We know that HBO has an extensive vault of great shows and movies we want and love. With HBO Now you get access to them all, but where do you start? Check out our recommendations below for the best HBO shows and movies to get you started on HBO Now.
Click on any of the images to see the IMDB page for that show or movie.
The Best HBO Now Shows – Our Top 15
15. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
In his news satire show, comedian and host John Oliver reflects on the news and politics in America from the previous week, and provides his own witty perspective on the events. If you’re into late night talk shows, political satire, or just laughing uncontrollably, check out Last Week Tonight.
14. Band of Brothers/The Pacific
Band of Brothers (2001) and The Pacific (2010) are two miniseries that tell the stories of brave soldiers that fought for America in World War II. In Band of Brothers, the story follows Easy Company, and their journey from paratroopers on D-Day through armed combat in Europe. In The Pacific, the story follows the US Marine Corps and the Pacific battlefront during the war. Both series’ have fantastic acting, stories, and cinematic appeal. If you like war movies and shows, definitely give these a try.
13. Silicon Valley
In the heart of California’s Silicon Valley, six young friends try to turn their startup into a multi-million-dollar product. When underqualified people trying to navigate through the high-tech and high-pressure world of business, hilarity is certain to ensue. Give Silicon Valley a watch if you like the tech world, California, shows about business, or just straight up comedy.
12. Oz
Oz is a crime drama that takes place in a maximum-security state prison, in which a variety of criminals’ stories are told as they serve their time in the “Emerald City,” an experimental unit of the prison. Oz was the first one-hour dramatic series to be produced by HBO, and it is regarded as a classic HBO show that leaves you wanting more. With six seasons, it’s sure to satisfy.
11. Entourage
An up-and-coming actor becomes a star and takes his friends along for the ride – what could be funnier? As Vince gains fame, glory, and a lot of drama in Hollywood, his entourage tags along every step of the way. You won’t be able to get enough of the Hollywood lifestyle and male bonding in this show. Start your bromance today with Entourage!
10. True Blood
Coming out of the popular vampire craze, True Blood is one of the darker shows on HBO – you definitely want to be a fan of horror, and a little (or a lot) of blood for this one. When a telepathic waitress falls for a 173-year-old vampire, things are going to get a little strange in small town Louisiana. If you like the supernatural, or watching unbelievably attractive actors, start watching True Blood.
9. Sex and the City
Follow Carrie Bradshaw’s journey as she writes a weekly column for a magazine called “Sex and the City.” She and her three friends Charlotte, Miranda, and Samantha form the basis for all of the juiciest romances happening in New York City. Though the four of them lead very different lives, they are inseparable, and all tell great stories. Try a few episodes, and you’ll be hooked!
8. Curb Your Enthusiasm
From Larry David, creator of Seinfeld, comes a show that you’ll have a difficult time distinguishing from real life. Larry plays a semi-retired TV writer (which he is), and like Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm often focusses on the minute details of real life. Much of the dialogue is improvised by the actors, who are often celebrities playing versions of themselves. If you were a Seinfeld fan, or just love really funny television, start watching Curb Your Enthusiasm.
7. Deadwood
If you love Westerns and wonder why they aren’t being made anymore, start watching Deadwood now. Set in 1870s South Dakota, you can watch historical and fictional characters as they try to expand Deadwood from a small camp into a real town. Packed full of gunslingers, cowboys, and plenty of drama, if you like Westerns, you must watch Deadwood.
6. Six Feet Under
As two brothers take co-ownership of the Fisher family’s Los Angeles funeral home, this family-drama show takes off, and provides five seasons of one of the best HBO shows. The typical complicated themes of relationships, religion, and lies are exacerbated by the show’s constant connection to death and mortality.
5. Boardwalk Empire
Prohibition-era New Jersey is the perfect setting for this show that follows “Nucky” Thompson, an Atlantic City kingpin who rises to political power in the 1920s and 1930s. Produced by Martin Scorsese and Mark Wahlberg, the connections to historical figures, mobsters, bootlegging and politics is sure to keep you wanting more.
4. True Detective
True Detective may be relatively new to the HBO scene, but that didn’t stop it from becoming one of the most popular shows watched by HBO subscribers. The first season follows two detectives in their attempt to catch a serial killer over a seventeen-year period. The next season has a completely different cast of characters and takes place in a different location, as each season is a self-contained narrative that will change as the series progresses.
3. The Wire
The Wire follows the Baltimore narcotics scene, and is told from the perspective of law enforcement, as well as drug dealers and users. It also uses each season to explore a new facet of the drug scene and how it relates to Baltimore law enforcement, including city bureaucracy, the working-class, and the media. If you like crime-dramas, The Wire is considered one of the best of all time.
2. The Sopranos
This show follows the family of Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano, and the struggles he faces as he tries to reconcile his mob business with his family. As mob rivals threaten the safety of his wife and children, and the sanctity of his crime organization, Tony deals with murder, kidnapping, a lot of owed money, and of course, the occasional mob whacking.
1. Game of Thrones
A hit HBO show based on George R. R. Martin’s best-selling book series follows the lives of royal families and individuals vying for control of the throne in a medieval fantasy world. Filled with dragons, knights, politics, and a lot of murder – this show is guaranteed to keep your attention. Just don’t get too attached to any characters…
The Best HBO Now Movies – By Genre
Comedy
5. Spy
When a CIA desk agent must go out into the field to help solve the murder of her partner, things could not get funnier. Melissa McCarthy stars in this action-comedy film that will have you laughing from start to finish as this new-to-action spy becomes tangled up in an international arms-dealing case.
4. Juno
When a sixteen-year-old realizes that she is pregnant thanks to a one-time encounter with her long-time best friend, what she decides to do provides endless comic relief. Quirky and sweet, you can’t help falling in love with Juno as she attempts to give her child up for adoption to help a young couple. Ellen Page and Michael Cera could not be cuter together as high schoolers dealing with much more than they can handle.
3. Dumb & Dumber
Jim Carry and Jeff Daniels starring as a moronic duo who can’t get anything right created an instant classic with Dumb & Dumber. As they track down a beautiful woman who left her suitcase behind in their limo, the misadventures this pair get themselves into are endless, and always hilarious.
2. Super Troopers
Five Vermont state troopers are used to clowning around and doing very little police work. But when they get tied up in a murder and busting a drug-ring, things could not be funnier. Could anyone be more inept at law enforcement than these five troopers? Watch now and decide for yourself.
1. American Pie
When four teenaged best friends are approaching the end of their senior year, and realize they are all still virgins, they make a pact to score for the first time before graduation. With outrageous situations and memorable catch phrases, American Pie is a classic teen comedy still loved years later.
Action
5. Furious 7
You might think that the seventh installment in a series must be one you can skip, but Furious 7 isn’t. In Paul Walker’s final movie, get ready for as much action-packed, car-chasing, revenge-seeking as you can handle as the Fast and Furious crew “attempt” to get back to their normal lives.
4. Independence Day
When an alien race attacks earth, humans fight back on the Fourth of July in an attempt to save the entire human species. A select group of heroes survive the attack that kills millions, and have only three days to try to save themselves from complete annihilation.
3. 300
An action-packed re-telling of the real-life battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C. in which a mere 300 Spartan warriors defend against a massive Persian army led by King Xerxes. Gerard Butler leads his army of Spartans in this dark, violent, epic battle.
2. Dirty Harry
A Clint Eastwood classic follows the story of San Francisco Inspector Harry Callahan in his attempt to apprehend a serial killer. With a reputation for handling situations the violent way, Harry is the city’s only hope to stopping the killer, who is blackmailing the city and murdering each day they don’t give into his demands. Do you feel like you need to watch this film? “Well, do you, punk?”
1. The Bourne Ultimatum
The third installment in this blockbuster series, Jason Bourne evades capture from the CIA while discovering more about his past and origins with Operation Treadstone. High-speed chases, top-of-the-line spy technology, and one of the most resourceful men you’ve ever seen – a must-see for action enthusiasts.
Drama
5. Brooklyn
When a young Irish girl immigrates to 1950s New York, she struggles between her Irish ties and family duty, and her new love for a young Italian American. Nominated for the 2016 Best Picture at the Oscars, this tear-jerking story of young love is one you shouldn’t miss.
4. Scarface
In this Al Pacino classic, a Cuban refugee with nothing makes his name in Florida. Starting by working for a drug dealer and making his way to the top of the cocaine trade, Tony Montana’s life gets complicated – and violent. Check it out and learn the origin of the phrase “say hello to my little friend.”
3. Remember the Titans
If you love sports movies, Remember the Titans is an all-time favorite. In a desegregated 1970s American school, racial tensions make it difficult for a recently-instated black head coach (Denzel Washington) to keep his team working together and winning all season long.
2. The Martian
Matt Damon stars in this film as astronaut Mark Watney, separated from this crew and stranded, alone, on Mars. With very slim chances of survival, and no one in the universe aware that he is still alive, will Watney ever make it home? If you like space-themed stories, this Ridley Scott film is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat.
1. A Beautiful Mind
Russel Crowe portrays the life of John Nash, a Nobel Laureate in economics, and follows his journey through his education and onto a career of looking for patterns in magazines and newspapers to thwart Soviet plots during the Cold War. As he proceeds, he becomes more and more paranoid that his life is in danger, and is prone to hallucinations and fear that prevent him from living a happy life.
Kids
5. Ella Enchanted
When a baby girl is given a ‘gift’ by her fairy godmother, she is forced to always obey any command. Though Ella is the sweetest and kindest girl in the land, her stepmother and stepsisters take advantage of her, because she cannot stand up for herself. But when a prince gets involved, things may change…
4. Kung Fu Panda
Po the panda (Jack Black) dreams of becoming a Kung-fu master, and is unexpectedly thrown into it when he is chosen as the hero of a prophecy, and must rescue China from an evil kung-fu warrior. For laughs mixed in some real kung-fu action, check out Kung Fu Panda.
3. Casper
A friendly ghost? When Kat moves into a haunted mansion, she discovers the ghost of a young boy, and the two become close friends. Learning about herself along the way, the bond Kat and Casper share will change everyone’s lives.
2. 101 Dalmatians
In this live-action re-make of the classic Disney film, Anita and Roger fall in love, and so do their two Dalmatian dogs. When their puppies are kidnapped by the terrifying Cruella De Vil, it’s up to the dogs to solve the crime and find the puppies!
1. Shrek
A spin on the classic fairytale where a prince rescues a princess, an ogre named Shrek rescues Princess Fiona from a dragon-guarded castle with the help of his trusty steed Donkey to allow Lord Farquad to marry her. Along the way they realize that princesses and ogres may have more in common than they first thought.
With HBO Now, you get unlimited access to your favorite HBO shows and movies, including everything listed in this article! Take them with you anywhere and anytime you want.
