The 10 most popular shows on (HBO) Max right now
As we predicted a month ago, the most popular show on HBO and Max right now is House of the Dragon. That wasn’t a hard guess to make, given the enduring popularity of Game of Thrones. The prequel series may not be the cultural juggernaut that its predecessor was, but there’s a reason why a second spinoff series, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, is currently filming for a 2025 debut.
The real shock of the month is that Smiling Friends has climbed to No. 2 on this list. At the far end of the rankings is My Adventures with Superman, an updated take on DC’s hero. Most of the stuff in-between are reality shows from the Discovery networks. It’s not the most riveting programming selection, but they are taking up the top slots for now.
Keep reading for our complete countdown of the 10 most popular shows on Max as of July 3.
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. My Adventures with Superman (2023)
Metacritic: 8%
IMDb: 7.6/10
Rated: TV-PG
Seasons: 2
Genre: Animation, Action & Adventure, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Comedy
Cast: Jack Quaid, Alice Lee, Ishmel Sahid
Created by: Jake Wyatt
Every generation gets their own Man of Steel, but My Adventures with Superman is the most anime-inspired take yet on the iconic hero. Season 2 picks up with Clark’s secret revealed to his closest friends, Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen, while Clark romances the former. But Superman’s enemies are lining up to take him down in the name of national security.
As an added complication, Lois’ father, General Sam Lane, is a little too close to learning Clark’s secret than he’d like. Additionally, Clark’s search for his cousin, Kara, may have unintended consequences for his friends and the entire world.
9. Unexpected (2017)
IMDb: 4.9/10
Rated: TV-14
Seasons: 6
Genre: Reality, Family
If you’ve ever seen MTV’s Teen Mom, then the premise of Unexpected will not be that shocking. This reality show takes a more serious approach to the subject matter as teen mothers and young fathers have to come to terms about what they’ve gotten themselves into.
Having a baby doesn’t just affect the underage parents in a vacuum. It affects everyone in the family, and raises some big questions about whether teenagers can handle the pressure that comes with raising young ones of their own.
8. Summer Baking Championship (2023)
IMDb: 7.4/10
Rated: TV-G
Seasons: 2
Genre: Reality
Cast: Jesse Palmer
Summer Baking Championship is back for a second season, and it may be one of the most wholesome shows on Max that isn’t Sesame Street. This is a baking competition series that pits 10 of the top cooks in America against each other on a weekly basis before crowning a winner at the very end. The vast majority of us at home can’t match the culinary skills on display here. But it sure is fun to watch the masters at work.
7. 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, and Comedy Central is probably still kicking itself that Oliver wasn’t signed to take over 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.
6. Deadly Influence: The Social Media Murders (2024)
IMDb: 7.1/10
Rated: TV-14
Seasons: 1
Genre: Crime, Documentary
Before this century, social media influencers weren’t really a thing. But as far back as anyone can remember, there have always been murderers. Deadly Influence: The Social Media Murders is a true crime series for the digital age that focuses on stories about influencers who have a brush with true fame before things go terribly wrong. Sometimes the subjects are the victims, and other times, they’re the perpetrators of the crime.
5. Six Schizophrenic Brothers (2024)
IMDb: 7.2/10
Rated: TV-14
Seasons: 1
Genre: Documentary
Cast: Lee Phillips, Lindsay Galvin Rauch
Some things run in the family, and for the Galvins, that includes mental illness. Six Schizophrenic Brothers is a documentary that follows the Galvin family’s story through multiple generations as the specter of schizophrenia looms over them. Out of 12 siblings, six of the brothers were schizophrenic. And it’s a cycle that seems doomed to repeat itself even when the family knows what to look for.
4. 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After? (2016)
IMDb: 6.4/10
Rated: TV-PG
Seasons: 8
Genre: Reality
Who would have ever thought that couples who barely know each other and only got married for a reality show or a Green Card may not last? 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After? is yet another spinoff in the “90 Day Fiancé Universe,” which is actually what Discovery calls it. As you may have guessed, most of the couples here are long past the honeymoon phase and contemplating drastic action… even if it means splitting up.
3. 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way (2019)
Rated: TV-14
Seasons: 5
Genre: Reality
Are you wondering what the difference is between 90 Day Fiancé and 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way? This show covers couples where the American partner (male or female) moves to a foreign country to be with the person they love after a brief courtship in front of the cameras. Warner Bros. Discovery actually describes spinoffs like this as being a part of the “90 Day Universe.” We’re already dreading the crossovers in this shared universe.
2. Smiling Friends (2020)
IMDb: 8.4/10
Rated: TV-MA
Seasons: 2
Genre: Animation, Comedy
Cast: Michael Cusack, Zach Hadel, Marc M.
Created by: Zach Hadel, Michael Cusack
Smiling Friends is kind of a throwback to the earliest Adult Swim animated shows with its crude and occasionally grotesque character designs, as well as its shifting animation styles. The show follows Pim, Charlie, Allan, and Glep, a group of employees who work for a company that’s dedicated to spreading happiness and making their clients feel joy again.
Unfortunately for the group, helping their clients is always more complicated than they initially believed. And their misadventures often take some bizarre turns that bring the series to some truly offbeat places.
1. House of the Dragon (2022)
Metacritic: 73%
IMDb: 8.4/10
Rated: TV-MA
Seasons: 2
Genre: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama, Action & Adventure
Cast: Matt Smith, Emma D'Arcy, Olivia Cooke
Created by: George R. R. Martin, Ryan Condal
The stakes have escalated in House of the Dragon season 2, and the Game of Thrones prequel series has jumped into a Targaryen civil war. The birthright of Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) has been stolen by her half-brother, King Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney). But the real battle of the wills is between Rhaenyra and her former friend, Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke).
Atrocities have been committed on both sides even before the dragons have come out to play. Now, Rhaenyra can’t even count on her husband, Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith). And if they can’t stand together, they may fall apart.
