HBO’s 10 Best Original Comedy Shows, Ranked for Lasting Impact
A Long Comedy Legacy
HBO began producing original comedies in the 1980s, including 1st and 10, starring Delta Burke. In the 1990s, Gary Shandling’s The Larry Sanders Show offered a comic look at late-night television.
The article describes Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm as carrying forward Shandling’s legacy. It also points to performers including Julia Lousie Dreyfuss, Jean Smart and John Goodman as stars who found further success in HBO comedies.
Rivalry and Hollywood Ambitions
Vice Principals paired Danny McBride and Walton Goggins as school administrators competing for the same principal’s job. The series ran for two seasons, with McBride playing a swaggering character and Goggins portraying his crafty rival.
Entourage followed Vincent Chase, a rising movie star, and friends Drama, Eric Murphy and Turtle as they pursued careers in Hollywood. Jeremy Piven played agent Ari Gold, and the series drew on Mark Wahlberg’s real-life experience; a film continuation arrived in 2015.
Barry’s Double Life
Bill Hader stars in Barry as a former marine with PTSD who works as a hitman while trying to become an actor. The cast also includes Henry Winkler as acting coach Gene Cousineau, Stephen Root as handler Monroe Fuches and Anthony Carrigan as NoHo-Hank.
Hader and co-creator Alec Berg set the story across Barry’s acting and criminal lives, which gradually converge over the early seasons. The series combines comic and dramatic moments within episodes lasting about thirty minutes.
Key points
- HBO’s original comedy programming dates back to the 1980s.
- Vice Principals starred Danny McBride and Walton Goggins as rivals for a school promotion.
- Entourage centered on Vincent Chase and the friends navigating Hollywood alongside him.
- Barry paired a hitman’s criminal work with his ambition to become an actor.