The best movies and TV shows you need to watch on HBO Max UK

HBO Max has arrived in the UK – and, whether it’s Sinners, Euphoria, or The Pitt, you’re going to want to sign up.

Six years after its launch (and two name-changes), HBO Max has made it across the pond.

However, no matter what’s available on there, another streaming service may feel like an unwelcome imposition. The question is, is it really worth it?

But it’s not just Friends and the Harry Potter movies you can watch. We’ve rounded up the best movies and TV shows (10 of each!) that HBO Max has to offer in the UK.

How to sign up for HBO Max

Before we get into all the films and shows, you need to know how to sign up for HBO Max. Fortunately, it couldn’t be easier.

All you need to do is go to the HBO Max website, register for an account, and choose your monthly plan. It’s also available via Prime Video.

If you have a Sky Ultimate TV subscription, you’ll get access to HBO Max for no extra cost. This also includes Netflix and ad-supported plans for Disney+ and Hayu.

The best movies on HBO Max UK

One Battle After Another won Best Picture (Credit: Warner Bros)

One Battle After Another

Genre: Thriller, Comedy Year: 2025 Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall, Chase Infiniti Director: Paul Thomas Anderson Runtime: 2 hours 42 minutes

What it’s about: Bob, an ex-revolutionary who spends most of his time stoned, is forced into action again when a corrupt military official resurfaces and pursues his daughter.

Why to watch: One Battle After Another is Paul Thomas Anderson’s 10th film. That makes it the 10th testament of him being one of the great directors; a taut, rip-roaring, incisively scary (and funny) political thriller with a megastar delivering a pitch-perfect performance. Chase Infiniti is a revelation, and Sean Penn is fantastically icky to watch.

Sinners earned the. most Oscar nominations in history (Credit: Warner Bros)

Sinners

Genre: Horror Year: 2025 Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Carton, Jack O’Connell Director: Ryan Coogler Runtime: 2 hours 18 minutes

What it’s about: Twin brothers Smoke and Stack return to their Mississippi hometown to open a juke joint for the local community. However, they attract the attention of an unbelievable evil: vampires.

Why to watch: There is a scene in Sinners where Miles Caton’s Sammie plays a song that literally transcends time; a soul-searing big bang of the sounds of the past and future. As you groove in your seat, it’ll feel like the best movie you’ve ever seen – and Sinners has loads of moments like that. “It’s magic what we do.”

Three all-time classics (Credit: New Line Cinema)

Lord of the Rings trilogy

Genre: Fantasy Year: 2001 – 2003 Cast: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin Director: Peter Jackson Runtime: 9 hours 18 minutes (theatrical), 11 hours 23 minutes (extended)

What it’s about: Frodo, a humble Hobbit from the Shire, embarks on an extraordinary journey with friends and unexpected allies to Mordor. He has one goal: destroy the One Ring.

Why to watch: Each film in the Lord of the Rings trilogy is one of the best movies ever made. They brought Middle-earth to life on a scale hitherto undreamt of; it couldn’t be bettered, nor will it ever be forgotten. As Gandalf said, “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.” This is how we (and you) should choose to spend our time.

It’s time to go back to Hogwarts (Credit: Warner Bros)

The Harry Potter movies

Genre: Fantasy Year: 2001 – 2011 Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Ralph Fiennes Director: Chris Columbus (1–2), Alfonso Cuarón (3), Mike Newell (4), David Yates (5–8) Runtime: 19 hours 39 minutes

What it’s about: Harry Potter, an 11-year-old orphan, finds out he’s a wizard. He leaves his abusive aunt and uncle behind to study at Hogwarts, making friends for life and discovering his infamous reputation in the world of witchcraft and wizardry.

Why to watch: Despite a woeful spin-off trilogy and off-screen controversies, the Harry Potter franchise has endured as one of the 21st century’s biggest franchises. Why? Because the movies were, and remain, amazingly magical. Four distinct filmmakers and a perfectly cast ensemble brought the books to life better than anyone could have asked for. Sky and HBO are plotting a TV remake, but it’s hard to see how it won’t pale in comparison.

Crazy Stupid Love is ana amazing rom-com (Credit: Warner Bros)

Crazy, Stupid, Love

Genre: Romance, Comedy Year: 2011 Cast: Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone Director: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa Runtime: 1 hour 58 minutes

What it’s about: After Cal’s wife asks for a divorce, he’s left bereft, drunkenly boring everyone with his problems. This changes when he meets Jacob, a smooth-talking bachelor who teaches him how to date again.

Why to watch: The golden age of romantic comedies ended sometime in the 2010s (go ahead, name more than a small handful of good ones after 2013), making Crazy, Stupid, Love one of the last truly great rom-coms.

But it’s more than a few cuts above its peers, thanks to some jaw-dropping plot twists, Steve Carell’s pitch-perfect performance, and the film blessing us by pairing Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone for the first time.

The Dune movies are a reality you must experience (Credit: Warner Bros)

Dune (Part One and Two)

Genre: Sci-fi, Fantasy Year: 2021 – 2024 Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem Director: Denis Villeneuve Runtime: 5 hours 22 minutes

What it’s about: By decree in the time of the Imperium, the Baron Vladimir is banished from Arrakis, a desert world with the galaxy’s most valuable substance. House Atreides is subbed in to govern, but Paul – the house’s reluctant future successor – is afflicted by visions and his uncertain future.

Why to watch: With both Dune movies, Denis Villeneuve has asserted himself as the ‘Mahdi’ of modern sci-fi. As a duology, they’re a sense-quaking landmark; an adaptation of the unadaptable that translates its narrative heft to something anyone can enjoy. Better yet, Dune: Part Three is coming out this year. Experience it.

Interstellar is Christopher Nolan’s best movie (Credit: Warner Bros)

Interstellar

Genre: Sci-fi Year: 2014 Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Jessica Chastain, Anne Hathaway Director: Christopher Nolan Runtime: 2 hours 49 minutes

What it’s about: With Earth’s resources dwindling, ex-NASA pilot Joseph Cooper is recruited for a top-secret mission: to fly through a wormhole and find a new home for humanity.

Why to watch: Interstellar could be the greatest sci-fi movie ever made: an unabashed celebration of love, conveyed through one of the most exhilarating deep-space voyages ever put to film. Among its many, many scenes that will stand the test of time, one is so wondrous that it’ll flood your skin with goosebumps as soon as you hear one word: “Docking.”

Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga became horror legends in The Conjuring (Credit: Warner Bros)

The Conjuring

Genre: Horror Year: 2013 Cast: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Ron Livingston, Lili Taylor Director: James Wan Runtime: 1 hour 52 minutes

What it’s about: In 1971, paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren help a family in Rhode Island after they experience terrifying supernatural phenomena.

Why to watch: Nobody expected The Conjuring to launch the highest-grossing horror franchise in movie history – but they should have.

There’s a level of commercial artistry on display here that its sequels (and rubbish spinoffs) haven’t matched, whether it’s Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga’s made-in-movie-heaven chemistry or James Wan’s mastery of a good, honest scare. It’s the best movie in the series and a Halloween must-watch.

Mad Max: Fury Road is a masterpiece (Credit: Warner Bros)

Mad Max: Fury Road

Genre: Action Year: 2015 Cast: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult Director: George Miller Runtime: 2 hours

What it’s about: In a barren wasteland, Max is captured by Immortan Joe’s War Boys. Imperator Furios attempts an audacious escape to “the Green Place” with Joe’s harem of five wives. As they drive into the endless, dusty horizon, he tries to bring them back.

Why to watch: Two stages have become clear in any movie fan’s life: pre- and post-Fury Road. Whether it’s five, 10, or 100 years from now, its power demands to be witnessed. It’s one of the greatest action movies – if not the greatest – ever made.

2001: A Space Odyssey is a movie like no other (Credit: MGM)

2001: A Space Odyssey

Genre: Sci-fi Year: 1968 Cast: Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester, Douglas Rain Director: Stanley Kubrick Runtime: 2 hours 29 minutes

What it’s about: In a saga spanning millennia, we see mankind’s evolution via a mysterious monolith, from apes learning to break bones to a voyage to Jupiter to uncover its origin.

Why to watch: A man’s reach should exceed his grasp, or what’s a heaven for? This is the greatest movie ever made: an untouchable sci-fi epic that’s eerily prescient but unknowable, technically wondrous, and spiritually incomparable. Stanley Kubrick took cinema ad astra – to the stars, infinity, and beyond.

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The best TV shows on HBO Max UK

Barry is incredibly underrated (Credit: HBO)

Barry

Genre: Comedy, Thriller Year: 2018 – 2023 Cast: Bill Hader, Stephen Root, Sarah Goldberg, Henry Winkler Creator: Bill Hader, Alec Berg Length: 4 seasons, 32 episodes

What it’s about: Barry, a hitman who’s become disillusioned with killing for a living, stumbles into a theater on a job… and he falls in love with acting. He decides to leave his gun-for-hire life behind to pursue a new career, and hijinks ensue.

Why to watch: Barry is good at making you laugh. It’s also consistently capable of upsetting, terrifying, and shaking you at your core. The laughs are never exaggerated, nor are the threats that simmer under the surface. It’s quietly one of the best TV shows ever made.

Dunk and Egg will return next year (Credit: Sky)

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

Genre: Fantasy Year: 2026 – present Cast: Peter Claffey, Dexter Sol Ansell Creator: Ira Parker Length: 1 season, 6 episodes

What it’s about: Dunk, a hedge knight, journeys across Westeros with Egg, a young stableboy he allows to be his squire. This puts them on a collision course with powerful people; notably, three Targaryen princes and a ‘laughing’ Baratheon.

Why to watch: Slowly, the memory of Game of Thrones’ disastrous conclusion is fading. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is enough to restore your faith in the franchise; a sweet, thrilling, and original approach to Westeros that’s as good as the series has ever been. We will take its side, always.

Of course, you can watch Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon on HBO Max, too. And… A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 2 is in the works.

Euphoria season 3 premieres soon (Credit: HBO)

Euphoria

Genre: Drama Year: 2019 – present (season 3 premieres on April 12) Cast: Zendaya, Jacob Elordi, Sydney Sweeney, Hunter Schafer Creator: David Chase Length: 2 seasons, 18 episodes

What it’s about: A group of high-school students as they navigate a mine field of drugs, sex, identity, trauma, social media, love and friendship in today’s increasingly unstable world.

Why to watch: Is Euphoria edgy and, occasionally, needlessly graphic? Yes, but it’s also one of the most stylish, fearless, and provocative shows on TV, acting as an early showcase of some of Hollywood’s most formidable and popular young actors. It could be seen as a Skins successor, but it’s glossier and nastier. Let’s just see if season 3 lives up to the hype.

The Sopranos is one of the greatest shows ever made (Credit: HBO)

The Sopranos

Genre: Drama, Crime Year: 1999 – 2007 Cast: James Gandolfini, Lorraine Bracco, Edie Falco, Michael Imperioli Creator: David Chase Length: 6 seasons, 86 episodes

What it’s about: Tony Soprano, a New Jersey mob boss, goes into therapy after suffering panic attacks, all while trying to manage and take further control of the business.

Why to watch: The Sopranos has a reasonable claim to the all-time TV top spot. James Gandolfini delivers the medium’s defining performance (sorry, Bryan Cranston), and while it’s clearly inspired by Goodfellas and The Godfather, it’s true television – not a lax, small-screen masquerade. Few shows possess as much depth, heart, laughs, and darkness as The Sopranos without collapsing under its ambitions.

Get ready to watch Succession again (Credit: HBO)

Succession

Genre: Drama Year: 2018 – 2023 Cast: Brian Cox, Jeremy Strong, Sarah Snook, Kieran Culkin, Matthew Macfadyen Creator: Jesse Armstrong Length: 4 seasons, 39 episodes

What it’s about: The Roy family control Waystar Royco, a powerful American media conglomerate. As its patriarch considers stepping down, the eldest sibling prepares to takeover – but nothing goes to plan.

Why to watch: Jesse Armstrong and co. could have dined off the Roys’ Machiavellian blunders, betrayals, and insults for years. But that’s the practice of a good show, rather than great television – and Succession is an all-timer, not just because blistering writing and towering performances, but it stuck the landing better than most shows could dream of.

Sex and the City is still a pop culture touchstone (Credit: HBO)

Sex and the City

Genre: Comedy, Drama Year: 1998 – 2004 Cast: Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon Creator: Darren Star Length: 6 seasons, 94 episodes

What it’s about: Newspaper columnist Carrie Bradshaw turns to her best friends Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha for advice as she experiences love and lust and navigates life in New York City.

Why to watch: One critic once wrote that “Sex and the City is to feminism what sugar is to dental care”. You (and we) can disagree, but this is a salient fact: it’s one of the most influential, iconic comedies of the 21st century, and a true pop culture staple that still occupies a referential place.

All three seasons of The White Lotus are worth watching (Credit: HBO)

The White Lotus

Genre: Comedy, Drama Year: 2021 – present Cast: Jennifer Coolidge, Natasha Rothwell, Sydney Sweeney, Theo James Creator: Mike White Length: 3 seasons, 31 episodes

What it’s about: Wealthy, troubled guests descend on The White Lotus, a hotel chain with resorts across the world, where prejudices, sexual tension, and violence inevitably arise and clash.

Why to watch: The White Lotus has emerged as one of the eminently watchable and popular genre-mashing shows of the 2020s. There is something for everyone (well, maybe not kids): sharp, cringe-worthy satire, gasp-worthy shocks, a twist that’s always perfectly teed up, and consistently excellent casts.

The Rehearsal is unlike anything you’ve ever seen (Credit: HBO)

The Rehearsal

Genre: Reality, Comedy, Drama Year: 2022 – present Cast: Nathan Fielder Creator: Nathan Fielder Length: 2 seasons, 12 episodes

What it’s about: Nathan Fielder, a comedian who help people prepare for big moments in their life, takes on a new project: the aviation industry… and Sully Sullenberg’s story.

Why to watch: What is The Rehearsal? Is it a reality series – or a critique of how reality shows exploit people? Is it a scripted comedy, or a real farce? Is Nathan Fielder crazy, or is it all a perfectly calibrated charade? There’s one answer: yes. Season 2 is a jaw-dropping, one-of-a-kind TV event that has to be seen to be believed. How did they do it?

You will weep at Band of Brother (Credit: HBO)

Band of Brothers / The Pacific

Genre: War, Action Year: 2001 – 2010 Cast: Damian Lewis, Ron Livingston, James Badge Dale, Joseph Mazzello Creator: Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg, Bruce McKenna Length: 2 seasons, 20 episodes

What it’s about: Band of Brothers follows the heroic efforts of “Easy” Company, a paratrooper division in the US military, in the European theatre of World War II. The Pacific focuses on the Marines’ efforts in the conflict against the Japanese.

Why to watch: Band of Brothers is better than most war movies, and it’s still hailed as an early landmark in the golden age of television; just like The Sopranos, it proved the medium was capable of more. The Pacific is its slightly lesser counterpart, but they’re an immersive, heart-wrenching, unmissable package deal.

The Pitt won multiple Emmys this year (Credit: HBO)

The Pitt

Genre: Drama Year: 2025 – present Cast: Noah Wyle, Tracy Ifeachor, Patrick Ball, Fiona Dourif Creator: R. Scott Gemmill Length: 2 seasons, 26 episodes

What it’s about: Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch and the other doctors, nurses, and staff at the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Centre’s emergency room try to overcome an unpredictable and gruelling 15 hours in the hospital.

Why to watch: The Pitt topped several ‘best of 2025’ lists in the UK, even though it wasn’t strictly released over here. That’s how good it is. It’s the return of real TV – aka emotionally taxing, engrossing medical dramas with E.R. legend Noah Wyle that don’t take multi-year gaps – and one of the biggest reasons to sign up for HBO Max. It’ll become an instant favourite.

Read more: The best movies on BBC iPlayer you can watch right now

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