5 Greatest HBO Shows With Fewer Than 40 Episodes

Content Warning: This list contains a brief mention of sexual assault.HBO boasts some of the greatest television shows of all time, from drama shows like The Sopranos and The Wire, to comedy series like Sex and the City and Curb Your Enthusiasm. HBO is known for unique and bold shows that take risks and leave viewers deep in thought long after the final episode. Its drama series are intense and emotional, and its comedy series are sharply funny and surprising.

HBO has a number of excellent long-running shows, but among its best shows are a handful of shorter-running series with less than 40 episodes. These shows draw viewers in immediately with strong beginnings, and they then tell a complete story in a limited number of episodes, ending in powerful and unforgettable conclusions. These are the greatest HBO series with fewer than 40 episodes.

‘Mare of Easttown’ (2021)

Evan Peters and Kate Winslet wearing coats, walking along side one another in 'Mare of Easttown'. — Evan Peters and Kate Winslet wearing coats, walking along side one another in ‘Mare of Easttown’.

Mare of Easttown is a crime drama miniseries that follows Mare Sheehan (Kate Winslet), a detective sergeant in a small Pennsylvania town where a girl went missing a year earlier. After being unable to solve the case, Mare has been consistently doubted and questioned by the people around her, especially because she’s currently grappling with a personal tragedy that she’s still struggling to come back from. The series kicks off when a teenage girl named Erin McMenamin (Cailee Spaeny) is found murdered. Mare is forced to work with a new partner, Detective Colin Zabel (Evan Peters) on the case, all while trying to determine if this is linked to her missing person’s case from a year ago.

HBO has a number of phenomenal miniseries, but Mare of Easttown stands out as one of its very best. In just seven episodes, the series tells a complete story and delivers a compelling central mystery. While Mare of Easttown has a suspenseful and captivating main plot, though, it is more than just a murder mystery series. The show is a deeply emotional and thoughtful exploration of topics like grief, violence against women, and the cost of secrets in a small and tight-knit community. The series’ main mystery has multiple brilliant and shocking twists, but most of all, it takes Mare on a devastating and ultimately beautiful journey in its single season.

‘Barry’ (2018–2023)

Bill Hader and Anthony Carrigan in the desert in 'Barry' Season 2 wearing hats — Bill Hader and Anthony Carrigan in the desert in ‘Barry’ Season 2 wearing hats

Barry is a dark comedy thriller series that follows a hitman named Barry Berkman (Bill Hader). While on a job in LA for his handler and old family friend, Fuches (Stephen Root), Barry follows his latest target to an acting class. Barry initially just attends the class and pretends to be an aspiring actor in order to get close to his latest target, Ryan Madison (Tyler Jacob Moore). While there, though, Barry finds that he actually enjoys the acting class. He likes the people that he meets there, and he is suddenly enamored with the idea of becoming an actor.

After that first job, Barry couldn’t help but keep going back to the acting class. He knows that it’s risky in his line of work to keep frequenting the same place, especially one that is all about putting his face out there and getting exposure. Still, though, Barry continues to attend the class, forming bonds with the other people there, including his crush, Sally Reed (Sarah Goldberg), and his acting teacher, Gene Cousineau (Henry Winkler). All the while, Barry keeps taking assignments for Fuches, while getting more and more entangled with the Chechen mob. Barry is an absolutely brilliant series that balances a suspenseful main plot with wonderfully outlandish dark comedy and a scathing critique of the entertainment industry. In just 32 episodes, Barry tells an intense, devastating, and simultaneously hilarious story that is excellent from start to finish.

‘I May Destroy You’ (2020)

Michaela Coel in I May Destroy You close-up shot looking at the camera.

I May Destroy You is a limited tragicomedy series that follows Arabella Essiedu (Michaela Coel), a social media influencer and novelist who is on deadline for her second book. While struggling with writer’s block and in need of a break, Arabella goes out to a club one night for drinks with her friends. That night, Arabella is drugged and sexually assaulted by a stranger, and the 11 episodes that follow detail the aftermath of this attack. At the same time, Arabella still has to find a way to overcome her writer’s block and finish her second novel before her deadline.

I May Destroy You is unlike any other series out there, and it stands out amongst HBO’s very best shows for its phenomenal writing and perfectly-balanced tone. While Arabella’s story is at the very core of the series, I May Destroy You also focuses on her closest friends and the complex and messy relationships that she has with them. The series has a sharp and very dark sense of humor that pairs well with its gut-wrenching and deeply raw main story, and it leaves a lasting impact long after its incredible series finale.

‘Succession’ (2018–2023)

With 39 episodes, Succession is just short enough to be considered one of HBO’s shorter series. The phenomenal drama series follows the Roy family. Logan Roy (Brian Cox) is the wildly successful founder and CEO of a media conglomerate called Waystar Royco that he built from nothing. At 80 years old, everyone is expecting Logan to retire and pass the company on to one of his four adult children: Connor (Alan Ruck), Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Roman (Kieran Culkin), or Shiv (Sarah Snook). Instead, though, Logan is determined to keep working for as long as he can, while continuing to prioritize the company above all else like he’s done for the entirety of his children’s lives.

Succession has four perfect seasons that blend family drama elements with workplace drama elements, all while having a sharply funny and often dark sense of humor. Each season is an excellent slow burn, quietly building a sense of dread until the drama that’s been lingering finally boils over. Succession perfectly fits its story into four compact seasons, making each episode feel absolutely vital all the way up until the very last scene of its breathtaking and gut-wrenching series finale.

‘The Leftovers’ (2014–2017)

Kevin Garvey (Justin Theroux) stands outside in his police uniform in The Leftovers — CHief of police Kevin Garvey (Justin Theroux) stands outside in his police uniform, eyes down at a red book he is clasping in ‘The Leftovers’ Season 3, Episode 1 “The Book of Kevin”.

Based on the novel of the same name by Tom Perotta, The Leftovers is a post-apocalyptic mystery box drama series that is set three years after a mysterious event where 2% of the world suddenly disappeared without a trace. Police Chief Kevin Garvey (Justin Theroux) is just doing his best to keep things running smoothly in the small town of Mapleton, NY. This is not easy as the three-year anniversary of the Departure approaches, mainly due to a rapidly-growing cult called The Guilty Remnant, whose goal is to force everyone to remember the Departure instead of moving forward. Kevin’s wife, Laurie (Amy Brenneman), left their family to join the Guilty Remnant a little while back, and she no longer associates with them or speaks at all.

Each of The Leftovers‘ three seasons is drastically different but equally bold and phenomenal. They’re all set close to a different anniversary in the years following the Departure, and they’re each set in a different place. Over the course of The Leftovers‘ 28 episodes, the show explores themes of love, loss, and faith, all while gradually adding in clever and intentionally ambiguous speculative elements. The Leftovers is such a beautiful and devastating series, and it takes viewers on an unforgettable journey from its very first episode to its very last, leaving them forever changed after.