HBO might be best known for producing hit series like The Sopranos, Westworld, and Game
of Thrones, but the pay cable network has consistently churned out quality television
series far beyond its most popular programs.
Some of its finest works have been forgotten by time, even though many of them still hold
up.
If you're looking for another old show stream to fill the void until all those dragons and
theme park hosts are back in action again, here are some of the hidden HBO gems you should
take a look at.
Angels in America
When it debuted back in 2003, Angels in America was a unique television experience, and it
still is.
The six-part miniseries was adapted from the two-part play by Tony Kushner and tells the
story of the AIDS crisis through a magical realist lens.
The miniseries centers on a gay man whose partner abandons him after he's diagnosed
with AIDS.
As if that weren't enough of a burden, he's also visited by an Angel who declares him
a prophet.
The series features an all-star cast that includes Justin Kirk, Ben Shenkman, Mary-Louise
Parker, Emma Thompson, Al Pacino, Patrick Wilson, Jeffrey Wright, and Meryl Streep in
multiple roles, including a brief stint as a male rabbi.
Bored to Death
There's nothing else quite like Bored to Death, a comedy that began in 2009 and ran for three
seasons.
It stars Jason Schwartzman as a writer who decides to distract himself from the daunting
prospect of his next novel by becoming an unlicensed private detective.
Zach Galifianakis plays his best friend, a comic book artist, and Ted Danson appears
as an older friend and mentor who edits an acclaimed magazine where Jonathan writes.
"Oh my God, I have completely failed at the most important thing in life."
Jonathan doesn't take his detective work all that seriously, having learned everything
he knows from Raymond Chandler novels, but as the series goes on, he gets involved in
some surprisingly dire situations.
This show isn't for everybody, but if you're a mystery fan or enjoy comedies about overeducated
stoners failing at things, it might be for you.
Carnivàle
HBO is known for its ambitious original programming, and Carnivàle is a show that aimed incredibly
high, but never got fully off the ground.
However, that doesn't mean it's not an interesting oddity worth a watch, especially for fans
of dark fantasy.
Set in the Dust Bowl of the mid-1930s, Carnivàle is about a traveling carnival, but it's also
about a supernatural battle between destined avatars of good and evil.
When the series started in 2003, creator Daniel Knauf intended it to tell one complex story
over the course of six seasons.
Unfortunately, HBO only ended up giving it two, so most of that story remains untold.
The Comeback
This Lisa Kudrow comedy ran for just two seasons but spanned nine years.
The former Friends star stars as a shallow and self-centered '90s sitcom star trying
to make a return to the fame game with a new sitcom and a reality show.
Unlike Phoebe Buffay, Kudrow's new character is obsessed with her own image, but constantly
fails to make a good impression.
Despite her unlikability, the series also effectively satirizes the sexist and ageist
entertainment industry, which has little room and even less respect for a middle-aged sitcom
actress.
The Comeback was initially canceled after its first season in 2005, but in the years
to come its reputation grew.
In 2014, the show was unexpectedly revived for a second season.
"Still no pages, so I thought I'd just stay up here, stay cool, you know, thinking about
production."
The Comeback was an insightful and biting satire from the start, but the long arc enabled
by such an unusual break between seasons makes it something truly special.
We can only hope it returns for a third season in 2023.
Five Days
This 2007 co-production with the BBC is a mystery series that also serves as an effective
emotional drama.
Each of the five episodes tells the story of one day in the investigation of the mysterious
disappearance of a young mother and her two children, spanning from the very first day
to the 79th day of the search for truth.
This method not only allows the audience to see how much changes as the days, weeks, and
months roll on, but it also introduces a riveting performance by future Selma star David Oyelowo,
who appears as the father whose family vanishes.
Parade's End
Benedict Cumberbatch fans will definitely want to check out Parade's End, which centers
on three people whose lives in Britain are upended by World War I. Opposite Rebecca Hall
and Adelaide Clemens, Cumberbatch plays a rich conservative statistician who is badly
injured in the war.
The entire five-episode miniseries was written by acclaimed playwright Tom Stoppard and directed
by Susanna White, and serves as a formidable British period drama.
Togetherness
Titans of indie filmmaking, brothers Mark and Jay Duplass collaborated with Steve Zissis
to create the pilot for Togetherness, which premiered in 2015 and ran for two seasons.
Mark Duplass plays Brett Pierson, a Los Angeles sound editor with a wife and two kids.
Melanie Lynskey plays his wife Michelle, who's concerned about their romantic life.
Amanda Peet is Tina Morris, Michelle's sister who unexpectedly moves in with their family
after splitting up with her boyfriend in Houston.
Zissis appears as Alex, Brett's best friend, who also moves in when his acting career isn't
going well.
As anyone who's watched a television show could guess, an attraction develops between
Tina and Alex which gets increasingly complicated as the show goes on.
In other ways, starting with the Duplass brothers' dialogue, the show is quite unlike the usual
TV comedies, and its two seasons are well worth a look.
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