Most Underrated HBO Series
There are two HBO series currently airing that I cannot get enough of. The first is Succession, which, in my opinion, is the best show on TV right now, and The Deuce, a show that’s a few episodes away from wrapping up its third and final season. A lot of people love Succession and it’s easy to find folks willing to talk about each episode. The Deuce, on the other hand, is a different story; it hasn’t got the respect it deserves and too few people are hooked on it. That got me thinking which HBO series are like The Deuce, the kind of shows that are addictive but don’t get put in the top tier of HBO’s catalog, didn’t get a proper following or have lower a Rotten Tomatoes score than they deserve.
It took a long time but here are the 6 Most Underrated HBO Series, all of which were left off Esquire’s Top 20 HBO Series list — some deservedly omitted and some straight-up snubbed.
How To Make It in America
Digging deep in the crates for this one, but this show is a great portrayal of 20-somethings grinding in New York City. Maybe I’m biased because I was one, but there’s so much to like from HTMIIA; you get a great theme song, Lake Bell, Kid Cudi, New York City, and nothing heavy enough to blow your day. Plus, you can do other shit while you’re watching…it’s light viewing. It’s probably not a Top 2o show all-time but No. 51 (by Vulture) is way too low.
Mosaic
This Steven Soderbergh murder-mystery came and went within a few days without much fanfare; none of the six episodes cracked the 300k-viewer mark. It’s not a perfect story but I watched all six eps in two days; it definitely keeps your attention. The show likely struggled from the wonky app experiment that accompanied it.
The Newsroom
This Aaron Sorkin creation survived for three seasons because people liked it. All 25 episodes cracked one-million viewers per and on Rotten Tomatoes, the audience score is an eye-popping 92 percent. Critics felt otherwise (52% on RT) and Vulture has it ranked near the bottom (No. 66) of their all-time HBO projects list.
The Deuce
Not enough people watch David Simon’s latest creation. The Season 3 premiere had less than 400k viewers. By comparison, True Detective’s Season 3 premiere had almost 1.5 million. It’s a shame Esquire has shows like “Big Love” and “True Blood” in their Top 20 and not this gem. Vulture, to their credit, showed love to “The Deuce,” ranking it 12th all-time.
The Night Of…
This show is respected and all but it’s one of the best mini-series of all time, in my opinion. It came at a perfect time and the cast is one of the best ensembles ever constructed. Taps into the true-crime niche without being true or a documentary. Excluded from Esquire’s Top 20 and ranked No. 28 by UPROXX, behind several titles that don’t come close to “The Night Of…”
True Detective
I get why it doesn’t get top billing from other media outlets; the second season is awful and the third is just OK. The first season of TD is a masterpiece, though, even better than “The Night Of…” in my book. If I was stranded on an island and allowed one season of HBO television, I’d spend my lonely days with Rust Cohle and I wouldn’t think twice. Being omitted from Esquire’s Top 20 list is a joke and ditto for TD’s No. 24 rank by both Vulture and UPROXX, The first season is strong enough to make True Detective an all-time great.