Summary
When it comes to prestige and quality, a television show originating from Home Box Office, better known asHBO, is as close to a guaranteed stamp of quality as viewers are likely to find. Home to some of the mostenduring, influential, and beloved seriesof all time, the American television network arguably has no equal.
From stunning fantasy sagas and evocative teen dramas all the way to some of the greatest crime epics ever brought to life on-screen,HBOhas it all. As such, the network plays host to a number of iconicseries that can be rewatched all over againwithout losing their inherent enjoyment factor. Whether it be the compelling nature of their characters or the engaging style of their narrative, a number of HBO’s finest shows have kept viewers coming back for more, long after they originally aired.
5Succession
A Ruthless Corporate Masterpiece
A sizzling corporate family drama of the highest order,Successionmay not be HBO’s longest-running offering, but it certainly ranks among its most rewatchable. Laced with outrageously satirical black comedy, the lauded Emmy magnet follows ultra-wealthy magnates, the Roy family, as their aging patriarch begins to show signs of mortality.
Some shows may begin to show signs of staleness upon second viewing, but notSuccession.The razor sharpscript writing and dialogue, combined with the phenomenal performances of the credentialed ensemble cast, means that there’s never a dull moment watching the series, even when viewers are aware of what is about to happen. As morbidly hilarious as it is unrelentingly grounded, the electric pace of Jesse Armstrong’s acclaimed show means that four seasons pass in the blink of an eye, no matter how many times audiences have seen them.
4True Detective
A Crime Anthology That Keeps On Giving
Starring two of this generation’s finest character actors in Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, the crime anthology seriesTrue Detective’sfirst installmentis widely regarded as one of the finest single seasons of television ever made. Utilizing a cocktail of atmospheric direction, philosophical depth, and haunting dialogue, the wider show remains one of the most rewatchable HBO series ever conceived, despite a more mixed critical response to later seasons.
While the quality of the series admittedly dips between the masterful debut outing and 2024’s acclaimed return to form withTrue Detective: Night Country,the scope ofTrue Detective’santhology-based narrative structure means that the show brings something new to the table with every season. Bouncing from occult-based serial killers to intricately woven tales of police corruption, even the show’s weaker stories continually grab the viewer’s attention by the throat from beginning to end.
True Detective
Cast
Taking inspiration from the hard-boiled mystery genre, True Detective has told four separate stories about complicated men and women getting to the bottom of intense cases, all the while uncovering the darker sides of humanity. The latest season, Night Country, stars Jodie Foster and Kali Reis, and takes place in chilling Alaska.
3The Wire
A Flawless Baltimore-Based Spectacle
Painting a relentlessly realistic picture of the real-life social issues that haunt America, HBO’sThe Wireis universally acclaimed as one of the best television shows ever made. Providing a grounded perspective into the lives of everybody from notorious drug gang members to world-weary police officers, David Simon’s epic five-seasoncrime seriesis renowned for the mesmerizing and realistic nature of its take on urban life in the city of Baltimore across a range of social classes.
The Wireis one of the most rewatchable shows ever made, primarily as a result of its intricate narrative and the rich nature of its diverse cast. The acting on display from the likes of Dominic West, Idris Elba, and the late Lance Reddick andMichael K. Williams, is also without equal, capturing the gritty essence of the War on Drugs in an engrossing manner that arguably will never be replicated.
2Game Of Thrones
An Epic Fantasy-Drama With No Equal
Based on George R.R. Martin’sA Song of Ice and Fireseries of novels,Game of Thronesis undoubtedly the most successful fantasy-drama series ever made. While the stellar quality of HBO’s Westerosi epic fell off towards the end as the show veered away from its source material,Game of Thrones’sheer spectacular scale means that it remains one of the most rewatchable shows of all time.
Featuring an endlessly compelling cast, spectacular action set pieces, and asprawling, controversial narrativethat never fails to grab the viewer’s attention,Game of Thronesalso features so many sub-plots and easily missed pieces of detail that it is the gift that never stops giving despitea lacklustre endto its proceedings. In addition to simply being one of the finest shows ever seen on television, it’s a series where viewers register something new with every watch.
1The Sopranos
The Greatest Crime Drama In Television History
Depicting the life and exploits of New Jersey-based mobster Tony Soprano,The Sopranosisn’t just HBO’s most rewatchable show, it’s contentiously the greatest television series ever made. A crime-drama masterpiece led by the late James Gandolfini and backed up by an incredible ensemble cast,The Sopranosset the bar for quality television so high that it has arguably never been surpassed.
The show’s chronicling of Tony’s efforts to balance his life as aviolent crime bosswith his responsibilities as a family man simply never gets old, no matter how many times viewers have watched it from start to finish.The Sopranosbears the remarkable accolade of possessing no weak episodes, meaning that it can be rewatched over and over again while still feeling like a stunning breath of fresh air every single time.
