Although HBO has made attempts to separate itself from that thing we call television ("it's not TV, it's HBO"), the premium cable network has brought us some of the greatest TV of all time throughout its history of original programming, which started in the early '80s — from "The Sopranos" to "Game of Thrones."
Since HBO's list of original programming is so good, we decided to rank its shows according to their ratings on Metacritic, which aggregates critics' reviews and assigns each season of a show a score. (For shows with multiple seasons, we averaged their scores.)
The list is competitive. But like any other television network, HBO has released some stinkers in its lifetime.
(Note: We left off animated, children's, documentary/reality, and foreign programming as well as miniseries, with a few notable exceptions.)
Here's how HBO's shows rank from worst to best, according to critics on Metacritic:
SEE ALSO: 50 movies that critics really hate but normal people love
71. “Ja'mie: Private School Girl” (2013), one season
Metacritic Score: 40
“It's a painfully obvious shtick, so camp and arch it's impossible to enjoy the joke.” —TV Guide
70. "Real Time with Bill Maher" (2003-), 15 seasons
Average Metacritic Score: 43
"Why would HBO, cable's most innovative network ... think it's a good idea to let Bill Maher bring the skeleton of his canceled ABC show, 'Politically Incorrect,' and stuff it into the tattered corpse of 'Dennis Miller Live'?"—Entertainment Weekly
69. "Lucky Louie" (2006), one season
Metacritic Score: 47
"A show so vile, it makes you think the company's arrogant It's Not TV — It's HBO slogan isn't a brag — it's a threat."—USA Today
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