8 HBO TV show seasons released this year that were better than 'Game of Thrones'

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

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

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

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

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

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

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