The best shows on HBO Max right now primarily score between the high eighties and high nineties on Rotten Tomatoes, given that they’ve each drawn the disapproval of a select minority of reviewers. But there are some series that have done the seemingly impossible, by pleasing every single critic whose opinion counts towards their aggregated score on the site.
We’ll be running through the best of these series here. It’s worth noting that most of the usual suspects in discussions about HBO’s greatest of all time are absent here, because they haven’t achieved a perfect 100 on Tomatometer, despite their obvious merits. It isn’t enough to be a show where every episode is perfect.
The shows that make it onto this list are the ones that pretty much every TV journalist likes, without widely reported exceptions. In some senses, this condition sets the bar even higher than general consensus around a show’s greatness, although official critics are far from the be all and end all of criticism.
10
Young Love
2023
Among the most wholesome sitcoms streaming today, Young Love is the heartfelt story of a West Chicago family following their passions while struggling to get by. Parents Stephen and Angela don’t have a bad bone in their bodies, and it shows in daughter Zuri’s approach to life.
At the same time, the sitcom doesn’t shy away from portraying domestic hardship, and highlighting the sacrifices that families have to make if at least one of their breadwinners is choosing fulfillment over a full bank account. As Young Love’s creator Matthew A. Cherry told Screen Rant back in 2023, this is a show the whole family can enjoy.
9
Like Water For Chocolate
2024–2026
Like Water for Chocolate is a gorgeous adaptation of Laura Esquivel’s Mexican romance novel of the same name, about a young woman in rural Piedras Negras who’s forbidden from marriage by her mother despite being in love. Visually stunning and beautifully soundtracked, this is a devastating love story for the ages.
As well as Alfonso Arau’s 1992 film version scripted by Esquivel turned out, this series captures the passion of the novel’s smoldering story with fluid grace and textural depth. The show’s all-star Mexican cast do it full desire and then some, leaving us gripped by every turn of fortunes for the de la Garza family.
8
A Black Lady Sketch Show
2019–2023
The brainchild of seasoned comedy writer Robin Thede, A Black Lady Sketch Show is unapologetic about its target audience, yet offers something for everyone to laugh at. Gloriously unhinged and wonderfully cutting in its portrayal of the obstacles modern women face in everyday life, this series has produced some of the best skits of the last decade.
It’s safe to say that not everyone will agree with this assessment, but the critics are unanimous. The likes of “No Makeup” and “Bad B*tch Support Group” place A Black Lady Sketch Show firmly in the conversation for the best sketch comedy show ever produced.
7
The Chair Company
2025–Present
One of 2025’s most exciting new releases, The Chair Company is an unexpected thrill ride courtesy of comedian Tim Robinson, whose protagonist apparently finds himself at the center of an unlikely conspiracy. Playing with our preconceptions about TV storytelling, this show develops its unusual plot in highly unorthodox fashion, and is all the better for it.
The Chair Company’s season 1 ending is a sublime cliffhanger which sets up a more expansive second season. Let’s hope the series continues to deliver, especially with a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score on the line.
6
Los Espookys
2019–2022
When Los Espookys was canceled after two seasons, HBO lost one of its best comedy series, and a genuine rival to FX’s brilliant mockumentary What We Do in the Shadows. Centered on a horror-loving troupe of professional scare-mongers, the series features the gently satirical comic styles of Fred Armisen and his longtime comedy collaborators Julio Torres and Ana Fabrega.
Los Espookys is as charming as it is funny, making us wish that we were part of Renaldo, Úrsula, Andrés and Tati’s ghoulish gang. Its myriad horror genre references are not to be missed, either, especially for lovers of the classics.
5
Scavengers Reign
2023
Probably the best HBO sci-fi show most subscribers have never seen, Scavengers Reign is a darkly majestic work of animation about survival set on an alien planet. Like a futuristic, outer-space version of Lost, this genre-bending mystery-box series forces its central characters to reckon with wholly unexpected phenomena.
Incorporating elements of monster horror into its sci-fi premise, the show feels as real and intense as any live-action story of its kind. What’s more, the flawless animation of Titmouse, Inc. makes Scavengers Reign a vivid adventure show the legacy of which will far outlast its brief moment in television’s limelight.
4
Get Millie Black
2024
A gritty and occasionally graphic crime drama set in Kingston, Jamaica, Get Millie Black fully earns its perfect Rotten Tomatoes score thanks primarily to powerful performances from lead actors Tamara Lawrance and Joe Dempsie. This miniseries intertwines the story of its titular protagonist with the criminal investigation she’s leading from the get-go, and is underscored by subtly noir atmospherics.
On the other hand, Get Millie Black’s sumptuous visuals and sophisticated approach to its cultural context immerse us fully in Millie’s world. The true brilliance of the show is that it’s impossible to imagine it taking place anywhere else.
3
Primal
2019–Present
Although this visceral work of animation with barely any spoken dialogue isn’t for everyone, those who enjoy Primal rightly consider it an artistic masterpiece. Across three seasons and counting, the series is proving to be arguably the best dinosaur show of all time.
Its uniquely anachronistic blend of prehistoric animals, a neanderthal protagonist and an enslaved Nubian woman from the early Middle Ages hangs together thanks to the mesmeric tapestry of Genndy Tartakovsky’s graphics, as well as the suspenseful soundtrack of Tyler Bates and Joanne Higginbottom. Primal dares to chart new frontiers, and invariably manages to bring us with it.
2
Somebody Somewhere
2022–2024
In contrast, Somebody Somewhere is just about the most grounded TV series on HBO Max. The story of a grieving middle-aged woman who’s moved back to her hometown in Kansas, the show even stars an actor from the exact location of its setting.
Funny, moving, musically innovative and profoundly uplifting, Somebody Somewhere deserved a fourth season on HBO, but remains just as complete across three installments. Smalltown Americana has rarely been as insightful on the small screen as this remarkably authentic version of Manhattan, Kansas.
1
The Larry Sanders Show
1992–1998
The first great series in HBO history, The Larry Sanders Show is among the funniest TV shows of the past 50 years. A sitcom about a fictional late-night talk show hosted by the title character, it foreshadowed the mockumentary styles and reflexive industry-themed TV comedies of the new millennium with pioneering abandon.
Jeffrey Tambor is side-splittingly hilarious in his supporting role as Larry’s sidekick, while most of the behind-the-scenes roles feel painfully real. Co-creator and star Garry Shandling might not have had any major screen projects after his crowning career achievement, but he fundamentally changed the game with this perfect HBO show.
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HBO
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Satellite