The Best HBO Max Shows to Stream Now (January 2022) | Rotten Tomatoes

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The Best HBO Max Shows To Stream Now

Updated as of January 3, 2022

HBO Max launched in May 2020 with a handful of originals, including Anna Kendrick–starring series Love Life, reality competition programming Craftopia and Legendary (one for crafting fans, one for ballrooom voguers), kids’ programming Looney Tunes Cartoons and The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo, and documentary film Off The Record.

More than a year later, the upstart streamer with the gold-plated HBO brand name boasts a deep well of content from the libraries of the brands bundled under the WarnerMedia division of AT&T, as well as licensed content like the complete collection of Studio Ghibli films, British import I Hate Suzie, and 700 episodes of iconic BBC series like Doctor Who, The Office, and Luther.

The latest additions to the service’s originals slate include British import rom-com series Starstruck and Jean Smart comedy Hacks, both shows with celebrated first seasons sitting at 100% Fresh on the Tomatometer, and other new releases including dark comedy Made for Love, teen drama Genera+ion, plus recent critical darlings like Certified Fresh miniseries It’s a Sin, celebrated Spanish import Veneno, and more.

Read more:

Below are all of the HBO Max originals series ranked by Tomatometer, including new-to-the-service series like Search Party, Harley Quinn, and Doom Patrol, late 2020 splashy releases The Flight Attendant and Raised By Wolves, and historical LGBTQ miniseries Equal. In order to be included series must have a Fresh score on the Tomatometer, which means series like reality competition The Bridge aren’t included — yet.

Keep checking back to find out which HBO Max originals are worth a watch. Plus, check out the other great HBO titles available on the service.

Looking for more great TV and streaming recommendations? Order our book, The Ultimate Binge Guide.

Recently Added: Station Eleven

#35

Friends: The Reunion (2021)
67%

#35

Adjusted Score: 69063%

Critics Consensus: It may work best for die-hards, but when it cuts out the noise and focuses on the connections Friends: The Reunion is as warm and comforting as a night in the café.

Synopsis: “Friends” stars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer return to the iconic comedy’s... [More]

Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc

Directed By: Ben Winston

Head of the Class (2021)
67%

#34

Synopsis: Overachieving high school students meet their greatest challenge in the form of a teacher who wants them to focus less... [More]

Starring: Isabella Gomez, Jorge Diaz, Jolie Hoang-Rappaport, Gavin Lewis

Directed By: Amy Pocha, Seth Cohen, Bill Lawrence, Jeff Ingold

Genera+ion (2021)
75%

#33

Synopsis: High school students explore modern sexuality, testing deeply entrenched beliefs about life, love and the nature of family in their... [More]

Starring: Martha Plimpton, Justice Smith, Chloe East, Nava Mau

Directed By: Lena Dunham, Ben Barnz, Daniel Barnz, Sharr White

Raised by Wolves (2020)
80%

#32

Synopsis: Two androids are tasked with raising human children on a mysterious virgin planet; as the human colony threatens to be... [More]

Starring: Amanda Collin, Abubakar Salim, Winta McGrath, Travis Fimmel

Directed By: Ridley Scott, Jordan Sheehan, David W. Zucker, Mark Huffam

The Trial of Christine Keeler (2019)
77%

#31

Synopsis: An account of the iconic 1960s Profumo affair, the British political scandal that originated with a brief relationship between a... [More]

Starring: Sophie Cookson, James Norton, Ellie Bamber, Emilia Fox

Directed By: Andrea Harkin, Kate Triggs, Lucy Richer, Douglas Rae

Love Life (2020)
79%

#30

Synopsis: Each season of "Love Life" follows a different person, jumping back and forth between timelines throughout all the diverse relationships... [More]

Starring: William Jackson Harper, Keith David, Punkie Johnson, Chris Powell

Directed By: Anna Kendrick, Bridget Bedard, Sam Boyd, Paul Feig

The Not-Too-Late Show With Elmo (2020)
81%

#29

Synopsis: Host Elmo interviews celebrity guests along with his co-host, Cookie Monster.... [More]

Starring: Ryan Dillon, David Rudman, Carmen Osbahr

Directed By: Benjamin Lehmann, Mindy Fila

Equal (2020)
86%

#28

Synopsis: Actor Billy Porter narrates this four-part documentary series that pays tribute to the founders of the modern LGBTQ+ movement. Before... [More]

Starring: Billy Porter, Alexandra Grey, Anne Ramsay, Anthony Rapp

Directed By: Brooke Karzen, David Collins, Eric Norsoph, Greg Berlanti

Craftopia (2020)
88%

#27

Synopsis: Lauren Riihimaki, aka LaurDIY, hosts a competition featuring 9 to 15-year-old crafters who use their imaginations to make inventive and... [More]

Starring: Lauren Riihimaki

Directed By: Lauren Riihimaki, Brien Meagher, Kate Felsted

Expecting Amy (2020)
86%

#26

Synopsis: Following Amy Schumer as she struggles with her pregnancy in preparation for her comedy special.... [More]

Starring: Amy Schumer, Chris Fischer, Kevin Kane, Kim Caramele

Directed By: Alexander Hammer, Jim Isler, Kevin Kane, Amy Schumer

The Head (2020)
90%

#25

Synopsis: In the middle of the winter, scientists at an Antarctic research station stop communicating with the outside world.... [More]

Starring: Tomohisa Yamashita, John Lynch, Alexandre Willaume, Katharine O'Donnelly

Directed By: Jorge Dorado

Heaven's Gate: The Cult of Cults (2020)
88%

#24

Synopsis: An examination of the UFO cult through the eyes of its former members and their loved ones; what starts with... [More]

Starring:

Directed By: Amy Entelis, Chris Bannon, J. Clay Tweel, Eric Spiegelman

Trigonometry (2020)
89%

#23

Synopsis: A cash-strapped couple living in West London decide to take in a lodger to ease some of their financial worries.... [More]

Starring: Gary Carr, Ariane Labed, Thalissa Teixeira, Anne Consigny

Directed By: Athina Rachel Tsangari, Tessa Ross, Juliette Howell, Duncan Macmillan

Legendary (2020)
--

#22

Synopsis: Pulling from the underground ballroom community, voguing teams, called "Houses," compete in dance challenges and showcase fashions for chance to... [More]

Starring: Dashaun Wesley, Leiomy Maldonado, Jameela Jamil, Law Roach

Directed By: David Collins, Rob Eric, Michael Williams, Jane Mun

Adult Material (2020)
93%

#21

Synopsis: Adult drama which delves inside the porn industry in modern Britain from the perspective of a woman who has been... [More]

Starring: Phil Daniels, Joe Dempsie, Rupert Everett, Kerry Godliman

Directed By: Dawn Shadforth

Beartown (2020)
93%

#20

Synopsis: A community in Sweden places its dreams of revitalization on the teenage shoulders of its junior ice hockey team; the... [More]

Starring: Miriam Ingrid, Aliette Opheim, Tyler Shamy, Ulf Stenberg

Directed By: Peter Grönlund

#19

A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote (2020)
93%

#19

Adjusted Score: 79513%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: ... [More]

Starring: Dulé Hill, Allison Janney, Rob Lowe, Janel Moloney

Directed By: Thomas Schlamme

Made for Love (2021)
97%

#18

Synopsis: A woman is on the run after 10 years in a suffocating marriage to a tech billionaire, who has implanted... [More]

Starring: Cristin Milioti, Ray Romano, Noma Dumezweni, Billy Magnussen

Directed By: Dean Bakopoulos, Patrick Somerville, Christina Lee, Liza Chasin

Harley Quinn (2019)
97%

#17

Synopsis: The newly single Harley Quinn sets off to make it on her own as the criminal queenpin in Gotham City.... [More]

Starring: Kaley Cuoco, Lake Bell, Alan Tudyk, Jim Rash

Directed By: Justin Halpern, Patrick Schumacker, Kaley Cuoco, Sam Register

I Hate Suzie (2020)
97%

#16

Synopsis: Suzie Pickles finds her life upended when her phone is hacked and compromising pictures of her surface online; she struggles... [More]

Starring: Billie Piper, Leila Farzad, Daniel Ings, Nathaniel Martello-White

Directed By: Georgi Banks-Davies, Julie Gardner

Search Party (2016)
96%

#15

Synopsis: The disappearance of former college acquaintance Chantal leads several 20-somethings to get entangled in the mystery of how she went... [More]

Starring: Alia Shawkat, John Reynolds, John Early, Meredith Hagner

Directed By: Sarah-Violet Bliss, Tony Hernandez, Charles Rogers, Michael Showalter

The Sex Lives of College Girls (2021)
95%

#14

Synopsis: Four roommates navigate their new freedom on the prestigious campus of Essex College.... [More]

Starring: Pauline Chalamet, Amrit Kaur, Reneé Rapp, Alyah Chanelle Scott

Directed By: Mindy Kaling, Justin Noble, Howard Klein

Station Eleven: Limited Series (2021)
98%

#13

Adjusted Score: 104728%

Critics Consensus: Station Eleven rewards patient viewers with an insightful and thematically rich assertion that -- even in the post-apocalypse -- the show must go on.

Starring: Mackenzie Davis, Himesh Patel, Daniel Zovatto, David Wilmot

Directed By: Patrick Somerville, Hiro Murai, Scott Steindorff, Dylan Russell

The Flight Attendant (2020)
91%

#12

Synopsis: A flight attendant's life gets turned upside down after she wakes up in a hotel room with a dead man... [More]

Starring: Kaley Cuoco, Zosia Mamet, T.R. Knight, Michelle Gomez

Directed By: Steve Yockey, Natalie Chaidez, Greg Berlanti, Kaley Cuoco

It's a Sin (2021)
97%

#11

Synopsis: Ritchie, Colin and Roscoe leave home at 18 to begin new lives in 1981 London, but they find themselves challenged... [More]

Starring: Olly Alexander, Lydia West, Nathaniel Curtis, Keeley Hawes

Directed By: Peter Hoar, Russell T. Davies

Doom Patrol (2019)
98%

#10

Synopsis: Doom Patrol is a team of traumatized and downtrodden superheroes, each of whom has suffered a horrible accident that gave... [More]

Starring: Brendan Fraser, Matt Bomer, April Bowlby, Diane Guerrero

Directed By: Greg Berlanti, Geoff Johns, Jeremy Carver, Sarah Schechter

Through Our Eyes (2021)
100%

Synopsis: Children's perspectives on some of today's most challenging issues: homelessness, parental incarceration, military caregiving, and climate displacement.... [More]

Starring:

Aquaman: King of Atlantis (2021)
100%

Synopsis: Aquaman finally becomes king of Atlantis, but he has a lot of learning to do; thankfully, his advisors Vulko, a... [More]

Starring: Cooper Andrews, Gillian Jacobs, Thomas Lennon, Dana Snyder

Directed By: James Wan, Michael Clear, Rob Hackett, Sam Register

That Damn Michael Che (2021)
100%

Synopsis: The comic uses sketches and vignettes to illustrate what it feels like to experience everyday situations -- including racial profiling,... [More]

Starring: Michael Che

Directed By: Erin Doyle, Lorne Michaels, Michael Che, Oz Rodriguez