The best shows on Max (formerly HBO Max) right now

Receiving rave reviews for its first two seasons, Somebody, Somewhere is a comedy-drama starring comedian, actor, singer, writer, and cabaret performer Bridget Everett. She’s a woman named Sam dealing with a midlife crisis following the death of her sister. The series will conclude with the third and final season.

Inspired by Everett’s real life, the show boasts a perfect Rotten Tomatoes rating. The Daily Beast’s Kevin Fallon simply says that “Bridget Everett is a force” while Theo Estes of The Spool relates the show’s brilliance to “the way it weaves between the hilarity and drama of the mundane.”

The corporate world can be cut-throat, especially when there are so many young and talented people all vying for a limited number of jobs. In this British drama, the jobs in question are at a prestigious investment bank in London. The story in Industry begins with a recent group of graduates, who all vie for the hottest gigs in town in finance. It’s a race to the finish line for a seat at the corporate table, and these young adults aren’t about to let that opportunity slide.

Now three seasons in, Industry has filled the gaping hole left by shows like Succession for a corporate-themed drama about greedy people willing to do whatever it takes to get ahead and make money. Industry’s salacious, devious characters include some returning from season 2 along with a few new faces. Among these is Kit Harington in season 3, who plays Henry Muck, CEO of a green tech energy company. If you love shows like Succession and Billions, Industry will be right up your alley.

Anyone who claimed that fans didn’t care about Game of Thrones after the divisive final season turned out to be quite wrong. House of the Dragon has proven to be a monster hit. Milly Alcock stars as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen before eventually relinquishing the role to Emma D’Arcy. Following the death of her mother and her infant brother, Rhaenyra was named heir to the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. However, her childhood best friend, Lady Alicent Hightower (Emily Carey), has married Rhaenyra’s father and become the new queen. And as the queen becomes a woman (played by Olivia Cooke), her rivalry with her former friend throws House Targaryen into turmoil.

The intensity continues as the fight grows between Team Black and Team Green in season 2. A civil war is brewing, and the dynamic is more heated than ever as loyalties are tested and allegiances fractured. If you’re a fan of Game of Thrones and know of the history of the Targaryen side, you’ll be expecting the blood-soaked, violent, quest for power that is House of the Dragon.

Mark Wahlberg executive produced this comedy  drama that’s loosely based on his life, and it became a huge hit, airing for eight seasons. The central character in Entourage is Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier), a young actor who becomes massively famous and brings his group of childhood friends, aka his “entourage,” along with him for the wild ride. He hires his best friend. Eric (Kevin Connolly). as his manager. Joining the pair in their antics are Vinny’s older half-brother, Johnny “Drama” (Kevin Dillon), a much less successful actor, and friend, Turtle (Jerry Ferrara), who both try to find purpose, but mostly love to reap the benefits of Vinny’s fame. Jeremy Piven, meanwhile, stars as Vince’s egotistical and temperamental agent Ari Gold.

The episodes follow the expected exploits of four young men thrust into a world of fame, money, women, and excess in every sense of the word. It’s raunchy, deeply entertaining, and features tons of celebrity cameos through the seasons. Whether you love Wahlberg or not, Entourage stands on its own as a slick series about the dark and dirty temptations of fame.

One of the most iconic sitcoms of the 2000s and 2010s, The Big Bang Theory spawned an equally successful prequel spin-off called Young Sheldon, which is also available to stream. The story centers around a group of self-professed science nerds navigating daily life in California, all working at Caltech University. It begins when Penny (Kaley Cuoco), a beautiful young waitress and aspiring actress, moves into the apartment across the hall from Sheldon (Jim Parsons) and Leonard (Johnny Galecki), and the socially awkward men attempt to befriend her.

Featuring a fabulous ensemble cast that was, at one point in time, among the highest-paid actors on TV, The Big Bang Theory is filled with complex dialogue and scientific jargon. Yet the jokes and running gags hit beautifully, whether you understand what they’re talking about or not. It’s the type of show you can watch and re-watch and laugh every time. The series earned 46 nominations through its 12-season run, with Parsons winning Outstanding Leader Actor in a Comedy Series four times in a row.

One of the defining sitcoms of the ‘90s, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air starred Will Smith before he became a massive A-list Hollywood movie celebrity. It’s a fish-out-of-water story about a young man from West Philadelphia who is sent by his mother to live with his wealthy aunt and uncle in Bel-Air. Will’s mom worries he’s going down the wrong path and wants to give him a better chance at life.

At first, Will is at odds with the family members who don’t see eye-to-eye with him, along with the uppity lifestyle to which he isn’t accustomed. But the family comes together as he acclimates to them and they to him. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is ground-breaking in so many ways. Along with plenty of humor and heart, the sitcom tackles serious issues about race, violence, and family strife. A darker, more dramatic reimagining called Bel-Air is available to stream on Peacock.

Mike Judge has come a long way from his Beavis and Butt-Head days. While Judge has previously directed live-action comedy films, Silicon Valley gave him an even bigger platform to expand his mastery of the medium. The series follows programmer Richard Hendricks (Thomas Middleditch) as he and his friends try to launch a new startup company called Pied Piper. Their trials and tribulations run the gamut from hilarious to dramatic. Judge and his co-creators assembled a talented supporting cast that includes T.J. Miller, Kumail Nanjiani, Martin Starr, and Amanda Crew, nearly all of whom have gone on to even bigger things after the show’s six-season run.

Silicon Valley is heavy on tech industry references, so anyone who understands the space will get every insider reference and joke, and theorize about what real-life tech CEOs, billionaires, and investors various characters were likely modeled around. But even those who aren’t so entrenched in the tech space will laugh the entire way through at the absurd “nerd” humor.