Done with Squid Game Season 3 and looking for your next great binge? Finding yourself mindlessly scrolling through streaming options but coming up blank? Whether you’re in between seasons or just in the mood for something short and unforgettable, HBO Max is home to some of the most binge-worthy TV ever made. From apocalyptic thrillers and prestige dramas to superhero satire and pirate rom-coms, this list has something for everyone. Each show below is perfect for devouring in just a few days, or stretching across a long week if you want to savor the show.
Here are 10 of the best HBO Max shows you can binge in a week or less.
1) The Last of Us
HBO Max’s The Last of Us isn’t just one of the best video game adaptations of all time, it’s been hailed as one of the most emotionally powerful series on the platform. Anchored by incredible performances from Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, Season 1 explores love, loss, and survival in a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by an evolved infectious fungus. The attention to world-building, the devastating storytelling, and the faithful-yet-elevated game adaptation have all earned it widespread critical acclaim.
Season 2 continues the heart-wrenching journey, adapting key moments from the second game with bold creative choices and new cast additions. With each season clocking in under 10 episodes, it’s an intense but manageable binge.
And good news, Season 3 is confirmed, but it won’t be out for another two years, so you’ve got some time to get both seasons under your belt. Though sooner is always better than later. Besides, the sooner you watch it, the more time you have to forget it and watch it again by 2027.
2) Peacemaker
But if you’re planning on binging The Last of Us, it might be worth you following it up with something more lighthearted and a bit wacky, John Cena’s Peacemaker may just be the thing. Though it started as a spinoff from The Suicide Squad, it quickly carved out its own identity as one of HBO Max’s funniest and most irreverent series. James Gunn’s signature blend of humor, ultraviolence, and surprising heart shines in this tale of redemption, alien conspiracies, and awkward dance numbers.
With Season 1 being only eight episodes long and featuring standout performances (especially from Danielle Brooks and Freddie Stroma), it’s an easy show to slip into. The tone is wild, the action hits hard, and yes, that opening dance sequence is unskippable, no matter how many times you rewatch. Season 2 is officially in the can, with a release date of August this year, so time is ticking to get caught up before its return.
3) Band of Brothers
An oldie but a goodie, this iconic 10-part miniseries produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks is still one of HBO Max’s crown jewels. Based on real-life events during World War II, Band of Brothers follows Easy Company of the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division from D-Day through the capture of Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest.The cast includes now-iconic names like Damian Lewis, Michael Fassbender, and Tom Hardy, all delivering powerhouse performances in a narrative grounded in interviews with surviving veterans.
It is gripping, emotional, and incredibly well-acted. With a single, self-contained season, this is ideal for history buffs or anyone craving a gritty, grounded war story with real emotional weight. The practical effects and raw cinematography make it as immersive today as it was at release.
4) The White Lotus
Looking for a glamorous escape with a dash of scandal and the added bonus of smugly judging the wealthy? The White Lotus delivers in spades. With luxury hotels, beautiful vistas, and biting satire, each season of this anthology series takes place at a different resort — from Hawaii to Sicily, and now Thailand — diving into class tensions, personal secrets, and the absurdity of the ultra-rich.
Each season has a different cast (with a few delicious recurring characters like Tanya, played by Jennifer Coolidge) and can be binged separately or back-to-back. You’ll find yourself laughing, cringing, theorizing, and questioning your moral compass.
The blend of comedy, mystery, and social commentary keeps you hooked until the final frame. And the best part is that each batch of episodes ends with a murder, but it’s the psychological tension — not the whodunit — that steals the show. For Jennifer Coolidge fans, this is a must watch.
5) Succession
If you missed the Succession phenomenon, now is the perfect time to binge all four seasons. This Emmy-winning powerhouse follows the toxic Roy family as they claw for control over their global media empire, Waystar Royco. Led by the merciless patriarch Logan Roy (Brian Cox), each family member jostles for power with betrayals, backstabbing, and business moves so cold they could freeze a glacier. It’s Shakespearean drama disguised as a corporate satire, with razor-sharp dialogue and unforgettable one-liners.
The performances are magnificent with standouts from the likes of Jeremy Strong, Sarah Snook, and Kieran Culkin, and the show only grows more addictive as the stakes spiral. Expect power plays, awkward boardroom tension, and some of the most hilariously uncomfortable moments ever put to screen. With the series officially wrapped, Succession is a completed story from beginning to end, making it perfect for a concentrated binge without the pain of waiting for a new season.
6) Chernobyl
Created by Craig Mazin (who you may now know for his work on The Last of Us), Chernobyl is a masterclass in tension, storytelling, and historical dramatization. This five-episode miniseries recounts the harrowing true events of the 1986 nuclear disaster in the Soviet Union — from the initial explosion to the chilling government coverups and the unsung heroes who sacrificed everything.
What sets Chernobyl apart is its visceral realism. The cinematography, sound design, and haunting score pull you into the grim, toxic atmosphere. Jared Harris, Emily Watson, and Stellan Skarsgård all deliver devastatingly good performances that ground the story in emotional truth. It’s a global horror story, a political drama, and a human tragedy all rolled into one. With a total runtime of around five hours, it’s perfect for a quick binge. And as it’s based on real events, it stands alone as a haunting, must-watch story with no sequel required.
7) The Penguin
Spinning out of the gritty world of Matt Reeves’ The Batman, The Penguin brings Oswald Cobblepot’s rise through Gotham’s criminal underworld into the spotlight. Starring Colin Farrell who is unrecognizable under Oswald’s prosthetics, the series picks up pretty much straight after the events of the 2022 film, exploring the mob world’s power vacuum left behind in the wake of Carmine Falcone’s death.
Farrell’s performance in The Batman was widely praised for adding nuance and menace to the iconic DC villain, and The Penguin gives him the space to truly take over. The series has a dark, grounded tone and plays out more as a gritty crime saga in the style of Scarface and The Sopranos than your average superhero fare. With Lauren LeFranc (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) showrunning, and Reeves producing, this is one of HBO Max’s most compelling character dramas, and one not to miss.
8) Watchmen
Damon Lindelof’s Watchmen is not a reboot or re-enactment of the 2009 movie, it’s a bold sequel to the classic comic series. Set decades after the events of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ story, this one-season wonder blends superhero deconstruction with racial justice themes and sci-fi weirdness.
The 9-episode run is dense with detail, clever writing, and some of the best performances HBO Max has put to screen. Regina King and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II are both unforgettable. No second season is planned, which makes Watchmen an ideal one-and-done binge.
9) Our Flag Means Death
Now, we have hit you pretty hard with some dark and intense series to watch, so lets calm it down. This pirate comedy-romance from creator David Jenkins and executive producer Taika Waititi took viewers by surprise with its heartfelt story and inclusive humor. Our Flag Means Death follows the real-life-inspired character of Stede Bonnet played by Rhys Darby. Though this version is very much fictionalized as we watch Bonnet become an aristocrat-turned-pirate, and his budding relationship with the infamous Blackbeard (Waititi).
It’s equal parts absurd and adorable, with slapstick moments sitting comfortably alongside beautifully sincere emotional arcs. Both seasons are under 10 episodes each and deliver a unique blend of quirky laughs and poignant emotional beats. While the show was canceled after Season 2, its fandom continues to grow, making it a beloved and easily bingeable gem.
10) Barry
Bill Hader’s Barry starts off as a dark comedy about a hitman who wants to become an actor… but quickly becomes something far more ambitious and unsettling. Across four seasons, Barry evolves into a meditation on guilt, violence, and the desperate, often futile, search for redemption. The tone oscillates masterfully between laugh-out-loud moments and soul-crushing despair, often in the same scene.
Hader, who not only stars but also directs much of the series, demonstrates an incredible eye for visual storytelling, tension, and psychological depth. The cast, including Henry Winkler and Sarah Goldberg, delivers stunning performances that only get better season by season. With just 8 episodes per season, Barry is an addictive binge that never overstays its welcome. And since the series wrapped in 2023, you can watch the entire saga unfold with no cliffhangers, no delays, just pure storytelling from start to finish.
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