5 HBO Shows That Everyone Forgot About

Image via Hopper Stone / ©HBO / Courtesy Everett Collection Published Sep 7, 2026, 7:14 PM EDT Liam Gaughan is a film and TV writer at Collider. He has been writing film reviews and news coverage for ten years. Between relentlessly adding new titles to his watchlist and attending as many screenings as he can, Liam is always watching new movies and television shows. In addition to reviewing, writing, and commentating on both new and old releases, Liam has interviewed talent such as Mark Wahlberg, Jesse Plemons, Sam Mendes, Billy Eichner, Dylan O'Brien, Luke Wilson, and B.J. Novak. Liam aims to get his spec scripts produced and currently writes short films and stage plays. He lives in Allentown, PA. Sign in to your Collider account HBO is renowned as a network that produces high-quality content worthy of being ranked alongside what is in the cinema, and it's a reputation that has been finely cultivated. There's an aura of hype and intrigue that surrounds any HBO release, as they are guaranteed to have a higher degree of competence and quality than a service like Netflix, which produces far more shows every year than anyone could reasonably keep track of. The benefit of this careful approach is that HBO tends to get major talent and stars attached to its shows, blurring the line between television and film. It was an unprecedented moment when Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson signed on to the HBO series True Detective, and the network succeeded in generating a similar amount of hype when it was announced that Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, and Laura Dern would all be starring in the adaptation of Big Little Lies. HBO usually succeeds in generating attention for its shows, but this has also made it quite ruthless in choosing what to market and promote. It's rare for an HBO show to go unnoticed, which makes any of their cancellations shocking; it's also a major shock if one of their top-viewed dramas doesn't get serious awards consideration, even if it still happens in cases like Industry. Although anyone with an HBO subscription has likely seen The Wire, The Sopranos, and Deadwood, there are plenty of hidden gems that warrant more attention from television buffs. 'Mr. Show with Bob and David' (1995–1998) Image via HBO Mr. Show with Bob and David is a unique sketch comedy show that was created by David Cross and Bob Odenkirk, released during a time when this type of short-form comedy was rare outside of Saturday Night Live. The brilliance of Mr. Show with Bob and David was that the sketches all tied together to form a narrative, which is something that usually wasn't seen outside of HBO's dramas. As one of the defining programs for Gen X, Mr. Show with Bob and David wasn't necessarily geared towards the older television critics of its time, as many of them simply "didn't get it." It nonetheless succeeded in gaining a cult following that has learned its sketches by heart. Mr. Show with Bob and Dave is the rare sketch show that has aged well because it isn't obsessed with making popular culture references that are bound to age like milk in a few years' time, but it also doesn't attempt to be "edgy" by using offensive humor or stereotypes. It's mostly just bizarre, and it's fascinating to watch Odenkirk at an early stage of his career when he was well over a decade away from becoming Saul Goodman in the Vince Gilligan universe. 'The Plot Against America' (2020) Image via HBO The Plot Against America isn't one of HBO's most famous shows, but it does come from one of its most iconic creators in David Simon, the genius who developed The Wire, The Deuce, and Show Me A Hero, among others. Simon served as a reporter on the crime beat in Baltimore for over a decade before he became a television writer, and his in-depth knowledge of social pressures and politics made him the right person to adapt the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name by Philip Roth. The Plot Against America looks at an alternate version of history, but it also serves as a profound warning about what could happen today. The series imagines an alternate reality in which the far-right candidate Charles Lindbergh (Ben Cole) is elected President of the United States in 1940, defeating Franklin Roosevelt right before the United States officially got involved in World War II. Lindbergh's campaign was prompted by an "America first" initiative that promised a non-interventionist policy, which itself was a dog whistle for antisemitism because of his indifference about the persecution of Jews within Europe. Historians have debated what the trickle-down effects of a Lindbergh Presidency would have been, but The Plot Against America keeps a tight focus on one Jewish family as it survives persecution during a time in which hatred becomes mainstream; given that the show was released during the height of the Donald Trump era and right before a major national election, it is safe to say that Simon was drawing a comparison between two different instances of American fascism. 'Rome' (2005–2007) Rome is a show that was ahead of its time, because it was the first attempt by HBO to make a massive epic on the scale of the Golden Age of Hollywood productions of the '50s and '60s, predating Game of Thrones by several years. Although it was developed in conjunction with Deadwood, another political drama about a specific era in history, Rome drew from some of the most famous stories ever told, including the plot to assassinate Julius Caesar (Ciarán Hinds), the romance between Mark Antony (James Purefoy) and Cleopatra (Lyndsey Marshal), and the coup that made martyrs out of Brutus (Tobias Menzies) and Cassius (Guy Henry). Despite involving iconic historical figures and events that have been learned by anyone who had to study world history in high school, Rome was able to offer an all-consuming look at the social infrastructure of the Roman Empire through the relationship between the Roman officer Lucius Vorenus (Kevin McKidd) and criminal-turned-soldier Titus Pullo (Ray Stevenson). Rome is at its heart a buddy adventure of sorts, as Lucius initially takes Titus as a prisoner and offers him a choice to spare his fate, leading them to become close friends and allies as they watch over Augustus (Simon Woods), the heir to Caesar who would be crowned Emperor after squashing rebellious sects. Stevenson was a terrific actor who was regarded by his colleagues as being truly versatile, and Rome features what might be the best performance of his career because of the significant change that Titus goes through as he becomes a hero. The legacy of Rome is slightly diminished because it was canceled at the end of Season 2, meaning that it didn't get to get into its plans to cover the scale of the Egyptian power and the rise of Jesus of Nazareth in Palestine. While it's unfortunate that a Season 3 was never made (and would no longer be possible due to the tragic passing of Stevenson), Rome is a must-watch for anyone who loves epic storytelling. Collider Exclusive · Game of Thrones Personality Quiz Which Game of Thrones House Do You Belong To? Stark · Lannister · Targaryen · Baratheon · Tyrell Five great houses. Five completely different answers to the same question: how do you hold power in a world that will take it from you the moment you stop paying attention? Eight questions will determine where your loyalties — and your nature — truly lie. 🐺Stark 🦁Lannister 🐉Targaryen 🦌Baratheon 🌹Tyrell FIND YOUR HOUSE → 01 Someone powerful is acting dishonourably and everyone knows it. What do you do? In Westeros, the answer to this question has ended more than one great house. ACall it out, openly and on the record. If honour means anything, it has to mean something when it's costly. BUse it. Information about someone else's dishonour is leverage — and leverage is power. CAct decisively to correct it — with or without the approval of those around me. DChallenge them directly. Strength settles disputes more honestly than courtroom manoeuvring. ENavigate carefully — build alliances, apply quiet pressure, and create a situation where the right outcome becomes inevitable. NEXT QUESTION → 02 What is the source of your power? Every house endures because of something. What is it for yours? AThe loyalty of people who trust me — earned over generations, not bought with gold. BWealth, intelligence, and the willingness to use both without sentiment. CA legacy so fearsome and a vision so total that opposition becomes unthinkable. DPhysical strength, military force, and the respect that comes from being the kind of person nobody wants to fight. ECharm, connection, and the ability to make powerful people feel that my success is also theirs. NEXT QUESTION → 03 Who do you truly fight for? Strip away the banners and the words. The honest answer tells you everything. AMy family and my people — those who depend on me and have kept faith with me through everything. BMy family — the ones who share my blood, even when they exhaust me, even when they disappoint me. CMy cause — a vision larger than any single person, including me. DMyself, and those few who've proven themselves worth fighting beside. EMy house — its name, its future, the position I intend to leave it in when I'm gone. NEXT QUESTION → 04 How do you deal with your enemies? A house's method reveals its character as clearly as its words ever could. AHonestly — I face them directly, and I give quarter when it's warranted. BThoroughly — I don't leave loose ends, and I don't make the same enemy twice. CDecisively — fire answers questions that diplomacy only delays. DHead-on — I'd rather meet a threat on the battlefield than behind closed doors. EElegantly — I prefer to make former enemies into allies, or at least into people who owe me something. NEXT QUESTION → 05 What kind of ruler do you believe in? Westeros is full of answers to this question. Most of them end badly. AA just one — someone who serves the realm rather than using it, who leads by example rather than fear. BA capable one — someone smart enough to navigate the game, ruthless enough to win it, and realistic about what winning costs. CA transformative one — someone who doesn't just rule what exists but reshapes what's possible. DA strong one — someone whose authority is beyond question because the alternative is obviously worse. EA wise one — someone who understands that the realm is fed by more than armies, and that a full stomach keeps more peace than a sharp sword. NEXT QUESTION → 06 You suffer a devastating loss. How does your house respond? How a house handles defeat tells you more about it than how it handles victory. AWe grieve, properly and together — and then we endure, because endurance is what we do. BWe adapt. We reassess. And we ensure that whoever caused this loss comes to regret it completely. CWe burn hotter. Setbacks don't soften us — they clarify what needs to happen next. DWe hit back. Grief and revenge are the same motion in our house. EWe regroup quietly, rebuild our position, and return when we're ready — on our terms, not theirs. NEXT QUESTION → 07 Which of these truths about Westeros do you most believe? Every house has a philosophy. This is yours. AThe lone wolf dies, but the pack survives. Nothing matters more than the people you protect. BA Lannister always pays their debts — in gold or in kind. Reputation is built on consistency. CI am the blood of the dragon. Some destinies are written before the person who carries them is born. DOurs is the fury. When we move, we move completely — and we don't stop until it's done. EGrowing strong means knowing when to bloom and when to wait. Patience is its own kind of power. NEXT QUESTION → 08 The Iron Throne is within reach. What do you do? The answer reveals not just your ambition — but your character. AClaim it only if the realm needs me to — and rule in a way that makes it worth having. BEnsure someone who owes us sits in it. The power behind the throne is safer than the throne itself. CTake it. It was always meant to be mine — I feel that in my bones and in my blood. DSeize it — with both hands, without hesitation. Opportunity in Westeros does not wait to be asked. EPosition my house to be indispensable to whoever sits there — influence outlasts any single reign. REVEAL MY HOUSE → The Maester Has Spoken Your House Is…Your answers point to the great house whose words, values, and way of surviving in Westeros match your own. Bend the knee — or don't. That's very much up to you. 🐺 House StarkWinter is Coming — and you have always known it. You prepare not out of fear but out of duty, because the people who depend on you deserve someone who takes the long view. You lead with honour even when it costs you, because you understand that a reputation built on integrity is the only one worth having. Your loyalty to family and people runs deep — not as sentiment but as a code that doesn't bend when things get difficult. The North endures because Starks endure — not by being the cleverest players in the game, but by being the kind of people others are willing to follow into the cold. You are that kind of person. The pack survives. The lone wolf dies. You already know which one you are. 🦁 House LannisterYou understand the game — its rules, its exceptions, and exactly when the rules become the exception. You play it without illusions and without apology. You are sharper than most people realise, and you have learned to use that gap to your advantage. A Lannister always pays their debts — and you always keep your word, because your word is an instrument of power, and instruments must be kept in working order. You love your family with a ferocity that sometimes blinds you, and you know it, and you do it anyway. The lion doesn't concern itself with the opinion of sheep. Neither, in the end, do you. 🐉 House TargaryenYou carry a sense of destiny that is difficult to explain and impossible to ignore — the feeling that you are not simply participating in the world but meant to reshape it. You are capable of extraordinary things, and you know it, and that knowledge is both your greatest strength and your most dangerous quality. Fire and blood are not just words to you — they are a philosophy about what change requires and what it costs. The Targaryens at their best were transformative rulers who broke chains and defied the limits of what anyone thought possible. At your best, so are you. The dragon has three heads. You are one of them. 🦌 House BaratheonYou are a force — direct, powerful, and difficult to ignore when you enter a room or a conflict. You do not negotiate with challenges. You meet them. Ours is the fury — and yours is a kind of intensity that commands attention, respect, and occasionally fear from those who underestimate what's behind it. You value strength and straight dealing. You'd rather know where you stand in a fight than navigate a web of courtly whispers. The Baratheons built their house on the back of one of the greatest military victories in Westerosi history — and then struggled with what came after. The lesson of your house is that winning is not the end of the story. Governing is. You are learning that too. 🌹 House TyrellYou understand that power does not always announce itself — that sometimes it arrives with flowers, good wine, and a smile that doesn't quite reach the eyes. Growing strong is your house's motto, and you live it: patiently, strategically, always investing in the relationships and resources that will matter most when it counts. You are charming by choice and calculating by nature — a combination that makes you one of the most effective players in any room you enter. The Tyrells fed King's Landing and shaped its politics without ever sitting on the Iron Throne — and they were arguably more powerful for it. You know that the person who controls the food controls the kingdom. And you always know where the food is. ↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ 'Vice Principals' (2016–2017) Image via HBO Vice Principals is the most underrated of the shows that Danny McBride created for HBO, as it debuted after Eastbound & Down had become a cult phenomenon, but before The Righteous Gemstones became one of the network's word-of-mouth hits. While it might seem strange at first that a McBride show only ran for two seasons, Vice Principals wasn't canceled; it was planned from the beginning as a two-season event, as McBride likely knew that audiences wouldn't be able to stand the show's caustic characters for much longer. The series stars McBride and Walton Goggins as two narcissistic, selfish vice principals who set aside their rivalry when they both feel that they have been snubbed of a promotion, leading to a wild and wicked attempt at revenge. Vice Principals is perhaps the most mean-spirited and uncomfortable of McBride's shows, as it lacks the knowing satire of Eastbound & Down and the heartfelt subtext to The Righteous Gemstones. It is definitely not a show for the faint of heart, but those who appreciate some dark humor will find a lot to love in a series that ruthlessly makes fun of toxic masculinity while exposing some of the most ridiculous faults within America's public education system. 'The Sympathizer' (2024) Image via HBO The Sympathizer is the type of unique auteur project that only HBO would have been willing to finance, as the series was based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel of the same name and served as a passion project for the brilliant South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook, best known for making psychological thrillers like Oldboy and No Other Choice. The series stars Hoa Xuande as a North Korean spy who is tasked with infiltrating America during the height of the Vietnam War, set right amidst the fall of Saigon. Robert Downey Jr. is a co-star in the series, but not for just one role; since he is made to represent the banality of American excess during this point in history, Downey plays multiple white male characters, including a pretentious international studies professor, a corrupt politician, a CIA spymaster, and an ambitious filmmaker inspired by Francis Ford Coppola and Michael Cimino. The Sympathizer is a twisty series that constantly asks its viewers to forget and rethink what they just watched, playing into the frequency in which espionage files are redacted or destroyed. It's a damning portrayal of nationalism in all senses, as it exposes the cruelty of the North Korean regime while also showing that most Americans didn't know what their country was fighting for. Although it does require engaged viewing without any distractions, The Sympathizer is a fascinating experiment that is well worth investing in. The Sympathizer Release Date 2024 - 2024-00-00 Network HBO Cast Robert Downey Jr. Claude / Professor Hammer / Ned Godwin / Niko Damianos / Priest Near the end of the Vietnam War, a plant who was embedded in the South Vietnam army flees to the United States and takes up residence in a refugee community, where he continues to secretly spy and report back to the Viet Cong. Showrunner Park Chan-wook, Don McKellar Directors Marc Munden, Park Chan-wook, Fernando Meirelles Writers Mark Richard, Don McKellar, Park Chan-wook, Naomi Hisako Iizuka, Maegan Houang, Anchuli Felicia King Main Genre Drama Seasons 1 Website Based on the novel by Viet Thanh Nuyen, The Sympathizer explores the last days of the Vietnam War through the eyes of a half-Vietnamese, half-French spy serving for the communist regime. The TV adaptation is set-up as a mini-series and will likely still be framed as a confession from the protagonist as they make their way through the war. Photo is of the original novel cover. Producers Inman Young, Jes Anderson, Kris Baucom, Ted Pacult Characters By Viet Thanh Nguyen Creator(s) Park Chan-wook, Don McKellar Distributor HBO, HBOMax Producer Karen Wacker Production Company A24, Rhombus Media, Team Downey, Moho Film, Cinetic Media Story By Viet Thanh Nguyen Streaming Service(s) M Where To Watch M Executive Producer(s) Amanda Burrell, Back Ji-sun, Don McKellar, Hallie Sekoff, Kim Ly, Niv Fichman, Park Chan-wook, Ravi Nandan, Robert Downey Jr., Susan Downey, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Ron Schmidt