Chernobyl
Game of Thrones may have ended, at least until we get a spinoff show, but canceling your HBO subscription right now would mean you’re missing out on one of the best TV dramas of the year. The show depicts the horrific events in 1986 of the Chernobyl disaster, the infamous man-made nuclear plant accident.
Chernobyl is, of course, a dramatization of true events, weaving fascinating characters and stories into the mix. The show focuses on the civilians and workers caught in the middle of Chernobyl, forced to deal with a horrific mistake caused by government leaders working well beyond their scope.
Some truly standout performances from actors like Stellan Skarsgard and Emily Watson help sell the drama and tragedy, and Chernobyl is a truly harrowing look at the event. Only two episodes in and Chernobyl looks like it’s easily going to be one of the standout dramas of 2019, so now’s the perfect time to hop onboard.
Last Week Tonight
The news cycle can be brutally depressing these days, and Last Week Tonight is the perfect antidote to the torrent of overwhelming political and world news. Created by The Daily Show alumn, John Oliver, the satirical news show looks at current events and important topics, shining a light on things with comedy.
Last Week Tonight is a bit different from The Daily Show, however, as it has one major theme it looks at with each episode, on top of current events. These themes are often important issues in America, or the world, that are overlooked, not known, or simply not getting the attention they deserve.
Topics like the Opioid Crisis, Death Investigations, School Segregation, Robocalls, and much more. Oliver and his team do extensive research for each episode, and of course, put a comedic slant on it.
Last Week Tonight is easily one of the best comedy news shows ever created, and it’s something a bit different from all the drama and intensity of your usual HBO show. With the series currently in the midst of its sixth season, it’s another great reason to keep that subscription.
His Dark Materials
With Game of Thrones over, there’s a bit opening for an epic fantasy series on HBO, and the network is clearly hoping that His Dark Materials can fill that absence. You might be familiar with a little book, or movie, called The Golden Compass, which is part of the His Dark Materials trilogy.
The trilogy takes place in a multiverse, with the main character, Lyra Belacqua, moving between realities and learning about a greater conflict that threatens the entire multiverse. It’s heavy on fantasy elements, and you’ll no doubt recognize the iconic armored polar bears.
The series also heavily uses themes of philosophy, theology, and religion, making for an intensely complex fantasy tale.
Premiering later in 2019, and produced by the BBC, His Dark Materials sports an absolutely phenomenal cast.
Dafne Keen of Logan fame will be playing Lyra, with a supporting cast of Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ruth Wilson, James McAvoy, and more. Looking at the first trailer, things look promising, and you’ll definitely want to stick around for this one, especially since the series has already been green-lit for a second season.
Watchmen
Yet another massive entertainment property being adapted by HBO, Damon Lindelof is acting as the series’ showrunner, and you might know him as the co-creator of Lost or the showrunner on another HBO series, The Leftovers.
While there’s still a lot we don’t know about Watchmen, it’s going to be a sort of “remix” of elements from the comic books, fast-forwarding things to modern times.
Lindelof has said that the original Watchmen was very much grounded in an 80s sensibility, and the new HBO series would update elements for a more modern take on the world and heroes.
The initial trailer has shown us Jeremy Irons in his role as an older Ozymandias, while vigilantes appropriate Rorschach’s mask for their own twisted uses.
Even though we’ve only seen a brief trailer, Watchmen is sure to stick to the dark and violent themes of the original, and there’s honestly no better home for the franchise than on HBO, who can create an uncompromised version.
With superhero hype at an all-time high, and Game of Thrones ending, Watchmen may just be the next smash-hit HBO needs.
The Sopranos
We’ve talked a lot about series coming to HBO later this year, but you’ll need something to watch in the meantime, right? Well, luckily, HBO has every episode of one of the greatest television dramas ever created, The Sopranos.
The six-season series was HBO’s most renowned, before Game of Thrones entered the scene, and if you haven’t watched The Sopranos yet, you need to do yourself a favor and get on it.
The show revolves around a mobster named Tony Soprano, detailing the daily struggles of dealing with his regular family, and his mob family. Tony sees a therapist to deal with both personal and professional problems, which have started bringing on panic attacks.
Despite being a show about the mob, The Sopranos manages to bring a surprisingly human aspect, putting a big focus on the relationships Tony forms, with both of his families. Of course, there’s still all the violence you’d expect from a mob show or HBO, so have no fear there.
86 episodes of The Sopranos is sure to keep you busy for a while, and it’s one unforgettable ride from start to finish.
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