Now Is The Perfect Time To Watch HBO's Masterpiece 8-Part Psychological Thriller Series

3 weeks ago 28

Published Aug 12, 2026, 5:56 PM EDT

Felipe Rangel is a Movie and TV Journalist ScreenRant. He has been writing about movies and TV since 2021. Felipe joined ScreenRant in 2022, working across different teams, covering everything from breaking news to features to reviews and more.

Felipe is a writer who is an avid film and TV fan, with superhero movies and series being his biggest passion. He graduated from college in 2019, having studied Journalism. Before college, he spent a month studying at the Oxford English Centre. His superhero knowledge expands to the comics, with his undergraduate thesis being "Politics Reflected In American Comics."

HBO's masterpiece psychological thriller series instantly became one of the genre's darkest and most impactful releases back when it came out, and many years later, it has now once again become a timely release for HBO Max subscribers for a simple reason. HBO's library of TV shows reaches far and wild, with several stars from hit projects like The Sopranos, True Detective, Game of Thrones, and more.

Turning the focus to the best psychological thriller series of all time, that is a genre that HBO has experience with. The Outsider, The Undoing, Big Little Lies, and many other shows have displayed HBO's ability to deliver intense narratives that instantly grip viewers, taking them on shocking rides filled with plot twists, stellar acting, and moody cinematography.

A good psychological thriller series needs to serve as the most intricate character study around, while also making sure that the plot is as alluring as the characters put under a microscope. In recent years, Netflix's You showcased that perfectly. That said, it was not nearly as dark as this masterpiece HBO series with a talented ensemble, and that is saying something.

Hollywood · Rising Star Dossier How Well Do You Know Sydney Sweeney? From Euphoria to the big screen — test your knowledge

🎡EuphoriaCassie Howard

🏜White
LotusOlivia Mossbacher

📸Anyone
But YouBea

🎬RealityWinner

⛫ImmaculateSister Cecilia

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Sydney Sweeney’s breakout role on HBO’s “Euphoria” earned her widespread recognition. What is the name of her character on the show?

AMaddy Perez BRue Bennett CCassie Howard DLexi Howard

✓ Correct! Sydney plays Cassie Howard, the emotionally vulnerable and people-pleasing teen whose turbulent love life becomes a central storyline. Her Season 2 performance — especially the iconic bathroom meltdown scenes — earned her an Emmy nomination.

✗ Not quite! The answer is Cassie Howard. Rue Bennett is Zendaya’s character, Maddy Perez is played by Alexa Demie, and Lexi Howard (Cassie’s sister) is played by Maude Apatow. Sydney’s Cassie became one of Season 2’s most talked-about characters.

In the first season of HBO’s “The White Lotus,” Sydney plays a sharp, judgmental college student vacationing in Hawaii. What is her character’s name?

ARachel Patton BOlivia Mossbacher CPaula DQuinn Mossbacher

✓ Correct! Sydney plays Olivia Mossbacher, the privileged and intellectually pretentious daughter of the Mossbacher family. Her deadpan delivery and snobbish attitude made Olivia a fan-favorite character in Mike White’s satirical hit.

✗ Not quite! The answer is Olivia Mossbacher. Rachel is Alexandra Daddario’s character, Paula is Brittany O’Grady’s role (Olivia’s best friend), and Quinn is Olivia’s younger brother. Sydney’s Olivia steals every scene with her cutting commentary.

Before her major breakout, Sydney appeared in a critically acclaimed Hulu series based on Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel. Which show was it?

AThe Handmaid’s Tale BCastle Rock CThe Act DLittle Fires Everywhere

✓ Correct! Sydney played Eden Spencer in Season 2 of “The Handmaid’s Tale,” a devout and obedient young bride in the oppressive Gilead regime. Despite being a recurring role, her performance was emotionally devastating and showed her dramatic range early on.

✗ Not quite! The answer is The Handmaid’s Tale. Sydney played Eden Spencer, a 15-year-old bride in Gilead during Season 2. It was one of her first major prestige TV roles and demonstrated the dramatic talent that would later explode with Euphoria.

Sydney starred in the surprise rom-com hit “Anyone But You” (2023). Which actor plays her love interest, Ben, in the film?

AJacob Elordi BAustin Butler CHarris Dickinson DGlen Powell

✓ Correct! Glen Powell plays Ben opposite Sydney’s Bea in this modern retelling inspired by Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing.” The film became a sleeper box office hit, earning over $220 million worldwide and reviving the theatrical rom-com genre.

✗ Not quite! The answer is Glen Powell. While Jacob Elordi is Sydney’s Euphoria co-star, it’s Glen Powell who plays her enemies-to-lovers match in “Anyone But You.” The film’s massive success was credited to their electric chemistry.

Sydney starred in and produced the 2024 horror film “Immaculate.” Where is the film primarily set?

AA haunted boarding school in England BA remote convent in the Italian countryside CAn abandoned hospital in France DA secluded monastery in Spain

✓ Correct! “Immaculate” is set in a remote Italian convent where Sydney plays Sister Cecilia, a young American nun who discovers the institution harbors terrifying secrets. Sydney also served as a producer on the film, marking a significant step in her behind-the-camera career.

✗ Not quite! The answer is a remote convent in the Italian countryside. Sydney plays Sister Cecilia, a devout young nun who travels to Italy only to find herself trapped in a nightmare. The film was shot on location in Italy and showcased Sydney’s range as both star and producer.

Sydney made Emmy history in 2022 by earning two acting nominations in the same year for two different HBO shows. “Euphoria” was one — what was the other?

ASharp Objects BSuccession CThe White Lotus DThe Handmaid’s Tale

✓ Correct! In 2022, Sydney earned a Supporting Actress nomination for “Euphoria” and a Limited Series Supporting Actress nomination for “The White Lotus” — both on HBO. Being double-nominated across two of the network’s biggest shows cemented her as one of the most in-demand young actresses in Hollywood.

✗ Not quite! The answer is The White Lotus. Sydney’s dual nominations for Euphoria and The White Lotus in the same Emmy cycle was a remarkable achievement. Both shows were critical and commercial hits for HBO, and Sydney was central to each.

In the 2023 HBO film “Reality,” Sydney plays a real-life person — an NSA whistleblower who leaked classified documents to the press. Who did she portray?

AReality Winner BChelsea Manning CTerry Albury DNatalie Mayflower Sours Edwards

✓ Correct! Sydney portrays Reality Winner, the former Air Force linguist and NSA contractor who was arrested in 2017 for leaking a classified report on Russian election interference. The film recreates her FBI interrogation using actual transcript recordings and was praised for Sydney’s riveting, restrained performance.

✗ Not quite! The answer is Reality Winner. The HBO film is based on the real FBI interrogation of Reality Winner, who leaked classified intelligence documents. Sydney’s intense, dialogue-driven performance was widely praised as some of her finest dramatic work.

Beyond acting, Sydney is known for an unusual hobby she’s been passionate about since she was a teenager, even earning a competition-level certification. What is it?

AProfessional-level baking BCompetitive horseback riding CSurfing competitions DMMA-trained fighter / restoring vintage cars

✓ Correct! Sydney is famously a trained MMA fighter and a gearhead who restores classic cars. She’s been passionate about mixed martial arts since high school and has also shared her love of working on vintage automobiles — hobbies that surprised fans who only knew her from her on-screen roles.

✗ Not quite! The answer is MMA training and restoring vintage cars. Sydney trained in MMA as a teenager and still practices. She’s also a self-taught mechanic who restores classic cars in her spare time — she’s shared her work on social media, showing there’s much more to her than meets the eye.

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Sharp Objects debuted on HBO on July 8, 2018. The limited series consists of eight episodes, which were released weekly. Sharp Objects focused on Amy Adams' Camille Preaker, a reporter who suffered a lot of abuse growing up, and now an adult dealing with self harm and alcoholism, she finds herself investigating mysterious deaths in her hometown. One of Sharp Objects' stars makes now the perfect time to watch the show.

Sydney Sweeney's HBO Max Dominance Makes Sharp Objects A Timely Watch

Sydney Sweeney with a half smile in Sharp Objects

Sydney Sweeney is one of the most popular actresses in the world. Back in 2018, she was just starting to break out, and she played Alice, who was Camille's friend and roommate when she went to a psychiatric hospital, in Sharp Objects. At the time of writing, Sweeney is dominating HBO Max's worldwide charts, making this the perfect moment for fans to look at the HBO psychological thriller series as a follow-up to her more recent hits. According to FlixPatrol, Sweeney is the star of two of the most-watched movies worldwide on HBO Max.

In 10th on the streaming service's global movies chart is Americana, a crime comedy she co-stars in with Paul Walter Houser. A couple of spots above that, as the 8th most-watched movie on HBO Max in the world, is The Voyeurs, a steamy psychological thriller that was originally a Prime Video original and was later brought to the streamer internationally. Viewers seeking a similar dark project featuring Sweeney could easily turn to HBO's Euphoria, which recently concluded after season 3. However, the 8-year-old Sharp Objects emerges as an even darker experience, and it is possible that many never watched it.

Sharp Objects Is Part Of Sydney Sweeney's First Wave Of Major Releases

While Euphoria is the project that served as Sweeney's breakout role and where most viewers know the actress from, Sharp Objects has deep meaning for the actress' career. After all, the show was part of the lineup of three projects released in 2018 that helped Sweeney establish her name in the industry. The star put her foot on the door with her emotional role as Alice in Sharp Objects, as well as her turn as one of the main characters in the Netflix coming-of-age drama Everything Sucks!, and a supporting role in The Handmaid's Tale season 2.

Then, in 2019, Sweeney's career would skyrocket through her role as Cassie Howard in Euphoria, which has earned her an Emmy nomination, and her brief appearance in director Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood, a star-studded film filled with actors who would become some of Hollywood's most in-demand stars in the years that followed. As such, by watching HBO's Sharp Objects now, Sweeney fans will be checking out one of the foundational projects that helped the actress become as popular as she is today.