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As Christmas and New Year are only a few days away, the fun of the festive weekend gets doubled with binge-watching sessions of exciting television shows. For such an occasion, the streaming platform HBO Max has a lot to offer in every genre, from the award-winning series Succession to the popular drama House of the Dragon.
The streaming platform boasts a collection of multiple series, offering a perfect dose of entertainment. These series are not only enjoyable to watch individually but also worth watching with friends. For readers craving something exciting to watch, here’s a list of popular TV shows to stream this Christmas weekend.
Exciting TV shows to stream on HBO Max
House of the Dragon
House of the Dragon serves as the prequel to the popular fantasy drama series Game of Thrones (2011–2019). The show is based on George R. R. Martin’s fantasy novel Fire & Blood. The events in the series unfold nearly 200 years prior to the events of Game of Thrones.
Created by Ryan Condal and George R. R. Martin, the HBO drama stars Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Emma D'Arcy, Rhys Ifans, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Sonoya Mizuno, Fabien Frankel, and Milly Alcock in lead roles. Ramin Djawadi returned to compose music for this fantasy drama series.
House of the Dragon received critical acclaim for performance, set design, visual effects, and music. The series bagged the award for Best Drama Series at the 80th Golden Globe Awards. Over 10 million viewers streamed the premiere of the series on its debut on HBO Max. Recently, the series also received a teaser for its second season, set to release in summer 2024.
The Last of Us
The Last of Us is based on the popular PlayStation video game series of the same name, created by Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley. Druckmann, along with Craig Mazin, worked on developing the show set in a post-apocalyptic world filled with zombie-like creatures. The series revolves around a smuggler named Joel and a teenager named Ellie and how they both survive the horrors of the zombified world.
The Last of Us stars Pedro Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsey as Ellie. The cast also features notable actors such as Nico Parker, Gabriel Luna, Nick Offerman, Murray Bartlett, and Lamar Johnson. in prominent roles.
On its release, the post-apocalyptic drama bagged positive reviews from critics for its performances and was also cited as the “best adaptation of a video game." The show also earned 24 Emmy Award nominations. It premiered with 4.7 million viewers on its debut day, making it the second biggest debut for an HBO show. HBO Max is set to release the second season in 2025.
Chernobyl
Chernobyl is an HBO miniseries based on the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. Craig Mazin created the series, with Johan Rench serving as the director. The series starred Jared Harris, Stellan Skarsgård, Paul Ritter, Jessie Buckley, Adam Nagaitis, Con O'Neill, Adrian Rawlins, Sam Troughton, Robert Emms, and Emily Watson.
The HBO series was praised by critics and viewers for its performances, cinematography, and more. The series bagged three Emmy Awards for Outstanding Writing, Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, and Outstanding Limited Series. The show also won multiple awards at the 77th Golden Globe Awards.
Succession
Created by Jesse Armstrong, Succession is a satirical comedy-drama that follows the lives of the Roy family and their fight for dominance over the media and entertainment company Waystar RoyCo. The show starred Hiam Abbass, Nicholas Braun, Brian Cox, Kieran Culkin, Peter Friedman, Natalie Gold, Matthew Macfadyen, Alan Ruck, Sarah Snook, and many more.
The HBO series debuted in June 2018 and concluded in March 2023, airing a total of 39 episodes. The critical reception of the series has been tremendous, with multiple Emmy Award wins and nominations. As of now, the final season has bagged a total of 27 Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series.
Peacemaker
Peacemaker (2022) is adapted from the DC Comics character with the same name and continues the events established in James Gunn's film, The Suicide Squad (2021). Gunn served as the showrunner of the superhero series, which is the the sole spin-off of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU).
The series starred John Cena in the role of the titular character, along with Danielle Brooks, Freddie Stroma, Chukwudi Iwuji, Jennifer Holland, Steve Agee, and Robert Patrick in pivotal roles.
The eight-episode series bagged positive responses from critics and viewers, mostly praising Gunn’s direction and Cena’s performance as Peacemaker. A second season of the series is currently in development and is set to be connected to the new DC Universe (DCU).
All the series mentioned in the list are available on HBO Max, catering to audiences of every genre. These HBO series offer a lot, spanning from action to emotional storytelling. If your favorite show didn't make it to the list, mention it in the comments below.
