From a breathtaking social experiment in The Rehearsal to a post-apocalyptic tale of revenge in The Last of Us, HBO Max released some great shows in 2025. While Netflix and Hulu are notorious for very hit-and-miss output, HBO tends to be pretty reliable.
Some of HBO Max’s new shows have been mind-blowing, groundbreaking masterpieces, like The Chair Company, and others have been more middling efforts, like I Love LA. But HBO Max hasn’t released anything as offensively bad as Hulu’s All’s Fair or Netflix’s exploitative Monster: The Ed Gein Story.
10
I Love LA
I Love LA was hyped up as Gen Z’s answer to Girls, but Rachel Sennott’s half-hour dramedy ended up being more like Gen Z’s answer to Entourage. It looks behind the scenes at the glitzy Hollywood lifestyle and the pressures of fame, but replaces the outdated archetype of the movie star with the new preeminent celebrity figure: social media influencers.
I gave I Love LA a pretty lukewarm review, but there are a few standout cast members (Josh Hutcherson, True Whitaker) and guest stars (Ayo Edebiri, Elijah Wood) that make it worth watching. It isn’t always as funny or deep as Girls, and it’s rarely as entertaining as Entourage, but it’s a promising start to a new entry in that pantheon.
9
The Last Of Us Season 2
The Last of Us Part II is one of the most ambitious and uniquely structured video games ever made, so it was always going to be a challenge to adapt it for television. The long-anticipated second season of HBO’s The Last of Us made some questionable choices in the adaptation process: giving away the twist upfront, spending half the season in Jackson, etc.
But even at its worst, The Last of Us is big-budget blockbuster television at its best. Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, and Isabela Merced anchored the season with spectacular performances. The production design team perfectly recreated the post-apocalyptic world of the games in live-action, and there are plenty of great individual sequences, like the Battle of Jackson, Isaac’s interrogation, and the shot-for-shot remake of the space shuttle scene.
8
Peacemaker Season 2
Just a few weeks after officially launching his new DC Universe with the release of Superman, James Gunn folded Peacemaker into that new world. He retconned a few elements of season 1 to make it work, but thankfully, this season was more about continuing Christopher Smith’s journey than synergizing the new DCU.
Throughout the season, Gunn told a Twilight Zone-esque story of Chris becoming obsessed with a parallel version of himself who’s much happier, much more successful, and lives in an apparent utopia. The rug-pull was a tad predictable, but I was surprised how far the show leaned into it. The finale wasn’t particularly satisfying, but it was a wild ride to get there.
7
It: Welcome To Derry
When It: Welcome to Derry first premiered, the eerie atmosphere and gorgeous ‘60s production design were let down by an overstuffed cast and an unfocused plot. But as the first season went on, this Stephen King spinoff eventually found its footing.
Although Welcome to Derry never really satisfied as a horror show — a lot of the VFX-laden set-pieces looked too fake and cartoonish to elicit real frights — it worked beautifully as a straightforward drama. It contrasted the supernatural horrors of Pennywise with the very real horrors of early-‘60s American society.
6
Task
Mare of Easttown creator Brad Ingelsby came back to the airwaves of HBO this year to deliver one of the best cop shows in recent memory. Task stars Mark Ruffalo as a Catholic priest-turned-FBI agent investigating a series of violent attacks on biker-gang stash houses. Task is both a ripping-yarn thriller and a relentlessly bleak drama.
5
Conan O’Brien Must Go Season 2
In between hosting Oscars ceremonies, Conan O’Brien dropped another season of his travel show on HBO Max. Conan O’Brien Must Go season 2 took us to Spain, New Zealand, and Austria. Nothing in this season feels as profound as season 1’s Ireland episode, but the combination of Conan’s self-effacing sense of humor and the beauty of world cultures makes for endlessly watchable television.
4
The White Lotus Season 3
The long-awaited third season of Mike White’s satirical anthology might be the weakest entry in the series. It has the most episodes, but the least story to tell, and the payoffs in the finale feel a little underwhelming. But the weakest season of The White Lotus is still one of the best things on TV. It’s darkly funny, delightfully twisted, and gorgeously shot.
This season took us to Thailand to meditate on spirituality and the meaninglessness of our material possessions. Standout performances by Carrie Coon, Parker Posey, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Aimee Lou Wood, and a scene-stealing Sam Rockwell ensure that this season is still compelling television, even when it falters.
3
Hacks Season 4
Hacks is one of the most consistently brilliant shows on the air right now. Every season has been a banger, every storyline has felt right for the characters, and the writers have continually evolved the central character dynamic to keep it fresh and interesting.
Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder’s chemistry is stronger than ever as the series moves back to L.A. for Deborah’s lifelong dream of hosting a late-night show. As usual, Hacks season 4 has moments that will make you laugh, moments that will make you cry, and a beautiful story to tell.
2
The Chair Company
Tim Robinson’s confounding little thriller The Chair Company is a TV masterpiece like no other. It’s a curious blend of cringe comedy, surreal mystery, and outright suburban horror, following an office manager who seeks retribution after a public humiliation and unwittingly stumbles upon a widespread corporate conspiracy.
It feels like an I Think You Should Leave sketch that never has to end; it feels like a bizarre David Lynch movie; it feels like Dark Waters or Erin Brockovich, except Tim Robinson is the one taking on the evil corporation. The closest comparison would be The Curse, but it might be even darker and wilder than that.
1
The Rehearsal Season 2
There’s so much TV out there that it’s getting harder and harder to do things that have never been done on television before, but Nathan Fielder consistently comes up with new ways to do it. The Rehearsal season 2 might be Fielder’s most daring experiment to date, seeking to improve aviation safety by way of a singing competition, a cloned dog, and a Sully biopic on acid.
The finale’s revelation that Nathan has been learning to fly this whole time, and he’s going to pilot a 737 full of people to test his theories, solidified The Rehearsal’s sophomore outing as one of the greatest seasons of television ever produced. It’s a six-episode experience like no other.
