- HBO is known for making some of the best TV of the last 30 years.
- But not every show can be "The Sopranos," "The Leftovers," "Succession," or "Game of Thrones."
- There have been some real stinkers to air on HBO over the years.
When you think of the shows that have aired on HBO, some of the best TV series of all time will probably come to mind.
"Game of Thrones," "Six Feet Under," "The Leftovers," "The Sopranos," "Sex and the City," "The Wire," "Deadwood," "Succession," "Boardwalk Empire" — the list goes on.
But for every all-time iconic show, there have been ones that are less favorably remembered, like "Arliss," or shows that fell short of the high expectations viewers had for them, like the Martin Scorsese-helmed "Vinyl."
Here are 10 of the worst HBO shows of all time, as judged by critics and audiences, including our own (tough) viewing experiences.
"The Idol"
"The Idol," a series about a former teen idol trying to reclaim her stardom only to fall prey to a cultish producer, was doomed from the start. The 2023 series started receiving negative headlines when it was first reported by outlets like Deadline that the show's original director, Amy Seimetz, had departed amid an "overhaul."
What Seimetz's version of "The Idol" would've been, we'll never know, but the version we did end up seeing, led by "Euphoria" showrunner Sam Levinson and The Weeknd, ended up closer to a "sordid male fantasy" (Variety), a "Pornhub-homepage odyssey" (The New York Times' Kyle Buchanan), or "torture porn" (sources on set, per Rolling Stone).
Whether you think that's an exaggeration or not, there's no denying that the show just wasn't very good. The relationship between Lily-Rose Depp's Jocelyn and The Weeknd's Tedros made no sense, and Jocelyn's heel-turn at the end of the season was borderline offensive.
Plus, the show wasted the rest of the talented cast, including Rachel Sennott, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, and Hank Azaria.
It was canceled after one season.
"The Brink"
"The Brink," which aired in 2015, was originally renewed for a second season before the network reversed the renewal and canceled it, per Deadline.
The series starred Jack Black as a Foreign Service Officer assigned to work at the USA's embassy in Islamabad. His costars were Tim Robbins, who played the secretary of state, and Pablo Schreiber, who played a Navy pilot/drug dealer.
The darkly comic series could never quite nail down its tone. As Emily St. James wrote for Vox, "There are funny moments scattered throughout, but by and large, 'The Brink' aims to filter the satire of 'Strangelove' through the tone of 'Family Guy,' where there's no joke so obvious that it can't be made even more obvious."
"Arliss"
"Arliss" was such a mediocre show that it was used as a punchline for TV critics and sports journalists — Bill Simmons, when he was still at ESPN, frequently bemoaned its quality. In one 2001 article, he called it "perennially unwatchable" and a "running joke in the industry for the past few years."
For those who may not even remember what "Arliss" was: It was a sports dramedy created by and starring Robert Wuhl as Arliss Michaels, an agent for an extensive roster of professional athletes. It ran for seven seasons from 1996 to 2002, confounding many.
As Entertainment Weekly put it, "TV critics [were] fond of using the series for batting practice."
"The Mind of the Married Man"
Much like "Arliss," "The Mind of the Married Man," which aired from 2001 to 2002 and similarly starred its creator (this time, comedian Mike Binder), was used as a punchline for TV critics.
In the same 2001 article in which he insulted "Arliss," Bill Simmons called this sitcom a "stinkbomb" and its creator/star "wildly untalented."
The show starred Binder as a fictionalized version of himself delving into the male perspective of being married. That's it. Not exactly groundbreaking stuff.
As Kevin Alexander wrote for Thrillist, "The best part of this show is the dated Wikipedia summaries of each episode."
"Here and Now"
If you watched "Here and Now" in 2025, seven years after it debuted on HBO, you might find it well-meaning, if a bit clunky. Led by Tim Robbins and Holly Hunter, it's the sprawling story of a multiracial family living in Portland — think "Parenthood," but make it HBO.
The reviews for the show's lone season were negative. Time's Judy Berman called it "a self-righteous wallow in upper-middle-class Trump-era despair that tokenized its diverse cast, undermined its own progressive credentials, and wasted two excellent leads," while Joel Keller of Decider wrote, "'Here and Now' is so overwrought that it makes 'The Handmaid's Tale' look like a lighthearted romp by comparison."
"1st & Ten"
"1st & Ten" was one of HBO's earliest sitcoms upon its premiere in 1984. It lasted for six seasons, ending in 1991.
Unfortunately for the show, it's now best known for starring OJ Simpson, who played a running back turned coach — while the presence of a pre-murder trial Simpson might make this a morbid fascination for the true-crime obsessed, it's still not worth the watch. It's just not funny!
Another problem? The premise — that a woman won the ownership of a professional sports team in a nasty divorce — would go on to be executed better in future shows, such as "Major League" and "Ted Lasso."
"Vinyl"
In retrospect, "Vinyl" was not that bad, but we had such high expectations that, almost 10 years later, we still can't believe this wasn't the greatest show of all time.
Co-created by Martin Scorsese, Mick Jagger, Rolling Stone editor and author Rich Cohen, and "Boardwalk Empire" creator Terence Winter, a show about a 1970s record executive in New York City played by Bobby Cannavale sounds like a slam dunk.
But it just wasn't. As Barbara Ellen wrote for The Guardian, "The makers of 'Vinyl' need to realise that a decent soundtrack is not a panacea for dud scenes and bad dialogue."
After originally getting renewed for a second season, HBO reversed its decision and canceled the show two months after the first season concluded.
"Camping"
The 2018 American remake of the British series "Camping" was the first project that creators Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner worked on together after the end of their smash hit "Girls" in 2017.
Needless to say, expectations were high. The cast had a deep bench, including David Tennant, Jennifer Garner, Ione Skye, Juliette Lewis, Chris Sullivan, Arturo Del Puerto, Bridget Everett, Busy Philipps, Nicole Richie, Hari Nef, and more.
However, this show (about a group of middle-aged friends taking an annual camping trip) was just deeply unpleasant to watch. Every character was unlikable, and not in a charming way, like the characters of "Girls." It was almost painful.
"'Camping' is in the running for the worst US version of a successful British series since 'Coupling,'" wrote Gwen Ihnat for the AV Club.
"Avenue 5"
Hugh Laurie, one of the most acerbic actors in Hollywood, teaming up with Armando Iannucci, the creator of "Veep" (one of the most hilarious, biting satires in HBO's history), should've produced the best show of all time.
Instead, we got "Avenue 5," a story about a space cruise that gets diverted from returning to Earth for three years … with only eight weeks worth of supplies on board. Laurie played the captain of the ship, Ryan Clark.
The show premiered in 2020 and only returned for its second season in 2022, which probably caused it to lose some momentum, and the show was canceled.
"What we're left with is a not terribly funny workplace comedy, with the saving grace of some accomplished and likable performers," wrote The New York Times' Mike Hale.
"John from Cincinnati"
Think back to June 10, 2007. The highly anticipated series finale of "The Sopranos" has just concluded with one of the most iconic and divisive unresolved endings of all time. People were calling HBO because they were convinced their signals had cut out prematurely.
Instead, the credits rolled and viewers were treated to "John from Cincinnati," a … surfer crime show? Starring former "90210" and "Saved By the Bell" heartthrobs Luke Perry and Mark-Paul Gosselaar, along with Bruce Greenwood, Rebecca De Mornay, Ed O'Neill, Luis Guzmán, and Jennifer Grey?
Oh, and the titular John? He's a psychically gifted man who possibly has mental disabilities — it's never made clear — and who can only speak using words people have said to him, and can make things appear in his pockets. Sure?
It was never going to work out for this show. Everyone was too emotional about "The Sopranos," and it was the wrong place, wrong time for this crew of Californian misfits.
Tim Goodman called the show "utterly flat and unbelievable in its supposed wackiness" in his review for the San Francisco Chronicle.
