The 10 Best HBO Max Original TV Shows to Watch Now - Men's Folio
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The 10 Best HBO Max Original TV Shows to Watch Now

  • By Men's Folio

The 10 Best HBO Max Original TV Shows to Watch NowHBO is famous for many of its shows — Euphoria, Game of Thrones, The White Lotus…the list goes on. And in recent years, many of HBO Max’s original shows, like Gossip GirlThe Sex Lives of College Girls, and Hacks, have become breakout hits on the streaming platform.

Unfortunately, with recent headlines swirling, some of these shows might get the boot. After reports that the US$90 million movie Batgirl and Scoob!: Holiday Haunt were both no longer going to be released on the platform, The Wrap revealed that Warner Bros. Discovery (the parent company behind HBO Max) plans to lay off up to 70 percent of the HBO Max staff and stop creating scripted content. This was also after six HBO Max original movies, like Moonshot, with stars Cole Sprouse and Lana Condor, were notably removed from the platform, too.

Now, viewers are left wondering what this could mean for the best HBO Max original shows on the platform.

Many of these shows, like Euphoria, Gossip Girl and The Sex Lives of College Girls, have already begun filming another season. While it’s still clear what Warner Bros. Discovery plans to do with this catalogue of shows or the HBO Max platform in general, it seems possible that some of your favourite series may end up gone forever (or at least a really long time).

So, just in case, here are the shows you need to catch before it’s too late.

Pictured above: Upper East Siders, beware! Gossip Girl is back. Only this time, it’s not You-Know-Who (no spoilers here), it’s someone new — one of the teachers at Constance Billard School for Girls and the St. Jude School for Boys. Similar to the original plot, viewers see the “anonymous” Gossip Girl try to take down the wealthy, popular children in order to earn their respect.


Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin:  Got a secret? Can you keep it? Well, a new group of faces in the Pretty Little Liars reboot can. The plot, similar to the original, centers around a group of girls who become the subject of threats from an anonymous person. Together, they must figure out who A is before they get to the girls first.


The Sex Lives of College Girls: In this hilarious series, Pauline Chalamet (yes — Timothée Chalamet’s sister), Reneé Rapp, Amrit Kaur, and Alyah Chanelle Scott play random roommates living together during their freshman year of college. Just as you’d expect, the series follows their crazy, fun college adventures, like naked parties, as well as their not-so-fun situations.


Rap Sh!t: Rap Sh!t is one of HBO Max’s newer shows — the series just premiered on July 21. With Issa Rae as an executive producer and writer, the series focuses on “finding ways to make money and be successful, and turning yourself into a brand, that is what many young Black women are dealing with right now. All women, really! Learning how to be a business, especially if you’re a young creative, is something that comes with the job now.”


And Just Like That…: Carrie Bradshaw, Charlotte York, and Miranda Hobbes are back in Manhattan, and better than ever. In the highly anticipated Sex and the City reboot, these three women navigate life in their 50s, and everything that comes with this — kids, grief, crazy neighbours, and more. And obviously, they’re dressed to the nines while doing so.


Station Eleven: After society has been decimated by the flu virus, a group of individuals band together and adapt to their “new normal.” Sounds eerily familiar, doesn’t it? The 10-episode series was also nominated for seven Emmys.


Tokyo Vice: In this series, Ansel Elgort takes on a role far different from his days in The Fault in Our Stars and West Side Story. Based on a true story, the actor plays Jake Adelstein, an American journalist working for a Tokyo newspaper whose next story includes taking down one of the city’s biggest crime bosses. Alongside Ken Watanabe and Rachel Keller, Elgort will have you holding on to the edge of your chair.


Julia: Remember the famous chef Julia Child? In this series, HBO Max recreates and chronicles her life and successes. Warning: Do not watch this if you are extremely hungry.


Genera+ion: Adolescence is often considered the “time to find yourself.” Who do you want to be? Who are you attracted to? What do you believe? These are all questions that high schoolers face. The cast of Generationis no exception. In this series, Chase Sui Wonders, Chloe East, Justice Smith, and more star as a group of teenagers trying to answer these questions for themselves.


Hacks: Ever wondered what it would be like to have a friendship with an older person while you’re still in your 20s? And not just any person, but a comedian. Well, that’s the plot of Hacks. And since it has earned three Emmy wins, you know it’s going to be full of laughs, surprises, and good times.

Once you’re done with this story about the best HBO original shows that first appeared on L’officiel Singapore, click here to catch up with our August 2022 issue!