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8 HBO TV show seasons released this year that were better than 'Game of Thrones'
8 HBO TV show seasons released this year that were better than 'Game of Thrones'
Travis ClarkNov 27, 2019, 21:02 IST
"Game of Thrones" season 8HBO
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"Game of Thrones" ended on a lackluster note with critics this year, as the final season received a 58% Rotten Tomatoes score.
But HBO has delivered plenty of critically acclaimed shows since "Game of Thrones" ended that should keep audiences sticking with the network as the streaming wars heat up.
They include "Watchmen," "Succession," and "Euphoria."
HBO's hit fantasy drama "Game of Thrones" ended on a disappointing note this year for critics and fans alike.
After seven highly rated seasons, the eighth and final season received a horrible 58% Rotten Tomatoes critic score and an even worse 32% audience score.
And the tension seemed to heighten for HBO when widely circulated survey earlier this year posited that a significant portion of HBO Now subscribers would cancel if a "specific program" (such as "Game of Thrones") ended. But analysts told Business Insider at the time that respondents to these kinds of surveys tend to exaggerate their willingness to cancel.
"While 'Game of Thrones' may be a driver for subscriptions, HBO does not suffer immediate losses to subscription revenues after a season finishes," Toby Holleran, a senior analyst at Ampere Analysis, told Business Insider at the time.
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The end of "Game of Thrones" wasn't a sign of doom for HBO, but the network still had to deliver the hits to keep subscribers happy. And since "Game of Thrones" ended, HBO has done so, releasing plenty of TV shows that have received critical acclaim and attracted audiences. Most recently, "Watchmen," based on the iconic graphic novel of the same name, has garnered praise from critics with a 97% Rotten Tomatoes critic score.
That is good news for HBO, which is facing a slew of new competitors in the streaming war, from Disney to Apple, on top of old foes like Netflix and Hulu.
It remains to be seen whether the network will keep its storied reputation in the coming years, as WarnerMedia looks to ramp up its output of content and launch the new, more expansive streaming service HBO Max next year.
While HBO's quality programming has continued since "Game of Thrones" ended, the shows debuting this year were in development under HBO CEO Richard Plepler's leadership, who resigned earlier this year along with a bunch of other WarnerMedia executives after AT&T's acquisition of Time Warner. Still, it's worth noting that HBO's programming chief, Casey Bloys, remains with the company.
Below are eight HBO TV series seasons released after "Game of Thrones" ended that show how HBO has continued its high-quality output:
HBO description: Based on author Philip Pullman's beloved trilogy, His Dark Materials follows Lyra, a brave young woman from another world. Lyra's quest to find her kidnapped friend leads her to uncover a sinister plot of a secret organization, encounter extraordinary beings and protect dangerous secrets.
What critics said: "Proof that TV is now the best medium for bringing epic literary fantasy to the screen." — Slate
7. "The Righteous Gemstones" season 1 — 81%
HBO description: This comedy series tells the story of a world-famous televangelist family with a long tradition of deviance, greed and charitable work. John Goodman, Danny McBride, Edi Patterson, Adam Devine, Cassidy Freeman, Tony Cavalero, Tim Baltz and Greg Alan Williams star.
What critics said: "Distinctly uncomfortable to watch, and [reveals] a sad, surreal, and often funny truth about the American dream: to attain it, dreamers run the risk of blindly believing they're entitled to anything." — The Atlantic
6. "Euphoria" season 1 — 83%
HBO description: Euphoria follows a group of high school students as they navigate love and friendships in a world of drugs, sex, trauma, and social media. Actor and singer Zendaya leads an ensemble cast including Hunter Schafer, Jacob Elordi, Algee Smith and Sydney Sweeney.
What critics said: "Zendaya is reinvented as the self-destructive, self-loathing Rue, in what is a truly astonishing, mesmerizing performance, upending every expectation of what she could do." — Guardian
5. "Silicon Valley" season 6 — 92%
HBO description: From Mike Judge (Office Space, Beavis & Butthead) comes this tech-savvy satire about programmer Richard Hendricks (Thomas Middleditch), whose game-changing compression algorithm becomes the subject of a valley-wide bidding war.
What critics said: "Silicon Valley's consistency is one of its most admirable qualities. It's still a treat to sit down to new episodes of this series, trusting that each new entry will deliver the laughs and thrills you've enjoyed this whole time." — Mashable
4. "Chernobyl" (limited series) — 95%
HBO description: Starring Jared Harris, Stellan Skarsgård and Emily Watson, Chernobyl dramatizes the story of the 1986 nuclear accident — one of the worst man-made catastrophes in history — and the sacrifices made to save Europe from unimaginable disaster.
What critics said: "This isn't just a gripping five-part disaster film but an examination of Soviet news-speak in its late-stage death throes. It's intelligent, at times intricate, explanatory journalism, especially about nuclear power technology." — Newsday
3. "Succession" season 2 — 96%
HBO description: Succession tracks the lives of the Roy family as they contemplate their future once their aging father (Brian Cox) begins to step back from the media and entertainment conglomerate they control.
What critics said: "Succession is a series about monstrous rich people that manages to be exhilarating and grim as hell at the same time." — BuzzFeed
2. "Watchmen" season 1 — 97%
HBO description: Set in an alternate history where masked vigilantes are treated as outlaws, Watchmen embraces the nostalgia of the original groundbreaking graphic novel of the same name while attempting to break new ground of its own.
What critics said: "This is breathtaking, ambitious television that only gets richer with each subsequent episode." — RogerEbert.com
1. "Los Espookys" season 1 — 100%
HBO description: Created by Julio Torres, Ana Fabrega and Fred Armisen, the primarily Spanish-language (with English subtitles) comedy follows a group of friends who turn their love for horror into a peculiar business, providing horror to those who need it, in a dreamy Latin American country where the strange and eerie are just part of daily life.
What critics said: "Although the show shares a certain archness with Wes Anderson films or the recent series 'Maniac,' it is free of the accompanying self-seriousness. It's loose and healthily illogical, with plenty of big laughs." — New Yorker
