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HBO / Max · 2024 Ranked

Best HBO / Max Shows of 2024, Ranked by IQ Score

HBO's 2024 prestige slate, the platform that still defines what 'prestige TV' means. Ranked by IQ Score.

HBO's 2024 calendar reaffirmed its position as the dominant prestige-TV platform. Industry Season 3, True Detective: Night Country, The Penguin, House of the Dragon S2, Hacks S3, all released within twelve months.

Anchor picks: Industry is the canonical 2024 HBO prestige drama. The Penguin (Colin Farrell's Emmy-winning Cristopher Nolan-universe spinoff) anchored the autumn 2024 slate. Hacks S3 won Outstanding Comedy Series.

10 titles · ranked by IQ Score

  1. 1
    The Last of Us poster, IQ Score 164/200, Masterclass tier

    The Last of Us

    Masterclass sci-fi, drama, action

    Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and Neil Druckmann adapt the 2013 Naughty Dog game with HBO production values and the willingness to use the season's third episode for a 75-minute love story (Bill and Frank, 'Long Long Time') th…

    164/200
  2. 2
    Succession poster, IQ Score 160/200, Masterclass tier

    Succession

    Masterclass drama

    A dynasty play updated to the present. The Roy family fight over Waystar Royco with ruthlessness. Cognitive engagement from tracking political maneuvering, sharp dialogue, and strategic calculations. Educational elements…

    160/200
  3. 3
    Industry poster, IQ Score 145/200, Stimulating tier

    Industry

    Stimulating drama

    Follows graduate trainees in London investment banking where institutional pressure fractures ethics and personal relationships across seasons.

    145/200
  4. 4
    House of the Dragon poster, IQ Score 131/200, Stimulating tier

    House of the Dragon

    Stimulating fantasy, drama

    Extends Game of Thrones' structural success by dramatizing Targaryen civil war through female-centered political agency, while maintaining dynastic intrigue and spectacle across shorter narrative arcs.

    131/200
  5. 5
    Curb Your Enthusiasm poster, IQ Score 131/200, Stimulating tier

    Curb Your Enthusiasm

    Stimulating comedy

    Mines comedy from social contract violations and escalating consequences, demanding viewers understand implicit social rules that Larry consistently breaks and defend.

    131/200
  6. 6
    The Regime poster, IQ Score 130/200, Stimulating tier

    The Regime

    Stimulating comedy, drama

    Will Tracy's HBO satire gives Kate Winslet a Central European autocrat spiraling through delusion, kleptocracy, and epidemiological paranoia. Tonally unstable in ways the show sometimes weaponizes and sometimes just flub…

    130/200
  7. 7
    Somebody Somewhere poster, IQ Score 129/200, Competent tier

    Somebody Somewhere

    Competent comedy, drama

    Grounds character study in small-town Kansas context where protagonist navigates identity and belonging among conservative community.

    129/200
  8. 8
    The Penguin poster, IQ Score 126/200, Competent tier

    The Penguin

    Competent crime, drama, action

    Crime-procedural examines underworld power transition through gang organizational structure and psychological warfare. Multiple competing factions demand viewers track shifting alliances and power dynamics.

    126/200
  9. 9
    Hacks poster, IQ Score 122/200, Competent tier

    Hacks

    Competent comedy, drama

    Comedy-drama about aging stand-up comic and young writer explores generational perspective and artistic authenticity. Mentorship dynamic contests what constitutes relevant humor and cultural value.

    122/200
  10. 10
    Sugar poster, IQ Score 119/200, Competent tier

    Sugar

    Competent drama, mystery

    Colin Farrell as a neo-noir LA detective with a genre-bending twist that divides audiences. Committed film-noir pastiche and formal ambition; the mid-season pivot either earns its swing or loses you entirely. Worth a loo…

    119/200
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