As the saying goes, it’s not television; it’s HBO. The prestigious cable network has been delivering quality content since their two breakout hits —The SopranosandSex and the City— cemented it as the home for critically acclaimed, boundary-pushing shows.
The 2010s were an all-time great decade for HBO, and the 2020s seem to be following suit. Indeed, the network has produced some of its all-time best projects these past thirteen years, introducing some of the best characters on television. From queens in the making to kickass superheroes, these characters revolutionized television and confirmed HBO as a titan in the television industry.
10Arabella Essiedu — ‘I May Destroy You’ (2020)
Michaela Coel’s masterpieceI May Destroy Youremains a severely underrated, if acclaimed, project in HBO’s modern library. The miniseries stars Coel as Arabella, a woman reassessing her life after being sexually assaulted in a nightclub.
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I May Destroy Youisn’t always an easy watch — it’s a challenging and often discomforting exploration of trauma powered by a spectacular performance from Coel. Arabella is an intricate creation of numerous layers — anxiety, anger, frustration, pain, confusion. Coel brings these emotions to life with delicate precision, crafting a modern-day heroine for the #MeToo era.
9Angela Abar/Sister Night — ‘Watchmen’ (2019)
Creating a suitable follow-up toAlan Moore’s notoriously unyielding graphic novelWatchmenis no easy task. However,Damon Lindelofrose to the challenge and delivered a thoughtful, cohesive, and satisfying continuation: the 2019 miniseriesWatchmen.
Lindelof’sWatchmenstars Oscar and Emmy winnerRegina Kingas Angela Abar, a Tulsa police detective caught in the middle of a violent war with a white supremacist group. King is the ideal, stroke-of-genius choice for the role: stern but approachable, tough but vulnerable. The actress delivers a compelling, compassionate portrayal of vigilantism, supporting the show’s convoluted narrative on her capable shoulders. No wonder she won another Emmy for her work.
8Kevin Garvey — ‘The Leftovers’ (2014-2017)
With so much content available, some shows are bound to slip through the cracks, including those that are certified works of art; Damon Lindelof andTom Perotta’s dramaThe Leftoversis the perfect example.Justin Therouxstars as Kevin Garvey, a chief of police struggling to maintain order in a world where 2% of the population suddenly disappeared.
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The Leftoversis somber and thorny; however, its thought-provoking, insightful, introspective narrative is undeniably rewarding. Theroux has no easy task with the character; Kevin is a walking jumble of contradictions, an elusive and often erratic figure perpetually hiding something from the audience. However, the actor deftly handles Kevin’s edges, crafting a fine portrayal of grief, dissociation, and even absurdism that ranks as one of the best performances in any modern HBO show.
7Maeve Millay — ‘Westworld’ (2016-2022)
Westworldwasnever a consistent show. It went through high peaks and ridiculously low valleys, with fans never knowing what to expect. However, one aspect that was always reliable wasThandiwe Newton’s portrayal of Maeve Millay. Initially acting as a madam in Sweetwater, Maeve gains awareness of her nature and becomes a key player in the hosts' fight to leave Westworld.
Newton plays Maeve with chilly charm. Perceptive and manipulative, Maeve is one step ahead of everyone, unafraid to switch sides if necessary, and ready to do what’s necessary to triumph. Newton’s performance is brilliant, embodying Maeve’s increasing ruthlessness without letting go of the vulnerable aspects that made her compelling to begin with.
6Tanya McQuoid -— ‘The White Lotus’ (2021-)
The iconicJennifer Coolidgedelivers the finest performance in her long career inMike White’s delicious satireThe White Lotus. The veteran actress plays Tanya McQuoid, a bundle of insecurities and anxieties recovering from her mother’s death while falling prey to those who know how to manipulate her vulnerabilities.
In Coolidge’s hands, Tanya is a tragic accident, the heroine of a farcical opera singing to an empty theater. The actress plays Tanya with masterful confidence, walking a fine line between ridiculousness and genuine devastation. Hilarious but never a walking punchline, Tanya isThe White Lotus' absurdity embodied, and Coolidge is in on the joke.
5Joel & Ellie — ‘The Last of Us’ (2023-)
The Last of Uswas a massive hit for HBO. Based on Naughty Dog’s eponymous video game, the plot centers around Joel, a hardened smuggler tasked with escorting Ellie, a young girl, across a dystopian United States decimated by a dangerous virus that turns people into mindless savages.
Pedro PascalandBella Ramseyportray the main characters, delivering two of the finest performances in modern television. Broken and jaded, Joel and Ellie find solace in each other, developing a unique bond that allows them to believe and love again.The Last of Usis amongthe best video game adaptations, largely thanks to Pascal and Ramsey’s outstanding work, which finds the lost humanity among the zombie carnage.
4Barry Berkman — ‘Barry’ (2018-2023)
WhenBill HaderleftSaturday Night Live, many mourned his absence and the void he left behind. However, Hader made up for it by creating, writing, directing, and starring in the HBO dark comedyBarry, about a hitman who becomes an actor after traveling to Los Angeles for a job.
Expertly blending comedy, cruelty, vulnerability, and pathos, Hader created one of thebest assassins in modern television. Barry Berkman is a clash of opposites: warm and approachable one moment, violent and unforgiving the next. Hader portrays the character’s nuances with eerie precision, finding the bleak and wicked humor in Barry’s darkest sides and delivering a tour de force performance in the process.
3Rhaenyra Targaryen — ‘House of the Dragon’ (2022-)
Game of Thronesleft a bitter taste in the audience’s mouth, with many believing the show’s sins were too great to forgive. However,House of the Dragonsuccessfully wiped those ugly memories away with an excellent story that echoes back to the political mind games that first madeGOTa smashing success.
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At the center of the action is Rhaenyra Targaryen, played byMillie Alcockas a child andEmma D’Arcyas an adult. Unlike her book counterpart, the live-action Rhaenyra is clever and level-headed, selfish but never cruel, and self-serving without becoming unpleasant. Rhaenrya is a worthy heir to Daenerys' legacy, a strong queen with layers that go beyond what meets the eye.
2Logan Roy — ‘Succession’ (2018-2023)
Brian Coxdelivers a scenery-chewing, profanity-fueled, utterly unhinged performance as Logan Roy in Jesse Armstrong’s dramaSuccession. As the title implies, the show focuses on the internal conflict among the Roy clan to decide who will control the family’s global media conglomerate amid the patriarch’s declining health.
However, said patriarch won’t go down without a fight. Mercurial, ruthless, and outright terrifying, Cox’s Logan Roy is a modern-day Goliath, a titan of his industry whose mere name can bring entire companies to their knees. Logan is corporate America brought to life: unreachable, unsympathetic, Machiavellian, and almost inhumane, a bold and brutal creation that onlya veteran of Cox’s stature could’ve played.
1Selina Meyer — ‘Veep’ (2012-2019)
The pantheon of great HBO antiheroes is already populated by some of television’s best characters — Tony Soprano, Stringer Bell, Cersei Lannister. However, one more name must be added to that infamous collection: Selina Meyer. Played by television legendJulia Louis-Dreyfus, Selina is the protagonist ofArmand Iannucci’s political satireVeep.
Selina is the most elusive kind of monster: too incompetent to take seriously at first and too erratic to stop once she’s been set loose. Selina is the product of Iannucci’s singularly sharp mind and Louis-Dreyfus' unique gift for comedy. The result is a masterful creation, an ode to ego that’s almost too absurd to believe. Yet, Selina is always compelling, a character that will forever live in the annals of television infamy.
