The 20 Best HBO Shows of All Time, Ranked (2026)

If you want the verdict up front, here it is: The Sopranos is the best HBO show of all time, with The Wire a razor-thin second. Those two — David Chase's New Jersey mob saga and David Simon's Baltimore epic — invented modern prestige television, and almost everything HBO has made since, from Game of Thrones to Succession, lives in the space they opened. Below is our definitive ranking of the best HBO shows of all time, the series that turned a premium cable channel into the most important brand in scripted drama.

The real fight fans have isn't whether HBO is the best — it's who deserves the crown. So we'll settle it. The Sopranos takes #1 for cultural impact and being first; The Wire is the critics' pick for the most ambitious drama ever made; and Game of Thrones is the most popular HBO show of all time, the biggest audience the network ever drew. Here's the full list, ranked.

The best HBO shows of all time, ranked

This ranking weighs critical standing, cultural footprint, and staying power — not raw viewership alone. Here's the complete top 20, with a one-line verdict on why each belongs.

1. The Sopranos (1999–2007) — The foundation of prestige TV and our pick for the best HBO show ever.
2. The Wire (2002–2008) — The critics' "greatest ever," and HBO's highest-rated series on Rotten Tomatoes.
3. Succession (2018–2023) — The modern peak, a Shakespearean media-empire tragedy with the sharpest dialogue on TV.
4. Game of Thrones (2011–2019) — The most-watched HBO show of all time; a global phenomenon despite a divisive finale.
5. Chernobyl (2019) — HBO's highest-rated show on IMDb and a benchmark miniseries.
6. Band of Brothers (2001) — The WWII event series from Spielberg and Hanks; near the top of every IMDb list.
7. Six Feet Under (2001–2005) — Alan Ball's funeral-home family drama, home to the most beloved finale ever written.
8. Deadwood (2004–2006) — David Milch's profane Western with near-Shakespearean dialogue.
9. Barry (2018–2023) — Bill Hader's hitman noir that curdled into pitch-black tragedy.
10. Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000–2024) — Larry David's cringe-comedy institution.
11. Veep (2012–2019) — The most quotable political comedy ever made.
12. True Detective (2014–present) — Season one, a Louisiana mystery, became an instant sensation.
13. The White Lotus (2021–present) — The modern water-cooler hit; a savage resort satire climbing into the all-time tier.
14. Watchmen (2019) — Damon Lindelof's bold superhero sequel-as-reckoning.
15. The Last of Us (2023–present) — The new flagship, and the best video-game adaptation on TV.
16. Mare of Easttown (2021) — A small-town murder mystery and a tour-de-force lead performance.
17. Oz (1997–2003) — HBO's first hourlong drama; the rough draft for everything that followed.
18. Big Little Lies (2017–2019) — A starry, addictive murder-mystery drama.
19. Boardwalk Empire (2010–2014) — Prohibition-era gangster grandeur from the Sopranos writers' room.
20. Euphoria (2019–present) — The most stylistically daring teen drama of its generation.

The Sopranos vs. The Wire: which is the better HBO show?

No "best HBO series" argument ends without this one. The Sopranos follows New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano as he juggles family, crime, and panic attacks in his therapist's office. It made the antihero the central figure of 21st-century TV, won 21 Primetime Emmys, and in 2004 became the first cable series named Outstanding Drama. It is why prestige TV exists.

The Wire took a different road: a city-as-character study of Baltimore spanning drugs, police, schools, the docks, and journalism. It was never a ratings hit, but its reputation has only grown — it holds HBO's highest overall Rotten Tomatoes standing and tops many critics' lists of the greatest American dramas, full stop. Our verdict: The Sopranos by a hair on impact and influence, The Wire by a hair on sheer ambition. Watch both back to back and you'll understand the entire medium. For more limited-run greatness, see our guide to the best limited series to stream.

What are the biggest hits and highest-rated HBO shows?

Two different crowns sit just below the canon. Game of Thrones is the most popular HBO show of all time — a sword-and-dragon saga that dominated pop culture for a decade and drew record audiences in its final seasons. Its ending split fans, but its peak episodes reset the bar for TV spectacle.

The ratings crown goes elsewhere. Chernobyl, a five-part dramatization of the 1986 nuclear disaster, briefly became the highest-rated TV show in IMDb history when it aired and remains HBO's top-scoring original there. Band of Brothers, the Spielberg-and-Hanks WWII miniseries, sits right alongside it near the summit of every all-time IMDb list — proof that two of HBO's best dramas of all time are technically miniseries.

The modern contenders climbing the canon

HBO didn't peak in 2007. Succession — Jesse Armstrong's savage saga of the Roy family fighting over a media empire — is arguably the best show of its era, a Shakespearean tragedy delivered as the funniest, cruelest dialogue on television. It swept the Emmys and earned a place this high on pure quality.

Behind it, a new tier is forming. The White Lotus turned a luxury-resort satire into appointment viewing and a genuine cultural event, fueling the kind of weekly debate that recalls peak prestige TV. Barry and Mare of Easttown rounded out a remarkable late-2010s run. These are the best HBO Max shows to watch right now if you want the network at its current, still-formidable best. If twisty murder mysteries are your thing, our best true crime documentaries list pairs perfectly with Mare and The White Lotus.

What are the best HBO comedies and where can you watch them?

HBO's drama legacy can overshadow how funny it is. Curb Your Enthusiasm turned Larry David's social-cringe comedy into a 24-year institution, while Veep delivered the most quotable insults in TV history. For black-comedy depth, Barry stands with the best comedies the network ever aired before it broke your heart.

Every show on this list streams on HBO Max, where the flagship dramas, comedies, and miniseries sit alongside newer originals — though availability shifts by region and over time, so check the platform for your country. If you're building a broader watchlist, compare notes with our roundups of the best shows on Apple TV for more prestige picks beyond the HBO catalog.

The bottom line

The best HBO shows aren't just great television — they're the shows that redefined what television could be. Start with The Sopranos and The Wire to understand the foundation, move to Succession and Chernobyl for the modern and most-acclaimed peaks, and let Game of Thrones supply the spectacle. Most networks would kill for a single all-time classic. HBO has a shelf full — and that's why, twenty-five years on, "It's not TV. It's HBO" still holds up.

Further reading: Kit Harington on Wikipedia · Where to watch on JustWatch.

Sources

• The Sopranos - Awards on the Television Academy (Emmys) official site
• The Wire - Rotten Tomatoes (Tomatometer 94%)
• Chernobyl (TV Mini Series 2019) - IMDb
• The Sopranos - Wikipedia
• Game of Thrones - Wikipedia