The 10 most popular shows on Max right now
It may be the beginning of June, but we can tell you what the most popular show on HBO and Max will be a month from now. House of the Dragon won’t premiere its second season until June 16, and it’s almost certain to be No. 1 as long as it has new episodes to play. In the meantime, Hacks is the new No. 1 on our list of the most popular shows on Max right now. The third season of the show just ended, so it may not be in the top 10 at this time next month.
Perennial HBO favorites Real Time with Bill Maher and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver both remain on the list this month, as does The Jinx Part II. The new additions include Fallen Idols, Pretty Little Liars, Smiling Friends, and more.
Keep reading for our complete countdown of the 10 most popular shows on Max as of June 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. 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.
9. Zillow Gone Wild (2024)
IMDb: 6.5/10
Rated: TV-PG
Seasons: 1
Cast: Jack McBrayer
Not every house on the market is equal, and the homes featured on Zillow Gone Wild are anything but normal. Jack McBrayer (30 Rock) is the host who leads viewers on a guided tour of some of the wildest houses in America that have actually recently gone on sale. From homes that belonged to the rich and famous to some downright weird dwellings, it’s an eye-opening show to say the least. Our favorite one so far is the pirate-themed home from episode 5.
8. Caught! (2023)
Seasons: 1
Cast: Jameca Woody Cooper, Everette Penn, Art Edmonds
Caught! is more real than most reality shows because it actually has genuine footage from security cameras, iPhones, and more that capture the absurd, hilarious, and even downright dangerous events that can sometimes unfold all around us. From traffic accidents and daring robberies to acts of heroism and unintentional comedy, if it’s been caught on film, it’s fair game for the show.
7. Botched Bariatrics (2024)
IMDb: 8.9/10
Rated: TV-14
Seasons: 1
Genre: Documentary, Reality
Bariatric surgery is meant to help morbidly obese people lose weight and reclaim normal lives. But it doesn’t always go according to plan. Botched Bariatrics puts the spotlight on individuals whose bariatric surgery has left them with debilitating deformities and complications. Living with these issues is challenging, and there’s no guarantee that additional surgeries can repair what was done the first time.
6. Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin (2022)
Metacritic: 82%
IMDb: 7.0/10
Rated: TV-MA
Seasons: 2
Genre: Drama, Mystery
Cast: Bailee Madison, Chandler Kinney, Maia Reficco
Created by: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Lindsay Calhoon Bring
The current Pretty Little Liars series brings together a new group of girls: Imogen Adams (Bailee Madison), Noa Olivar (Maia Reficco), Faran Bryant (Zaria), Tabitha “Tabby” Haworthe (Chandler Kinney) and Minnie “Mouse” Honrada (Malia Pyles). The one thing they seem to have in common is that they’ve made an enemy out of Karen Beasley (Mallory Bechtel).
When the girls get their revenge on Karen, it leads to a murder and an enigmatic blackmailer who goes by A. Whoever A really is, he or she appears to have a grudge that goes back over two decades against the mothers of the girls. And there are always more secrets that bubble up to the surface that may fracture the girls’ bonds of friendship.
5. The Jinx Part Two (2015)
Metacritic: 73%
IMDb: 8.6/10
Rated: TV-MA
Seasons: 2
Genre: Documentary, Crime
Cast: Robert Durst, Andrew Jarecki
Robert Durst is dead, but there’s still more to his story in The Jinx Part Two. This follow-up season reveals why Durst was arrested before the original miniseries ended in 2015. It also pulls the makers of the show into the courtroom drama as Durst’s lawyers argue that they were essentially entrapping their client on behalf of law enforcement. The key difference between season 1 and season 2 is that we know how this story ends. But there may be some more surprises along the way.
4. 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.
3. Real Time with Bill Maher (2003)
Metacritic: 43%
IMDb: 7.4/10
Rated: TV-MA
Seasons: 21
Genre: Comedy, Talk
Cast: Bill Maher
For over two decades, Bill Maher has been a regular on Friday nights as the host of HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher. Guests from all sides of the political spectrum are invited on for solo interviews or to take part in weekly panel discussions with Maher and celebrity guests. But the highlight of the show is almost always Maher’s New Rules segment, which allows him to cut loose on any topic that he wants to.
2. Fallen Idols: Nick and Aaron Carter (2024)
IMDb: 6.0/10
Seasons: 1
Genre: Documentary, Crime
Cast: Aaron Carter, Melissa Schuman
Fallen Idols is the latest salacious documentary from Investigation Discovery and Max. It focuses on Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter and his late brother, Aaron Carter, who passed away in 2022. Aaron Carter’s history of mental health and substance abuse problems are explored, but the truly shocking aspects of the show are the sexual assault allegations leveled against Nick Carter.
Nick Carter’s accusers appear in on-camera interviews as they make their claims against him, while other current and former associates of the Carter brothers weigh in on their scandals.
1. Hacks (2021)
Metacritic: 89%
IMDb: 8.2/10
Rated: TV-MA
Seasons: 3
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Cast: Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder, Carl Clemons-Hopkins
Created by: Jen Statsky, Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs
Through three seasons, Hacks has explored the unexpected friendship and occasional betrayals between veteran comedian Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) and the younger comedy writer Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder), who helped turn Vance’s career around. Season 2’s ending left the pair at a crossroads, but season 3 quickly contrives a way to get them back together.
Everyone in Ava’s life warns her that going back to Deborah is a mistake. And yet she does it anyway, in part because Deborah’s dreams might be big enough for both of them. However, Deborah and Ava aren’t through challenging each other and their power dynamic is inverted by the end of the new season.
