Out of all the new and classic titles available to stream onHBO Max, these three original series are some of the absolute best to watch this weekend, August 15–17, 2025. There’s truly no better way to beat the late summer heat than sinking into an immersive and/or thrilling TV show made by one of the best TV networks in the business, HBO.
From an eccentric and clever documentary series to a refined sports period drama and a star-studded Emmy-winning dark comedy,Screen Ranthas got you covered with some of thebest TV picks HBO Max has to offer right now.
3How To With John Wilson
Forfans of meta-reality/fiction hybrid documentary series likeNathan For YouandJury Duty,How To With John Wilsonis essentially required viewing. Set in the everyday streets of New York City, where series creator and narrator John Wilson lives, each episode takes a tutorial format that comes off as an unexpectedly entertaining video essay about a wide range of subjects.
While “video essay” isn’t exactly the most buzzworthy description of the series, it’s one of those rare shows that you genuinely have to see to believe. Using his own camera and vision behind it, Wilson has an uncanny knack for capturing real-world moments and slice-of-life scenarios that occur like glimpses of beauty and comedy in the cracks of society’s mundane daily fabric.
For example, the series premiere episode, “How to Make Small Talk,” chronicles Wilson’s perspective on the balancing act of pulling off something so casual yet significant in the grand scheme of things. What Wilson offers more than anything isa unique voice and point of view that truly makes this series so fascinating and idiosyncratic.
For those who enjoy people-watching at public parks and shopping malls,How To With John Wilsonfeels like people-watching a people-watcher. What’s most impressive about the series is how Wilson is able to create meaning through the combination of menial happenings and normal people through a distinct theme in each episode. It also shows how much can be achieved through sheer creativity alone.
How To With John Wilsonpremiered on HBO in October 2020 and continued for three seasons until 2023. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are present and felt throughout the series, given its documentary style, which adds another layer of intrigue looking back from the present day.
The series was nominated for 3 Emmys, including Outstanding Writing For a Nonfiction Program twice,earned a perfectRotten Tomatoesscore of 100% across all three seasons, and is ranked 123rd in IMDB’s Top 250 TV shows.
It’s an incredibly easy series to binge-watch in a weekend because once you start, you’ll likely find it very hard to turn it off. It’s also a show that just might change how you look at the world and other people in your own life.
2Winning Time
Among the list of TV shows released in the 2020s that were canceled far too soon,Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynastyhas to be at the top of the list. Sports fans and particularly basketball historians were blessed by the release ofWinning Time, which chronicled the “Showtime” Los Angeles Lakers during the early 1980s as Earvin “Magic” Johnson became a worldwide superstar and household name.
All basketball fans know that you can’t say Magic Johnson without saying another NBA legend’s name in the same breath: Boston Celtics phenom Larry Bird. The fierce rivalry that formed between the Lakers and Celtics during the 1980s quite literally reinvigorated the sport and did wonders for the league altogether. Larry doesn’t appear untilWinning Timeseason 2, which is all the more reason to binge-watch season 1 as soon as possible.
Winning Timehas an absolutely loaded cast led byJohn C. Reilly in one of his career-best performances as Jerry Buss, the prolific former owner of the Lakers. 2-time Oscar winner Adrien Brody portrays Pat Riley, another legendary NBA coach, and Jason Segel plays Paul Westhead, another former Lakers coach.
Michael Chiklis plays the iconic Boston coach Red Auerbach, while Jason Clarke plays Jerry West, the guy whose silhouette is literally on the NBA logo. Gaby Hoffman and Molly Gordon play crucial supporting characters, but Quincy Isaiah soaks up the spotlight and the quintessential Los Angeles Laker, Magic.
Winning Timewas nominated for six Emmys during its two-season, 17-episode run. The most frustrating part of the series' cancellation is that it didn’t even cover the glory days of the Lakers' championship run during the 1980s, ending with the Lakers' 1984 loss in the Finals to the Boston Celtics.
Given everything, there’s still so much to enjoy about the acclaimed series, which earned an 83% onRotten Tomatoes. The series does take some liberties with some of the real-life events and details, most of which are very well-documented, but as far as entertainment value goes, it gets just about everything right.
1The White Lotus
While starting at season 1 isn’t entirely necessary to get into the latest season ofThe White Lotusset in Thailand, there are a few key details that would benefit your viewing experience by starting with the series premiere. The show is technically an anthology series, with season 1 taking place in Hawaii and season 2 in Italy, and features an almost entirely new cast each season.
The White Lotus, developed by Mike White (best known for his appearance inSchool of RockandSurvivor), is afantastic summer watch for at-home viewers wishing to escape to a scenic landscapeat a luxurious hotel resort from the comfort of their homes. Most of the characters inThe White Lotusare relaxing and letting loose on vacation, which could be the perfect fix for those real-world post-vacation blues.
The star ofThe White Lotusis undoubtedly Jennifer Coolidge’s Tanya, a role that earned her two Emmy Awards for Best Supporting Actress. Season 1 also features the likes of Sydney Sweeney, Steve Zahn, Alexandra Daddario, Connie Britton, and Lukas Gage. Season 2 features brand-new cast members Aubrey Plaza, Theo James, Michael Imperioli, F. Murray Abraham, and Leo Woodall.
The White Lotusseason 3’s castwas led by Walton Goggins, Michelle Monaghan, Jason Isaacs, Parker Posey, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Aimee Lou Wood, and Lisa from the K-pop group Blackpink. Each season contains sharply clever satire of the upper-class guests at the various White Lotus hotels andstrong, balanced doses of drama, comedy, and, of course, murder mystery suspense.
The White Lotusis one of those “event” episodic Sunday night releases when it’s currently airing, but is arguably much better to binge-watch, especially given season 3’s slower pace. Consider yourself fortunate that you won’t have to wait each week for a new episode if you still haven’t checked out what allThe White Lotusbuzz is about onHBO Max.
