Looking for something different to stream on HBO Max this weekend? These three underrated shows prove some of the best television on the platform never got the mainstream buzz they deserved.

From a gritty period medical drama to a strange and gorgeous animated sci-fi series to an Italian coming-of-age epic, each one offers a completely different kind of binge. If you are tired of scrolling past the same recommended TV series every weekend, these picks are worth the detour.

We also have guides to the best new movies to stream, the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best free movies, and the best movies on Amazon Prime Video.

The Knick (2014)

Genre: Medical Drama
IMDB rating: 8. 4/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%

Clive Owen plays Dr. John Thackery, a brilliant but drug addicted surgeon working at a fictionalized version of Manhattan’s Knickerbocker Hospital in 1900. The surgeries are graphic, the lighting is dim and authentic, and the show never softens the brutality of early medicine. Andre Holland is just as compelling as Dr. Algernon Edwards, a Black surgeon fighting for basic respect in a hospital that barely tolerates him.

The show’s medical accuracy came from Dr. Stanley Burns, a real historian who advised on set to keep every procedure true to the period. Originally a Cinemax show, it quietly slid onto HBO Max and somehow still flies under the radar despite stellar reviews. I went in expecting a stuffy period piece and came out rattled by how raw it gets.

You can watch The Knick on HBO Max.

Scavengers Reign (2023)

Genre: Sci-fi, Animation
IMDB rating: 8. 6/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 100%

This adult animated sci-fi series follows the surviving crew of a wrecked spaceship stranded on a strange, beautiful, and dangerous planet. Every alien creature and plant feels like it was dreamed up by someone who actually thought through how an ecosystem works, not just what looks cool.

The animation style draws heavy comparisons to Moebius, and it earns every one of them. What got me was how the show never paints its monsters as evil; they are just trying to survive, just like humans. It won an Emmy for background design and still got canceled after one season, which feels like a crime considering how much world there was left to explore.

You can watch Scavengers Reign on HBO Max.

My Brilliant Friend (2018-2024)

Genre: Coming of age, Drama
IMDB rating: 8. 6/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 98%

Based on Ferrante’s Neapolitan Novels, this Italian language series follows two friends, Elena and Lila, whose bond stretches across 60 years against the backdrop of a poor Naples neighborhood. Every season holds at least a 90 on Metacritic, which is almost unheard of for a four season run.

The show leans into long silences and small gestures instead of big dramatic speeches, letting two extraordinary young actresses carry entire emotional arcs through expression alone. If you want something slow-paced that is also gripping, this is the kind of show you can binge-watch over a weekend.

You can watch My Brilliant Friend on HBO Max.