Entertainment
10 Perfect HBO Shows That Get Better With Every Rewatch
I’m one of those people who rarely rewatches a show. Once I watch it and have enjoyed it, I’m done. Maybe I’ll rewatch a show decades later, like Beverly Hills, 90210, to recall pivotal moments I completely forgot about. There’s so much great TV and so little time that you likely want to use your time to see new shows anyway. This means that when someone watches a show a second time, it’s a good indication that the series is absolutely perfect and worth the investment in time.
HBO has shows you want to watch once and bank in your memory, but also ones with great rewatch value. These series, which date all the way back to the origins of HBO as a provider of quality TV, changed the game for television and entertain throughout every episode of every season.
‘The Righteous Gemstones’ (2019–2025)
Recently ending after its fourth and final season, The Righteous Gemstones is more relevant than ever with its themes of religion, corruption, and family dysfunction. The crime comedy drama follows the Gemstone family of televangelists who spread the word of God. But what their church seems to worship is the almighty dollar: they are living large thanks to the kindness of their parishioners.
The Righteous Gemstones is so funny, so quirky, with engaging characters played by talented actors that it’s worth rewatching to enjoy the laughs a second time around. What’s so wonderful about rewatching The Righteous Gemstones is that you can witness the show get better and better, going from a 76% Rotten Tomatoes critics score in Season 1 to perfect scores for its third and fourth seasons.
‘Sex and the City’ (1998–2004)
The preeminent female-led romantic comedy drama, and the show that put HBO on the map even before The Sopranos arrived, Sex and the City is definitive viewing for any woman in her 30s, 40s, even older. It’s an expression of the challenges of being mature, single, honing your career, and looking for love. Of course, it’s also a fashion show every episode as the ladies at the center, notably Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker), wear elaborate outfits and drool-worthy shoes they pull from their insanely enviable walk-in closets.
A show about friendship, fashion, love, dating, careers, and life’s challenges from the female perspective, Sex and the City defined a generation. If you watched it when you were too young to really understand and relate to the women and their situations, it’s a great show to re-watch once you’re older and wiser. If you don’t want to re-watch the entire thing, you can also just catch the essential episodes.
‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ (1999–2024)
Much like Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm is the type of show where you can catch any episode at any time and enjoy it without worrying about continuity of the story. The Larry David mockumentary style comedy is, similarly to Seinfeld, about the mundane doings of daily life. Each episode follows David as a fictionalized version of himself involved in situations that showcase his grumpiness or disdain for those who feign enthusiasm or social interactions.
Featuring a long list of guest stars playing exaggerated versions of themselves, Curb Your Enthusiasm earned 55 Emmy nominations throughout its run, a testament to the witty writing and great acting. It’s a show you don’t necessarily need to sit down and watch all 12 seasons back-to-back, but can toss on an episode here and there when you need a good laugh.
‘Six Feet Under’ (2001–2005)
Widely considered to be one of the best shows ever on television with the most satisfying ending, Six Feet Under follows a family that runs the Fisher & Sons funeral home. It includes the challenges they deal with in daily life, alongside the difficult nature of a job helping people through their saddest times.
The drama, which aired for five seasons, has an incredible cast that includes Michael C. Hall, Peter Krause, Frances Conroy, and Lauren Ambrose. Each episode dives into the complex, existential topics of life and death. But it’s also a standard family drama tackling tough topics beyond death, like sexuality, religion, and familial dysfunction. Death is at the center, but it’s also used as a vehicle in each episode to shed light on reflections of life.
‘Veep’ (2012–2019)
As we deal with a challenging political landscape, a show like Veep is worth a rewatch to enjoy a little political satire, even if some of the storylines might hit a little too close to home today. Earning Julia Louis-Dreyfus a record six consecutive Emmy wins, she plays Selina Meyer, the fictional Vice President of the United States who wants to make her mark but keeps getting entangled in ridiculous political games.
Politics has become frightening and worrisome, so a show like Veep is a great rewatch to lighten the mood and explore the inner workings of politics, even if the stories in this show come from a place of satire. The show comes into its own through each season, a satisfying watch all the way through.
‘Silicon Valley’ (2014–2019)
We live in a world led by technology, and Silicon Valley humorously pokes fun at the inner workings of this space from the biggest hub in the world where start-ups go to get their ideas off the ground. The comedy begins with programmer Richard Hendricks (Thomas Middleditch), who develops a game-changing program. But when he leaves his conglomerate company to try and develop it as a start-up, he realizes the game of tech is not an easy one to win with so many dominant players looking to crush you.
The series, one of the funniest HBO shows of all time, features characters who are clear parodies of real-life figures, from Peter Thiel to Mark Zuckerberg, as well as companies like Google, Facebook, and Uber. Every person and company is an exaggeration, but you can’t help but wonder how far an exaggeration they might be. The series, which also stars Martin Starr, Kumail Nanjiani, Jimmy O. Yang, and Zach Woods, will have you in stitches.
‘Entourage’ (2004–2011)
Celebrity culture persists and is even more in the spotlight today thanks to social media. Entourage is an early 2000s satirical comedy drama that provides a glimpse into the life of a young man who suddenly catapults to fame, and how he and his pre-fame friends deal with this massive life change. The series is executive produced in part by Mark Wahlberg and is loosely based on his own life, career, and rise to fame.
Told across eight seasons, Entourage has so many guest stars playing themselves and a relatable story about being in the public eye. It’s about experiencing fame at a young age when you don’t really know what to do with all the money, attention, and influence. Most notably, the show follows newly famous actor Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier) and his insistence on keeping his hometown friends close, which seems to lead to a never-ending frat party. Jeremy Piven is a stand-out as Vinny’s arrogant and stereotypical agent Ari Gold.
‘Da Ali G Show’ (2000–2004)
Going way back, Da Ali G Show originally premiered on Channel 4 in the UK and moved to HBO for its second and third seasons in the U.S. Sacha Baron Cohen‘s beloved characters like Borat and Brüno gained widespread attention with his later movies. But it’s in this satirical sketch comedy series that they first appeared, along with his interviewer persona, Ali G.
In each episode, one of these three characters interviews a celebrity or known person, including important government officials. But they don’t realize he’s in costume and putting on an act. He asks them ridiculous questions and makes inappropriate comments, much like in the movies. There are some memorably hilarious moments throughout the three seasons, like when he interviews David and Victoria Beckham and asks the latter if their child wants to be a soccer player like their dad or a singer like Mariah Carey (they both took the moment in stride). With more than 20 years having passed since the show ended, it’s a fun one to check out again.
‘The Comeback’ (2005–2026)
The Comeback has fittingly had its own comeback, recently returning for a third season more than a decade after Season 2. It’s for this reason that re-watching the first two seasons, which themselves had almost a decade between them, is worthwhile. The mockumentary satirical sitcom stars Lisa Kudrow as Valerie Cherish, a sitcom actor trying to get a TV pilot off the ground. Shot in found footage style, Valerie works with reality TV producer Andy Cohen, who plays himself, to create content that she hopes will help get her concept sold.
Praised for its writing, acting, and story, The Comeback is a peek behind the curtain of the TV business from an actor who knows a thing or two about being a sitcom icon. The series also covers the topic of aging in Hollywood and struggling to find meaningful roles in an industry that values youth above all else.
‘Succession’ (2018–2023)
After watching Dynasty: The Murdochs on Netflix, I recognize just how closely Succession, a satirical black comedy drama about the Roy family and their media conglomerate, mirrors stories from that real-life media family. It’s enough to make me want to re-watch the brilliant series. The story follows Logan Roy (Brian Cox), the patriarch and head of the company, as he goes through the grueling process of trying to figure out who should take over once he retires.
Ideally, Logan would keep things in the family. But which of his arrogant, spoiled grown children is capable of taking over? Logan isn’t so sure any of them are, despite each one pleading their case and believing they have earned the position and can do the job. The story of a fractured family, shady business practices, and backroom deals of manipulation and betrayal, Succession is engaging throughout with memorable scenes that highlight the absurdity of society’s one-percenters.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login