HBO Max: Best Shows To Binge

We here at TVLine are putting on our hard hats and doing a deep dive into HBO Max's back catalog to examine all the obscure, under-the-radar series lurking in the archives — and we've found a treasure trove of hidden gems just waiting to be binged.

At Home With Amy Sedaris

Sedaris' irrepressibly loopy charm is on full display on this truTV oddball, which combines handy homemaking tips with absurdist comedy — and who knows what delightful guest star will be ringing her doorbell next?

Men of a Certain Age

Ray Romano, Andre Braugher and Scott Bakula make a terrific trio in this bittersweet TNT dramedy about three middle-aged men navigating an uncertain future together.

Doom Patrol

Originally relegated to the DC Universe streaming service, now the star-studded DC Comics superhero team-up — which gets a surprising amount of dramatic mileage out of its tale of a tightknit group of misfit mutants — is available on HBO Max, too, with a second season arriving next month.

Space Ghost Coast to Coast

Hands down the best fake talk show set in outer space that TV has ever produced, this shamelessly silly Cartoon Network classic imagines the animated superhero as a Letterman-esque late night host with alien sidekicks and a steady stream of bewildered celebrity guests. Highly recommended if you like surreal laughs mixed with '90s nostalgia.

Mad TV

During its original Fox run, it was dismissed as an SNL wannabe, but this long-running sketch show features plenty of laughs and future stars Alex Borstein, Ike Barinholtz, Taran Killam, Orlando Jones, Andrew Daly... and both Key and Peele!

I'm Alan Partridge

Steve Coogan is flat-out brilliant as a pathologically pompous radio DJ in this Britcom classic — and if you like that, HBO Max also has five more Partridge spinoffs starring Coogan for your cringe-comedy viewing pleasure.

Aqua Teen Hunger Force

Three talking fast food items — fries, a milkshake and a wad of meat — live together in the suburbs and get into adventures... if this sounds like your type of thing, you're probably on the same weird wavelength as this long-running Adult Swim comedy. (It's "number one in the hood, G," don't you know?)

Being Erica

This quirky Canadian sci-fi comedy is a cult favorite for a reason: Erin Karpluk stars as the title character, whose therapist can send her back in time to relive events in her life that she wants to play out differently. (It rarely works out the way she intended, though.)

Luther

Idris Elba fans, your lives are incomplete if you haven't seen the actor as haunted detective John Luther in this wrenchingly dark British crime drama. It's one of his best performances — and The Affair's Ruth Wilson is chillingly effective, too, as brainy psychopath Alice.

Search Party

Alia Shawkat leads a ridiculously talented cast in this sly comedy-mystery hybrid about four millennial hipsters who take it upon themselves to investigate a friend's disappearance. The comedy is delightfully dark, the mystery is genuinely compelling — and, best of all, an all-new third season is arriving on HBO Max next month.

The Honorable Woman

Maggie Gyllenhaal won a Golden Globe for her role in this riveting spy thriller, starring as a businesswoman who gets pulled into a web of international intrigue by her business partner's apparent suicide.

The Bachelor and The Bachelorette (foreign editions)

Bachelor Nation is now Bachelor Planet: HBO Max has a whopping eight (!) seasons of international editions of ABC's hit reality franchise from Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand, proving that manufactured love for the cameras truly is a universal language.

Home Movies

Bob's Burgers fans absolutely need to check out this early Cartoon Network effort, co-created by Loren Bouchard and featuring the voice of H. Jon Benjamin. In it, an anxious eight-year-old armed with a camcorder dreams of becoming the next Spielberg, with Benjamin playing a burly soccer coach who is just a terrible influence in all facets of life.

Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown

The beloved TV chef and travel host is gone but not forgotten, and now we can enjoy a dozen seasons of his trips to the far corners of the globe to discover delicious food and vibrant culture.

The Office (UK)

Any Anglophile already considers this gospel, but plenty of American fans of The Office have never met Ricky Gervais' oblivious boss David Brent and his disenchanted employees. They should, though: The British original has all the uncomfortable laughs and rom-com intrigue of the U.S. Office, with a sharper edge.

Samurai Jack

Few TV shows in any genre are as visually stunning as this animated action series about a samurai armed with a magical katana who's hurled into a dystopian future. You don't have to be a kid to enjoy this sumptuous feast for the eyes.

Pride and Prejudice (1995)

If you want to be whisked away to a less hectic world, this classic Jane Austen adaptation is like a soothing cup of afternoon tea, with Colin Firth submitting perhaps the quintessential Mr. Darcy performance.

Coupling

HBO Max offers a vast repertoire of British TV, and newcomers might start with this bawdy comedy that combines the quippy camaraderie of Friends with the raunchy pillow talk of Sex and the City.

Torchwood

Now you can find out why this decidedly adult Doctor Who spinoff, featuring a team of alien investigators led by John Barrowman's Captain Jack Harkness, became a cult classic — all four seasons are available to stream, along with the modern Who seasons. 

Whose Line Is It Anyway? (U.S.)

For sure-fire laughs, you can't go wrong with this gloriously random improv comedy showcase — an American version of the UK original — with the likes of Wayne Brady, Ryan Stiles, Colin Mochrie and Nashville's Charles Esten (!) goofing around and host Drew Carey doing his best to corral a three-ring circus.