The 50 Best HBO Series of All Time

The 50 Best HBO Series of All Time, Ranked

The only network that could get their viewers to jump from Game of Thrones to The Last of Us to Succession and retain peak viewership is HBO—a media giant that has somehow figured out how to make TV good no matter what’s on screen. The old slogan used to be that “It’s not TV, it’s HBO,” which basically just meant that it’s damn good TV. In 2023, HBO is still delivering the goods. That’s all thanks to primetime dramas that hold our collective attention, even when the we're following mushroom zombies, giant dragons, or media conglomerate takeovers. The monoculture of TV’s past may have come and gone, but HBO certainly produces shows that get people talking.

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The Case For Trash-Talking Dead Authors

For bestselling novelist Marlon James and his longtime editor Jake Morrissey, fighting for books is all in a day’s work. But fighting over books? That’s just good, old-fashioned fun. It’s also the beating heart of their podcast, Marlon and Jake Read Dead People, now entering its much-anticipated third season. Conventional wisdom encourages that we never speak ill of the dead, but on Marlon and Jake Read Dead People, speaking ill of the dead is the main event. In each episode, author and editor banter about the late literary greats who inspire, torment, and obsess them. James and Morrissey Zoomed with Esquire to preview Season Three, which promises to tackle a variety pack of literary topics, from poetry to campus novels to “judging a book by its cover.”

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I've Lost $500,000 Betting on Sports and Don't Plan to Quit

For the second installment in our new series on The Secret Lives of Men, Esquire spoke to “Johnny Overs,” who started betting on sports in his late teens. He earned his nickname by always taking the over on NBA games, and the habit quickly grew into a full-blown addiction. He estimates he’s lost more than $500,000 over his life on sports gambling. Although he recognizes he has a gambling problem, Johnny also says he has no plans to stop.

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