Critics Say These 10 HBO Dramas Still Hold Up Today

Critics Say These 10 HBO Dramas Still Hold Up Today

HBO has given us some of the most unforgettable television ever created, and certain dramas from the network have stood the test of time in a remarkable way.

Critics keep returning to these shows, not just out of nostalgia, but because the writing, acting, and storytelling remain genuinely powerful decades later.

Here are 10 HBO dramas that critics say are still absolutely worth your time.

1. The Wire (2002–2008)

Ask almost any serious television critic to name the greatest drama ever made, and The Wire will come up within seconds.

David Simon’s Baltimore-set series was less a typical cop show and more a sweeping sociological study of an entire city.

Every season zoomed out to examine a different institution — the docks, schools, city hall, newspapers.

The New York Times and Entertainment Weekly have repeatedly called its realism unmatched.

Characters felt like real people with complicated lives, not TV archetypes.

Watching it feels less like entertainment and more like reading a great novel you never want to put down.

2. Six Feet Under (2001–2005)

Running a funeral home might not sound like the setup for compelling television, but Six Feet Under turned grief into one of the most emotionally rich stories ever told on screen.

Alan Ball created a family saga where death was not a taboo topic but the lens through which every character examined their own life choices.

Critics have long celebrated its emotional intelligence and brave character development.

Its series finale is still described by many reviewers as the single best ending in television history — a gut-punch of beauty and sadness that leaves viewers speechless.

Few shows have earned that reputation so completely.

3. Deadwood (2004–2006)

Deadwood had no right to be this good.

A Western set in a lawless South Dakota mining camp in the 1870s, it somehow became one of the most Shakespearean shows in television history.

Creator David Milch wrote dialogue so rich and layered that it felt like poetry wrapped in profanity — an unusual combination that absolutely worked.

Despite running only three seasons, retrospective critics consistently rank it among HBO’s finest achievements.

The characters were morally messy, the world-building was immersive, and the ambition was staggering.

A 2019 reunion film gave fans some long-awaited closure, but the original series remains the real treasure.

4. The Sopranos (1999–2007)

Before “prestige TV” was even a phrase people used, The Sopranos was quietly rewriting the rulebook.

Creator David Chase built a mob epic that was really a deep psychological portrait of a man torn between his criminal life and his desperate need for normalcy.

Tony Soprano was terrifying and oddly relatable at the same time.

Critics from Rolling Stone to The Guardian have placed this show at the very top of their all-time lists.

Its mix of dark humor, therapy sessions, and brutal violence felt unlike anything else on television.

Decades later, it still hits just as hard.

5. Boardwalk Empire (2010–2014)

Prohibition-era Atlantic City was the perfect playground for a sprawling crime drama, and Boardwalk Empire made the absolute most of its setting.

Steve Buscemi delivered one of his career-defining performances as Nucky Thompson, a political boss who walked the fine line between corruption and respectability with effortless menace.

The production design alone was worth the price of admission — costumes, sets, and period detail were all impeccably crafted.

Critics praised its ambition and performances consistently across all five seasons.

For fans of richly textured historical dramas with moral complexity baked into every scene, this show remains an underappreciated gem of the HBO library.

6. Game of Thrones (2011–2019)

Love it or argue about it endlessly — Game of Thrones was a cultural earthquake.

For its first six seasons, it delivered fantasy storytelling on a scale that television had never attempted before.

Dragons, political intrigue, shocking character deaths, and massive battle sequences made it appointment viewing for millions worldwide.

Yes, the final season sparked fierce debate among fans and critics alike.

But the show’s early and middle chapters remain genuinely brilliant, and critics still acknowledge its enormous influence on how television is made and marketed.

Whatever your feelings about the ending, its place in television history is absolutely secure and well-earned.

7. True Detective (2014–present)

Few first seasons in television history arrived with the kind of immediate critical impact that True Detective Season 1 created.

Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson gave performances so committed and so haunting that viewers were convinced they were watching something genuinely new.

The Louisiana bayou setting dripped with atmosphere and dread.

Creator Nic Pizzolatto laced the script with philosophical monologues that sparked real conversations about nihilism and human nature.

Later seasons have also drawn renewed critical attention, particularly Season 4.

But that original eight-episode run remains a modern crime classic — tightly wound, beautifully directed, and impossible to stop watching once you start.

8. Succession (2018–2023)

Sharp, savage, and surprisingly funny for a show about deeply unhappy billionaires, Succession became one of the defining dramas of its era.

The Roy family — a media dynasty tearing itself apart over who will inherit power — gave us characters who were awful in spectacular ways that somehow made them riveting to watch every week.

Critics placed it at the top of year-end best-of lists for multiple consecutive years.

It won the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series four times.

Creator Jesse Armstrong’s writing was precise and merciless, and the ensemble cast — led by Brian Cox — was simply extraordinary from beginning to end.

9. Big Little Lies (2017–2019)

Originally planned as a one-and-done limited series, Big Little Lies became something much bigger the moment audiences and critics got their hands on it.

Set among the wealthy parents of a Monterey elementary school, it wrapped a sharp social thriller inside a murder mystery with extraordinary performances at its center.

Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, and Shailene Woodley all delivered career-highlight work, and director Jean-Marc Vallee gave every scene a dreamy, unsettling visual quality.

The first season swept major awards and earned glowing critical reviews.

Its handling of domestic abuse, female friendship, and class anxiety gave the story genuine emotional weight beyond its glossy surface.

10. The Deuce (2017–2019)

David Simon returned to HBO with The Deuce, a period drama set in 1970s and 1980s New York City that explored the rise of the adult film industry with nuance and honesty.

Rather than sensationalizing its subject matter, the show treated its characters — many of them women navigating dangerous circumstances — with genuine empathy and depth.

Co-created with George Pelecanos, it earned consistent critical respect for its layered storytelling and social commentary on capitalism, exploitation, and survival.

James Franco played dual roles convincingly, and Maggie Gyllenhaal was particularly praised.

It may be the most underrated drama in HBO’s entire catalog, and critics know it.