For the time being HBO corporation has produced more than 100 TV series over its early forties. Having watched their creations critically, one must admit that this giant contributed to television flowering immensely. The devepoment of inventive tactic resulted in imminent involvement of prominent film directors with their fresh projects to TV realm. 20 top HBO TV shows were chosen after look back at the channel’s growth from its dawn up to now.
20. Boardwalk Empire
This TV show adopted many of the Sopranos features, recombined the most worthy of them in a new way and generalized the background. Slower than the other drama series, it, however, possesses such a profound splendour that even its somewhat archetypal characters and moralistic hints can not overshadow the impression.
19. Oz
One of the buzzworthy shows with cruelty, explicit suggestive content and still anxiously fathomless narrative related to jails, their rules, standards and day-to-day routine of survival. This project was a sheer evidence that a dramatic series for adult viewership can gain immense popularity rating.
18. Sex And The City
Notwithstanding the specific type of female, sex minorities and colour protagonists that were filmed in the show, notwithstanding the main writeress who could choose designer shoes and could not define with her further feelings and the general way of living, this very TV show is still a marvel. The situation when a typical character finds the way for far more elaborate concepts related to female characters and sexual relations is worth taking into account. In addition to that, talks about genders and sex varied from wry to incongruours which was interesting to at least observe if not share.
17. Mr. Show with Bob and David
Every part of the series was somehow related to the main concept of “Mr. Show with Bob and David”. At the same time these short stories were so intricately correlated and surrounded by each other that it looked like a Christmas present tediously packed by your darlings. This simile is fair either for general style of episodes or the quality of the content aired.
16. Eastbound & Down
It looks like “Eastbound & Down” is being underestimated due to its comedy shock techniques that is taken for vulgarity and american-pie tendency. In comparison with other black slapstick comedies, this one is more merciless and honest. It discloses what lies at the heart of the States culture and is definitely worth acknowledging.
15. The Leftovers
The show can not be categorized or even properly described due to ample of ambiguous feelings it arose. This series seemed like getting through the thorns starting with “this-necessary-boring-part” up to “maybe-that-awesome-one”. Though, by means of its events in the story and topics revealed this series fills with almost physical feeling of sheer pious hope and black despair at the same time. The main character transformed every minute so miraculously that seldom can you see that in any creation. It was a line from awful, sometimes unappealing through harsh to morally correct and back with varying tints of these character traits.
14. Girls
The main female character gives her narrative in such a simple, sincere and simultaneously determined way that it just can not deal with any traditional concepts or borders. Once Dunnham becomes a prophet who delivers the idea of woman’s strength, the other time she sounds unbearably sexist. She looks like the most merited centrist representative, later the Third Way would gladly throw rotten tomatoes at her. “Girls” is very therapeutic and risky. Let us believe Dunham will stay as remorseless even in the face of any enraged gang.
13. Flight of the Conchords
“Flight of the Conchords” varies from musical comedies you knew before. Genuine and cool are the vain tries of a music band from an island country (with inexpert agent and one priceless fan) to become popular in NY. No mental breakdowns or instabilities that should be supposed in cases like these. The parts of plot go hand in hand with songs that vary from “quite not bad” to “I definitely must have it”.
12. The Larry Sanders Show
“The Larry Sanders Show” the destroys the borders between slice of life and a show. Conveying the leads’ strain and anxiety is as great as portraying their joie de vivre. Not regarding the displays of acid humor, persuasive futile characters gave a witty performance with brilliant moments of laugh.
11. Silicon Valley
This total rage aimed at technological progress, sarcastic unwilliness to work in the system looks like revelation in this series. One can't but agree that the show is of comic character but…The amount of sheer disgust with which every bit of events and ideas soaked is just impressing. The fact of the matter is that “Silicon Valley” sees the existence as funny and unreasonable, an uncontrollable system that causes the outbreaks of enjoyable phenomena as well.It is definitely one of the most worthy comedies.
10. Bored To Death
There are always a kind of series that you haven't watched but due to the interest of the people around you once these shows will grip you. Though, it cant be called a “water cooler” type of show in any way. “Bored To Death” is one of this type of programes. This feeling of belonging to an inner circle of the writers , observing of their emotions, understanding the hidden meaning of their spoken phrases is priceless. This series is a short memorable quest of values.
9. Veep
Brilliant satire of a top administrative mechanism where protagonists’ situations are sliced and diced, transformed into insult and then are given back to her in a terribly distorted condition. Meyer’s actions reach a monstrously unsafe level in every aspect of them and that is remedially hilarious, caustic and grand in its scale.
8. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
What is special about this show is overall satirical description of burning problems and separate topic in every of the episodes. The light wry manner of putting across the most intricate world and country issues contributes to viewers’ gaining more profound information and quiet amusing at the same time. One wants to hope that his dynamic motivation will not cease as it happens over time as far as his creation is of crucial importance.
7. Deadwood
“Deadwood” can be called a successful remastering of genre of Western in the best meaning of this word. Its creator payed less attention to scenery and more to making believable characters and revealing the gamut of serious questions. Why do people unite in groups and communities? What still makes people do someone wrong? This laboriously made universe finally results in a work of art due to its moral and aesthetic value.
6. Curb Your Enthusiasm
Due to censorship absence, the series is in some way kinky and over-the-top but unique humor, out-of-the-ordinary characters and the overall space. Plus accurate revealing of the typical American problems.
5. Six Feet Under
The series is difficult a little bit but is extremely sincere. The black humor sause makes this creation a genius one.
4. Game of Thrones
Having reached its peak, the show looks still now. It is still a sumptuous picture, bright and impressive. Let us hope, its creators will be able to sit on the Iron Throne.
3. True Detective
After Dr.House and Lightman it was hard to contribute something new to this particular type of character. Though, Rustin Cohle’s concepts were expressed in such an authentically clear way, with power and determination that the series sounded apparently.Even if the show’s pace was more like watching the landscape passing by in the train window rather than a speed race to the point of destination. There are phenomena of work as exorcism, the role and place of people in human’s life an d final catharsis that gets you in the end. The only distinctive feeling alone with salvation is black despair that this TV show is over.
2. The Sopranos
The main lead of this famous TV series versatile and brilliant Tony – paterfamilias and wage-earner, expert in wry witty answers “I'm like King Midas in reverse. Everything I touch turns to shit.” ), wingman and acquaintance, a worried psychiatrist ‘s client, head of family and his criminal organization, cruel murderer etc.(This list can be continued endlessly). He succeeded in arousing such a violent dislike along with acute fellow feeling that no any other character did. He became the part of you no matter how much time has passed.
1.The Wire
The scale of this series can be compared to Book of Job or Solomon’s Book of Wisdom. It’s a contemporary allegorical drama that takes its place in narcodistricts where the usual distinctive rivarly between the kind fluffy and the wikid spiky exists no more. There was no necessity to watch the series to learn that the fail of system has happened. None has explained in any way how it happened. In the atmosphere of a separate ruined town, the producer made a story about an old everlasting war between two polarities – creation and devastation, enhancing and worsening.