5 best (HBO) Max TV shows to watch this 4th of July weekend

Academy Award nominees Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney star in the 2008 miniseries John Adams, a seven-part event chronicling the life of Founding Father and eventual president John Adams. The show offers a richly detailed portrayal of his life, from the Boston Massacre of 1770 until his eventual death in 1826.

John Adams is among the all-time best HBO miniseries. Every aspect of the production excels, producing a riveting and rewarding depiction of one of the most pivotal figures in U.S. history. Giamatti and Linney are outstanding in the leading roles, even if the former often makes puzzling choices in his portrayal that might take you out of the experience. Yet, even that seems fitting for the story, which is faithful enough without feeling like a history lesson.

Based on Alan Moore’s seminal 1986 graphic novel, Damon Lindelof’s Watchmen is a triumph of the superhero genre. Oscar winner Regina King stars as Angela Abar, a Tulsa, Oklahoma, police officer and vigilante operating under the moniker Sister Night. She soon finds herself involved in a conspiracy amid the rise of a white supremacist group, the Seventh Cavalry. Meanwhile, other characters from the original story, including Adrian Veidt and Laurie Blake, converge in the story.

Academy Award nominee Amy Adams stars in Marti Noxon’s psychological thriller mystery miniseries Sharp Objects. Based on Gillian Flynn’s eponymous novel and directed by the late Jean-Marc Vallée, the show centers on Camille Preaker, an alcoholic and emotionally troubled reporter who returns to her hometown to cover the murders of two young girls.

HBO has always excelled at attracting top talent to their shows, and Oscar-winner Kate Winslet is a recurring collaborator. She’s won two Emmys for her work with the network, most recently for her spectacular performance on the 2021 crime drama Mare of Easttown. The actress plays the titular character, a Philadelphia detective investigating a murder in her small town.

Like every great crime TV series, Mare of Easttown offers a compelling, twisting, and outright addictive mystery that will keep audiences on the edge. Winslet does career-best work in the series, joined by Jean Smart and a scene-stealing Evan Peters. The show successfully builds a looming sense of dread that never feels too heavy to withstand. Instead, the atmospheric Mare of Easttown is the best kind of show, challenging the viewer just enough while still keeping them entertained.

Set in an alternative version of 1940s America, this ambitious miniseries is among HBO’s most undervalued shows. It imagines a world where Franklin D. Roosevelt lost the 1940 election against a fictionalized version of Charles Lindbergh, a xenophobic populist who runs on a platform opposing the U.S. involvement in World War II. The story is told from the perspective of a working-class Jewish family who slowly witnesses the country’s journey toward fascism.

A brilliant but difficult watch, The Plot Against America is a stellar piece of revisionist history that ponders several crucial questions. The show’s themes of oppression and escalation are haunting, brought to life with intense gusto by a remarkable cast, including heavy hitters like Winona Ryder and John Turturro. The Plot Against America might not be the most enjoyable show, but it remains a gratifying thought exercise that will stay with audiences in one way or another.