HBO has created some of television’s most influential series. Originals such as Sex and the City, The White Lotus, and Euphoria helped shape television and featured early standout performances from actors including Sarah Jessica Parker, Sydney Sweeney, and Idris Elba.

HBO has produced more than 200 shows since 1983, including award winners and cult favorites. This ranked selection of eight series highlights the range of the network’s programming, from social and historical drama to comedy, fantasy, and crime.

8

‘The Wire’ (2002-’08)

The Wire examines a different aspect of Baltimore and its relationship with law enforcement across its five seasons. The first season follows efforts to disrupt the Barksdale family’s illegal drug trade, while the second examines how deindustrialization affects labor, especially workers at the Baltimore docks. Later storylines turn to city government, public schools, urban reform, politics, media, and the decline of journalism at the Baltimore Sun.

The crime drama uses an ensemble approach rather than relying on one or two central characters to drive change. Its stories show how institutions and people shape life in Baltimore, while its diverse cast and interwoven plots helped distinguish it from other television dramas. Though the series received relatively few awards despite widespread praise, its approach to storytelling left a notable mark on television.

7

‘The Gilded Age’ (2022-present)

The Gilded Age is a historical drama set in 1880s New York. After her father’s death, Marian Brook (Louisa Jacobson) moves in with her aunts, Agnes van Rhijn (Christine Baranski) and Ada Forte (Cynthia Nixon), and encounters tensions between families with old and new money as they compete for status in Manhattan society.

The characters portray members of the nineteenth-century New York elite, and the period setting shapes the drama’s conflicts and social rules. The series began in 2022 and, according to the source article, its fourth season was airing at the time of writing.

6

‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ (2000-2024)

Larry David, co-creator of Seinfeld, stars as a fictionalized version of himself in Curb Your Enthusiasm. He plays a semi-retired television writer whose everyday situations spiral into awkward and unusual predicaments. Celebrity appearances include Jon Hamm, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and the late Catherine O’Hara.

Unlike many popular HBO dramas, Curb Your Enthusiasm is built around comedy and social discomfort rather than suspense about impending disaster. The series completed its 12-season run in 2024, using improvised-feeling conflicts and eccentric characters to create its comic effect.

5

‘Game of Thrones’ (2011-’19)

Game of Thrones became a defining fantasy drama of the 2010s, with eight seasons of political conflict among noble houses and competing claims to power. Its large cast included actors in breakthrough roles, while frequent nudity and violent fight scenes make the series unsuitable for young children.

Although the final season divided fans, the first seven seasons helped make fantasy a global television phenomenon for adult audiences. The series also led to two spin-offs: House of the Dragon and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.