It also features five seasons of O.J.
Simpsons comic stylings, which are fittingly excruciating.
112.The Mind of the Married Man(200102)
112.
What ifSex and the Citywas set in Chicago and it was about dudes?
111.DreamOn(199096)
111.
Somehow, this was enough to earn the series a six-season, 120-episode run.
Thats nearly 60 hours of stilted comedy stuck in second gear.
110.Here and Now(2018)
110.
(Alternate title:This Is Us: The Unrated Directors Cut.)
Tim Robbins and Holly Hunter do their best, playing an upscale liberal couple with a multiracial adoptive family.
109.TheBrink(2015)
109.
108.Arliss(19962002)
108.
And, oh yeah, it also wasnt very funny.
107.The Idol(2023)
107.
106.Vinyl(2016)
106.
105.The Newsroom(201214)
105.
Sorkin wanted viewers to embrace McAvoy as the last idealist: a man of integrity in a compromised business.
But most of the show was about him trumpeting his virtue.
In them, he played multiple characters representing a cross-section of society including racial minorities and the underclass.
The cringe factor is high in all of these series, even when theyre trying to say something profound.
101.MaximumSecurity(1984)
101.
The cast which includes ultimate 70s and 80s I recognize that guy!
100.Hardcore TV(199294)
100.
Though cheap-looking,Hardcore TVdid have moments of inspired bargain-basement madness.
99.The Time Travelers Wife(2022)
99.
Why didnt this fantasy romance become the next big TV sensation?
Yet the whole enterprise ended up feelingmore like a big jokethan a big event.
98.Entourage(200411)
98.
97.Ballers(201519)
97.
WithEntouragefinally winding down, HBO andproducer Mark Wahlbergneeded to fill the Axe-scented void with more bro-tastic lifestyle porn.
In stepped Dwayne Johnson and the mildly divertingBallers.
Easy to consume, but mostly empty calories.
96.Little Britain USA(2008)
96.
(Are there southern accents?
My goodness gracious yes, there are southern accents.
95.Hotel Room(1993)
95.
A few Lynch regulars pass through.
There are smatterings of Lynchian humor and surrealism, but this set-bound curio is a for-fans-only proposition.
94.LuckyLouie(2006)
- and Adlons more naturalistic first-person shows on FX.
And with a masturbation subplot in the very first episode, its connection toC.K.s offscreen issuesis now immediately icky.
93.Camping(2018)
93.
But Garner is better at triggering discomfort than laughter.
92.Lifes Too Short(201113)
92.
91.His Dark Materials(201922)
91.
90.Funny or Die Presents(201011)
90.
But the hit-to-miss ratio was too off, given the pedigree of the site and its creators.
89.Run(2020)
89.
88.Avenue 5(202022)
88.
But Zach Woods is hilarious as the bedraggled and increasingly hostile customer-relations head.
87.TrueBlood(200814)
87.
86.The Hitchhiker(198387)
86.
Writers like Jeph Loeb, Gary Ross, and L.M.
85.Euphoria(2019present)
85.
And that was just the first season.
84.The Ray Bradbury Theater(198586)
84.
83.K Street(2003)
83.
Carville and Matalin had already branded themselves as a liberal-conservative he-said-she said couple of partisan firebrands.
But today, the insidery feel of the show breeds as much contempt as admiration.
82.Divorce(20162019)
82.
81.FamilyTree(2013)
81.
80.Not Necessarily the News(198390)
80.
The 80s were hardly a golden age for political satire on TV.
(Blame President Reagans popularity and a backlash to the libertinism of the 70s.)
79.Tracey Takes On …(199699)
79.
78.Crashing(201719)
78.
This affectionate, warts-and-all takes on the stand-up scene and its personalities feels mostly true to life.
77.Sally4Ever(2018)
77.
Though it played the undercard toCamping the flat-footed American adaptation of Julia Daviss British comedy series (see No.
Davis challenges the uptight norms of British society by placing a representative example at its center.
It turns out the singer is conniving horror show herself, which further puts the squeeze on Sally.
A little of this repulsive behavior can go a long way.
(It seems Davids always applying topical creams between crying jags.)
But Sallys palpable desire for liberation keeps it grounded.
76.How to Make It in America(201011)
76.
Blame the lack of a strong, clear premise for the early cancellation of this well-drawn slice of life.
75.HelloLadies(201314)
75.
Bean(199095)
74.
In its occasional role as an importer of quality overseas goods, HBO recognized the remarkable comic achievement ofMr.
Bean, airing it as one of its rare all-ages programs.
The shows recommended for comedy fans who care more about craft than big belly laughs.
73.The High Life(1996)
73.
72.Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty(202223)
72.
71.Philip Marlowe, Private Eye(198386)
71.
If it had aired on NBC, it likely wouldve been an Emmy contender.
Instead, it had to settle for a slew of CableACE nominations.
70.The No.
1 Ladies Detective Agency(200809)
70.
A confluence of bad timing may have kept the TV adaptation of Alexander McCall Smiths popularThe No.
1 Ladies Detective Agencynovels from running longer than one season.
Those who didnt giveNo.
69.Doll & Em(201415)
69.
68.Togetherness(201516)
68.
67.Tenacious D(19972000)
67.
Emerging from the same sketch-comedy laboratory asMr.
66.Unscripted(2005)
66.
(Which sometimes gets cut.)
65-64.Tales from the Crypt(198696)/Perversions of Science(1997)
65-64. to present shock and suspense with panache.
63.Westworld(20162022)
63.
62.Hung(200911)
62.
His power in the sack is inversely proportional to his power outside of it.
61.Big Little Lies(2017present)
61.
All (aside from Streep) are doing some of the best work of their careers.
60.The Gilded Age(2022present)
60.
The show is equal parts trashy and classy and usually at its most entertaining when its the former.
59.The Nevers(202123)
59.
Its too bad the show was canceled before it could reach its full potential.
58.Da Ali G Show(20002004)
58.
57.Lovecraft Country(2020)
57.
One of HBOs most ambitious series,Lovecraft Countrystarts out as a radical reimagining of the work of H.P.
If nothing else,Lovecraft Countrywas the rare show in which each episode was unpredictable.
56.A Black Lady Sketch Show(201923)
56.
It seems only a minor distraction.
55.Perry Mason(202023)
55.
The materials more violent and sexually explicit than Gardners books, and the tone is much darker.
Its all very off-model.
54.Treme(201013)
54.
53.Industry(2020present)
53.
52.Looking(201416)
52.
51.Carnivale(200305)
51.
50.Vice Principals(201617)
50.
McBride and Walton Goggins played co-vice-principals and thus natural enemies at North Jackson High School.
49.The Young Pope/The New Pope(2017/2020)
49.
It isnt often that filmmakers make it onto television with their sensibilities intact.
48.Luck(201112)
48.
Three horses died during production, and the safety of future animals could not be guaranteed.
47.Room 104(20172020)
47.
46.Betty(202021)
46.
45.Somebody Somewhere(2022present)
45.
44.Rain Dogs(2023present)
44.
43.In Treatment(200810; 2021)
43.
Want to watch a fighter pilot (Blair Underwood) talk through his PTSD?
Or an architecture student diagnosed with lymphoma?
You could tune into their sessions on the same days every week.
42.Extras(200507)
42.
41.GentlemanJack(201922)
41.
Jones, playing a woman who dresses and sometimes behaves like a typical cad, is outstanding throughout.
40.Getting On(201315)
40.
39.John From Cincinnati(2007)
39.
ButJohn From Cincinnatiwould have surely gone down as one of HBOs most WTF efforts regardless.
38.Random Acts of Flyness(2018present)
38.
The results are sometimes clunky, sometimes moving, sometimes hilarious, and always excitingly challenging.
37.House of the Dragon(2022present)
37.
MartinsA Song of Ice and Fireuniverse.
36.Bored to Death(200911)
36.
35.Tell Me You Love Me(2007)
35.
Each of the couples are in varied relationship stages.
But theyre all seeing the same therapist (Jane Alexander), whos having domestic problems of her own.
34.BigLove(200611)
34.
33.Rome(200507)
33.
Rare among modern prestige TV,Romedidnt skimp on plot.
Its two seasons spanned decades.
32.True Detective(2014present)
32.
31.LosEspookys(20192022)
31.
30.High Maintenance(20162021)
30.
29.Girls(201217)
29.
28.Eastbound & Down(200913)
28.
27.Silicon Valley(201419)
27.
26.My Brilliant Friend(2018present)
26.
25.Flight of the Conchords(200709)
25.
24.The Rehearsal(2022present)
24.
23.The Last of Us(2023present)
23.
Most video-game adaptations take the basic characters and premise and then head off in new directions.
22.The White Lotus(2021present)
22.
That drama would be compelling enough even without the dead bodies that start to surface.
21.Insecure(201621)
21.
Surprising plot twists and unexpected pathos help create a full, satisfying world to visit, episode after episode.
20.The Comeback (2005; 2014)
20.
19.TheRighteousGemstones(2019present)
19.
18.Boardwalk Empire(201014)
18.
17.Barry(201823)
17.
16.The Deuce(20172019)
16.
15.The Kids in the Hall(198892)
15.
In form, the beloved Canadian sketch-comedy series resemblesMonty Pythons Flying CircusandSCTV.
14.Six Feet Under(200105)
14.
13.Oz(19972003)
13.
But its also a darkly poetic celebration of the human spirit.
12.Game of Thrones(201119)
12.
It took the vision of writers David Benioff and D.B.
Weiss to see how with just a little streamlining this could translate to television.
11.Sex and the City(19982004)
11.
The case could be made thatSex and the Cityis just as responsible asThe Sopranosfor putting HBO on the map.
If youve had a Cosmo in the past two decades, this show is probably the reason why.
10.Veep(201219)
10.
09.Enlightened(201113)
09.
8.Curb Your Enthusiasm(200024)
8.
But Davids dyspeptic personality and various petty scrapes have huge cathartic value.
Without a major connection holding him back, David is free to be his misanthropic self.
Show With Bob and David(199598)
7.
6.The Leftovers(201417)
6.
5.The Larry Sanders Show(199298)
5.
Shandling knows this world inside and out, which adds a note of authenticity to the satire.
And his Larry Sanders is never above the fray.
4.Succession(201823)
4.
3.The Wire(200208)
3.
Its an American urban tragedy of unparalleled scope.
1.The Sopranos(19992007)
1.
Its an ahistorical exaggeration to say thatThe Sopranosis the first truly mature, cinematic TV series.
Really, though,The Sopranostops this list not because its important but becauseits just so damn good.
What initially seems like a cutesy premise whats a mob bosss family life like?
