8 Most Perfect HBO Shows of the Last 5 Years, Ranked

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Emma D'Arcy in 'House of the Dragon' Season 3 Episode 8

Published Nov 1, 2026, 7:21 PM EST

Michael Block is a 14 time GLAM Award nominated writer, producer, and host of the podcast Block Talk. Throughout his time in the entertainment industry, he has worked on and off Broadway as a stage manager, written several produced plays, critiqued hundreds of theatrical performances, drag and cabaret shows, and has produced events randing from drag competitoons to variety concerts!
On Block Talk, he interviews nightlife personalities, covers the wide world of entertainment through features, ranking episodes, and recaps ALL of Drag Race, as well as Dragula and Survivor. He has interviewed hundreds of RuGirls that span the globe at DragCon NYC, DragCon LA, and DragCon UK.
In his free time, he makes one-of-a-kind jewelry and gift baskets with his mom. He is a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community.

In the age of streaming, one might think network and premium cable are being overtaken, but HBO continues to dominate the storytelling game. As the home of some of the 21st century's greatest shows, HBO has continued to produce some of the most extraordinary series in the past five years alone.

From intense crime thrillers to masterful shows lifted from iconic IP, HBO has ensured its projects are the virtual water-cooler topic of social media. For this list, we are focusing only on shows that are under the HBO banner. That means you won't see The Pitt or Hacks, both of which would be included if we opened it up to HBO Max. Nevertheless, these shows are modern game changers that have continued HBO's brilliance.

8 'The Last of Us' (2023–Present)

Pedro Pascal as Joel and Kailyn Dever as Abby in 'The Last of Us' Season 2

The journey from video games to television series has increased in the past decade or so. One of the very best examples of a seamless adaptation is The Last of Us. The faithful creation by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann follows hardened survivor Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal), grieving the loss of his daughter from the early days of the outbreak, who is hired to smuggle a 14-year-old girl named Ellie (Bella Ramsey), who may be the beacon for a cure for her immunity to the fungus, across a ruined United States. What begins as a grim business transaction grows into a deep, surrogate parent-child bond as they navigate dangerous militia zones, hostile human factions, and hordes of the infected. A fresh take on the landmark video game, The Last of Us smartly focuses on human emotion over standard zombie-action tropes.

The Last of Us captures the bleak aesthetic and core tone while expanding the narrative with calculated additions, such as the groundbreaking, acclaimed Bill and Frank episode starring Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett. By prioritizing grief, trauma, and the complex, morally ambiguous bond between its central characters, it gives viewers more to latch onto than post-apocalyptic monster-action thrills. Though the second season truly rattled fans with its shocking death, the video game's DNA remains genuine as a brilliantly nuanced, character-driven story that keeps ratings at massive heights.

7 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' (2026–Present)

Peter Claffey as Dunk sitting while wearing a poncho and looking right in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

In a post-Game of Thrones world, continuing the legacy seemed difficult given how the flagship show ended. Yet both shows have proven a decent passion for the mythology and lore of George R. R. Martin's world. The second prequel, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, has shown that a nuanced, intimate story can be as brilliant as epic battles and dragons. Created by Ira Parker and Martin, the series follows the adventures of a good-hearted, lowborn hedge knight named Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey) and his young, sharp-witted squire, Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell). Set roughly 90 years before the events of Game of Thrones and 72 years after House of the Dragon, during the height of Targaryen rule, when dragons are already extinct, the series offers a special "hangout" story focused on common people, smaller-scale chivalry, and personal honor.

The low-level, grounded narrative proves that humble storytelling can still scratch the itch for Game of Thrones fans. Adapted directly from Martin's Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas, it stays true to the source material's human-focused tone and pacing. With six focused 30-minute episodes, the narrative avoids the bloat common in modern fantasy television. By centering the tale on warmth and a moral look at knighthood and the smallfolk of Westeros, the series appeals to the new kinds of stories it can tell. The chemistry between Claffey and Ansell is beautiful, as you truly care for both and wish them only the best. Filled with a colorful cast of characters that brought the first season to life, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is Westeros escapism.

6 'The White Lotus' (2021–Present)

Jennifer Coolidge as Tanya in 'The White Lotus' Season 2.

No HBO original has become a greater guilty pleasure quite like The White Lotus. The interconnected anthology series written and directed by Mike White explores the messy, privileged lives of wealthy guests and the hotel employees who cater to them during a week-long stay at an exclusive luxury resort. With each season set at a different location of the titular hotel — Hawaii in Season 1, Sicily in Season 2, Thailand in Season 3, and the south of France in the upcoming Season 4 — the narrative revolves around a different theme, including money, class warfare, sex, deception, spirituality, and mortality. Each season starts with a flash-forward revealing that someone has died, then spends the rest of the episodes slowly unraveling how tension, affairs, betrayals, and bad behavior led to tragedy. Filled to the brim with an eccentric cast of characters brought to life by an all-star ensemble, The White Lotus offers sharp satire, witty dialogue, and clever twists that triumphed thanks to the weekly water-cooler release model.

Each season examines the absurdities of wealth entitlement, class divides, and Western self-delusion against the backdrop of luxury international resorts. Characters collide, betray, and expose themselves without clear heroes or villains, forcing viewers to interrogate complex human behavior. The series launched or elevated iconic performances, including Jennifer Coolidge, Parker Posey, and Walton Goggins, among others. The highly addictive series broke away from the single-drop binge, reinvigorating the desire to watch weekly, with FOMO front and center. Each season provides a refreshing examination of accessible themes told through juicy melodrama that leaves your mouth ajar. With an ensemble featuring Laura Dern, Ben Kingsley, Chris Messina, and Rosie Perez joining the fun for Season 4, The White Lotus remains a highly anticipated show that, with endless potential locales, will never get stale.

5 'The Gilded Age' (2022–Present)

Carrie Coon as Bertha Russell and Morgan Spector as George Russell embracing in Season 2 of The Gilded Age.

The premiere period piece of the 2020s, The Gilded Age has emerged as a compelling drama. Created by Julian Fellowes, the series is set during the boom years of 1880s New York City, where old money and new money collide. Marian Brook (Louisa Brooks) moves from rural Pennsylvania to live with her strict old-money aunts, Agnes van Rhijn (Christine Baranski) and Ada Brook (Cynthia Nixon), after her father dies. Meanwhile, George Russell (Morgan Spector), a ruthless railroad tycoon, and his social-climbing wife, Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon), build a massive mansion directly across the street and fight for acceptance into high society. Then there is Peggy Scott (Denée Benton), an aspiring young Black writer and friend to Marian who navigates the rising Black bourgeoisie, journalism, and the era's stark racial realities. The Gilded Age details how elite New York society guards its inner circle while weaving in historical milestones, including the expansion of the railroad, labor strikes, early electricity, the women's suffrage movement, and civil rights.

The Gilded Age became an instant hit thanks to its lavish period aesthetics, stacked ensemble cast, and a dramatic shift into compelling historical storytelling. Like Downton Abbey, Fellowes delves into classic high-society and servant-class power dynamics. Its expansion into social themes is what makes the narrative so compelling. It moves beyond simple wealthy drama to touch on industrialization, intra-community classism within Black American society, and gender discrimination. This allows for a richly authentic depiction of the past through today's eyes. A series that continues to get better with age, The Gilded Age is a beautifully executed masterpiece.

4 'The Penguin' (2024)

Oz (Colin Farrell) seated in a dress shirt and suspenders looks up skeptically in The Penguin.

Superhero shows are all the rage, but the ones that use the IP as a basis and rebuild it into something refreshingly new are standing out at the top of the heap. Such was the case for The Penguin. The eight-part limited series created by Lauren LeFranc follows Oswald "Oz" Cobb (Colin Farrell) as he fights for control of Gotham City's criminal underworld. Spun off as a narrative bridge set immediately after the events of the 2022 film The Batman, Oz sees an opportunity to rise from a mid-level enforcer to the top kingpin after mob boss Carmine Falcone (Mark Strong) dies. Working alongside Victor Aguilar (Rhenzy Feliz), a local teen who gets roped into being Oz's driver and sidekick, he pits competing crime families against each other while trying to introduce a new street drug called "Bliss.” But he runs into a problem in Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti), Carmine's unpredictable daughter, recently released from Arkham Asylum, who becomes his newest rival. The Penguin is a gritty, street-level drama that explores class, American wealth, family betrayal, and moral corruption in the style of classic mob epics.

It's safe to say the initial draw, and reason to sit through the brilliant eight episodes, is Farrell's transformative performance. He plays Oz Cobb not as a campy comic-book villain, but as a ruthless, calculating, and deeply tragic climber who stays unrepentantly villainous without turning into a standard anti-hero. Only his on-screen rival, Milioti, rivals him. She delivers a brilliantly complex performance, shifting the dynamic from a simple hero-versus-villain setup into a tense, psychological chess match of trauma and ambition. Though the characters may be familiar in name, The Penguin surges thanks to its ability to transform Gotham City into a vintage aesthetic underworld that draws heavily from real-world-inspired gangster stories. The series enriches Matt Reeves' cinematic world, leaving fans desperate for more. Sadly, we were only given one perfect season.

3 'DTF St. Louis' (2026)

Jason Bateman as Clark giving the weather report with David Harbour as Floyd doing ASL in DTF St. Louis

Perhaps the biggest shock of 2026 was the massive success of the limited series DTF St. Louis. Steven Conrad's dark comedy follows a non-linear, puzzle-like crime narrative centered on a fatal suburban love triangle. Two middle-aged, married friends—Clark Forrest (Jason Bateman), a local television weatherman, and Floyd Smernitch (David Harbour), an American Sign Language interpreter and former nude model—use a hyper-local dating and hookup app called "DTF St. Louis" to escape midlife crises and spice up their personal lives. When the entanglement leads to a mysterious death, tragedy lingers on in ways unimaginable. DTF St. Louis explores midlife desperation, loneliness, male platonic friendship, and complex marital relationships.

DTF St. Louis is a tonally unique story led by a trio of standout performances. Bateman, Harbour, and Linda Cardellini provide mesmerizing performances that are emotionally honest and heart-shattering. Pairing absurdist suburban dark humor with genuine emotional depth, the miniseries plays out as a standard, predictable murder mystery, which then shifts into a deep character study on middle-age malaise and the dangerous paths people take through a local extramarital affair app. The series won 7 Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Limited Series, proving its sheer brilliance.

2 'House of the Dragon' (2022–Present)

The void left by Game of Thrones was quickly filled by the same epicness from House of the Dragon. Created by Martin and Ryan Condal, the prequel series, set roughly 200 years before the events of the flagship show, chronicles the height and the beginning of the fall of House Targaryen, focusing on a violent civil war of succession known as the Dance of the Dragons. King Viserys I Targaryen (Paddy Considine) names his daughter, Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (Milly Alcock and Emma D'Arcy), as his heir to the Iron Throne, breaking centuries of male-only tradition. When Viserys later has a son with his second wife, Alicent Hightower (Emily Carey and Olivia Cooke), the royal court splits into two rival camps: The Blacks and The Greens. The tension eventually erupts into a full-scale war as family members fight for control. Based on Martin's 2018 companion book, Fire & Blood, House of the Dragon explores Targaryen psychology through high-stakes political intrigue.

With the same high-voltage action, visceral storytelling, and brilliant world-building, House of the Dragon deepens the mythology and lore that first captivated viewers. And like Game of Thrones, this show reminds its viewers to never get attached to a favorite character, as they might not be long for Westeros! House of the Dragon frames the throne itself as a slow-acting poison and a destructive curse that tortures its occupants. By immersing its audience in a singular event through the eyes of all sides, House of the Dragon has a more intimate approach that is equally gripping and highly political. With a refreshing female-driven focus, the story bridges the Targaryen tragedy into a long-running, familiar hex that can never be broken. Boosting powerhouse numbers, House of the Dragon remains a dominating fire-breathing behemoth.

1 'Mare of Easttown' (2021)

Mare looking to the distance in Mare of Easttown

Created and written by Brad Ingelsby and directed by Craig Zobel, the exceptional crime drama Mare of Easttown became one of HBO's highest-rated series because of its tight seven-episode structure, grounded small-town setting, and deeply human approach to trauma and grief. Set in a tight-knit small town in Pennsylvania, Detective Sergeant Mare Sheehan (Kate Winslet) investigates the brutal murder of Erin McMenamin (Cailee Spaeny), a local teenage single mother, alongside the unresolved disappearance of another young woman in Easttown. In addition to the gravity of her profession, Mare is deeply weighed down by personal tragedy, most notably the recent suicide of her son, Kevin (Cody Kostro), while fighting for custody of her young grandson and dealing with a broken family. Mare of Easttown explores how a shocking crime rattles a close community where nearly everyone is connected or hiding something.

Mare of Easttown thrives thanks to its slow-burning realistic murder mystery that prioritizes community dynamics and family grief. The series is built around a dynamic performance from Winslet, who drops the glamour for a weary, hard-drinking detective who is deeply flawed and richly human. Joined by an excellent ensemble, including Jean Smart, Julianne Nicholson, Evan Peters, and Guy Pearce, the cast is sublime. At exactly seven episodes, it tells a complete, self-contained story without dragging out unnecessary seasons or losing momentum. Though a desire for more has continued to be fans' sentiment. The brilliance lies in the strongly crafted DelCo community, perfectly crafted to feel uniquely its own yet endearingly yours. The show's critical footprint continues to influence HBO's gritty crime catalog, including connections to Ingelsby's subsequent project, Task, which officially ties into the Mare of Easttown universe, as Nicholson's Lori Ross will be featured in Season 2.