Image via HBO
Published Feb 15, 2026, 9:50 AM EST
Remus is a writer, editor, journalist, and author with an eye for detail and an extremely active imagination. He is an enthusiast of everything to do with the graphic medium, whether it's Western comics and their adaptations or manga and anime. Remus is also the author of the sci-fantasy novel Once Upon a Time in Hyperspace and several works of short fiction in the mystery, comedy, and horror genres.
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Over the decades, HBO has become practically synonymous with prestige television, winning almost universal acclaim for its high-quality original programming. HBO shows regularly rank among the most celebrated and popular works on television in the eyes of both critics and audiences. That said, sometimes even the biggest hits can have missteps over the course of their multi-season stories.
But that’s not the case with the shows we’re looking at today. These are the absolutely perfect HBO shows that successfully deliver quality storytelling season to season, with no fillers, meandering plotlines, or bloated narratives — just great television year in and year out. So, without further ado, here’s our selection of the most perfect HBO shows that have zero bad seasons.
8 ‘The Leftovers’ (2014–2017)
Image via HBOCreated by Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta, and based on Perrotta’s eponymous novel, The Leftovers follows the residents of a New York town three years after a global event in which 2% of the world’s population mysteriously disappears. The series chronicles the struggles of those left behind, and how they adapt to life after the incident, primarily focusing on the lives of police chief Kevin (Justin Theroux), grieving widow and mother Nora (Carrie Coon), and her brother, Reverend Matt (Christopher Eccleston). Regina King, Margaret Qualley, Liv Tyler, and Jovan Adepo star in other main cast roles.
Under its veneer of an eerie supernatural setting, The Leftovers is a mind-bending and emotionally powerful exploration of death, loss, and grief, depicted through mystery and surrealism. Season after season, the series embraces the pain and suffering of its characters with so much conviction that it almost feels real, embodied beautifully by Theroux, Coon, King, and Eccleston. While it initially had a lukewarm reception, The Leftovers has progressively garnered acclaim for its thematic depth, cast performances, and music. It is now widely regarded as one of the best TV dramas of all time.
7 ‘Barry’ (2018–2023)
Image via HBOA black comedy crime drama created by Bill Hader and Alec Berg, Barry follows the titular professional hitman, who follows a target to Los Angeles but accidentally ends up befriending him and joining an acting class run by an eccentric acting coach. Barry quickly develops a passion for performance and aims to be a star, while taking drastic measures to hide his true identity and questioning his life choices. Hader stars as the titular protagonist, with Stephen Root, Henry Winkler, Sarah Goldberg, and Anthony Carrigan in other main roles.
A daring and inventive tragicomedy show, Barry succeeds in striking the perfect balance between its grim themes of anxiety and PTSD and cringeworthy hijinks and mayhem unleashed by its wild characters. Bill Hader artfully captures the duality of his character, garnering sympathy at one moment and being utterly ruthless in the next, and his performance is further enhanced through his interactions with Winkler’s washed-up, self-absorbed screen veteran. With great visuals and clever writing, Barry has no dull moments and leaves the audience surprised and entertained in every season.
6 ‘Six Feet Under’ (2001–2005)
Image via HBOCreated by Alan Ball, Six Feet Under follows the story of the Fisher family and begins when Nathaniel Sr. (Richard Jenkins), a funeral director, dies and leaves the family funeral home business to his sons, Nate Jr. (Peter Krause) and David (Michael C. Hall). The series explores the changing family dynamics in the aftermath of the patriarch’s death as they navigate loss, love, and life. The series also features Frances Conroy, Lauren Ambrose, and Freddy Rodriguez in lead roles.
While Six Feet Under is ultimately a tragic drama about death and mortality, it also finds the irony in its themes, using them as a backdrop to explore pain and grief and examine the lives of its characters, thus becoming a philosophical tale about life. In every season, the series manages to maintain its fine balance of hard-hitting topics, emotional honesty, and gallows humor, which encourages conversations and leaves a lasting impact on the viewer. Despite its dark themes, Six Feet Under succeeded in engaging the audience during its original run, earning critical acclaim for its writing and terrific cast performances, winning several Emmys, Grammys, and Golden Globe Awards.
5 ‘Big Little Lies’ (2017–Present)
Image via HBOBased on Liane Moriarty’s novel and created by David E. Kelley, Big Little Lies follows five women in the aftermath of a murder that rattles their peaceful lives in a quaint coastal California community. As the investigation begins to unravel their lives, Madeline, Celeste, Jane, Bonnie, and Renata come together to protect themselves and each other while navigating school-yard politics, abusive relationships, and dark secrets. Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Shailene Woodley, and Zoë Kravitz star as the five female leads, with Adam Scott, Alexander Skarsgård, James Tupper, and Kathryn Newton in other main roles.
Big Little Lies takes elements of the murder mystery genre and weaves them with explorations of relationship drama, female friendships, and hard-hitting issues like domestic violence, classism, and complexities of motherhood. Thrilling, twisted, and highly addictive, the dark psychological drama keeps the audience hooked and inspired in every episode as the mystery slowly unfolds. Though a relatively short series with only two seasons out so far, Big Little Lies remains a highly acclaimed HBO series powered by terrific performances by Witherspoon, Kidman, Dern, Woodley, and Skarsgård, winning four Golden Globes and several Primetime Emmy Awards.
4 ‘Veep’ (2012–2019)
Image via HBOA political satire comedy created by Armando Iannucci and adapted from the British sitcom The Thick of It, Veep follows a fictional and eccentric Vice President of the United States, Selina Meyer, and her dysfunctional team as they navigate people, politics, and media in their day-to-day life at the White House. In their desperate attempts to make their mark at any cost, they often get involved in twisted but silly political games, which end up diverting them from their real goals. Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays the fictional Vice President, Selina Meyer, with Anna Chlumsky, Tony Hale, Reid Scott, Timothy Simons, Matt Walsh, Kevin Dunn, Sufe Bradshaw, and Gary Cole in main roles.
A hilarious take on bureaucracy and American politics, every season of Veep is comedy gold, and it’s one of those rare political satires that makes you laugh, cringe, feel miserable, and hopeful all at the same time. The series consistently ranked at the top during its run, winning 60 awards across seasons, including six Primetime Emmys for Louis-Dreyfus for her phenomenal depiction of the inept protagonist. The show has remained perennially relevant and popular ever since and is widely praised for its compelling acting and intelligent writing, as well as its uncanny resemblance to real-world politics.
3 ‘Succession’ (2018–2023)
Image via HBOCreated by Jesse Armstrong, Succession centers on the Roy family, owners of the media conglomerate Waystar RoyCo, following their fight for control of the company after the sudden decline in the health of the family patriarch, Logan Roy. But when Logan seems reluctant to bestow his legacy on his children, it turns into a heated power struggle marked by relentless scheming between the children, who would stop at nothing to sit atop the family empire. Brian Cox stars as Logan Roy, with Alan Ruck, Jeremy Strong, Kieran Culkin, Sarah Snook, and Matthew Macfadyen as other main characters.
A modern Shakespearean drama about family politics, wealth, power, and ambition, Succession is a cutthroat family saga on the lines of Yellowstone, but with deeper subtext, high-stakes battles, and layered characters. Each episode of the satirical comedy drama is like a standalone play, highlighted by dark humor, tightly-knit subplots, clever characterizations, and incisive dialogue. The series became a pop culture phenomenon during its broadcast and a record-breaking success season after season, earning universal acclaim and accolades for its production values and remarkable performances, with Snook and Macfadyen sweeping the most awards.
2 ‘The Sopranos’ (1999–2007)
Image via HBOA television classic created by David Chase, The Sopranos revolves around the titular Italian-American mobster family from New Jersey, primarily the patriarch, Tony Soprano, who struggles with his personal life, family dynamics, and managing his criminal organization. As Tony begins to suffer from panic attacks, he reluctantly starts consulting a psychiatrist, who encourages him to acknowledge his difficulties and find a way to balance his life. James Gandolfini stars as the head of the titular family and central crime boss, Tony, with Edie Falco, Lorraine Bracco, Michael Imperioli, Dominic Chianese, Steven Van Zandt, Tony Sirico, Robert Iler, and Jamie-Lynn Sigler in key roles.
A truly groundbreaking TV show, The Sopranos transcends the crime drama genre by exploring the ordinariness of its characters through their emotional conflicts and day-to-day problems, and yet, it never forgoes the violence and brutality of its criminal world. Widely acknowledged as a masterpiece of the genre, the HBO classic is grounded in reality and balances it with absurdity, delivered through powerhouse performances. One of the most successful crime series ever made for American television, every season of The Sopranos is a delight, capped off with one of the most iconic television finales of all time.
1 ‘The Wire’ (2002–2008)
Image via HBOCreated and primarily written by American author and former police reporter David Simon, The Wire, set in Baltimore, Maryland, follows a renegade police officer, Jimmy McNulty, who starts investigating drug kingpin Avon Barksdale and his business-minded partner, Stringer Bell. What begins as a war on drugs soon expands into the other gray areas of law enforcement and crime, exploring the local government, port system, schools, and media, and the surprising complexities on both sides of the law. The show stars Dominic West, Idris Elba, Lance Reddick, Wood Harris, Wendell Pierce, Michael K. Williams, and Andre Royo in lead roles.
An ambitious crime drama, The Wire is one of those rare shows that prove that a slow-burning narrative and complex story/character arcs can work wonders. While every season focuses on a new issue, the entire series is bound by the same themes of systemic dysfunction and the resilience of its characters. A multi-award-winning crime series, The Wire boasts powerhouse performances and nuanced storytelling season after season. It is universally hailed as one of the greatest television series ever made.
The Wire
Release Date 2002 - 2008-00-00
Network HBO
English (US) ·