June is upon us, and with it, HBO Max has announced its June lineup, which includes some hugely anticipated new seasons of shows, the biggest of them being the third season of House of the Dragon (June 21) and season 9 of Rick and Morty (June 15). Things don’t start heating up until a bit later in the month, but now would be a great time to delve into an older HBO show you maybe haven’t given a shot yet.
To that end, for this week’s roundup, I have included a popular home improvement reality show that’s just started its second season, if you must have something current. Otherwise, I’ve added a trio of critically-acclaimed Rotten Tomatoes darlings, including the dramatized rise of one of basketball’s biggest franchises, Danny McBride’s finest work, and an award-winning Canadian comedy gem that’s easy to revisit.
4
Castle Impossible
A couple restores a crumbling 500-year-old French château
If you’re into home-renovation shows, Castle Impossible is a unique one to check out as it goes well beyond the more standard urban or suburban fixer-uppers of many shows, and adds the cool grandeur of a medieval castle to the mix. The HGTV series, with weekly episodes for season two now streaming on HBO Max, follows married couple Daphne Reckert and Ian Figueira as they face the challenges of restoring a 500-year-old château outside Paris that Daphne inherited.
And the challenges are many—leaks, mold, restoring crumbling old stonework—as they expand the 130-acre estate, which once hosted royalty, including Louis XIII, to be used for weddings and events. Further upgrades include the addition of a tearoom, honeymoon suite, and a library, all done while also being respectful of Daphne’s family heritage. Castle Impossible is a light watch that’s fun to follow along with as the estate takes shape.
3
Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty
The drama and the glamor of the “Showtime” Lakers
I remember watching this fantastic Emmy-nominated series when it first streamed on HBO Max in 2022, and apart from its absolutely stacked cast that includes Adrien Brody, Jason Segel, Jason Clarke, Quincy Isaiah, and Solomon Hughes, the actor who just rockets Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty to the moon is John C. Reilly.
Quiz
HBO Max movies and shows
Trivia challenge
From Westeros to the ER — how well do you know HBO Max’s biggest hits and most talked-about originals?
DramaComedyFantasyMoviesCharacters
In The Pitt, what type of medical facility serves as the primary setting for the series?
Correct! The Pitt is set in a Pittsburgh hospital emergency room and follows the staff through a single grueling 15-hour shift. The show stars Noah Wyle and was created as a spiritual successor to the classic ER.
Not quite. The Pitt takes place in a Pittsburgh hospital emergency room, not a surgery wing or clinic. The show unfolds in real time over one intense 15-hour shift, giving it a grounded, unrelenting pace.
In Hacks, what is the profession of Deborah Vance, the character played by Jean Smart?
Correct! Deborah Vance is a legendary Las Vegas stand-up comedian who reluctantly teams up with a young, struggling comedy writer named Ava. Jean Smart’s performance earned her widespread critical acclaim and multiple Emmy Awards.
Not quite. Deborah Vance is a veteran stand-up comedian — a Las Vegas legend who is forced to collaborate with a younger comedy writer to reinvent her act. Jean Smart won Emmy Awards for the role.
House of the Dragon is a prequel to Game of Thrones — approximately how many years before the events of Game of Thrones does it take place?
Correct! House of the Dragon is set roughly 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. It depicts the Targaryen civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons, a catastrophic conflict over succession to the Iron Throne.
Not quite. House of the Dragon is set approximately 200 years before Game of Thrones, not 50 or 100 years. The series is based on George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood and covers the Targaryen dynasty at the height of its power.
In the 2025 horror film Sinners, directed by Ryan Coogler, what supernatural threat do twin brothers face in the Deep South?
Correct! Sinners features vampires as the central supernatural threat. Ryan Coogler’s film stars Michael B. Jordan in a dual role as the twin brothers, and blends horror with themes of race, music, and history in 1930s Mississippi.
Not quite. The supernatural menace in Sinners is vampires. Director Ryan Coogler crafted the film as a genre-bending horror story set in 1930s Mississippi, starring Michael B. Jordan as twin brothers caught in a terrifying night of violence.
Weapons, the 2025 horror anthology film on Max, was written and directed by which filmmaker?
Correct! Weapons was written and directed by Zach Cregger, who previously broke out with the acclaimed horror film Barbarian in 2022. The anthology follows multiple interconnected stories tied together by a disturbing central mystery.
Not quite. Weapons was directed by Zach Cregger, best known for directing Barbarian. Cregger has quickly established himself as one of the most exciting voices in modern horror, and Weapons continued that momentum on Max.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight is another Game of Thrones prequel series — which character does it primarily follow?
Correct! The series centers on Ser Duncan the Tall, a hedge knight, and his young squire Egg — who is secretly the young prince Aegon Targaryen. The story is based on George R.R. Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas.
Not quite. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms follows Ser Duncan the Tall, a wandering hedge knight, alongside his squire Egg. The show is adapted from George R.R. Martin’s beloved Dunk and Egg novellas set a century before Game of Thrones.
One Battle After Another, the 2025 Max limited series, is based on a novel by which author?
Correct! One Battle After Another is adapted from Thomas Pynchon’s novel Vineland. The series marks a rare screen adaptation of Pynchon’s notoriously complex work, and generated significant buzz for its ambitious literary source material.
Not quite. The series is based on the work of Thomas Pynchon, one of American literature’s most elusive and celebrated novelists. Adapting Pynchon for television is a rare and ambitious undertaking given the dense, layered nature of his writing.
In Euphoria, what substance addiction is central to the storyline of the main character, Rue, played by Zendaya?
Correct! Rue’s battle with opioid addiction is a core thread running through Euphoria. The show uses her struggle as a lens to explore trauma, identity, and mental health among teenagers, and Zendaya won Emmy Awards for her portrayal.
Not quite. Rue struggles primarily with opioid addiction throughout Euphoria. Creator Sam Levinson drew on personal experience to shape her character, and Zendaya’s raw, emotionally powerful performance earned her back-to-back Emmy wins.
Your Score
/ 8
Thanks for playing!
The two-season, 17-episode basketball docudrama depicts the spectacle that was the “Showtime” era of the 1980s LA Lakers. It follows flamboyant owner Jerry Buss (Reilly), who buys the team and stakes everything on rookie phenom, Earvin “Magic” Johnson (Isaiah). What follows is an excessive ride through boardroom power plays, locker-room and on-court egos, and the off-court shenanigans of both the players and the executives. Clarke also shines as high-strung exec Jerry West, as does Adrien Brody, who takes on the role of legendary Lakers coach Pat Riley. Winning Time was loved by critics and audiences, with RT giving it an 83% freshness rating.
2
Eastbound & Down
A washed-up pitcher’s gloriously profane comeback
No one, I mean no one, plays an aggressively confident, loudmouth, creep better than Danny McBride. Long before The Righteous Gemstones, but after Tropic Thunder and Pineapple Express, the hilarious comedic actor really dialed it in with Kenny Powers. Eastbound & Down is HBO’s delightfully crude comedy, which aired from 2009 to 2013, that’s all about a washed-up Major League baseball pitcher who retreats to his North Carolina hometown to plot his big comeback while teaching middle-school gym.
Convinced he’s still a superstar, Kenny and his mighty mullet drag his hapless sidekick, Stevie (Steve Little), and the old flame he can’t quite let go of, April (Katy Mixon), along on his journey of self-sabotage. Created by Danny McBride, Jody Hill, and Ben Best—and produced by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay—Eastbound & Down‘s four seasons became a cult hit and helped launch McBride’s whole ethos of delusional, Southern echo-chamber anti-heroes. The hysterically epic series has a 91% critics’ score on RT.
1
Schitt’s Creek
The Emmy-winning phenom is all here
What do you get when you combine Canadian comedy royalty with smartly-written satire and next-generation talent? Schitt’s Creek, that’s what. The fan-favorite fish-out-of-water comedy’s premise is delightfully simple—it follows the pretentiously filthy-rich Rose family, who lose everything and are forced to move to the titular small town they once bought as a joke to regroup.
But it’s the characters that made Schitt’s Creek the massive hit it is. Stranded in a roadside motel with nothing but their designer clothes and damaged egos, Johnny Rose (Eugene Levy), his dramatic ex-soap-star wife Moira (Catherine O’Hara), and their spoiled-rotten adult kids, David (Dan Levy) and Alexis (Annie Murphy), excruciatingly transform out of their snobbery as they discover real relationships, friendship, and love in the middle-of-nowhere town. Co-created by Eugene and Dan, Schitt’s Creek stunned the Emmys in 2020, sweeping all four comedy acting categories, plus winning Outstanding Comedy Series.
All six seasons arrived on HBO Max last February, shortly after the passing of O’Hara, whose Moira will live on as one of comedy’s greatest characters. Schitt’s Creek has a whopping 93% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Can’t go wrong with these picks
Whether you’re in the mood for laughter, drama, or watching someone do battle with the plumbing of an old French chateau, HBO Max is a deep well of wonder. If you’re still hungry for more, however, How-To Geek’s other streaming guides have plenty waiting.
- Subscription with ads
-
Yes, $10.99/month
- Simultaneous streams
-
2 or 4
- Live TV
-
Live sports available in Standard and Premium plans
- Price
-
Starting at $10.99/month or $109.99/year
HBO Max is a subscription-based streaming service offering content from HBO, Warner Bros., DC, and more. In 2025, the service re-branded itself as HBO Max after having previously cut “HBO” from its name.
Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.
