The cast of Band of Brothers stand in a row amidst rubble, looking at the camera wearing military uniforms.Image via HBO
By
Ryan Heffernan
Published 9 minutes ago
Ryan Heffernan is a Senior Writer at Collider. Storytelling has been one of his interests since an early age, with his appreciation for film and television becoming a particular interest of his during his teenage years.
This passion saw Ryan graduate from the University of Canberra in 2020 with an Honours Degree in Film Production. In the years since, he has found freelance work as a videographer and editor in the Canberra region while also becoming entrenched in the city's film-making community.
In addition to cinema and writing, Ryan's other major interest is sport, with him having a particular love for Australian Rules football, Formula 1, and cricket. He also has casual interests in reading, gaming, and history.
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As one of the defining brands of television's rise to the status of prestige entertainment in the 21st century, it is little surprise that HBO has been at the forefront of small-screen brilliance for decades. While many fans associate this extensive era of excellence with their long-format series—iconic titles like The Sopranos, Game of Thrones, and Succession—the production company has been behind many of the best and most engaging limited series of all time as well.
Ranging from crime dramas that are as compelling as they are complicated to some of the best depictions of war the medium has ever seen, richly absorbing period dramas that highlight the production might of the studio, and even to timely, modern sensations that have become enshrined as important and iconic cultural stories of today, these 10 HBO miniseries provide engrossing entertainment that can be consumed all in one weekend. By extension, they stand among the most binge-worthy titles that television as a whole has to offer.
10 'We Own This City' (2022)
Officer Wayne Jenkins (Jon Bernthal) leading his Gun Task Force team down a sidewalk in 'We Own This City'.Image via HBO
Created by the team that was behind The Wire and based on Justin Fenton’s nonfiction book of the same name, We Own This City is an absorbing, intricate, and nuanced descent into police corruption in modern-day Baltimore. Framed as an FBI investigation into police corruption in the BPD that transpired in 2017, the acclaimed six-part miniseries uses a non-linear narrative as it dissects the criminal practices of the Gun Trace Task Force over the span of almost a decade, emphasizing the involvement of the unit’s leader, Sgt. Wayne Jenkins (Jon Bernthal).
With its timely story, outstanding performances, and its all-encompassing scope that examines how the GTTF’s actions impacted civilians, politicians, other police, and even the judicial system at large, We Own This City is a modern marvel of television that is as criminally underrated as it is brilliantly in-depth. Granted, its convoluted analysis of years of police corruption is mercilessly complex, but viewers willing to truly focus on the story while embracing its raw authenticity will be treated to one of the most socially attuned and captivating series in recent years.
9 'Generation Kill' (2007)
Jon Huertas, Alexander Skarsgård, and Lee Tergesen as soldiers with weapons in a town in Generation Kill.Image via HBO
Another series from The Wire co-creators David Simon and Ed Burns—based on the book by journalist Evan Wright about his experiences as an embedded reporter with a U.S. Marine unit during the early stages of the Iraq War—Generation Kill is one of the most entrancing and contemplative looks at modern warfare to have ever graced the screen. Emphasizing the bureaucratic shortcomings and logistical mismanagement of combat, it follows the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion through their involvement in the initial invasion of Iraq.
Not dissimilar to The Wire, Generation Kill extracts compelling drama by investing heavily in the minutiae of its subject matter, by delving into the complexity of its characters beneath their macho military personas and treating the obstacles they face with profound humanity and observational brilliance. It makes for a vivid and visceral descent into the chaos of war grounded by an intriguing, almost buddy-esque illustration of brotherhood that is always poignant, pointed, and precise.
8 'Sharp Objects' (2018)
Amy Adams looks worried in Sharp Objects.Image via HBO
An ensnaring slow-burn of a series that thrives off the back of Amy Adams’s outstanding lead performance, Sharp Objects combines crime mystery with piercing character drama to deliver eight episodes of suspense and emotional volatility. Based on Gillian Flynn’s novel of the same name, it follows crime reporter Camille Preaker (Adams) who, after being discharged from a psychiatric hospital following years of alcoholism and self-harm, returns to her hometown to investigate the murders of two girls. As she makes shocking discoveries regarding the disturbing case, she also finds herself re-opening old wounds concerning her complex familial relationships.
Its atmospheric bleakness is both hypnotic and grueling, conjuring an imposing air of resignation and pain surrounding Camille’s life that, while relentless and dour, is made utterly compelling. A miniseries made binge-worthy by its ability to marry dark drama with mystery, and made unforgettable by its striking conclusion, Sharp Objects doesn’t just invite viewers to watch through its eight episodes in quick succession but lingers in the mind long after the binge is complete as well.
7 'I May Destroy You' (2020)
MIchaela Coel in I May Destroy YouImage via HBO
As much as it is a confronting story, I May Destroy You also stands as a compelling exploration of identity, resilience, and the gradual process of overcoming trauma that is bolstered by the efforts of Michaela Coel both in front of and behind the camera. She stars as Arabella, a social media influencer and novelist who, while struggling to write her second book, embarks on a night out with friends that results in her being drugged and sexually assaulted. In the aftermath, Arabella starts to reassess her relationship with her friends while searching for answers and re-prioritizing her work.
The bleak premise is enriched with an acidic sense of humor that imbues the series with a striking watchability, a remarkable mixture of timely social commentary and tragicomedy that is anchored by Coel’s deeply personal performance. With 12 episodes that hover around 30 minutes in length, I May Destroy You is barbed but welcoming, presenting an evocative story of sexual violence and suffering that is armed with a sense of humanity and heart that makes it surprisingly easy to binge-watch.
6 'John Adams' (2008)
Paul Giamatti glancing up from a handful of papers in HBO's John Adams.Image via HBO
An awe-inspiring production that has become something of a forgotten gem of 2000s television, John Adams is an enrapturing biographical period piece exploring the life and political career of America’s second president, John Adams (Paul Giamatti). With its seven episodes covering over 50 years of the man’s life from 1770 to the mid-1820s, the HBO series is an epic that uses Adams’s achievements and obstacles as a platform to examine the landscape of American politics during and after the Revolutionary War, while also exhibiting the Founding Father’s legacy and what his feats meant for the American people.
Anchored by typically outstanding performances from Giamatti and Laura Linney, the series marries the enormous scope of its story with poignant details and nuances of individual characters and a keen investment in historical accuracy that is present through its writing and its breathtaking production design. Further enhanced by flourishes of style in Tom Hooper’s direction and an air of intellectual drama that places admirable faith in the intelligence of the audience, John Adams is an absorbing tale of political ambition, patriotism, and the costs of building a nation.
5 'The Plot Against America' (2020)
Rabbi Lionel Bengelsdorf (John Turturro) endorses Charles Lindbergh (Ben Cole) for President in 'The Plot Against America'.Image via HBO
Marking another induction on this list that was helmed by David Simon and Ed Burns, The Plot Against America is a riveting dose of alternate history drama that imagines 1940s America under the presidency of a fascist. Based on Philip Roth’s 2004 novel, it envisions a world where xenophobic populist Charles Lindbergh (Ben Cole) wins the 1940 election. With the story told from the perspective of a Jewish-American family in working-class New Jersey, the series examines how rapidly and violently a country’s cultural identity can shift.
Interestingly, Simon has stated that when he read the novel in 2004, he thought it was politically irrelevant, but he revisited the story as a possible idea due to its allegorical qualities during the Trump administration. Released in 2020, The Plot Against America is a powerhouse of social relevance and atmospheric magnificence, a razor-sharp story of political erosion being mistaken by the masses for new age ideologies, and an entirely captivating series from start to finish.
4 'The Corner' (2000)
Two people sitting on concrete steps and talking in The Corner.Image via HBO
The fourth and final David Simon series on this list, The Corner is a piercing and profoundly powerful drama that served as a precursor to the writer’s acclaimed hit series The Wire. Examining the social and domestic impact of the American government’s war on drugs, the six-part series follows members of a struggling, poverty-stricken family in West Baltimore as their issues of addiction and quashed dreams are amplified by the fact that the drug trade runs rampant in their neighborhood.
Perfectly meshing the overarching cultural elements of the series that critique and illustrate America’s attitude towards addiction and poverty with a deeply personal focus on each individual member of the McCullough family, The Corner offers compelling drama throughout the entirety of its six-episode run. It fuses tragedy with truthfulness, substance abuse with hopelessness, and television drama with real-life desperation to make for one of the most gripping and underrated miniseries of all time.
3 'The Night Of' (2016)
Defense attorney John Stone (John Turturro) sits in court with his client Nasir Khan (Riz Ahmed) in 'The Night Of' (2016).Image via HBO
Another overlooked crime series from HBO, The Night Of is a pulsating fusion of mystery, suspense, and the problems ingrained in the American justice system that excels on the back of its litany of superb performances and its talent for tense and atmospheric storytelling. It follows Nasir (Riz Ahmed), a young Pakistani-American who finds himself arrested and charged with murder following the brutal killing of a woman he was partying with. As he maintains his innocence, he is represented by lawyer John Stone (John Turturro), who launches his own investigation into the girl’s death.
Uncommonly addictive, The Night Of uses its tale of murder mystery, prison drama, and courtroom suspense to weave a story of relentless tension, one that engulfs audiences with its pilot episode and doesn’t relinquish its grasp until the very end of its eight-episode run. It stands as one of HBO’s best offerings of the 2010s, a thematically rich and heart-pounding crime saga that is incredibly easy to get immersed in, given the fact that The Night Of doesn't feature a single bad episode in its tenure.
2 'Chernobyl' (2019)
Person in a radioactive suit spraying a chemical in a foggy background in 'Chernobyl.'Image via HBO
A relatively short miniseries compared to many of HBO’s other hit titles in the form, Chernobyl needs just five episodes to produce one of the most magnetic, devastating, and divine feats of drama the small screen has ever seen. In dramatizing the extensive efforts to contain the fallout following the Chernobyl nuclear power plant explosion in 1986, the miniseries functions as both a tribute to the many people who risked their lives to prevent the catastrophe from becoming even worse and a scorching indictment of the corruption and callousness of institutionalized self-preservation.
While its focus on realism and authenticity makes it an easy series to binge, Chernobyl also flaunts an air of dread, a terrifying hindsight that masterfully illustrates just how close mainland Europe came to complete devastation. Such tonal conviction marries beautifully with its precise and piercing screenplay and the collection of excellent performances to make for one of HBO’s greatest ever feats.
1 'Band of Brothers' (2001)
Richard Winters (Damien Lewis) and Lewis Nixon (Ron Livingstone) sit together by a hill in 'Band of Brothers' (2001).Image via HBO
A soul-shattering, awe-inspiring, all-encompassing depiction of American combat in the European Theater of WWII, Band of Brothers is not only HBO’s defining triumph and one of its most essential miniseries, but is quite possibly the single best feat of television drama ever released. Over the course of 10 episodes, the miniseries follows the journey of Easy Company, opening with their training, covering their drop into Normandy on the eve of D-Day, tracking their progress through mainland Europe, and ending with their presence in Germany following V-E Day.
Imbued by the creative magnificence of Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, Band of Brothers captivates with its technical mastery as much as it does with its exploration of brotherhood in battle and its expansive look at the conditions the soldiers had to face throughout their campaign. It is undeniably brutal and confronting at times, often upsetting as practically every episode deals with the psychological torment of combat, but it is also completely engaging, absorbing with its characters to deliver one of the greatest war stories to have ever graced the screen.
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Band of Brothers
TV-MA
Drama
War & Politics
Action
War
Release Date
2001 - 2001
Network
HBO
Showrunner
Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks
Directors
David Frankel, David Nutter, Mikael Salomon, Phil Alden Robinson, Richard Loncraine, Tom Hanks
Cast
See All-
Damian Lewis
Richard D. Winters
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Donnie Wahlberg
C. Carwood Lipton
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Band of Brothers
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