3 underrated HBO Max miniseries you can binge in one day —including a war drama and political thriller
When you don't have the time or the sheer mental capacity for a full-blown five-season binge of a television show, the miniseries is a blessed thing. It's equal parts compelling and compact, with a standalone, self-contained storyline that plays out over a handful of episodes before wrapping up neatly in a matter of hours.
That’s why the miniseries format is the perfect one-day binge. And HBO Max is home to some great ones, from "Band of Brothers" to "Chernobyl" to "I May Destroy You." But along with those big-name awards juggernauts, the HBO streaming service also has plenty of underrated but equally worthy limited series that you should check out if you missed the first time around.
Whether you're into dystopian sci-fi vibes or want a hyperrealistic take on modern warfare, here are three great HBO Max miniseries that you can binge in a single day.
'Show Me a Hero'
Oscar Isaac stars in this six-part 2015 miniseries as Nick Wasicsko, the youngest big-city mayor in America, who faces the issue of building low-income public housing in the white, middle-class side of Yonkers, New York. Based on the 1999 nonfiction book of the same name by reporter Lisa Belkin, the true-story drama follows the councilman through the late 1980s and early '90s as the desegregation order sparks a racially charged civic battle and deep division throughout the city.
Leading an ensemble that includes Alfred Molina, Winona Ryder, Jim Belushi, Jon Bernthal, Catherine Keener and Bob Balaban, Isaac took home a Golden Globe for his performance in the series, which critics called "an impressively crafted period drama whose timely themes prove as absorbing as its engaging, compassionately drawn characters," per Rotten Tomatoes.
Stream "Show Me a Hero" on HBO Max now
'Years and Years'
Starring Emma Thompson, Russell Tovey, Rory Kinnear and Anne Reid, among others, this Russell T. Davies-created sci-fi series takes place between 2019 and 2034 across its six episodes, following the day-to-day lives of the Lyons family amidst the backdrop of political, economic and social turmoil in a fictionalized Britain that slowly but surely steers into authoritarianism. (All of that tumult is due to the rise of Thompson’s Vivienne Rock, a celebrity businesswoman turned polarizing politician.)
If all of that sounds familiar, it should: “Years and Years” is a chillingly prescient watch, one that “scathingly critiques the present with a nihilistic projection of the future, leavening the devastating satire with a buoyant sense of humour and characters who are easy to become invested in,” per the critical consensus over on Rotten Tomatoes, where the dystopian drama has a solid 89% approval rating.
Stream "Years and Years" on HBO Max now
'Generation Kill'
Nearly two decades ago, “Generation Kill” premiered on HBO, and it’s still as gritty and gripping all these years later. Created by Ed Burns, David Simon and Evan Wright (it’s based on the latter's time as an embedded reporter with the US Marine Corps' 1st Reconnaissance Battalion during the 2003 invasion of Iraq), the seven-part saga follows a company of young, highly trained Marines as they spearhead the American-led push toward Baghdad.
The ensemble cast includes several familiar faces, including Alexander Skarsgård, Jon Huertas, James Ransone and Lee Tergesen as Wright himself.
Stream "Generation Kill" on HBO Max now
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