7 HBO Crime Shows That Are 10/10, No Notes
Dyah (pronounced Dee-yah) is a Senior Author at Collider, responsible for both writing and transcription duties. She joined the website in 2022 as a Resource Writer before stepping into her current role in April 2023. As a Senior Author, she writes Features and Lists covering TV, music, and movies, making her a true Jill of all trades. In addition to her writing, Dyah also serves as an interview transcriber, primarily for events such as San Diego Comic-Con, the Toronto International Film Festival, and the Sundance Film Festival.
Dyah graduated from Satya Wacana Christian University in October 2019 with a Bachelor's degree in English Literature, concentrating on Creative Writing. On March 2026, Dyah graduated with Master's degree in English Literature Studies, with a thesis on intersectionality in postcolonial-feminist studies in Asian literary works.
Born and raised between Indonesia and Singapore, Dyah is no stranger to different cultures. She now resides in the small town of Kendal with her husband and four cats, where she spends her free time cooking or cycling.
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Content Warning: This list contains brief mentions of sexual assault.HBO knows a thing or two about the life of crime, and the network knows how to turn it into premium television. Home to countless Emmy nominations and wins, HBO takes pride in creating crime stories that are intriguing not only because of the crimes themselves, but also because of how people react to them.
Whether it's a multi-season drama or a miniseries, a small-town mystery or a commentary on the national justice system, HBO explores crime from every angle. From blue-collar criminals to white-collar criminals, these stories show how crime can become an intrinsic part of people’s lives, often without them realizing it. From a classic HBO crime staple to a dark satire about wealthy criminals, here are HBO crime shows that are 10/10, no notes.
'Mare of Easttown' (2021)
Mare of Easttown follows Detective Sergeant Mare Sheehan (Kate Winslet), a small-town investigator whose reputation has taken a hit after failing to solve the disappearance of a local girl. When a young woman is found dead in Easttown, Mare is tasked with investigating the case, forcing her to revisit the cold case while dealing with growing scrutiny over her work. The deeper she digs, the more she finds that her seemingly tight-knit community has plenty of secrets of its own.
While Mare of Easttown is built around a small-town murder mystery, its anchor is Mare's unresolved grief following an unwanted tragedy in the family. That loss has left her emotionally stuck, affecting both her relationships and her approach to police work. As the investigation brings old tensions to the surface, Mare must confront the pain she has spent years avoiding. The series turns a familiar murder mystery into a relatable story about grief, motherhood, and confronting the past.
'Sharp Objects' (2018)
Sharp Objects follows Camille Preaker (Amy Adams), a troubled crime reporter who returns to her Missouri hometown to investigate the murders of two young girls. The assignment forces her back into the home she fled, where she must deal with her controlling mother, stepfather, and rebellious half-sister, Amma (Eliza Scanlen). As Camille investigates the killings, she is also forced to confront painful memories surrounding her younger sister Marian's (Lulu Wilson) death and the reasons she left home in the first place.
While Sharp Objects is a psychological thriller, its crime story is closely tied to the generational abuse festering within Camille's household. The murders become another symptom of an environment where trauma is passed down rather than confronted. As Camille digs deeper into the case, she begins uncovering how years of abuse have shaped the people around her and damaged their relationships. The series is just as interested in the mechanics of solving a murder as in examining how unresolved trauma can perpetuate violence.
'The Night Of' (2016)
The Night Of follows Naz Khan (Riz Ahmed), a Pakistani-American college student who borrows his father’s taxi for a night out in New York. After picking up a mysterious woman and spending the evening with her, Naz wakes up in her apartment to find her brutally murdered beside him. Unable to remember what happened after falling asleep, he quickly becomes the prime suspect, with the evidence seemingly stacked against him. What starts as a murder investigation soon becomes a deeper look at how the American criminal justice system treats people.
As Naz's case moves forward, The Night Of shows how quickly an accusation can turn someone's life upside down. His Pakistani-American identity and working-class background influence how others view him, while his limited financial means leave him with fewer legal options. The series also explores the realities of incarceration and the emotional toll of awaiting trial, painting a tense portrait of a young man caught in a system that is difficult to navigate.
'Succession' (2018–2023)
Succession follows the Roy family as they battle for control of media conglomerate Waystar Royco. With billions of dollars on the table, the Roy children fight tooth and nail to claim what they believe is rightfully theirs, even when it requires dirty tactics. Patriarch and CEO Logan Roy (Brian Cox) has raised his privileged children to compete for his approval and prove who is worthy of becoming his successor, leading to a long list of manipulation, sabotage, and examples of what not to do as a parent.
Succession is traditionally categorized as a dark comedy and satire about capitalism, but it is also very much a crime series. Instead of gangsters, its criminals are white-collar elites who hide their wrongdoings behind designer suits and expensive lawyers. Their wealth only masks their grave offenses, from covering up sexual harassment and abuse to tampering with evidence and concealing the unnecessary death of an employee caused by a Roy family member.
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
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.
02
What is the source of your power? Every house endures because of something. What is it for yours?
03
Who do you truly fight for? Strip away the banners and the words. The honest answer tells you everything.
04
How do you deal with your enemies? A house's method reveals its character as clearly as its words ever could.
05
What kind of ruler do you believe in? Westeros is full of answers to this question. Most of them end badly.
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.
07
Which of these truths about Westeros do you most believe? Every house has a philosophy. This is yours.
08
The Iron Throne is within reach. What do you do? The answer reveals not just your ambition — but your character.
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 Stark
Winter 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 Lannister
You 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 Targaryen
You 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 Baratheon
You 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 Tyrell
You 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.
'The Sopranos' (1999–2007)
The Sopranos helped establish HBO as a home for prestige television. Gone are the glory days of the Italian-American Mafia, as Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), the respected boss of the DiMeo crime family in New Jersey, navigates a changing world. As technology advances and federal law enforcement grows more sophisticated, he must protect his crew while balancing his criminal responsibilities with his duties as a husband, father, and son.
From rival factions to territorial disputes, The Sopranos has all the conventions of a typical Mafia story. What sets it apart is its modern perspective on organized crime, showing how traditional Mafia practices struggle to survive in an increasingly monitored world. Rather than focusing solely on violence and power, the series explores the psychological toll of that lifestyle, particularly through Tony's therapy for panic attacks. His sessions with Dr. Jennifer Melfi (Lorraine Bracco) give viewers an unusually intimate look at the fears, insecurities, and personal conflicts behind his criminal persona.
'Boardwalk Empire' (2010–2014)
Boardwalk Empire proves that even the biggest criminals can walk freely in broad daylight. Set in the Prohibition era of the 1920s, Enoch "Nucky" Thompson (Steve Buscemi) is Atlantic City's beloved treasurer. But when his people aren't looking, Nucky transforms into a ruthless crime boss who plans to take advantage of the alcohol ban as an illicit business opportunity. Considering his political position, it's easy for Nucky to pull the right strings without raising suspicion—so long as he's got everything under his control.
With an estimated $18 million budget for the pilot alone and Martin Scorsese at the helm, Boardwalk Empire is one of television's most visually rich crime dramas. The series pays meticulous attention to detail in recreating its Prohibition-era world while bringing stories inspired by real-life politicians and gangsters, including Al Capone (Stephen Graham) and Arnold Rothstein (Michael Stuhlbarg), to life. It's not a history lesson per se, but its blend of fictional drama and real historical figures gives it the feel of one.
'True Detective' (2014–Present)
True Detective follows law enforcement investigators as they hunt killers behind ritualistic murders, missing-person cases, and other disturbing crimes. But solving the case is only part of the job. The series digs into the personal lives of those pursuing the truth, exposing their flawed relationships, psychological struggles, and questionable choices. Told in an anthology format, the show moves between different cases and settings, with every investigation presenting its own dangerous challenges.
Across its anthology, True Detective explores the trials and tribulations of police work, whether they stem from external threats or internal turmoil. The cases force its protagonists to confront infidelity, PTSD, institutional corruption, racism, and strained relationships with local communities. Others must contend with harsh Arctic conditions or decaying industrial landscapes that make their investigations even more difficult. Through these stories, True Detective shows that solving a crime also means confronting the darkness within those tasked with uncovering the truth.
True Detective
- Release Date
- January 12, 2014
- Network
- HBO Max
- Showrunner
- Nic Pizzolatto
- Directors
- Cary Fukunaga
-
Rust Cohle
-
Ray Velcoro
Anthology series in which police investigations unearth the personal and professional secrets of those involved, both within and outside the law.
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