What To Watch On HBO Max

If you missed it the first time around, now is the moment to catch up on The Comeback – the cult HBO series that feels more relevant than ever. Created by Lisa Kudrow alongside SATC’s Michael Patrick King, the show follows faded sitcom actress Valerie Cherish (Kudrow) as she attempts to claw her way back into the spotlight in LA. What begins as a reality TV comeback vehicle quickly unravels into something far sharper: a painfully funny, brilliantly observed satire of fame, ego and the machinery of the entertainment industry. Originally airing in 2005 before an unexpected revival in 2014, the series has long held cult status for its uncomfortable humour and eerily prescient take on celebrity culture. Now’s the perfect time to tune in, as there’s a newly released third and final series to enjoy too.

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Here’s your chance to watch David Chase's extraordinary US television series, The Sopranos. The six-series strong masterpiece is nominally an urban gangster drama but its true impact strikes closer to home, chronicling a dysfunctional, suburban family in bold relief. And for protagonist Tony Soprano (the late James Gandolfini in the role that made him), there's the added complexity posed by heading twin families, his collegial mob clan and his own, nouveau-riche brood.

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After a long-awaited hiatus, Euphoria is set to return for its third season on 12th April, only this time with a significant time jump. Set five years on from the events of seasons one and two, the series revisits the core friendship group as they navigate adulthood, carrying the weight of their teenage experiences into a new phase of life. Zendaya returns as Rue, alongside Hunter Schafer, Jacob Elordi, Sydney Sweeney, Alexa Demie, Maude Apatow, Eric Dane and Colman Domingo. Sharon Stone joins the cast for season three, with new faces including Rosalía, Charlie Heaton, Marshawn Lynch and Max Minghella adding fresh energy to the HBO hit.

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One of television's most critically acclaimed programmes, The Wire addresses the seedy side of Baltimore’s finest, looking into money, drugs, politics and murder. Told from the point of view of both the police and their targets, the series captures a universe of subterfuge and surveillance, where easy distinctions between good and evil, and crime and punishment, are challenged at every turn. A study on urban life in one of America’s toughest cities, each season of The Wire focuses on a different aspect of Baltimore, starting with the police force and the drug trade, then moving on to City Hall, the education system and concluding with the media. Stars Idris Elba and Dominic West.

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Across four series in different locations – with different A-list casts – True Detective follows the lives of police detectives as they chase criminals, using unconventional methods. Across each story, the plot follows as officers struggle to gain control of their own personal demons as they attack different cases. The original (and best) series stars Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson as detectives determined to solve a macabre 1995 cult murder. Series two sees a murky California murder throw together three unlikely cops and a corrupt businessman (played by Vince Vaughan). Oscar winner Mahershala Ali stars as a retired detective who revisits the case that has haunted him for 35 years (series three) and the latest, True Detective: Night Country, sees eight men vanish in Alaska. It’s up to Jodie Foster’s character, Danvers, to solve the case.

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Mad Men explores the glamorous and ego-driven Golden Age of advertising, where everyone is selling something and nothing is ever what it seems. No one plays the game better than Don Draper (Jon Hamm), Madison Avenue’s biggest ad – and ladies’ – man in the business. It also stars an award-winning cast, including Elisabeth Moss, January Jones, Christina Hendricks, Rich Sommer, Aaron Staton, Kiernan Shipka, Jessica Pare and John Slattery.

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In this new comedy from the creator of Ted Lasso, Greg Russo (Steve Carrell) is the bestselling author of the beloved Rooster books. He’s at a crossroads in his life. Living alone in Florida after his divorce from wife of 25 years Elizabeth, he wishes he could be like his most-loved character: confident, good with the ladies and knowing how to get himself out of a funk. Unfortunately, he’s none of those things. When he’s given the opportunity to make an appearance at Ludlow College – the same liberal arts school his daughter Katie works at – he jumps at it. Partly to get to talk about his work but also to check on Katie, who’s going through a tough time. As he arrives at Ludlow, however, he quickly finds himself drawn into the world of the teachers and the students, bonding with the faculty over shared experiences. And when he needs to quickly get Katie out of a jam, he agrees to join the school as their writer-in-residence for one semester, which sets off a complicated chain reaction.

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A love triangle between three adults experiencing middle-age malaise ends with one of them dead in this darkly comedic HBO Original limited series. Starring Jason Bateman, David Harbour and Linda Cardellini, the dirty laundry of a picture-perfect suburban Missouri neighbourhood is set to be aired for all to see. Clark Forrest, a local TV weatherman, and Floyd Smernitch, his ASL interpreter, are two friends who are in a rut in their respective marriages. When Clark discovers a new hook-up app called DTF St Louis – aimed at married people who want no-strings-attached sex – he proposes that he and Floyd give it a try to put some spice back into their lives. Just a few weeks later, Floyd is found dead in a swimming pool changing room. But what happened and why? Across this seven-episode series, detectives attempt to find out the truth – and soon discover the three middle-aged individuals at the centre of the case are entangled in a complex love triangle.

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The romantic drama series Heated Rivalry was adapted from Rachel Reid’s critically acclaimed Game Changers book series. Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) are two of the biggest stars in Major League Hockey, bound by ambition, rivalry and a magnetic pull neither of them fully understands. What begins as a secret fling between two fresh-faced rookies evolves into a years-long journey of love, denial and self-discovery. Over the next eight years, the pair chase glory on the ice while struggling to navigate their feelings off it. Torn between the sport they live for and the love they can’t ignore, Shane and Ilya must decide if there is room in their fiercely competitive world for something as fragile and powerful as real love.

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Pack your bags – we're heading to The White Lotus and, as always, nothing is quite as it seems. After sun-soaked scandals in Hawaii and Sicily, the hit series is set its sights on Thailand for its highly anticipated third season, this time with a fresh line-up of guests and staff navigating the resort’s signature mix of luxury and chaos. Aimee Lou Wood (Sex Education) is Chelsea, visiting with her older partner Rick, played by Walton Goggins (The Hateful Eight). Meanwhile, Natasha Rothwell reprises her role from season one, revealing she’s in Thailand on an exchange programme.

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This Emmy-winning US drama is finally available to watch in the UK. Set in an emergency room, The Pitt is a realistic examination of the challenges facing healthcare workers in today’s America, as seen through the eyes of frontline heroes. Each episode follows an hour of Dr Robby’s (Noah Wyle) 15-hour shift as the chief attendant in Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital’s emergency room. Facing difficult patients, understaffing issues, funding difficulties and emotional pressure, the series builds up the tension in real-time – with a whole season taking place over the same day and each episode representing an hour of the shift. We follow along as Dr Robby juggles the admin, patients and interns under his care while also dealing with his own mental health.

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Based on the bestselling video game of the same name, The Last of Us is a dark, dystopian drama set in post-apocalypse America. Joel (Pedro Pascal, The Mandalorian, Narcos) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey, Game of Thrones, His Dark Materials) come together as a pair through tragic circumstances and now must journey through a brutal landscape, facing new threats and emotional challenges at every turn. Series two also stars Kaitlyn Dever (Booksmart, Unbelievable) as Abby. Expect heart-wrenching performances and cinematic storytelling at its best.

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The Targaryen civil war is set to continue as House of the Dragon returns for a third season over the summer. With the Dance of the Dragons escalating, the battle lines between Team Black and Team Green grow ever more volatile. Season three promises more political intrigue, devastating betrayals and spectacular action, as the fight for the Iron Throne intensifies. With season four already confirmed, this chapter marks a crucial turning point in the saga. Returning cast members include Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Rhys Ifans, Eve Best and Emma D’Arcy.

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Set in New York, Succession explores themes of power, politics, money and family. Although he has no plans to step aside as the head of family-controlled international media conglomerate Waystar/Royco, ageing patriarch Logan Roy (Brian Cox) is contemplating what the future holds. He has lingered in the limelight longer than even he thought he would and now, family members want to run the company as they see fit. Despite a best-laid succession plan, tempers flare over Logan's ever-changing intentions. As heir apparent, Kendall (Jeremy Strong) attempts to solidify his eventual takeover but he and the three other Roy children face a difficult choice as company control and family loyalties collide. Following Logan’s shock announcement at his 80th birthday party, this dark drama delves into empire building, self-interest and betrayal, all with a healthy dose of black comedy – no surprise, given that it’s created by Peep Show and The Thick Of It’s Jesse Armstrong.

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