5 Best New HBO Max Shows To Watch This Week (September 28–October 4, 2026)

Published Sep 29, 2026, 8:34 AM EDT

Greg is a Lead TV Writer & Critic at Screen Rant with expertise in new streaming releases. He's published over 3000 articles at SR, including weekly recommendation guides and dozens of reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. He previously worked in Development at ABC Television & Lawrence Bender Productions.

Greg majored in Film Production at Chapman University's Dodge College. Greg also has years of broadcast TV production experience at major networks such as NBC, TNT, and ESPN. He currently lives in Greater Boston.

The five best new series to binge-watch on HBO Max this week, September 28–October 4, 2026, include a modern sci-fi masterpiece with a finale rapidly approaching. The others include a laugh-out-loud reality comedy, an eerie Japanese horror anthology, a hidden gem crime mystery, and a legal thriller that already earned an impressive 86% Rotten Tomatoes score ahead of its worldwide premiere.

Other top new series worth a binge on HBO Max are the dramedy Youth, which currently has three of eight episodes released and ranks #4 on the platform's global viewership chart, and A Killer Story, a 3-part true crime docuseries that's #2 in the United States. For the very latest HBO Max series this week, the following five shows are all exciting new titles with upcoming episodes, premieres, or finales.

Impractical Jokers

Season 13A of the beloved hidden camera reality comedy series Impractical Jokers arrives on HBO Max this Saturday, October 3, 2026. Featuring seven of the latest episodes, Impractical Jokers season 13A originally ran from July 23 to September 3 on TBS and will finally join seasons 11 and 12 on HBO Max by the end of the week. The first ten seasons of Impractical Jokers can be streamed on Hulu and Disney+, but the newest three seasons can only be streamed through HBO Max or with a cable TV subscription.

Strange: Junji Ito’s Tales For Sleepless Nights

Strange: Junji Ito’s Tales For Sleepless Nights is a new 12-part horror anthology series that is built to get you ready for spooky season. Each episode features a unique chilling tale from the mind of legendary manga artist Junji Ito, so be prepared for a terrifying viewing experience. Strange: Junji Ito’s Tales For Sleepless Nights will make its international streaming debut on HBO Max this Friday, October 2, 2026. Fans of body horror and psychological horror will want to check out this unsettling series as it's the first live-action adaptation of Junji Ito​​​​​'s masterful material.

The Torment

HBO Max

The series premiere of a new HBO original series, The Torment, arrives on Friday, October 2, 2026. The crime mystery thriller centers on a disgraced journalist who moves back ot her hometown and throws herself into the disappearance of her childhood friend. Unlike other new HBO series, this one has been kept mostly under wraps, as a trailer is not even available to view just days ahead of its premiere. Keep an eye out for this new mysterious crime series on HBO Max this week, which is already giving off major Mare of Easttown vibes.

War

One new HBO original series that has gotten plenty of recent press is the legal thriller War starring Sienna Miller and Dominic West. The series is set to premiere on Thursday, October 1, 2026, and will consist of eight episodes released weekly until mid-November. The series follows two elite law firms in London that clash over a shocking divorce case as top attorneys battle each other. The series is developed by George Kay of Lupin acclaim and has already earned positive reviews ahead of its debut, resulting in an 86% Rotten Tomatoes score at the time of writing.

Lanterns

The best show to binge on HBO Max this week is certainly Lanterns ahead of its season 1 finale on Sunday, October 4. Now seven out of eight episodes in, Lanterns season 1 is coming to a head in just a matter of days, making it the perfect time to dive into the acclaimed sci-fi/superhero series if you haven't already. Aaron Pierre and Kyle Chandler deliver exceptional performances as two intergalactic space cops determined to solve a small-town murder. What unfolds is a masterclass in scale and tension, with one of the most inventive stories available to stream on HBO Max today.