HBO

HBO may no longer be the only game in town when it comes to quality prestige TV, but they’re still pretty much the network to beat. From ‘Game of Thrones” to “Girls,” these are the shows that have helped maintain HBO’s strong reputation over the past ten years.[/nextpage][nextpage]

17. ‘The Deuce’

HBO

David Simon’s most recent HBO effort is no ‘the Wire,” but it is a pretty engrossing look at the rise of the porn industry in the 1970’s. Maggie Gyllenhaal is very much this show’s secret weapon as Candy, a freelance sex worker making the leap to adult film stardom. The series also makes surprisingly strong use of James Franco in a dual role as mobbed-up twin brothers.[/nextpage][nextpage]

16. ‘Barry’

HBO

While a relatively new addition to HBO’s lineup, “Barry” has managed to stand out from the crowd thanks to a talented cast and intriguing premise. Bill Hader stars as a hitman who finds his calling as a stage performer in Los Angeles. The series wisely plays that premise for emotional impact as much as it does comedy.[/nextpage][nextpage]

15. ‘Treme’

HBO

David Simon’s great strength as both a journalist and a storyteller is exposing readers to the full scope of a city and the many people who rise and fall even as it does. What “The Wire” did for Baltimore, “Treme” does for a post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans. While the series often lacked a compelling narrative, it succeeded in making you feel like you were right there in one of the most vibrant and chaotic cities in the US.[/nextpage][nextpage]

14. “True Detective”

HBO

“True Detective” was a very welcome addition to HBO’s lineup in its first season, offering viewers a thoughtful, visually stunning crime drama with heavy philosophical undertones. Sadly, the series got way too full of itself in Season 2. Here’s hoping Season 3 will be a return to form for “True Detective” in 2019.

(Exerpt) Read More at: MSN.com[/nextpage]