TL;DR
WIRED published a staff-curated list of the 50 best shows available on HBO Max as of December 2025, highlighting a mix of classic series, recent hits, and new arrivals. Selections include remastered titles like Mad Men, international dramas, true-crime docuseries, and genre fare from horror to awkward comedy.
What happened
On December 23, 2025, WIRED staff writer Jennifer M. Wood released a feature listing the 50 best shows currently streaming on HBO Max. The roundup combines legacy hits such as The Sopranos and The Wire with recent arrivals and originals across genres. Notable entries discussed in the piece include Mad Men — which has been remastered in 4K but whose upgrade revealed some visible production errors — and the Canadian sports drama Heated Rivalry, an adaptation of Rachel Reid’s Game Changers overseen by Jacob Tierney and starring Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie. The list also flags new and returning series: Rachel Sennott’s I Love LA, the French-language period drama The Seduction, It: Welcome to Derry with Bill Skarsgård, Tim Robinson’s The Chair Company, Brad Ingelsby’s Task starring Mark Ruffalo and Tom Pelphrey, and genre and nonfiction offerings such as Peacemaker and The Yogurt Shop Murders docuseries. WIRED frames the compilation as a guide for both longtime HBO viewers and newcomers exploring the platform.
Why it matters
- Shows the breadth of HBO Max’s catalog, from classic prestige TV to recent originals and international fare.
- Highlights how technical updates like 4K remasters can change viewing experiences and surface previously unnoticed production issues.
- Signals continued interest in true-crime and documentary storytelling alongside scripted dramas and comedies.
- Helps viewers prioritize what to watch by offering a curated mix rather than a raw catalog dump.
Key facts
- The WIRED feature was published on December 23, 2025, and is presented as a staff-curated list of 50 shows.
- Mad Men has been remastered in 4K for its HBO Max debut; the upgrade revealed visible production errors that some viewers noticed.
- Heated Rivalry is an adaptation of Rachel Reid’s Game Changers books, developed by Jacob Tierney and starring Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie.
- Rachel Sennott created, wrote, and stars in I Love LA, an LA-set comedy about an aspiring talent manager.
- The Seduction is a French-language period drama serving as a prequel to Les Liaisons Dangereuses, featuring Anamaria Vartolomei and Vincent Lacoste.
- It: Welcome to Derry returns Bill Skarsgård to a role connected to the Pennywise storyline and explores the character’s origins.
- Task is a Brad Ingelsby crime-drama miniseries on HBO featuring Mark Ruffalo as a former priest turned FBI agent and Tom Pelphrey as a robber of local drug houses.
- The Yogurt Shop Murders is a four-part HBO docuseries revisiting the 1991 killings in Austin; investigators later named a now-deceased suspect after DNA and ballistics work on September 29.
- The Gilded Age’s third season garnered strong reviews and a fourth season has been confirmed.
- The Rehearsal’s second season includes an arc in which Nathan Fielder orchestrates role-playing environments for pilots to practice communication aimed at preventing crashes.
What to watch next
- Mad Men — for viewers curious about the newly remastered 4K presentation and the production details it exposed.
- Heated Rivalry — noted for strong lead performances and a nuanced handling of its subject.
- The Yogurt Shop Murders — a four-part docuseries that revisits a decades-old cold case and the forensic developments tied to it.
- The Rehearsal — recommended for audiences who appreciate Nathan Fielder’s uncomfortable, experimental comedy.
Quick glossary
- Remaster: A process that updates the audio and/or video quality of an existing recording, often for modern formats like 4K.
- Docuseries: A multi-episode documentary format that examines a real-world subject or event over several installments.
- Prequel: A work that tells a story set before the events of an existing work, often providing backstory for characters or settings.
- Showrunner: The person (often a writer-producer) who has overall creative authority and management responsibility for a television series.
Reader FAQ
Who wrote WIRED’s list?
The piece is by Jennifer M. Wood for WIRED staff, published December 23, 2025.
Is Mad Men available in 4K on HBO Max?
Yes; WIRED reports that Mad Men was remastered in 4K for its HBO Max arrival and that the upgrade exposed some production errors.
Does the article rank all 50 shows in order?
Not confirmed in the source.
Was a suspect named in the Yogurt Shop Murders?
Yes; investigators later named a now-deceased suspect after DNA evidence and ballistics were cited, according to the article.
JENNIFER M. WOOD WIRED STAFF CULTURE DEC 23, 2025 3:00 PM The 50 Best Shows on HBO Max Right Now Heated Rivalry, Mad Men, and The Pitt are just a…
Sources
- The 50 Best Shows on HBO Max, WIRED’s Picks (January 2026)
- The 48 Best Shows on HBO Max Right Now (December …
- The 50 Best Shows on HBO Max, WIRED's Picks (December …
- The Best HBO Max Shows & Movies To Watch In …
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