Ryan Heffernan is a Senior Writer at Collider. Storytelling has been one of his interests since an early age, with his appreciation for film and television becoming a particular interest of his during his teenage years.
This passion saw Ryan graduate from the University of Canberra in 2020 with an Honours Degree in Film Production. In the years since, he has found freelance work as a videographer and editor in the Canberra region while also becoming entrenched in the city's film-making community.
In addition to cinema and writing, Ryan's other major interest is sport, with him having a particular love for Australian Rules football, Formula 1, and cricket. He also has casual interests in reading, gaming, and history.
While many associate the birth of the 21st century with the origin of television’s reign as a prestige form of entertainment drama, the medium really began to showcase its appetite for more daring and boundary-pushing stories as far back as the early 1990s. It should come as a surprise to absolutely no one who loves TV to learn that HBO has been a major source of A-grade small-screen drama in the 36 years since the start of the ‘90s.
To select just 10 shows that stand as the premium cable network’s best in that time is no simple task, and it has seen some defining productions miss out, like the pioneering prison drama Oz and the infectious comedy favorite Curb Your Enthusiasm. The titles that have made the cut truly epitomize HBO at its absolute best.
10
'Veep' (2012–2019)
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As far as outright comedy goes, HBO has never reached greater heights than it has with Veep. Created by ingenious political satirist Armando Iannucci—the man behind The Death of Stalinand I’m Alan Partridge—the series delivers an acidic and barbed look at the inner workings of the White House as it follows Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), the newly appointed Vice President of the United States, as she uses her new station to try to cement her political legacy while handling the litany of issues that arise in her professional and personal life.
A marvelous procession of rapid-fire, profanity-laden poetry and illusion-shattering cynicism that cuts to the fragile egotism and reckless amorality that resides behind the all-American charm many politicians present, Veep is a masterclass in cutthroat comedy. Also buoyed by Louis-Dreyfus’ incredible lead performance that saw her win six consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards, Veep is seven seasons of scorching satire that, despite its many accolades, still stands as one of HBO’s more underrated triumphs.
9
'Six Feet Under' (2001–2006)
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While HBO has enjoyed an abundance of success over the past 36 years, the 2000s mark a defining decade for the network, one that produced plenty of revered classics as well as a handful of underappreciated gems. Six Feet Under falls into the latter of the two categories, with the five-season series never truly finding the widespread acclaim it deserved despite its masterful balance of black comedy, family drama, and spiritual surrealism garnering more attention retrospectively.
Following the highly dysfunctional Fisher family as they manage a funeral home while dealing with their own individual life issues, Six Feet Under explores everything from sexuality to depression with the profound depth granted to it by the story always being within touching distance of death, mortality, and grief. Complimented by its exceptional cast and a finale that still stands tall among the best the medium has ever seen, Six Feet Under is a hidden gem of HBO dramedy.
8
'Game of Thrones' (2011–2019)
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HBO has always been at the forefront of new evolutions in television, especially throughout the 21st century. However, the network may have outdone even itself with Game of Thrones, with the epic medieval fantasy series shining as the grandest, most awe-inspiring production the medium has ever seen, and is ever likely to see. Based on George R. R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” novel series, it unfolds in Westeros as several powerful houses enter into a brutal and treacherous war for power while a long-forgotten evil threatens to return from the North.
Much has been said about the pitfalls of its later seasons, but it remains true that when Game of Thrones was operating at its best, it was the best drama television has ever seen. Its violent and fiercely unpredictable plotting made every episode a nauseating yet addictively unmissable spectacle, while the sheer magnitude of its ambition was impressively matched by the brilliance of its ensemble cast and the stunning, immersive capabilities of its production team.
7
'Deadwood' (2004–2006)
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Of all the strengths that have served as essential pillars of HBO brilliance throughout its domination of television excellence, few are as remarkable as the network’s commitment to production value. A litany of period pieces are perhaps the greatest testaments to this, with few being as enrapturing as Deadwood. Even with the series being abruptly canceled after Season 3, the Western drama remains one of 21st-century television’s defining feats, an immersive descent into the mud-soaked depravity of 1870s America as a mining boom sees masses of people swarm to the South Dakotan town of Deadwood.
Bereft of the starry-eyed romanticism that so often permeates Hollywood productions exploring the Old West, Deadwood prides itself on its callous morality and confronting realism. David Milch’s writing is a feature as well, with his striking dialogue of poetic profanity mixing beautifully with his assembly of layered, morally ambiguous characters whose complex journeys serve as a sociological exploration of how civilization is born from ruthless ambition and lawless chaos.
6
'Succession' (2018–2023)
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Marking what is easy to regard as HBO’s marquee title of the past decade, Succession delivers a slicing look at elitism, corporate culture, and inherited wealth that strikes an invigorating balance between ferocious satire and Shakespearean tragedy. Loosely inspired by “King Lear,” it unfolds as the aging founder and CEO of Waystar RoyCo.—a multimedia conglomerate with global influence that is worth billions—signals his intent to step down, leading to a volatile and barbed rivalry between his children as they each strive to prove themselves as the best candidate to succeed him.
The series’ ability to juggle profound and complex human drama with outrageous hysterics that lampoon the rich and powerful is astonishing, with the tonal shifts never once feeling jarring. Everything from Jesse Armstrong’s resolute command of the series to the ensemble of engrossing performances, the visceral, handheld intensity of the camerawork, and even the pervasive sense of ambition and self-destruction contributes, making Succession both hilarious and heart-stopping, as well as one of the most addictive series television has ever seen.
5
'The Leftovers' (2014–2017)
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Amid a catalog laced with medium-defining classics, HBO has also released plenty of underrated shows. None are as overlooked asThe Leftovers. It transpires in a world devastated by the “Sudden Departure,” an inexplicable event in which two percent of humanity vanished without a trace. Years later, those who remain still struggle to adjust, especially as frictions begin to emerge between those who want to live normal lives and extremist cult groups that believe the Sudden Departure must be remembered.
While its premise smacks of post-apocalyptic angst and high-octane mystery suspense, The Leftoversthrives more as a meditative drama, one that explores how deeply flawed characters navigate grief, loss, and turmoil with incisive nuance and total empathy. With profound delicacy, the series excels as a masterclass in immersive character study, one beautifully bolstered by Max Richter’s gentle yet piercing score, a litany of outstanding performances, and co-creators Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta’s patient, commanding control over the tone and tempo of the story.
4
'Chernobyl' (2019)
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In addition to producing a plethora of iconic, long-running series that have reshaped the medium, HBO has also been behind some of the greatest miniseries of all time. Chief among them, in recent years particularly, is 2019’s grueling historical drama Chernobyl, with the five-part release dissecting the aftermath of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster, from the horrific experiences of the first responders to the extensive efforts to contain the radioactive fallout, political efforts to conceal the gravitas of the situation, and the ensuing court proceedings that exposed the shocking truth to the world.
More than just an accurate recreation of events, Chernobyl thrusts viewers into a frenzied, sickening panic of the catastrophe, making the invisible threat of radiation a nightmarish, ever-present dread and capturing the hostile sociopolitical paranoia of life in the Soviet Union. Every episode is a masterpiece of television tension and period drama, with every aspect from the performances to the direction, cinematography, sound design, score, and production working perfectly in tandem to conjure one of the most frightful and unforgettable achievements television has ever seen.
3
'Band of Brothers' (2001)
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From the best miniseries of the modern era to the best miniseries ever made, Band of Brothers was years ahead of its time as both a gripping and confronting television drama and an awe-inspiring feat of production. Focusing on the soldiers of Easy Company, the 10-part limited series immerses viewers in the brutality of WWII, following the unit from their training regime, through the many battlefields they fight on in the European Theater of the war, and to their tense presence in Austria following Germany’s surrender.
With its gravitas compounded by interviews with the real-life soldiers being depicted, Band of Brothers remains the greatest war drama television has ever seen as well as the finest descent into WWII Hollywood has produced. It masterfully finds the perfect balance between showcasing the nerve-rattling horrors of combat and capturing the sense of camaraderie and humanity the soldiers found in one another. Anchored by its strong performances, brilliant production, and Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg’s creative input, Band of Brothers defines the miniseries format at its mightiest and most memorable.
2
'The Sopranos' (1999–2007)
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It is impossible to discuss greatness in television and the legacy of HBO without recognizing the brilliance and impact of The Sopranos. Pioneering a new age of serialized drama in the medium, the series’ bold six-season stretch revolves around the evolving life of Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey mob boss torn between tradition and a dawning new world who starts seeing a therapist in secret when the turmoil of his personal life and professional anxieties lead to a series of panic attacks.
It is difficult to determine if The Sopranos should be celebrated more for its unrelenting perfection or the ways it revolutionized television drama as a whole. Buoyed by creator and showrunner David Chase’s masterful storytelling and the incredible performances of the ensemble cast, The Sopranos stands, even today, as one of the best and most consistently brilliant series television has ever seen. It was also instrumental in establishing prestige drama in the form as we know it today, not only with its continuous, evolving arc, but with its boundary-pushing appetite for graphic material and complex protagonism as well. It is nothing short of a groundbreaking triumph that will be remembered for many years to come as television’s most important series.
1
'The Wire' (2002–2008)
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It was somewhat overlooked as it was airing, but the ensuing years and a wave of retrospective praise have seen The Wire earn its spot as one of the greatest TV shows of all time. The gripping crime epic is enshrined in HBO’s finest ever achievements as well, with its five-season stretch functioning as an all-encompassing visual novel of sorts that explores Baltimore’s organized crime and legal ecosystem, ranging from the street-level dealers to the drug kingpins, from specialized police task forces to the political responsibilities of the commissioner, and from the city-shaping decisions of city hall to the debilitating struggle of the education system.
Created by veteran crime reporter David Simon with help from retired Baltimore detective Ed Burns, the series is laced with a visceral sense of realism, one that grapples with the moral and bureaucratic obstacles of police work and the brutal code of the streets while still extending empathy and humanity to every single one of its characters. More than an ordinary crime thriller, The Wire is a dissection of how and why crime thrives in modern America, a scathing indictment of the failure of institutions that society’s most vulnerable people depend upon, and the single most important and exceptional series ever made.
Directors
Ernest R. Dickerson, Ed Bianchi, Steve Shill, Clark Johnson, Daniel Attias, Agnieszka Holland, Tim Van Patten, Alex Zakrzewski, Anthony Hemingway, Brad Anderson, Clement Virgo, Elodie Keene, Peter Medak, Rob Bailey, Seith Mann, Christine Moore, David Platt, Dominic West, Gloria Muzio, Jim McKay, Leslie Libman, Milcho Manchevski, Robert F. Colesberry, Thomas J. Wright
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English (US) ·