During the Golden Age of TV, the HBO network became known for creating excellent TV shows that changed the industry forever. Many of the best HBO TV shows of all time have held up well and remain great today. HBO gave us new character types, excelling at morally complex antiheroes and progressive women, but many HBO series had an even greater achievement.

It is difficult to make a perfect TV show with no bad episodes, especially when it comes to longer-running dramas. Many TV series with a lot of seasons can have a slump at some point, and even masterpiece TV shows like The Sopranos still have some episodes that are considered filler. That said, HBO gave us some fantastic TV shows without a single bad episode.

Band of Brothers

2001

HBO’s wartime miniseries Band of Brothers had just 10 episodes, but each one is perfect. The show is based on the true story of the Easy Company of the United States Army during World War II, and stars both established actors and lesser-known actors who would later go on to become major stars. These include Michael Fassbender, Tom Hardy, and Andrew Scott.

Some TV shows have been criticized for glorifying war, but Band of Brothers gave a much grittier portrayal of WWII and was not afraid to tackle subjects like PTSD and the endurance of field medics. Band of Brothers might not have been historically accurate at all times, but it represented the atmosphere of war better than virtually every other show in the genre.

Band of Brothers was created by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, after the success of Saving Private Ryan, and their influence is clear as the show has a cinematic feel without becoming “style over substance.” Virtually every scene advances the plot or develops the characters in some way, but the most powerful scenes in Band of Brothers are unforgettable.

Episodes like “Bastogne” are standouts in a series full of perfect 10/10 episodes, as they showcase a perspective of war that is rarely seen onscreen. While the more explosive “Day of Days” was visually stunning and impactful, Band of Brothers also excelled during its quieter finale, “Points,” which underlined the quiet acts of heroism seen in the show.

Angels in America

2003

Angels in America boasts an all-star cast, with A-list names like Meryl Streep, Al Pacino, and Emma Thompson, and explores the lives of several characters during the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s. Prior Walter (Justin Kirk) is a gay man living with AIDS in New York. The events of the miniseries begin when he is visited by an angel, who commands him to become a prophet, and to speak.

This instruction is significant as the show takes place in the Reagan era, in which AIDS was not discussed, people died of the disease in secrecy, and there was a constant stream of misinformation. The show was groundbreaking, paving the way for later dramas that captured the fear and shame of the era, like the 2021 British drama, It’s a Sin.

Angels in America is one of the most underrated shows on HBO, as it has been overshadowed by the success of other series despite being a masterpiece. It was adapted from Tony Kushner’s Pulitzer Prize-winning source material, won a record-breaking 11 Primetime Emmy Awards in one year, and is a perfect miniseries where every episode is 10/10.

Six Feet Under

2001-2005

Six Feet Under follows the dysfunctional Fisher family, who run a funeral home, and the show has one of the best pilot episodes of all time. It begins when the family patriarch is hit by a bus and killed while driving his brand-new hearse. This sets the tone for the show, which is darkly funny while representing death as a part of being human.

Each episode of the series begins with a death, which can range from darkly funny to tragic, and the show’s main characters often take an emotional journey while working with the family of the deceased person and their physical body. Every episode of the show is excellent, which is a fantastic achievement considering Six Feet Under lasted for five seasons.

While many deaths serve to provide a setting rather than contributing to a character arc, the best episodes of Six Feet Under combine both. In “Brotherhood,” Nate fights for a veteran to get the funeral he wanted, despite the deceased man’s brother not realizing this, and a homophobic murder in “A Private Life” is the catalyst for David coming out as gay.

Many TV shows can decline over time, but Six Feet Under was consistently great from its first episode to its last. The finale of Six Feet Under is often considered the greatest series finale of all time, and ended on a perfect and fitting note. The show concluded by revealing the fate of each main character, including their deaths, finishing everyone’s character arc.

Deadwood

2004-2006

Deadwood is one of the greatest TV Westerns of all time, and a perfect example of how successful the modern Western revival has been. Deadwood is a classic Western for its 1870s setting, but rather than adhering to the simpler stories told in most classic Westerns, the show is much more complex and exciting, and has even been described as “Shakespearean.”

Deadwood stars Timothy Olyphant and Ian McShane, and follows the gold rush in South Dakota as the town grows from an encampment to an established community. Even outside the Western genre, Deadwood is widely regarded as one of the greatest TV shows of all time, and it won eight Emmy Awards out of 28 nominations, as well as a Golden Globe.

Its creator, David Milch, used real records and newspapers from the 1870s Deadwood residents to give the show more authenticity. This allowed Deadwood to feel both real and gritty, especially when concerning characters that were based on real people. Deadwood has some of the best action scenes in a Western TV show, and many of its episodes are masterpieces.

Deadwood ran for three seasons, and while some viewers felt that the **HBO **show was canceled too soon, its relatively short run prevented any drop in quality. Every episode of the show is a perfect 10/10, and while there was room to tell more of the Deadwood story, the series stands on its own, even without the movie that was made afterward.