4 of the best HBO shows

Home Box Office has given us so many great shows over the decades and still manages to produce such entertaining content.

From dramas to comedies, some of the highest-rated TV shows on IMDb are exclusive to HBO.

For all the latest releases, be sure to check our guide as they are releasing some excellent TV content.

So, without further ado, here are the 4 best shows ever to be released by HBO:

 

The Righteous Gemstones

 

A very unique show, The Righteous Gemstones centres on a powerful televangelist family with a standing tradition of greed, narcissism, and deviance. The programme is created, written, produced, and directed by Danny McBride, famous for Vice Principals and Pineapple Express. It is a black comedy, mainly focusing on Jesse (McBride) who is the first-born son of the leader of the church, Eli Gemstone (played by John Goodman).

Other members of the dysfunctional family include Kelvin (played by Adam Devine) and Judy (played by Edi Patterson). The siblings are always squabbling and fighting with one another like children and are all spoiled. The overarching storyline is very good, mainly about how Eli is running the church, whilst Jesse is vying to one day, take over. All around an exceptionally well-written comedy with many twists and turns along the way.

 

Boardwalk Empire

 

Set in the prohibition era in the United States, Boardwalk Empire features many of the most famous gangsters of all time including Meyer Lansky, Charlie “Lucky” Luciano, Al Capone, and Arnold Rothstein. Each of the characters brings something unique, Rothstein for example (played by Michael Stuhlbarg) is a serial gambler who reportedly fixed the 1919 World Series. He has interests in the booming alcohol trade and spends a lot of his time playing poker at many illegal Chinese casinos. In one scene he lost over $1m, with the casino having a very exclusive policy when it comes to race.

However nowadays, thankfully this is not the case. Players from all around the world, from Vietnam to Saudi Arabia can play all the best table games online. To help, there are online gambling portals that advise on the legality of playing, check for all the best and latest bonuses, and provide thorough reviews on safe operators. If only Rothstein could have educated himself before playing at the black-market casinos in the 1920s.

 

Curb Your Enthusiasm

 

An absolute masterpiece created by and starring Larry David, it focuses on himself after writing the hit show Seinfeld. He has nothing to do all day and is exceptionally rich, so he spends his time winding people up and being a general nuisance. In many social situations, he will say things that most people are thinking but refrain from because of the social stigma. Curb does not have a script but a storyline, giving the actors some creative licence.

This is especially shown in the character of Susie Green, the wife of Larry’s manager – Jeff. Her angry tirades at Larry for his antics are hilarious, with the two characters having a love-hate relationship. The programme has had some major stars in it including Ricky Gervais, Jerry Seinfeld, and David Schwimmer. If you fancy a night of comedy, put it on and laugh all evening.

 

Oz

 

Oz is a gritty drama based in a prison, with some magnificent acting and even better writing. The show was created by Tom Fontana and focuses on different gangs within the prison. One of the main characters Vern Schillinger (portrayed by JK Simmons) is a neo nazi, with psychopathic tendencies within the jail. It follows Terry McManus’ impossible job of controlling the inmates in an experimental prison called Emerald City.

There are characters from all walks of life; ranging from Muslims, Christians, Italian mafia figures, Irish, refugees, and African Americans to name a few. The most normal character has to be Tobias Beecher (played by Lee Tergesen), the protagonist who made one fatal mistake and ended up behind bars. This cauldron of different sociopaths leads to some intense scenes, that are not for the squeamish. The series ran for six seasons and concluded very well, being a very addictive TV series to watch.