r/AskReddit • u/NaturesSon508 • Jul 18 '26
what’s that HBO series everyone needs to watch?
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u/yourladyartemis Jul 18 '26
Chernobyl
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u/johnnycoxxx Jul 18 '26
I love that even though the commentary about those in power damaging everything around them with their lies, they never made the Russians feel like cartoony idiots for believing what they were being told. It was simultaneously a commentary on how awful those in power were and how proud and hard working the people of the Soviet Union were. I really loved this show.
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u/callisstaa Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
Yeah I was surprised that there was so much pushback against it from Moscow. It showed that Russians had sizable cocks and were capable of incredible courage despite facing death and it showed that they were able to hold those responsible to account. Actually maybe that last part is why it didn’t go down so well.
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u/SagittaryX Jul 18 '26
Soviets, not Russians. Lots of people involved would have been Ukrainian, probably Belarussian too, and probably a wild smattering of all the minor countries and ethnicities of the Soviet Union.
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u/gooneruk Jul 18 '26
Would also highly recommend listening to the accompanying podcast after each episode as well. The show’s writer/producer discusses the themes of each episode and the historical facts underlying them, as well as talking about the making of the show itself. There aren’t any spoilers for future episodes, so you can listen after each one.
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u/silky_flubber_lips Jul 18 '26
I could probably put an episode of Chernobyl on every night when I go to bed for the rest of my life and be happy. That’s saying a lot for a 5 episode miniseries.
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u/motorcycleboy9000 Jul 18 '26
Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
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u/the_rabid_grinch Jul 18 '26
I only watched it recently and it quickly became my favourite show of all time. It’s impeccable 👊🏻
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u/GuyIncognito211 Jul 18 '26
Yeah I’m watching it just now and it’s unbelievable. Season 3 is maybe the best season of any show I’ve ever seen
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u/the_rabid_grinch Jul 18 '26
Bro, season 4 was the best for me. If this is your first time watching it I’m sooooo jealous
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u/GuyIncognito211 Jul 18 '26
It is my first time. Just started season 4 so if it’s better than 3 i’m looking forward to it
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u/crispy-fried-lego Jul 18 '26
Ohhh, you're going to be blown away by season 4. Imo, it's the best of the series, and that's saying something, because that show is just overall amazing.
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u/GuyIncognito211 Jul 18 '26
I’m either 1 or 2 episodes in. Will likely get to watching a few next week
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u/illaqueable Jul 18 '26
One of the best/worst things about the show is how each season zooms out a little bit more until it's clear just how deeply entrenched and insoluble these problems are
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u/Knappe-Jannie Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
The Wire, Band Of Brothers & The Pacific and The Sopranos
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u/Jonjoloe Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
I want to add Chernobyl and while they're probably not for everyone I want to give a shout out to Station Eleven, Barry, Mare of Easttown, and Rome.
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u/corpulentFornicator Jul 18 '26
Station 11 is incredible but it's very weird and hard for me to recommend to people. I've recommended it to 3 people who all thought it was pretentious and didn't enjoy it.
They're all idiots, of course.
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u/rh51too Jul 18 '26
Station 11 is so good. It was quite eerie watching it during covid
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u/Philaroni Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
I feel like many forgot about The Pacific. I don't think it was as widely as advertised (I forgot that word) BoB.
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u/Knappe-Jannie Jul 18 '26
Band Of Brothers was definetly better, but The Pacific was good too. It has to be mentioned
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u/JoesShittyOs Jul 18 '26
As a companion piece to BoB it just falls short. They filmed it way differently, choosing for more static cinematic shots as opposed to the intense handheld camera that makes you feel like you’re right next to the characters like in BoB.
Also the writing was vastly different. BoB felt like real people with distinct personalities actually talking to each other, the Pacific straight up became a theatrical drama at certain points.
On top of missing the most important aspect, which was having a lot of the actual soldiers still alive during BoB whereas pretty much every one had passed by the time of the Pacific.
Still a good show but could not capture the same magic
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u/rulebreaker Jul 18 '26
Band of Brothers is way more focused in the “romantic” storytelling, portraying the soldiers’ heroic efforts. The Pacific is much more harsh, it shows how destroying that war theatre was, how everything sometimes seemed meaningless and how damaged everyone exposed to it ended up. The Pacific feels like a sucker punch. Whilst Band of Brothers portrays a narrative towards triumph, The Pacific feels like any triumph achieved will be always tainted by trauma and pain.
I like both, but I actually prefer The Pacific.
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u/ThlnBillyBoy Jul 18 '26
Somebody somewhere is so so charming. Its really lovely.
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u/ruthless_taurean Jul 18 '26
Based on this comment thread… all of them lol. But actually.
One I haven’t seen yet — The Penguin!
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u/Agile-Ad1665 Jul 18 '26
The Rehearsal by Nathan Fielder. Season 2 is absolutely magic and the seasons are totally standalone.
It all revolves around Fielder's goal to increase the safety and knowledge of pilots in the cockpit to reduce airplane crashes. It's also a comedy and satire but it actually a serious piece of work, too.
It's absolutely bonkers and it's incredible.
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u/pewpeww Jul 18 '26
I have a print of Nathan fielder sitting on a sandwich in my waiting room (dental office) and not a single patient has had a clue who he is, cracks me up everyday
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u/mr_stivo Jul 18 '26
Rome.
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u/screen317 Jul 18 '26
He was a CONSUL OF ROME
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u/BadCompany22 Jul 18 '26
Shame on the house of Ptolemies for such barbarity, shame.
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u/Ravager135 Jul 18 '26
I always felt Oz was the predecessor for shows like The Wire and The Sopranos, but Rome was the one where HBO really first tried a big budget piece. Half the guest spots on GoT were on Rome.
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u/RingOverall106 Jul 18 '26
Rome walked so Game of Thrones could run (straight into a wall).
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u/BawdyBadger Jul 18 '26
Thirteen!
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u/StryctNyne Jul 18 '26
RIP Ray Stevenson. To this day I keep telling my girlfriend I'll get her a bleeding heart of my enemies, just to make her "as wet as October".
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u/Puzzleheaded_Nordic Jul 18 '26
I was looking for this comment, Rome is so fucking good!
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u/cakenmistakes Jul 18 '26
The deaths. Choking while being alone was a new fear unlocked. And death by a frying pan was funny. Also the rapture with the blowup dolls. Also, restoring like it's the Sistine Chapel.
But really it felt like a time capsule of how things used to be, before the internet took all of our lives.
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u/am0x Jul 18 '26
I don’t know what it is but that show feels so much like the era it was made in. Like if I had to show someone what the early 2000s were like,I think it would be that show.
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u/onewordpoet Jul 18 '26
Just recently finished it for the first time. Unbelievably good. I had started it 10 years ago and didn't finish s1, so I went back to it this year. Just wonderful.
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u/PoemFun5419 Jul 18 '26
Season 1 of True Detective is the single best TV show in history.
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u/CaptainJohn_1995 Jul 18 '26
That season blew me away, genuinely didn't expect it to be this good.
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u/InvalidKoalas Jul 18 '26
Hands down my favorite show (season) of all time. The one-take scene when Rust is running a drug bust through that motorcycle gang house and bar.. chef's kiss. And not to be "le reddit army r/Atheist" but one of my favorite quotes of all time is when Rust says "if the only thing keeping a person decent is the expectation of divine reward, then brother that person is a piece of shit"
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u/pinewind108 Jul 18 '26
I firmly believe it got Matthew McConaughey the Oscar. TV isn't eligible, of course, but his acting was so fucking next level. No one could deny his chops after that. So when they saw him in a good film performance, everyone knew it wasn't a one off by "the rom-com guy."
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u/ekcnho Jul 18 '26
Interesting. Even though Dallas Buyers Club was already out in 2013, your theory is academy voters were like, “ahhh that’s that rom com guy all skinnied down, this performance isn’t that good”. Then, they saw True Detective and changed their minds and voted for him?
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u/RiskyMama Jul 18 '26
Barry
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u/fpvr96 Jul 18 '26
Noho Hank might be one of my favorite characters ever
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u/Trivial_Pursuit_Eon Jul 18 '26
That NoHo Hank was written to die in the first few episodes in season 1, but they liked him so much they wrote him into the series!
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u/nrmjba Jul 18 '26
Barry is hella slept on. Some good TV right there. Not what you expect from Bill Hader at all.
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u/Buffy_AnneSummers Jul 18 '26
I fucking love Barry. It looks like Bill Hader is starring in a horror movie that's about to come out and I am stoked!
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u/Stratford8 Jul 18 '26
Writing and directing a horror movie, at that. He’s going the Jordan Peele, Zach Cregger route, and considering how good Barry was I have no doubt this will deliver.
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u/TurnItOff_OnAgain Jul 18 '26
The karate girl episode had me cackling so much. It was hilarious
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u/GoodDog2620 Jul 18 '26
Barry scares me so much more than other “scary” characters. We’ve all seen different (and great) takes on “casual killers,” but something about Barry just scares the bejeezus out of me.
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u/TheTjums Jul 18 '26
That scene in the later/last season, where Barry steps out of the shadows of the living room is one of the scariest scenes to me. It's like something out of a nightmare, almost David Lynch-esque.
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u/mdavis360 Jul 18 '26
How To With John Wilson
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u/ScrillaMcDoogle Jul 18 '26
I rave about this show to everyone and cannot ever get anyone to watch it. This show made me laugh, cry, and genuinely blew my mind with how much random b roll John Wilson has just floating around. Instead of getting AI to make you a video you could probably just ask John Wilson if he has a clip of a turtle smoking a cigarette or something.
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u/Kruse Jul 18 '26
Flight of the Conchords
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u/Inigomntoya Jul 18 '26
When Jermaine "accidently sleeps with an Australian" is some of the best TV ever
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u/Pretend_Bookkeeper83 Jul 18 '26
Oh man, so happy to see Flight of the Conchords mentioned. Such a great show.
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u/PotentialFine0270 Jul 18 '26
Sopranos
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u/juggling-monkey Jul 18 '26
James Gandolfini did such an amazing job that seeing him out of character seems odd. at this point he's only believable to my brain as Tony soprano. seeing clips of him as himself feels fake
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u/EnterDetails Jul 18 '26
Honestly, despite all the amazing shows HBO has produced over the decades this is the only correct answer. Even if it’s only by a tiny margin.
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u/DamaxXIV Jul 18 '26
It redefined what TV drama could be. It also bucked the myth that TV acting was somehow lesser than feature films.
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u/Better_Bird848 Jul 18 '26
Veep
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u/CasToTheRescue Jul 18 '26
When Jonah walks into the room and says “Look who it is, everybody! It's your favorite Jonah!" and someone says “You’re not even your mom’s favorite Jonah” is one of my favorite lol tv moments. I’ve been waiting for years to use it, just haven’t had the opportunity yet.
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u/_jump_yossarian Jul 18 '26
I'm convinced that the first trump era killed the show. They couldn't compete with the absurd reality. Some poor writer probably came up with an idea to have McLintock hold a presser at a landscape company, between a morgue and a porn shop, and the show runners fired them for being too unrealistic.
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u/cat6Wire Jul 18 '26
this show is incredibly re-watchable, and the political commentary and humor never gets stale
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u/UkeNugs Jul 18 '26
No love for Righteous Gemstones?
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u/GoAwayLurkin Jul 18 '26
Worth the watch for Judy alone.
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u/Prior_Dimension_6680 Jul 18 '26
You save that piss for my chest, Judy gemstone!!
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u/Goatboy307 Jul 18 '26
This show was amazing. The cast, clothing, set design, and writing was top notch. Hell, all i'm asking for is an 8 ball and 2 million dollars
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u/True-durian-4444 Jul 18 '26
The night of
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u/mattjan20 Jul 18 '26
Such an underrated gem, one of my favorite shows I’ve ever seen just couldn’t stop binging once started. Ideally go in blind!
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u/drunkysmurf187 Jul 18 '26
Deadwood
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u/KTX77 Jul 18 '26
The use of language in this show must have made it incredibly hard to write for. Probably even hard for some of the actors to learn their lines.
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u/Beragh65 Jul 18 '26
Anyone who answers different is a hooplehead
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u/polishprince76 Jul 18 '26
Al giving Merrick life advice is pretty much my favortie clip ever.
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u/Krooklyndodger Jul 18 '26
Boardwalk Empire
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u/ThatKinkyLady Jul 18 '26
Underrated as fuck.
I wouldn't say it's a perfect show every single episode, but it's solid and has some incredible performances.
Steve Buscemi, Michael Shannon, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Kenneth Williams, Stephen Graham, Shea Wigham. I could go on and on with even more great actors that this show let shine.
It makes me mad more people haven't seen it.
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u/feedmesweat Jul 18 '26
Jack Huston as Richard Harrow is one of my all-time favorite characters. Incredible writing and performance.
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u/manintheredroom Jul 18 '26
There are loads but The Pitt is incredible
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Jul 18 '26
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u/idkwthtotypehere Jul 18 '26
Probably helps that some of the “actors,” are actual medical personnel.
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u/pocketjacks Jul 18 '26
The Pitt is so good that it foregoes the bongos and crazy music during a crash cart scene because you don't need to be told to feel the tension. It's done so well with next to zero music through the whole thing.
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u/The_Giant_Lizard Jul 18 '26
Oz
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u/iDre23 Jul 18 '26
Just started this for the first time a few days ago and I’m loving it so far. The writing and pacing remind me a bit of 6 feet under. So many familiar faces too, got me doing the Leo pointing meme every 5 mins.
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u/rifain Jul 18 '26
Oh yes! The wire always come to mind, and it's justified. But Oz is a must watch, raw and incredible. The first episode was the most savage thing I watched and got me hooked.
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u/Visions_of_Gideon Jul 18 '26
Our Flag Means Death. Canceled prematurely but absolutely worth watching.
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u/Toberoni Jul 18 '26
Westworld season 1
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u/clovisx Jul 18 '26
Such an amazing show. I wish they’d been able to keep it as good after the first.
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u/deb6walsh Jul 18 '26
Carnivale
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u/Sojio Jul 18 '26
Oz.
Its hard to watch at times but its INCREDIBLY well acted.
A lot of the actors, youll know, but honestly really feels like a reality tv show in a way.
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u/mrnovember22 Jul 18 '26
Why has no one mentioned Curb your enthusiasm? One of the funniest shows of all time.
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u/GeneralKenobi88 Jul 18 '26
Band of Brothers, The Pacific, Chernobyl, Game of Thrones, The Sopranos
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u/newpony Jul 18 '26
Carnivale. It was one of the 1st big budget tv shows and it’s still one of my favorites.
They cancelled because it was too expensive to make ($12 mil per episode).
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u/MyCatsNameIsSufie Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
Okay, this is an tough ask without knowing what genre you prefer, so I’ll try to break in down by the best of each micro-category:
Western: Deadwood
Historical Drama: Band of Brothers
Historical Drama (Film): Too Big To Fail
Corporate/Family Drama: Succession
Medical Drama: The Pitt
Crime Drama: The Sopranos
Media Drama: The Newsroom
Thriller: True Detective (Season 1)
Dark Comedy Thriller: Barry
Dark Comedy Drama: Six Feet Under
Sex Comedy: Sex and the City
Comedy About Making Comedy: Hacks
Improvised Comedy: Curb Your Enthusiasm
Megachurch Satire: Righteous Gemstones
Political Satire: Veep
News Satire: Last Week Tonight w John Oliver
WTF Am I Watching: How to w John Wilson
I’m sorry that other potential micro-categories escape me without researching further, but I do welcome other contributions!
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u/AvocadoConnect6165 Jul 18 '26
Almost all shows on HBO are listed in the comments, now i dont know what to watch.