What is the best HBO drama series of all time?

From gritty street-level crime to royal family feuds and nuclear catastrophe, HBO's drama shelf spans television's golden age in full. Which series stands alone?

1

The Wire

David Simon's 2002–2008 crime epic examining Baltimore's drug trade, police, schools, and press across five panoramic seasons.

2

The Sopranos

David Chase's landmark 1999–2007 saga of New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano juggling crime and suburban family life.

3

Succession

Jesse Armstrong's darkly comedic 2018–2023 drama about the Roy media dynasty tearing itself apart over power and inheritance.

4

Game of Thrones

The fantasy epic that ran from 2011 to 2019, adapting George R.R. Martin's Westeros saga into the last true monoculture TV event.

5

Six Feet Under

Alan Ball's 2001–2005 drama following the Fisher family funeral home, praised for its unflinching exploration of death and grief.

6

Deadwood

David Milch's 2004–2006 profane and poetic Western set in the lawless South Dakota gold-rush town.

7

True Detective

Anthology crime drama launched in 2014 with Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson hunting a Louisiana serial killer.

8

Band of Brothers

Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks's 2001 WWII miniseries following Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment.

9

Boardwalk Empire

Martin Scorsese's 2010–2014 Prohibition epic built around Atlantic City kingpin Enoch 'Nucky' Thompson.

10

Oz

Tom Fontana's 1997–2003 groundbreaking prison drama, HBO's first original one-hour series, renowned for raw storytelling.

11

Euphoria

Sam Levinson's visually arresting 2019–present teen drama exploring addiction, identity, and trauma through the eyes of Rue Bennett.

12

House of the Dragon

The 2022 Game of Thrones prequel tracing the Targaryen civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons.

13

White Lotus

Mike White's satirical 2021–present anthology exploring class, privilege, and dysfunction at luxury resorts.

14

Chernobyl

Johan Renck's acclaimed 2019 five-part miniseries recreating the catastrophic 1986 Soviet nuclear disaster.

15

Big Little Lies

Jean-Marc Vallée's 2017 limited series featuring Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, and Shailene Woodley as Monterey mothers hiding dark secrets.

16

Rome

The lavish 2005–2007 historical drama that dramatised the fall of the Roman Republic through the eyes of two soldiers.

17

True Blood

Alan Ball's 2008–2014 Southern Gothic fantasy in which vampires have come out of the coffin and live alongside humans in Louisiana.

18

Westworld

Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy's 2016–2022 sci-fi thriller set in a futuristic theme park where android 'hosts' begin to awaken.