HBO’s 8 Most Perfect Shows of the Last 5 Years, Ranked by Their Stories
A Character-Driven Game Adaptation
The Last of Us follows Joel Miller, played by Pedro Pascal, a hardened survivor hired to escort 14-year-old Ellie, played by Bella Ramsey, across a devastated United States. Ellie may hold the key to a cure because she is immune to the fungus behind the outbreak.
The journey grows from a grim arrangement into a surrogate parent-child bond. The series retains the video game’s bleak tone while giving weight to grief, trauma and morally difficult choices. Its acclaimed Bill and Frank episode, featuring Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett, is one of its notable additions. The second season unsettled fans with a shocking death, but the show remains a character-focused adaptation that has kept ratings high.
A Smaller Westeros Adventure
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms shifts the focus from dragons and grand battles to Ser Duncan the Tall, a lowborn hedge knight, and his young squire, Egg. Peter Claffey and Dexter Sol Ansell play the pair in the series created by Ira Parker and George R. R. Martin.
Its six episodes run 30 minutes each, with a warm tone and a close focus on the two leads. Their relationship and the colorful supporting cast make the series a more intimate form of Westeros escapism.
Wealth Under Resort Pressure
Mike White’s The White Lotus follows wealthy guests and the hotel workers who serve them during week-long stays at luxury resorts. Each season changes location and explores a different mix of themes, including money, class, sex, deception, spirituality and mortality.
The first season takes place in Hawaii, the second in Sicily and the third in Thailand. The upcoming fourth season is set in the south of France. Each season opens with a flash-forward that reveals a death, then gradually unpacks the tensions surrounding it. The article describes the series as an interconnected anthology and a guilty pleasure.
Key points
- The Last of Us builds an emotional story around Joel and Ellie’s dangerous journey.
- A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms offers an intimate, human-centered view of Westeros.
- The White Lotus shifts locations while exploring wealth, class and other tensions.
- The selection is limited to HBO-branded shows, excluding The Pitt and Hacks.