5 HBO SHOWS THAT EVERYONE FORGOT ABOUT
HBO is renowned as a network that produces high-quality content worthy of being ranked alongside what is in the cinema, and it's a reputation that has been finely cultivated. There's an aura of hype and intrigue that surrounds any HBO release, as they are guaranteed to have a higher degree of competence and quality than a service like Netflix, which produces far more shows every year than anyone could reasonably keep track of. The benefit of this careful approach is that HBO tends to get major talent and stars attached to its shows, blurring the line between television and film. It was an unprecedented moment when Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson signed on to the HBO series True Detective, and the network succeeded in generating a similar amount of hype when it was announced that Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, and Laura Dern would all be starring in the adaptation of Big Little Lies.
HBO usually succeeds in generating attention for its shows, but this has also made it quite ruthless in choosing what to market and promote. It's rare for an HBO show to go unnoticed, which makes any of their cancellations shocking; it's also a major shock if one of their top-viewed dramas doesn't get serious awards consideration, even if it still happens in cases like Industry. Although anyone with an HBO subscription has likely seen The Wire, The Sopranos, and Deadwood, there are plenty of hidden gems that warrant more attention from television buffs.
'Mr. Show with Bob and David' (1995–1998)
Mr. Show with Bob and David is a unique sketch comedy showthat was created by David Cross and Bob Odenkirk, released during a time when this type of short-form comedy was rare outside of Saturday Night Live. The brilliance of Mr. Show with Bob and David was that the sketches all tied together to form a narrative, which is something that usually wasn't seen outside of HBO's dramas. As one of the defining programs for Gen X, Mr. Show with Bob and David wasn't necessarily geared towards the older television critics of its time, as many of them simply "didn't get it." It nonetheless succeeded in gaining a cult following that has learned its sketches by heart.
Mr. Show with Bob and Dave is the rare sketch show that has aged well because it isn't obsessed with making popular culture references that are bound to age like milk in a few years' time, but it also doesn't attempt to be "edgy" by using offensive humor or stereotypes. It's mostly just bizarre, and it's fascinating to watch Odenkirk at an early stage of his career when he was well over a decade away from becoming Saul Goodman in the Vince Gilligan universe.
'The Plot Against America' (2020)
The Plot Against Americaisn't one of HBO's most famous shows, but it does come from one of its most iconic creators in David Simon, the genius who developed The Wire, The Deuce, and Show Me A Hero, among others. Simon served as a reporter on the crime beat in Baltimore for over a decade before he became a television writer, and his in-depth knowledge of social pressures and politics made him the right person to adapt the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name by Philip Roth.The Plot Against America looks at an alternate version of history, but it also serves as a profound warning about what could happen today.
The series imagines an alternate realityin which the far-right candidate Charles Lindbergh (Ben Cole)is elected President of the United States in 1940, defeating Franklin Roosevelt right before the United States officially got involved in World War II. Lindbergh's campaign was prompted by an "America first" initiative that promised a non-interventionist policy, which itself was a dog whistle for antisemitism because of his indifference about the persecution of Jews within Europe. Historians have debated what the trickle-down effects of a Lindbergh Presidency would have been, but The Plot Against America keeps a tight focus on one Jewish family as it survives persecution during a time in which hatred becomes mainstream; given that the show was released during the height of the Donald Trump era and right before a major national election, it is safe to say that Simon was drawing a comparison between two different instances of American fascism.
'Rome' (2005–2007)
Romeis a show that was ahead of its time, because it was the first attempt by HBO to make a massive epic on the scale of the Golden Age of Hollywood productions of the '50s and '60s, predating Game of Thronesby several years. Although it was developed in conjunction with Deadwood, another political drama about a specific era in history, Rome drew from some of the most famous stories ever told, including the plot to assassinate Julius Caesar (Ciarán Hinds), the romance between Mark Antony (James Purefoy) and Cleopatra (Lyndsey Marshal), and the coup that made martyrs out of Brutus (Tobias Menzies) and Cassius (Guy Henry). Despite involving iconic historical figures and events that have been learned by anyone who had to study world history in high school, Rome was able to offer an all-consuming look at the social infrastructure of the Roman Empire through the relationship between the Roman officer Lucius Vorenus (Kevin McKidd) and criminal-turned-soldier Titus Pullo (Ray Stevenson).
Rome is at its heart a buddy adventure of sorts, as Lucius initially takes Titus as a prisoner and offers him a choice to spare his fate, leading them to become close friends and allies as they watch over Augustus (Simon Woods), the heir to Caesar who would be crowned Emperor after squashing rebellious sects. Stevenson was a terrific actor who was regarded by his colleagues as being truly versatile, and Rome features what might be the best performance of his career because of the significant change that Titus goes through as he becomes a hero. The legacy of Rome is slightly diminished because it was canceled at the end of Season 2, meaning that it didn't get to get into its plans to cover the scale of the Egyptian power and the rise of Jesus of Nazareth in Palestine. While it's unfortunate that a Season 3 was never made (and would no longer be possible due to the tragic passing of Stevenson), Rome is a must-watch for anyone who loves epic storytelling.
'Vice Principals' (2016–2017)
Vice Principalsis the most underrated of the shows that Danny McBride created for HBO, as it debuted after Eastbound & Down had become a cult phenomenon, but before The Righteous Gemstones became one of the network's word-of-mouth hits. While it might seem strange at first that a McBride show only ran for two seasons, Vice Principals wasn't canceled; it was planned from the beginning as a two-season event, as McBride likely knew that audiences wouldn't be able to stand the show's caustic characters for much longer. The series stars McBride and Walton Goggins as two narcissistic, selfish vice principals who set aside their rivalry when they both feel that they have been snubbed of a promotion, leading to a wild and wicked attempt at revenge.
Vice Principals is perhaps the most mean-spirited and uncomfortable of McBride's shows, as it lacks the knowing satire of Eastbound & Down and the heartfelt subtext to The Righteous Gemstones. It is definitely not a show for the faint of heart, but those who appreciate some dark humor will find a lot to love in a series that ruthlessly makes fun of toxic masculinity while exposing some of the most ridiculous faults within America's public education system.
'The Sympathizer' (2024)
The Sympathizeris the type of unique auteur project that only HBO would have been willing to finance, as the series was based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel of the same name and served as a passion project for the brilliant South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook, best known for making psychological thrillers like Oldboy and No Other Choice. The series stars Hoa Xuande as a North Korean spy who is tasked with infiltrating America during the height of the Vietnam War, set right amidst the fall of Saigon. Robert Downey Jr. is a co-star in the series, but not for just one role; since he is made to represent the banality of American excess during this point in history, Downey plays multiple white male characters, including a pretentious international studies professor, a corrupt politician, a CIA spymaster, and an ambitious filmmaker inspired by Francis Ford Coppola and Michael Cimino.
The Sympathizer is a twisty series that constantly asks its viewers to forget and rethink what they just watched, playing into the frequency in which espionage files are redacted or destroyed. It's a damning portrayal of nationalism in all senses, as it exposes the cruelty of the North Korean regime while also showing that most Americans didn't know what their country was fighting for. Although it does require engaged viewing without any distractions, The Sympathizer is a fascinating experiment that is well worth investing in.
2026-09-08T11:20:49Z
