Something is interesting among the 10 most popular shows on (HBO) Max right now. Sure, the prerequisite trashy reality TV shows from Warner Bros. Discovery are there as always. But the final two slots on this month’s list belong to a TV-MA action series called Banshee and The West Wing, a political drama celebrating its 25th anniversary. The former was actually a Cinemax original series that was one of the few to stand out from that time, and it may have a larger audience on Max than it ever did on its home channel.
Additionally, there’s a new No. 1 on top of the list. And it shouldn’t be surprising at all to learn that it’s The Pitt, the most prominent original drama currently running on Max. The reality shows may take up a few slots on this list, but a well-made HBO or Max original almost always rises to the top.
Keep reading for our complete countdown of the 10 most popular shows on Max as of January 23.
Looking for something else? We’ve also rounded up the 10 most popular movies on Max, the best movies on Max, the best shows on Max, and the best new shows to stream. For Netflix fans, check out the 10 most popular movies on Netflix right now and the 10 most popular shows on Netflix right now.
10. Banshee (2013)
66%
8.4/10Before playing Homelander on The Boys, Antony Starr headlined the Cinemax original series, Banshee, as Sheriff Lucas Hood. Or at least, that’s who he wanted people to believe that he was. In reality, Hood just assumed the identity of the town’s new sheriff when he died on his way to the job. That leaves the real deputies of Banshee dumbfounded by their new sheriff’s blatant disrespect for doing things by the book.
Hood also has a personal reason for coming to Banshee. His former lover, Anastasia (Ivana Miličević), has spent years living under an assumed name, Carrie Hopewell, and married another man. Hood and Carrie make the mistake of robbing her gangster father, Rabbit (Ben Cross). It’s only a matter of time before he finds them in their small town to exact his revenge.
9. The West Wing (1999)
78%
8.9/10Aaron Sorkin’s modern fable about a fully functional White House staff is enjoying a resurgence of popularity on Max nearly two decades after it went off the air. Martin Sheen plays President Jed Bartlet, but the drama is just as often centered around his cabinet and the workers in his close orbit.
Rob Lowe revitalized his career as Sam Seaborn, Bartlet’s top speechwriter who may have his own political aspirations. The rest of the cast is phenomenal, including Allison Janney, Richard Schiff, Bradley Whitford, and John Spencer. If there was ever a feel-good political drama, this is it.
8. Bookie (2023)
7%Bookie is like a CBS sitcom that was made for Max. Sebastian Maniscalco stars as Danny, a guy who has been able to make a living as an underground sports bookie alongside his friend Ray (Omar J. Dorsey). It’s highly illegal, and Danny is always at risk of losing everything if his world implodes.
Season 2 finds Danny desperately trying to get back with his wife, Sandra (Andrea Anders). But the only way so far to reenter Sandra’s good graces is by letting her mother, Wendy (Dale Dickey), move in with them after an uncomfortable murder-suicide she may have inadvertently set in motion in her old neighborhood.
7. Sister Wives (2010)
If you need another example of just how far the TLC brand has fallen, we give you Sister Wives, the reality show about Kody Brown and his multiple wives: Robyn, Meri, Janelle, and Christine. Technically, Kody’s only legally married to one wife at a time, but he’s still a polygamist.
TLC has somehow generated 19 seasons out of this so-called reality show. At least when HBO had Big Love, a scripted drama about a polygamist family, it was entertaining! We can’t say the same for Sister Wives.
6. 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days (2017)
Don’t look now, but it’s another 90 Day Fiancé spinoff! 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days takes a look at couples who only had an online relationship before connecting in person.
That includes the prospective husband or wife visiting their would-be spouse in their home country before bringing them to America.
5. The Sex Lives of College Girls (2021)
75%
7.8/10The third season of Max’s comedy/drama The Sex Lives of College Girls is heading for a shakeup, as Leighton (Reneé Rapp) bolts for the door in the name of love and academic opportunity. That leaves the quartet down to Kimberly (Pauline Chalamet), Bela (Amrit Kaur), and Whitney (Alyah Chanelle Scott). Kimberly and Whitney aren’t even speaking to each other at the start of the season.
Bela has to find some way to hold this trio together while Whitney decides whether she and Canaan (Christopher Meyer) can still pursue a romance after everything that’s happened between them.
4. Baylen Out Loud (2025)
Baylen Out Loud follows Baylen Dupree, a social influencer who has suffered from Tourette’s syndrome for most of her life.
Through this show, Dupree shares snapshots of her life as she works to overcome her involuntary movements and sounds while striking an open and optimistic tone about her future.
3. 90 Day: The Last Resort (2023)
Would you believe that 90 Day Fiancé: The Last Resort comes from the network formerly known as The Learning Channel?
In this spinoff from 90 Day Fiancé, five couples previously featured go on a group couples retreat to work out their marital issues in perhaps the most artificial way possible. If you’re having problems with insomnia, this show might be the cure.
2. The Curious Case of... (2025)
1. The Pitt (2025)
76%
8.3/10Noah Wyle isn’t a doctor, but he’s played one on TV for about 12 out of the last 30 years. Wyle was even in talks to reprise his role on a new ER revival before that fell apart, and Max put together The Pitt. So instead of playing Dr. John Carter, Wyle is now portraying Dr. Michael “Robby” Rabinavitch, the senior attending physician at Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital.
Original ER showrunner John Wells is also an executive producer on The Pitt, which features a unique storytelling approach for its first season. All 15 episodes of season 1 are part of the same 15-hour shift that pushes Robby and his colleagues to their breaking point.
