5 Best New HBO Max Series To Binge-Watch This Week (October 19–23, 2026)

Published Oct 19, 2026, 7:00 PM EDT Greg is a Lead TV Writer & Critic at Screen Rant with expertise in new streaming releases. He's published over 3000 articles at SR, including weekly recommendation guides and dozens of reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. He previously worked in Development at ABC Television & Lawrence Bender Productions. Greg majored in Film Production at Chapman University's Dodge College. Greg also has years of broadcast TV production experience at major networks such as NBC, TNT, and ESPN. He currently lives in Greater Boston. Check out the 5 best new HBO Max shows to binge-watch from October 19–23, 2026, including new originals, returning favorites, and buzzy recent releases. This week's top HBO Max streaming picks include a gripping legal thriller, a modern DCU masterpiece, an eerie true crime docuseries, and two acclaimed hidden gem international series that are flying way under the radar. Some other notable HBO Max series worth a binge this week include the dramedy Youth, which drops its penultimate episode this Sunday, October 25, and The Gilded Age, which returns with its highly anticipated fourth season on November 1. This week, however, the following five series are among the most popular and well-received series, both globally and in the U.S., on the entire HBO Max streaming platform. Rage Season 2 of Rage, or Furia, premiered on October 9 and has been one of the strongest new shows to check out on HBO Max this Fall. The series earned a perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes score and follows a group of women who are connected through shared collective frustration after being either manipulated, oppressed, or faced with some form of corruption. Rage is a unique series on HBO Max that is tonally similar to Netflix's Beef, also serving as an anthology series, and is worth pressing play on this week. New episodes drop on Fridays. The Torment HBO Max The Torment, or Zmora, is another new HBO Max series that has been flying under the radar since it premiered on October 2. With three of its six episodes released at the time of writing, now is the perfect time to dive in ahead of its November 6 finale. The Torment follows a disgraced journalist who returns to her hometown to investigate the disappearance of her childhood friend. It has a similar premise to Neagley on Prime Video but is more of a slow-burn crime mystery thriller like Mare of Easttown. If you're looking for something fresh this spooky season, The Torment is a good choice. The Pet Cemetery Murders: A Ghost Story The Pet Cemetery Murders: A Ghost Story releases its third of three episodes this Sunday, October 25, completing the three-part true crime docuseries that premiered on October 11. The Pet Cemetery Murders reexamines the 1985 case of Dorothy Lou Thompson, a Louisiana woman who was murdered and whose body was found in the Mississippi River. The murder went unsolved for years until a new development in 2009 reopened the case, leading to shocking conclusions. If you love everything true crime, you don't want to miss the finale episode of The Pet Cemetery Murders: A Ghost Story on HBO Max this weekend. War War is one of the best new shows to watch on HBO Max yet again, as the new legal drama has been a top streaming hit on the platform since it premiered on October 1. Starring Sienna Miller and Dominic West as a married couple filing for a high-profile divorce in London, War earned an 86% Rotten Tomatoes score and has retained strong viewership from week to week, having already been renewed for a second season. The fourth of eight episodes of War season 1 arrives on Thursday, October 22, with the finale set to drop on November 19. Lanterns Lanterns remains the best new show on HBO Max this week as it firmly holds into its #1 worldwide viewership spot on the platform, several weeks after its finale dropped on October 4. Lanterns has been one of HBO Max's most successful new shows in 2026, although it has, somewhat surprisingly, still not been renewed for a second season. Lanterns follows two intergalactic space cops who initially investigate a murder in a small town, all while one is recruited to replace the other. With its high tension, great performances, and excellent writing from start to finish, Lanterns is as good as it gets this week on HBO Max. Lanterns Release Date August 16, 2026 Network HBO Cast Aaron Pierre John Stewart