The 10 most popular shows on (HBO) Max right now
There’s a lot of turnover in the 10 most popular shows on (HBO) Max right now, with a very heavy emphasis on true crime series. Four of this month’s series fall into that category, with Chimp Crazy feeling like Tiger King‘s weirder younger brother.
HBO’s Industry has risen to the top of the list in September, which is not too surprising after the show added Game of Thrones actor Kit Harington to the cast this season. HBO’s political talk shows, Last Week Tonight and Real Time with Bill Maher, also had strong showings.
Keep reading for our complete countdown of the 10 most popular shows on Max as of September 17.
Looking for something else? We’ve also rounded up the 10 most popular movies on Max, the best movies on Max, the best shows on Max, the best shows on Netflix, the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Amazon Prime, and the best movies on Disney+. For Netflix fans, check out the 10 most popular movies on Netflix right now and the 10 most popular shows on Netflix right now.
10. Born Evil: The Serial Killer and the Savior (2024)
IMDb: 6.9/10
Rated: TV-MA
Seasons: 1
Genre: Documentary, Crime
Director Michael Bay dives into the world of true crime with Born Evil: The Serial Killer and the Savior. The tagline for the miniseries suggests the whole family might be serial killers, but only one is the real focus of the series.
9. How (Not) To Get Rid of a Body (2024)
Rated: TV-14
Seasons: 1
Genre: Documentary, Crime
The No. 1 goal of a murderer is simple — don’t get caught. How (Not) To Get Rid of a Body follows the stories of killers who took that impulse to the extreme. They’ve committed the crime of murder, and they’ve also come up with some outlandish ways to hide the bodies. But the one common denominator between these cases is that the bodies almost always turn up, no matter where they’re hidden.
8. Rick and Morty: The Anime (2024)
IMDb: 2.7/10
Rated: TV-14
Seasons: 1
Genre: Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Action & Adventure
Cast: Yohei Tadano, Keisuke Chiba, Akiha Matsui
The Rick and Morty animated series is taking 2024 off. To fill the void, Rick and Morty: The Anime is a new series loosely connected to the main show that’s been reimagined as a Japanese anime. That means the stories are even weirder than before, and the voices are all different. Yet Rick is a Rick, no matter what reality he comes from.
7. Cabin in the Woods (2024)
IMDb: 6.9/10
Rated: TV-14
Seasons: 1
Genre: Documentary, Crime
Much like another show on this list, Cabin in the Woods shares at least part of its name with a horror movie, but it’s actually just another low-budget true crime show. The connective link between the crimes recounted in this series is that they were all committed out in the wild near some deserted cabin.
6. Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos (2024) [New]
Metacritic: 94%
IMDb: 9.0/10
Seasons: 1
Genre: Documentary
Cast: David Chase
There’s never going to be another show exactly like The Sopranos. In 1999, HBO rode that crime series to the top as it racked up viewers and critical acclaim. Even 25 years later, The Sopranos remains one of the greatest shows produced for television. Now, HBO is taking a victory lap with Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos.
This is a new documentary about the life of series creator David Chase, as well as a look back at The Sopranos itself with the surviving cast members and other members of the creative team. This is only a two-part documentary, but we could watch Sopranos-related content for ages.
5. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (2014)
Metacritic: 76%
IMDb: 8.9/10
Rated: TV-MA
Seasons: 11
Genre: Talk, Comedy, News
Cast: John Oliver
Created by: John Oliver
April 2024 marks the 10th anniversary of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. Comedy Central is probably still kicking itself, knowing Oliver wasn’t signed to replace The Daily Show from Jon Stewart. Oliver has had staying power in the realm of late-night comedy and politics, and his series continues to be among the most popular shows on HBO and Max.
Presidential election years tend to bring out the best of Oliver, and 2024’s election cycle is already poised to be strange. It’s hard to come up with great comedy when reality is so absurd, but Oliver and his collaborators have been keeping us laughing for years.
4. The Real Murders on Elm Street (2024)
IMDb: 7.2/10
Rated: TV-14
Seasons: 1
Genre: Documentary, Crime
It seems like it’s been an age since the last Nightmare on Elm Street movie. And despite the name The Real Murders on Elm Street, you won’t see Freddy Krueger here, either. The connections to Elm Street are tenuous at best, since it’s a very common street name. The murders discussed on the show are real, even if the visuals aren’t up to the normal standards of the rest of the sensationalized true crime docuseries on Max.
3. Real Time with Bill Maher (2003)
Rated: TV-MA
Seasons: 22
Genre: Comedy, Talk
Cast: Bill Maher
For just over two decades, Bill Maher has been a constant presence on HBO with his political talk show Real Time with Bill Maher. That series’ resurgent place on this list is probably due to the wildest presidential election season that anyone can remember. Maher typically manages to navigate the political divide between the right and the left while getting both sides simultaneously angry at him. Expect more of that as we head into the final months of the election.
2. Chimp Crazy (2024)
Metacritic: 67%
IMDb: 7.3/10
Rated: TV-MA
Seasons: 1
Genre: Documentary
Cast: Tonia Haddix
If you can picture Tiger King without the murder plots and swap out the tigers for chimpanzees, then you’ll have a idea of what Chimp Crazy is about. It’s not a coincidence either, since Eric Goode produces both Tiger King and Chimp Crazy.
The focus of the show falls on Tonia Haddix, the woman in charge of a primate organization. Tonia is a little too close with a chimpanzee named Tonka, so much so that Haddix defies a court order to turn him over to federal marshals and actually hides him while his health noticeably deteriorates.
1. Industry (2020)
Metacritic: 76%
IMDb: 7.2/10
Rated: TV-MA
Seasons: 3
Genre: Drama
Cast: Myha'la, Marisa Abela, Harry Lawtey
Created by: Mickey Down, Konrad Kay
Is Industry going to be HBO’s next Succession? That’s asking a lot of any series, particularly one that’s already heading into season 3. However, HBO did bring Game of Thrones‘ Kit Harington into the cast this year, so that should tell you something about how the network values it.
The show follows a group of young adults working in the ultracompetitive investment banking scene in London. Cutthroat doesn’t even begin to describe it, and one wrong move can tank a promising career without any warning.
