Every now and then, I get the itch to revisit the golden age of prestige TV — the era that shaped my entire taste as a viewer. “Mad Men.”“The Leftovers.” “Game of Thrones.” These shows weren’t just TV — they were weekly rituals, conversation starters, emotional gut punches. But then I realized: if you’re Gen Z, there’s a good chance you missed a lot of them. You were just a little too young when they aired. And trust me, they’re worth circling back for. So I wanted to call out where the best prestige 2010s TV shows actually live: the answer is HBO Max. Here’s why it’s the best streamer for peak 2010s TV (and a few other options worth checking out, too).

Everything you need to know about the best streamer for peak 2010s prestige TV:

What 2010s prestige TV shows can you watch on HBO Max?

Let’s start with the biggest one of the bunch: “Game of Thrones.” I watched the whole thing live, week by week, and honestly? It’s hard to explain just how huge this show was while it was airing. It’s based on George R.R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” books, and the setup is basically this: a bunch of powerful families are all fighting with swords and armies for control of the Iron Throne, and almost nobody plays fair. There’s betrayal, dragons, ice zombies, forbidden love, and so many character deaths that you have to stop getting attached. The world is massive, the politics are messy, and the show looked better than most movies.

If you’re Gen Z and didn’t catch it when it first aired, it’s 100% worth going back. The “Red Wedding” episode? Still one of the most jaw-dropping, brutal things I’ve ever seen on TV. And yeah, people who read the books kind of knew what was coming — but watching it all play out was something else entirely. Sure, the last season wasn’t perfect (to put it nicely), but that doesn’t change the fact that “Game of Thrones” basically ran pop culture for most of the 2010s. If you’re looking for the one show that defines peak prestige TV from that era, this is it. It’s a beast.

Next up is “The Leftovers,” which is a much slower burn, but once it pulls you in, good luck looking away. The premise is wild: 2% of the world’s population suddenly vanishes without a trace, and no one knows why. The show isn’t about solving the mystery. It’s about what happens to the people left behind. How do you keep going when nothing makes sense anymore? How do you grieve something that might not even be over? It’s haunting, emotional, and at times, totally surreal.

Now, be ready for a very slow pace. My wife and I almost quit this show a few times, but are glad we stayed with it. It didn’t have “Game of Thrones”-level hype while it was airing, but the people who watched it? Loved it. Critics and fans still talk about it as one of the best shows of the decade. And Damon Lindelof (yep, the “Lost” guy) really found his groove here. If you’re into big questions, messy emotions, and character-driven storytelling that hits you in the gut, “The Leftovers” is a must-watch.

“Boardwalk Empire” doesn’t get talked about as much these days, but when it dropped, it was a big deal. Set in Atlantic City during Prohibition, it follows Nucky Thompson — part politician, part gangster — as he builds a criminal empire right under the government’s nose. Steve Buscemi plays him perfectly: slick, smart, and just unpredictable enough to keep you guessing. The show mixes real historical figures with fictional characters, and the whole thing feels like “The Godfather” with flapper dresses and bootleg gin.

It also had major HBO pedigree behind the scenes — Martin Scorsese directed the pilot, and Terence Winter (of “The Sopranos”) ran the show. Visually, it’s gorgeous. The period detail is insane. And while it never got the same cultural dominance as “Game of Thrones,” “Boardwalk Empire” helped define that early 2010s era where prestige TV felt big, expensive, and cinematic. If you’re into crime sagas with slow-burn power plays, this one still holds up and then some.

Now, very few actors get to lead two of the greatest TV comedies of all time — but Seinfeld’s own Julia Louis-Dreyfus pulled it off. First, she helped redefine sitcoms in the ’90s as Elaine. Then, two decades later, she came back swinging as Selina Meyer in “Veep,” a razor-sharp political satire that makes Washington dysfunction hilarious. Watching her go from Vice President to President — and every awkward, petty, profanity-laced step in between — is one of the funniest character arcs ever put on screen.

“Veep” nailed the absurdity of American politics at the time in a way that often felt more accurate than the real news. The insults were legendary, the writing was tight, and Julia won six straight Emmys for the role — which tells you everything you need to know. If you like your comedy mean, brilliant, and just slightly too real, “Veep” is essential viewing.

Judd Apatow has a real eye for talent, breaking stars like Seth Rogan, Jason Segel, and many more left, right, and center. He did it again with “Girls,” helping Lena Dunham bring one of the most talked-about shows of the 2010s to life. The series follows four twenty-something women living in New York, navigating friendship, ambition, sex, and a whole lot of awkward growing pains. Dunham created it, wrote much of it, and starred as Hannah — a writer figuring things out one cringe-worthy misstep at a time. It’s raw, messy, and brutally honest in a way that makes it feel totally different from the glossy city-girl shows that came before.

“Girls” sparked conversation from day one. Some people loved it. Some people hated it. But everyone had an opinion. It helped launch the careers of Adam Driver, Allison Williams, Jemima Kirke, and Zosia Mamet, and it paved the way for more creator-led, female-driven storytelling on TV. It was also one of HBO’s most culturally polarizing shows, which only added to its legacy. If you want a series that captures what it felt like to be young, lost, and trying way too hard in the early 2010s, “Girls” still hits.

Finally, “True Detective” found its groove again recently with “Night Country,” but if you’ve never seen where it all began, do yourself a favor and go back to Season 1. It dropped in 2014 and immediately became the show everyone was talking about. Part of that was the casting — two legit movie stars, Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, leading a gritty HBO crime drama — but the rest was the vibe. It was eerie, philosophical, Southern Gothic weird. The case they’re working — spanning decades, ritual murders, and deep Louisiana swamp lore — pulls you in and doesn’t let go.

Season 1 felt like prestige TV’s answer to a literary thriller. The structure jumps back and forth in time, peeling away layers of the detectives’ lives as much as the mystery itself. McConaughey’s Rust Cohle became instantly iconic with his nihilistic monologues and thousand-yard stare, and the show’s slow-burn pacing made every clue, every look, every silence feel heavy. Even a decade later, it holds up as one of the most ambitious and atmospheric crime series ever made. If you’re only familiar with the newer seasons, go back — Season 1 is the blueprint.

Here are all the prestige shows from the 2010s to check out on HBO Max:

What other streamers have prestige 2010s TV shows?

Netflix may not have invented prestige TV, but it definitely helped define what streaming prestige looked like in the 2010s. Shows like “Breaking Bad” (which Netflix helped turn into a full-blown phenomenon), and “House of Cards” (its first major original hit) set the tone early.

Then came “Mindhunter,” a slow, cerebral crime series produced by David Fincher that built tension through psychology instead of shootouts. And of course, “The Crown” — a sweeping, prestige-soaked royal drama that raised the bar for historical storytelling on TV.

Hulu is another platform worth mentioning. You’ve got “The Americans,” a masterclass in slow-burn espionage drama about two Soviet spies posing as a suburban couple in Reagan-era D.C. Then there’s “Fargo,” Noah Hawley’s anthology remix of the Coen Brothers’ classic, which somehow keeps finding new ways to surprise you with every season.

And if you want something more intimate and personal, “Better Things” is one of the most beautifully written shows of the decade — a semi-autobiographical dramedy from Pamela Adlon that’s funny, raw, and deeply human. These shows didn’t always scream for attention, but they’ve earned their place in the prestige canon.