10 HBO Sleeper Hits That Got So Much Better After Season 1
Ryan Heffernan is a Senior Writer at Collider. Storytelling has been one of his interests since an early age, with his appreciation for film and television becoming a particular interest of his during his teenage years.
This passion saw Ryan graduate from the University of Canberra in 2020 with an Honours Degree in Film Production. In the years since, he has found freelance work as a videographer and editor in the Canberra region while also becoming entrenched in the city's film-making community.
In addition to cinema and writing, Ryan's other major interest is sport, with him having a particular love for Australian Rules football, Formula 1, and cricket. He also has casual interests in reading, gaming, and history.
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When discussing HBO masterpieces, it is difficult to overlook the premium network’s most acclaimed and popular series. After all, it served as the spearhead of television’s ascent to being one of the most prestigious forms of entertainment in the early 2000s and has consistently produced series that have defined small-screen drama at its absolute best. However, prying into the catacombs of the network’s releases reveals a litany of hidden gems that never got the fanfare they so thoroughly deserved.
In the case of these HBO series, their debut seasons may have something to do with that. This isn’t to say they started off poorly, but it is to acknowledge that their first seasons had to overcome some narrative obstacles before the true brilliance of the story could flourish. Ranging from intense and gritty action to high-concept fantasy adventure, grueling period drama, and even spirited satire, these HBO shows have emerged as some of TV’s must-see sleeper hits.
10 'Banshee' (2013–2016)
An eclectic mixture of high-octane ultra-violence, conniving crime drama, gratuitous sex, and offbeat absurdity, Banshee is impressive from the outset, even if it isn’t necessarily perfect. It follows an ex-con who assumes the identity of Banshee’s incoming sheriff and travels to the titular town to impersonate the policeman while trying to rekindle his relationship with his former girlfriend and accomplice while evading the Ukrainian crime lord he betrayed.
The series has a lot of moving parts, and between these narrative complexities and its penchant for shock value, Season 1 often feels clunky even when it is at its most kinetic and absorbing. However, it does set a platform that the ensuing three seasons can launch from, especially as it finds the time to invest more in its array of eccentric characters and the labyrinthine relationships they share. The end result is four seasons of indulgent drama that keeps viewers on their toes and has become something of a cult hit for HBO.
9 'The Deuce' (2017–2019)
From two of the creators of The Wire, and laced with the same intense realism that HBO crime series flaunted with aplomb, The Deuce delivers a challenging immersion in the blooming sex work scene of 1970s New York. It revels in an air of seedy amorality, capturing an atmosphere that is difficult to stomach, especially in Season 1, which slowly unfurls as it establishes the setting of Times Square in the early ‘70s while setting up the gangland dynamics and introducing a substantial ensemble of characters.
It isn’t until Season 2 that the series is able to invest more in character complexity, a point emphasized by the greater focus on the experiences of its female characters as it leaps forward to 1977 and explores the rise of the porn industry in the era. Complimented by an intelligent and emotionally gratifying conclusion in Season 3, The Deuce runs as an intriguing exploration of the origins of porn in America that is bolstered by its ability to combine the inherent, skin-crawling sleaziness of that world with a humanistic empathy for many of its central characters.
8 'Silicon Valley' (2014–2019)
Co-created by Mike Judge, who leans heavily on his past experiences within the tech industry, Silicon Valley is a triumphant comedy that explores the culture of the cutting-edge technological corporate world with depth, insight, and plenty of satirical parody genius. The progression of its six-season run is interesting, however, with Season 1 starting the series with an inspired sense of timeliness and precision. Seasons 2 and 3 elevate Silicon Valley to its absolute peak before the latter seasons begin to lose their focus and become more formulaic as a result.
Season 1 introduces viewers to the cut-throat landscape of technological innovation as coder Richard Hendricks (Thomas Middleditch) programs an app with a revolutionary data compression algorithm that quickly attracts rival interest. The prime of the series then focuses on the ensuing legal and financial battles that Hendricks and his colleagues navigate. While the series certainly has its fans, Silicon Valley is underappreciated by the masses given its comedic punch and timely satirical edge.
7 'Insecure' (2016–2021)
A fascinating foray into sitcom entertainment from HBO, Insecure balances the innate situational fun of the genre with profound insights into the experiences and obstacles Black women face in modern-day America. Its five-season run is a hidden gem of television in the past decade, but like many sitcoms, it uses its first season to introduce a narrative concept that then needs to be tinkered with and adjusted before the series can soar.
What is impressive about Insecure is how quickly it adjusts to find its own identity, with Season 2 immediately featuring a sharper, more enlightening balance between comedy and commentary as it continues following the friendship between Issa (Issa Rae), an employee at a non-profit organization, and Molly (Yvonne Orji), an accomplished lawyer who struggles in L.A.’s dating scene. The series’ five-season arc as a whole stands as a triumph of pointed observational comedy, adventurous slice-of-life fun, and rewarding character development that deserved more recognition than it ever received.
6 'Warrior' (2019–2023)
An underrated hit of action bravura, Warrior excels as an energized spectacle of martial arts mayhem from the outset. Having said that, the series took some time to find its grounding with regard to its narrative. It follows Ah Sahm (Andrew Koji), a martial arts prodigy who ventures to 1870s San Francisco in search of his sister, only to find himself embroiled in the gangland scene of Chinatown when he falls in with one of the region’s most powerful and ruthless tongs.
Season 1 thrives with its fight choreography and presentation, but the legwork it has to do to establish the story world and its characters can often feel clunky and predictable. Season 2, however, soars as it occupies a darker and sharper tone while diving into the complexity of the central characters, leaning more into the political intrigue of the setting, and operating with higher stakes and much tighter pacing. Sadly, it was prematurely canceled after Season 3, but Warrior remains a gripping gem of high-octane action television that has been seen by too few.
Collider Exclusive · Universe Personality Quiz Which Iconic Universe Do You Belong in the Most? Star Wars · Lord of the Rings · Harry Potter · Game of Thrones · Star Trek
Five legendary universes. Five completely different visions of what the world could be — or already was. One of them is the world your instincts, your values, and your particular way of existing were built for. Eight questions will tell you which one.
🚀Star Wars
💍Lord of the Rings
🧙Harry Potter
👑Game of Thrones
🖖Star Trek
01
What gives your life its deepest sense of meaning? Every universe is built around a different answer to this question.
02
Which kind of world do you most want to inhabit? The environment shapes who you become. Choose carefully.
03
How do you prefer your conflicts resolved? The shape of a world's conflicts tells you everything about its soul.
04
Who do you want beside you when things get difficult? Your ideal companions reveal the world you were made for.
05
What is your relationship with power? How you seek, wield, or resist power is the map of who you are.
06
How does your universe treat good and evil? A world's moral architecture tells you more about it than any map.
07
What role would you naturally fall into? Every universe has archetypes. Which one fits you without trying?
08
What do you ultimately believe about the future? The answer to this is the clearest window into which universe already lives inside you.
Your Universe Has Been Chosen You Belong In…
Your answers point to the iconic universe your values, your instincts, and your particular way of seeing the world were built for. This is where you would find your people — and your purpose.
Star Wars
You believe in the cause — in the idea that freedom is worth fighting for even when the odds are impossible and the empire is vast.
- You are drawn to the moral clarity of a universe where hope itself is a form of resistance.
- You'd find your people in the Rebellion — a ragtag coalition of true believers held together by conviction more than resources.
- Star Wars is fundamentally a story about ordinary people choosing to matter in an extraordinary conflict — and that is exactly your kind of story.
- The Force may or may not be with you. But the will to use it for something larger than yourself certainly is.
Lord of the Rings
You understand, in the deepest part of yourself, that the journey matters as much as the destination — and that the world's beauty is worth protecting even at great cost.
- Middle-earth is a world of ancient wonder, deep friendship, and a darkness that only retreats when enough small acts of courage accumulate.
- You would thrive here because you value the fellowship more than the glory — the road more than the arrival.
- Tolkien's universe rewards patience, loyalty, and the willingness to carry something heavy across a very long distance.
- Those are not burdens to you. They are simply how you move through the world.
Harry Potter
You believe that love, loyalty, and doing what's right are not naive sentiments — they are the most powerful forces in any world, magical or otherwise.
- The Wizarding World is a place of wonder hidden in plain sight, where learning is transformative and the bonds you form at school follow you into every battle.
- You would flourish here because you take both the magic and the friendships seriously — and you understand that one without the other is incomplete.
- Harry Potter's universe ultimately rewards those who choose to stand for something even when standing is terrifying.
- That choice — made quietly, without guarantee — is something you understand completely.
Game of Thrones
You see the world clearly — its power structures, its hypocrisies, its brutal arithmetic — and you are not paralysed by that clarity. You use it.
- Westeros is a world that rewards intelligence, adaptability, and the willingness to understand that every alliance is also a negotiation.
- You would survive here — possibly thrive here — because you don't confuse the world as it is with the world as you'd like it to be.
- Game of Thrones is a story about what happens when the idealists and the realists collide. You are sharp enough to know which one lasts longer.
- Winter always comes. You are already prepared.
Star Trek
You believe the future is worth building — that curiosity, cooperation, and the expansion of understanding are not just ideals but the most practical path forward for any civilisation.
- Star Trek is a universe where the questions matter as much as the answers, and where encountering something utterly alien is cause for wonder rather than fear.
- You would belong here because you are fundamentally optimistic about what intelligence and decency can achieve — while being honest about how hard that achievement is.
- The Federation is the universe's most ambitious thought experiment: what if we actually got better?
- You don't just hope that's possible. You think it's the only thing worth working toward.
5 'High Maintenance' (2016–2020)
After starting life as a web series on Vimeo, High Maintenance was acquired by HBO, where it ran for four seasons as an observational comedy-drama that unfolds as a procession of vignettes revolving around a Brooklyn-based marijuana dealer’s interactions with his clients. Season 1 is very much an experiment with transition, and while it is a success, there are certain times when it is clear the adjustment from the web series format to a television production is still being worked out.
From the outset of Season 2, however, the anthology comedy series finds the right rhythm, maintaining enough of the core concept of the original idea to obtain the series’ identity while expanding to explore deeper character backstories and broaden the story’s perspectives. It is a rewarding evolution to watch unfold, especially as High Maintenance never loses its grasp on the sense of empathy and humor that made the initial idea work so well in the first place.
4 'Treme' (2010–2013)
Another sleeper hit series from the co-creators of The Wire, Treme holds a visceral dramatic urgency as it explores New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. For what it’s worth, Season 1 is impressively executed, but it is forced to take slow steps as it immerses viewers in the atmosphere of frustration and loss while unfurling its sprawling narrative scope that focuses on everything from New Orleanians’ efforts to reignite their vibrant music and culinary scene to systemic atrocities pertaining to missing persons cases from the storm and undamaged housing complexes that sit unoccupied while millions of residents struggle to get back to the city.
Season 2 doesn’t employ any drastic changes or tonal shifts, but the arduous legwork of the first season is able to bloom as the series finds a more confident and assured rhythm that allows for tighter pacing and more evocative plot beats. This uptick in resonance and storytelling sharpness remains throughout the rest of Treme’s four-season run, making for a piercing social drama that brings palpable human drama to one of the worst natural disasters in living memory.
3 'Hacks' (2021–2026)
Concluding in May as one of the most underappreciated series of the 2020s so far, Hacks delivers a balance of dark comedy and timely drama that is arresting throughout much of its run. Jean Smart stars as Deborah Vance, an accomplished stand-up comedian who hires Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder), a young and struggling comedy writer, to liven up her material as she finds herself being surpassed.
It would be an exaggeration to describe Season 1 as being weak, but there is no doubt that ensuing seasons sharpen the dynamic between Vance and Daniels, allowing their relationship to grow through professional friction as Deborah makes increasingly risky attempts to reignite her career. Relishing the engrossing and often barbed relationship between the two women while offering meaningful critiques of the modern world of stand-up comedy, Hacks is an underrated gem of HBO comedy that juggles hysterics and heart with high-minded drama masterfully.
2 'His Dark Materials' (2019–2022)
With each of its three seasons adapting a different entry in Philip Pullman’s fantasy novel trilogy of the same name, His Dark Materials is an absorbing though overlooked treat of high-concept drama. Its first season follows Lyra (Dafne Keen), a young orphan whose efforts to find and rescue her best friend lead her and her allies to uncover a serial kidnapping conspiracy tied to the discovery of multiple alternate worlds and a mysterious substance called Dust.
Season 1 is a joy of fantasy world-building, but the story expands exponentially in the following two seasons, allowing for the sheer scope of the story to become even more stunning while forcing the plotting to operate at a higher tempo that results in a more kinetic and energizing viewing experience. His Dark Materials then reaches its peak in its third and final season, completing its run as an epic and emotionally satisfying fantasy adventure that combines the astonishing wonder of the setting with poignant thematic notes of free will, existentialism, and the transition from childhood to adulthood.
1 'The Knick' (2014–2015)
Presenting one of the most interesting spins on medical drama television, The Knick explores the day-to-day workings of a fictionalized version of the Knickerbocker Hospital in early 20th century New York. Clive Owen stars as Dr. John W. Thackery, the newly appointed leader of the hospital’s surgery staff who wrestles with drug addiction while being driven to make new discoveries and groundbreaking advancements in the medical field, while those around him face obstacles in their own professional pursuits.
The series was canceled far too prematurely, lasting only two seasons before being axed by Cinemax, a network owned by HBO. The shame in this is that the period medical drama was going from strength to strength. Launching off the impressive platform laid by Season 1, the second season pries deeper into the moral and political complexities of pioneering medical treatments, the obstacles doctors faced in an early-1900s hospital, and invests more in the development and nuance of the central characters. Bolstered by Steven Soderbergh’s kinetic and precise directing, The Knick is a stunning sleeper hit of 2010s television that should have enjoyed a much longer run and more commercial acclaim.
The Knick
- Release Date
- 2014 - 2015-00-00
- Network
- Cinemax
- Showrunner
- Jack Amiel
- Directors
- Steven Soderbergh
-
Dr. John Thackery
-
Dr. Algernon Edwards
-
Zuzanna Szadkowski
Nurse Pell
-
Danya LaBelle
Mrs. Lefkowitz
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.