Top 10 HBO shows available on Showmax
10 of the best HBO shows on Showmax, from Game of Thrones full boxset to Lovecraft Country to Chernobyl to Euphoria to Watchmen, Succession and I May Destroy You and more
If you’re looking for the best HBO shows that you won’t find anywhere else, check out these award-winning and critically-acclaimed shows on Showmax.
GAME OF THRONES S1-8 (Full boxset)
Immerse yourself in the fantasy world George R.R Martin’s Game of Thrones where the battle for the Iron Throne will turn even the most noble men into savages as families scheme against each other and fathers burn their children for a chance to rule the Seven Kingdoms. And beyond the boundaries of the Wall, a worse enemy approaches with his army of the dead.
With a record-breaking amount of Emmys wins and more accolades during its eight-year run, Game of Thrones gave us some of the most shocking and memorable moments in television history, from Arya killing the Night King to Ned Stark’s beheading to the Red Wedding to Daenerys burning down King’s Landing – so many moments!
I MAY DESTROY YOU
BAFTA winner Michaela Cole (Chewing Gum) stars as Arabella, a carefree Londoner with a great group of friends, boyfriend and a burgeoning writing career. But when she can’t recall the details of a night out she starts to question everything and must begin to piece her life together.
I May Destroy You is #21 on Rotten Tomatoes Best TV of 2020 (So Far), with a 97% critics rating and a critics’ consensus that reads, “I May Destroy You is at once brave and delicate, untangling the trauma of sexual assault with dark humour and moments of deep discomfort, all held together on the strength of Michaela Coel’s undeniable talent”.
LOVECRAFT COUNTRY
A black man sets out across 1950s Jim Crow America in search of his missing father. What follows is a struggle to survive and overcome both the racist terrors of white America and some terrifying monsters.
A collaboration between Misha Green (Underground), Oscar winner Jordan Peele (Us, Get Out) and J.J Abrams (Star Wars, Lost, Westworld), Lovecraft Country stars Jonathan Majors (Da 5 Bloods), Jurnee Smollet (Birds of Prey), Michael Kenneth Williams (When They See Us), Courtney B Vance (The People Vs OJ Simpson) and BAFTA winner Wunmi Mosaku (Luther).
INSECURE S1-4
Insecure follows best friends Issa (Issa Rae) and Molly (Yvonne Orji) as they navigate romance, friendship and their careers – a true depiction of trying to figure out life and adulting as 30-something-year-old black women.
Coming out of what was described as its best season yet (season 4), Insecure earned its first Emmy win – Picture Editing – from eight nominations, including Rae’s second Best Actress nomination as Issa and first-time nods for Best Comedy and Best Supporting Actress for Yvonne Orji.
WATCHMEN
An all-star cast including Regina King, Don Johnson and Jeremy Irons leads this adaptation of the DC graphic novel set in an alternate history where superheroes and villains are outlawed. With a 95% critics rating, Watchmen was the best reviewed new TV show of 2019 on Rotten Tomatoes.
Watchmen was also the biggest winner at the 2020 Emmys, with 11 wins from its 26 nominations, including Outstanding Limited Series and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series for Regina King as the masked hero Sister Night.
CHERNOBYL
HBO’s Chernobyl boasts a number of impressive accolades – 10 Emmy wins in 2019; 2020 Golden Globe winner for Best Limited Series and Best Supporting Actor ((Stellan Skarsgård); the highest rated show on IMDB with a 9.6 rating and the best reviewed limited series of 2019 on Rotten Tomatoes.
Starring Jared Harris, Stellan Skarsgård and Emily Watson, Chernobyl dramatises the catastrophe that rocked Europe in 1986 – the explosion of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant – and the brave men and women who made incredible sacrifices to save Europe from unimaginable disaster.
SUCCESSION S1-2
The biggest winner in the Drama category at the 2020 Emmys with seven awards, Succession follows four very rich siblings as they fight to win their father’s approval – and control of his company, a global media and entertainment empire. In Season 2 which won Best TV Drama at the Golden Globes 2020, the Roys meet their liberal counterparts as Logan attempts to orchestrate his biggest acquisition yet.
BARRY S1-2
SNL alum Bill Hader stars as ex-marine Barry Berkman, a depressed and lonely hitman who finds passion and romance in a local acting class while on a job in Hollywood.
#3 on Rotten Tomatoes’ Best TV Shows of 2019, Barry has won a total six Emmys in 2018 and 2019 including Outstanding Lead Actor for Bill Hader in both years.
I KNOW THIS MUCH IS TRUE
Mark Ruffalo plays the dual roles of twin brothers, Dominick and Thomas Birdsey who have a troubled relationship due to Thomas’s battle with mental illness. It’s a role that earned Ruffalo his first acting Emmy: Best Actor in a Limited Series, beating off the likes of Hugh Jackman in Bad Education and Jeremy Irons in Watchmen.
EUPHORIA S1
24-year-old Zendaya made history at the 2020 Emmys as the youngest actress to win an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama for her role in Euphoria. The series which has an 82% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes follows Rue (Zendaya), a 17 year-old recovering addict who has to navigate the pressures of high school and recovery.
