10 Forgotten HBO Shows That Are Perfect From Start to Finish
Christine is a freelance writer for Collider with two decades of experience covering all types of TV shows and movies spanning every genre. With a particular affinity for dramas, true crime, sitcoms, and thrillers, if it's a top TV show, Christine has likely watched it and is eager to share her thoughts. When she's not furiously writing away, you can find her enjoying the next binge obsession with a glass of wine in front of the TV.
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There are HBO shows that will go down in history as being among the most memorable for both the premium network and television, period, like The Sopranos, The Wire, and Sex and the City. But then there are shows that sort of came, went, and have fallen off the map. For whatever reason, these series did well when they were on the air, some receiving critical acclaim. But following their end, they have been largely forgotten.
From crime dramas to comedies, miniseries to episodic shows, these HBO classics are ones you'll want to pull out of the streaming vault today and watch, or re-watch. They boast talented casts, compelling stories, and will keep you entertained from beginning to end.
'Hung' (2009–2011)
In a flipping of the script, Hung stars Thomas Jane as Ray Drecker, a high school sports coach who, after a house fire and no insurance to cover the damages, finds himself in a precarious position. He needs money, and he needs it fast, so he turns to the world's oldest profession and begins working as a prostitute. Since his manhood happens to be above average size, finding clients is easier than he expected. With the help of his friend Tanya (Jane Adams), Ray begins a secret and lucrative business while putting his life back together.
Hung also stars the late Anne Heche as Ray's ex and, in the show's third season, adds Stephen Amell is a young, equally endowed competitor. The comedy drama is plenty hilarious, switching a premise we typically see with a female to putting the male in the hot seat, and it's refreshingly funny. The show isn't done in poor taste but reflects the desperation of a man and father who will do what it takes, bringing joy to lonely women through his aptly named company, Happiness Consultants.
'The Leftovers' (2014–2017)
Justin Theroux stars in The Leftovers, an underrated supernatural post-apocalyptic drama. It's about a catastrophic event that eliminates two percent of the global population, leaving survivors to deal with the aftermath of the Departure. Kevin Garvey (Theroux) is police chief, and together with his family and others he meets along the way, they try to rebuild civilization. However, society begins to fracture, and various cults emerge, each with its own distinct beliefs, which causes friction.
Most notable is Henry "Holy Wayne" Gilchrest Jr. (Paterson Joseph), who declares himself the second coming of Jesus, duping and controlling vulnerable people who believe him. While The Leftovers started very dark, it shifted focus in its second and third seasons. Interestingly, the series wasn't hugely popular when it was first airing, but it has since developed a cult following. That said, it's not one of the best-known HBO series, beloved by the small group of fans who appreciate its storytelling, direction, and depth.
'Rome' (2005–2007)
More than 20 years ago, HBO offered up a compelling historical drama and one of the best shows about ancient Rome called Rome that stars Kevin McKidd and the late Ray Stevenson. They are soldiers Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo, respectively, involved in events during Ancient Rome's transition from a Republic to an Empire. Many characters were based on real-life people, though the stories are largely fictional.
As a co-production with the UK and Italy, Rome was a big undertaking that paid off: the show attracted big viewer numbers and plenty of awards and accolades. However, the high production costs meant it did not run for its planned five seasons, ending at two. Today, given the scope of shows like Game of Thrones, Rome may very well have been before its time. It is likely to have lasted much longer had it launched today.
'Landscapers' (2021)
Lasting just four episodes, Landscapers is a bingeworthy British American true crime black comedy drama that is worth checking out today. Inspired by real events, Olivia Colman and David Thewlis play Susan and Christopher Edwards, a mild-mannered couple who shockingly murder Susan's parents and bury them in the garden. For more than a decade, no one knew of the crime while this couple continued their lives as if nothing had happened.
Based on the 1998 murders of William and Patricia Wycherley, Landscapers is a bingeworthy miniseries that no one remembers today, a fascinating tale that you won't believe is based on real events. Despite Colman's A-list Hollywood status, however, this is one of her lesser-known projects, overshadowed by all the work she has done before and since. But the show maintains an almost perfect 98% Rotten Tomatoes critics' score.
COLLIDERInteractive
War Council
Westeros/Quizzes/Your House
Collider QuizWhich Game of Thrones
House Are You?8 Questions · 5 Great HousesFive 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.The Five Houses
Stark
Lannister
Targaryen
Baratheon
Tyrell
Council 01 / 080% Sworn
Question 01HONOR
01Someone powerful is acting dishonorably and everyone knows it. What do you do?In Westeros, the answer to this question has ended more than one great house.
Pick one, then Next
Council 02 / 0812% Sworn
Question 02STRENGTH
02What is the source of your power?Every house endures because of something. What is it for yours?
Pick one, then Next
Council 03 / 0825% Sworn
Question 03LOYALTY
03Who do you truly fight for?Strip away the banners and the words. The honest answer tells you everything.
Pick one, then Next
Council 04 / 0838% Sworn
Question 04RIVALS
04How do you deal with your rivals?A house's method reveals its character as clearly as its words ever could.
Pick one, then Next
Council 05 / 0850% Sworn
Question 05RULE
05What kind of ruler do you believe in?Westeros is full of answers to this question. Most of them end badly.
Pick one, then Next
Council 06 / 0862% Sworn
Question 06LOSS
06You suffer a devastating loss. How does your house respond?How a house handles defeat tells you more about it than how it handles victory.
Pick one, then Next
Council 07 / 0875% Sworn
Question 07WORDS
07Which of these truths about Westeros do you most believe?Every house has a philosophy. This is yours.
Pick one, then Next
Council 08 / 0888% Sworn
Question 08THE THRONE
08The Iron Throne is within reach. What do you do?The answer reveals not just your ambition but your character.
Pick one, then Next
The Maester Has SpokenYour 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.
The NorthHouse Stark“Winter Is Coming”Seat of WinterfellYou took the long view before anyone asked you to.
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.Why You Belong Here
- You lead with honor 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 does not. You already know which one you are.
The Long ViewThe PackWinterfell
The WesterlandsHouse Lannister“Hear Me Roar”Seat of Casterly RockYou read the room before you walk into it.
You understand the game: its rules, its exceptions, and exactly when the rules become the exception. You play it without illusions and without apology.Why You Belong Here
- You are sharper than most people realize, 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.
Plays The GamePays DebtsCasterly Rock
The Iron ThroneHouse Targaryen“Fire and Blood”Seat of DragonstoneYou were never going to settle for the world as handed to you.
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.Why You Belong Here
- You are capable of extraordinary things, and you know it, and that knowledge is both your greatest strength and your most dangerous quality.
- The Targaryen words 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.
DestinyTransformativeDragonstone
The StormlandsHouse Baratheon“Ours Is the Fury”Seat of Storm's EndYou arrive in a room and the room knows it.
You are a force: direct, powerful, and difficult to ignore when you enter a room or a disagreement. You do not negotiate with challenges. You meet them.Why You Belong Here
- Ours is the fury, and yours is a kind of intensity that commands attention, respect, and occasionally caution from those who underestimate what's behind it.
- You value strength and straight dealing. You'd rather know where you stand 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.
DirectStraight DealingStorm's End
The ReachHouse Tyrell“Growing Strong”Seat of HighgardenPower arrives with flowers and good wine.
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.Why You Belong Here
- 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.
PatientCharmingHighgarden
Where Your Loyalty Lies
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'Bored to Death' (2009–2011)
Fans were anything but bored watching Bored to Death, even campaigning for the show to return when it was cancelled after three seasons. This led to rumors of a potential follow-up film that never came to fruition. The comedy stars Jason Schwartzman as Jonathan Ames, a New York City-based writer who is struggling to pen his next novel, and moonlights as a private investigator. But he's not exactly good at the job. While Ames is a fictional character, he is based on the real author of the same name, who also created the show.
The series has a star-studded cast that also includes Zach Galifianakis as Jonathan's best friend and Ted Danson as his editor and father figure. Airing for three seasons, Bored to Death was praised for its writing and acting, a memorable show airing after Curb Your Enthusiasm in the premium network's primetime lineup.
'Enlightened' (2011–2013)
Airing for just two seasons, the Mike White series Enlightened stars Laura Dern as Amy Jellicoe, a 40-year-old woman who returns home after spending time in a treatment facility following a mental breakdown. She was demoted at work but fails to take accountability for the fact that her downfall is the result of her own self-destructive behavior, including heavy drinking and having an affair with her married boss.
After some quiet time to reflect, Amy realizes she needs to follow a different path, and she works towards inner healing, self-help, and meditation. But others around her aren't so convinced she can stick with this calmer routine. Enlightened follows Amy's journey to enlightenment with healthy doses of both comedy and drama. It's a show that tackled the topic of mental health long before this was common on television.
'Generation Kill' (2008)
A seven-part miniseries, Generation Kill, like other HBO shows, has a pretty jam-packed cast including Alexander Skarsgård, Lee Tergesen, Jon Huertas, and Marc Menchaca. Set during the 2003 invasion of Iraq and based on the Evan Wright book of the same name, the series follows the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion of the US Marine Corps and reporter Wright, played by Tergesen, who is covering the events.
Aiming to offer a realistic account, Generation Kill is in the same vein as other shows like The Pacific and Band of Brothers, yet it doesn't receive as much fanfare as those shows. The series earned positive reviews for its authenticity and attention to detail, and an intense and gripping look at the beginnings of war.
'Tanner '88' (1988)
Decades before Veep, which coincidentally is also an HBO show, and even long before mockumentary style shows were a trend, there was Tanner '88. The most essential HBO miniseries, written by Gary Trudeau, strategically aired right before the 1988 U.S. presidential election, which saw George H. W. Bush eventually defeat Michael Dukakis for the presidency. In this series, however, it's about Jack Taner (Michael Murphy), a fictional former Michigan U.S. representative who is hoping to secure the Democratic Party nomination.
The series features appearances and cameos from real-life political figures, including Bob Dole, Kitty Dukakis, and Jesse Jackson, and centers around Tanner's moves to find his voice. This ironically includes strategies and tricks to promote his authenticity and integrity. Initially, Tanner '88 was not well reviewed. Viewers and critics were arguably unsure of what to do with such an original concept show. But in the decades since, the satire and wit of the series has been recognized as being ahead of the TV curve. Considering how both mockumentary sitcoms and reality TV have blown up in the 21st century, Tanner '88 was onto something. But it's largely forgotten as one of the shows that helped pave the way.
'We Own This City' (2022)
Jon Bernthal is on a hot streak of late, with roles in everything from Punisher to The Odyssey and The Bear, as well as performing in Dog Day Afternoon on Broadway. All this work has overshadowed a smaller but powerful crime drama he was in just a few years ago. We Own This City is based on the nonfiction book Baltimore Sun by Justin Fenton and tells the story of Sergeant Wayne Jenkins (Bernthal), a corrupt officer who went on to be convicted of corruption alongside other members of his gun trace task force team.
The six-episode miniseries tells the story in a non-linear fashion with flashbacks to help set up not only Jenkins as a cop who engaged in bad behavior, but also as a flawed human who loved his family. The series has drawn comparisons to The Wire, a darker look at law enforcement from a different lens, sharp and pointed commentary on systemic corruption. Bernthal is widely praised for his performance, and given his other projects since, it's prime time to check out this show you might have missed.
'The Corner' (2000)
Another show that has drawn comparisons to The Wire, The Corner is dark and gritty, a story of the drug-infested streets of Baltimore. Based on the non-fiction book The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood by David Simon and Ed Burns, both of whom worked on The Wire as well, Burns also on Generation Kill and We Own This City, the show quietly made waves as a precursor to The Wire, which came two years later.
The focus is on one family who lives in the center of a poverty-stricken area and their hardships with drugs, money, and familial strife. The series is a perfect tie-in to The Wire, that very corner depicted on the show. There are also many character crossovers with Homicide: Life on the Street, one of the most groundbreaking crime shows. The Corner is one of the best but also the most forgotten drama from a team that seems to have perfected the genre.
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