Amid the chaos of the streaming wars, you probably noticed that your queue is looking a little... sloppy. Netflix is trying to convince you that it's a premiere podcast platform, Paramount+ is overflowing with network procedurals, and Apple TV has more A-listers than it knows what to do with. You know what has been steady the entire time? HBO Max. The king of prestige has quietly enjoyed a great first half of the year, from The Pitt (duh) to Steve Carell's return to prime comedy form in Rooster. There's more where that came from—we rounded up the best HBO Max shows of 2026 below.
—Brady Langmann, senior entertainment editor
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Snappy comedies and riveting reality shows define HBO on the eve of another massive merger.
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It’s a weird time for Warner Bros. right now. As the legendary film and television studio faces acquisition by Paramount-Skydance, the future of Warner’s prestige cable brand HBO is a little uncertain. Just what will HBO look like in a year from now? Five years? Ten years? Who knows. But right now, in 2026, the channel/streamer is as solid as ever.
In 2026, HBO released multiple acclaimed dramas and comedies that have helped us keep our HBO Max subs active. At the same time, a handful of unscripted documentary shows and reality programming had made HBO flexible beyond just Sunday night prestige. There’s The Dark Wizard, a new documentary series that profiles the late free climber Dean Potter. There’s also Neighbors, an enthralling look at middle America as told by beefing next-door neighbors. There’s more to HBO than dragons and scummy rich people, and these shows prove why.
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There are Scotch whisky brands, and then there is The Macallan. The Speyside distillery has spent 200 years building something closer to a luxury house than a spirits company, one where a single bottle holds the world record for any wine or spirit sold at auction: $2.7 million.
In 1926, a sherry-seasoned cask—number 263—was filled with new-make spirit in Speyside, Scotland. Sixty years later, in 1986, The Macallan’s masters of maturation decided it had reached the apex. They created a scant 40 bottles from that single barrel. I finally witnessed a Fine & Rare myself at The Macallan’s headquarters.
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What do we want from biopics about pop stars?
Are we looking for a thorough and thoughtful retelling of the life of an important historical figure? A psychological examination of a creative force? Or do we just crave a celebration of music that we love and an opportunity to revel in songs that may have changed our lives?
The allegations and trials that defined the final decades of Michael Jackson’s life are nowhere to be found in this new film. And how you feel about the movie—and about the purpose of biopics in general—is likely to come down to that absence.
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