{"id":2215482,"date":"2025-12-29T13:36:16","date_gmt":"2025-12-29T13:36:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2215482"},"modified":"2025-12-29T13:36:16","modified_gmt":"2025-12-29T13:36:16","slug":"the-best-shows-to-watch-on-hbo-max-from-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/the-best-shows-to-watch-on-hbo-max-from-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"The best shows to watch on HBO Max from 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

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With all the drama surrounding Warner Bros. Discovery\u2019s plans to sell itself to another company<\/a>, it\u2019s not currently clear how much longer HBO Max will continue to exist in its current form. But for the time being, the streamer is chock full of solid series you might want to consider watching if you find yourself bored, chilly, and firmly planted on your couch this holiday season. Whether it\u2019s superhero madness, dark satire, or steamy romance, HBO Max has a little bit of everything. And the streamer has a whole lot more coming down the pipeline, so now\u2019s the time to check out some of what it had to offer in 2025.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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At a time when it often feels like TV is shying away from sex<\/a> in favor of more family friendly stories that appeal to Gen Z\u2019s modest tastes<\/a>, Heated Rivalry <\/em>\u2014 an adaptation of Rachel Reid\u2019s Game Changers <\/em>novels \u2014 feels like a breath of fresh (and steamy) air. It\u2019s a classic frenemies-to-forbidden lovers romance set against the backdrop of professional ice hockey. But as spicy as the series is, it\u2019s also a strong drama anchored by two stellar lead performances from Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie. Canadian streamer Crave (the original studio behind Heated Rivalry<\/em>) has already greenlit a second season, and if the show strikes your fancy, you should check out the books as well.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Despite its name, Rachell Sennot\u2019s I Love LA <\/em>is really a love letter to one\u2019s late 20s \u2014 that magical time when you understand that life isn\u2019t all sunshine and daisies, but you still have the energy to say \u201cscrew it\u201d and go out partying with your friends. The show\u2019s feelings about Los Angeles as a showbiz industry town are much thornier, and its sense of humor is charged with a deliciously pointed nihilism.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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In its first season, The Pitt <\/em>reminded everyone what makes tightly-crafted procedural dramas with hefty episode counts so satisfying to watch. Even though the show\u2019s story took place over the course of a single day, The Pitt <\/em>felt so much bigger because of how much time it spent developing its characters and making them feel like people with lives outside of the emergency room. Season 2 is right around the corner, but there\u2019s still time to get all caught up. You should probably dig in soon, though, because The Pitt <\/em>is a show best savored rather than binged.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake<\/em><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Adventure Time: Fiona and Cake<\/em>\u2019s second season<\/a> digs deeper into its whimsical multiverse as heroines Fionna (Madeleine Martin) and Cake the Cat (Roz Ryan) set out to save Finn the Human\u2019s (Jeremy Shada) life after he\u2019s wounded in battle. Though the second season moves a bit slower than the first, the way it deepens the backstories of some of Adventure Time<\/em>\u2019s supporting characters like Huntress Wizard (Ashly Burch) and Simon (Tom Kenny) is phenomenal.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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There was so much detail from Stephen King\u2019s It <\/em>novel that didn\u2019t make it into Warner Bros.\u2019 recent film adaptations, and one of the (few) great things about HBO\u2019s Welcome to Derry <\/em>prequel series is how it manages to weave a lot of that lore into a wholly original story. There\u2019s only so much mystery and suspense because this is a story about murderous horror from beyond the stars who we all know will live to see another day. But it\u2019s interesting to see how Pennywise\u2019s tactics have evolved over time, and if the finale\u2019s any indication, we\u2019re going to be seeing much more of the clown\u2019s story unfolding in other points in time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Harley (Kaley Cuoco) and Poison Ivy (Lake Bell) have had their ups and downs. But after a few seasons of figuring their romantic situation out, the couple are together, stronger than ever, and shaking their lives up a bit by leaving Gotham city behind in favor of moving to Metropolis. The Harley Quinn <\/em>series has always excelled at lampooning the denizens of Batman\u2019s home city, but the show\u2019s fifth season takes things to the next level by taking aim at a bigger larger chunk of DC\u2019s universe of heroes and villains.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Though Mad Men<\/em> is almost 20-years-old at this point, it is new to HBO Max and the streamer has finally worked out most of those embarrassing technical issues<\/a> that made the series\u2019 4K streaming debut such a fiasco<\/a>. Mad Men<\/em>\u2019s approach to storytelling has always been excellent, but it\u2019s especially wild in 2025 to see how the show\u2019s characters evolve over the course of a seven season run. The series is an all-time classic that embodies everything that was great about the last pre-streaming golden age of TV. And if you haven\u2019t had a chance to see Mad Men <\/em>in its entirety, now is the perfect time to dive back in.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Mike White\u2019s madcap dark comedy lampooning the wealthy travels to Thailand in its third season to weave another tale about people who can\u2019t escape their inner demons. It takes a little bit longer for this season to really get rolling and deliver on The White Lotus<\/em>\u2019 promise of bonkers twists. But if you can stick it out, the season (mostly) delivers and makes for a solid watch before the show returns before its next chapter.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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As was the case with The Last of Us Part II<\/em>, the second season of HBO\u2019s The Last of Us <\/em>series goes through some major changes that takes its story in a very different direction. Bella Ramsey\u2019s Ellie has always been a tremendous on-screen presence, but there\u2019s a dynamism to her performance in season 2 that is nothing short of amazing. The show\u2019s production design, cinematography, and special effects make it feel like one of HBO\u2019s strongest projects in ages. And because we\u2019re still a ways out from season 3 premiering, your best bet for now is to fire the show up from the very beginning.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=f6AZTfI54OU<\/a>
The latest season of James Gunn\u2019s Peacemaker <\/em>snatched everyone\u2019s wigs with a wild twist that makes a hell of a lot more sense when you watch the episodes for a second time. Multiversal superhero fare has long since grown a bit tiresome, but Peacemaker <\/em>uses the comics convention to tell a surprisingly thoughtful and poignant story about its titular meathead. Though John Cena will likely reprise the role in future DC Studios projects, it seems like this might be the end of Peacemaker\u2019s standalone series. But as superhero spinoff projects go, Peacemaker <\/em>was a success that\u2019s more than worth your time this holiday season.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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