OK, so what do we have so far? Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime — and now HBO Max, which is joining the party late but arriving loaded with riches. Yes, there is a new streaming service in Israel, so say “mazel tov,” or “where do I sign up.”
“Loaded with riches” mainly means packed with HBO’s classic, beloved and essential scripted series. What, for example? Well, everything — from “The Sopranos” to “Succession.” The list goes on and on, made up of iconic works that suspiciously resemble what usually fills lists of the greatest TV series ever made, period. Don’t worry, we’ll get to that shortly.
As a preemptive move, all of these titles were removed from Israeli TV services in recent months and will now be available again exclusively on HBO Max. So if, for instance, you’re eagerly awaiting the next season of “Euphoria” or the second “Game of Thrones” spinoff, “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” set to premiere later this year, HBO Max will be your sole address.
As for the rest — new content that until now was not available locally, at least not to law-abiding viewers who avoid piracy — the news is more limited. It is felt more strongly in Discovery’s lifestyle and documentary content, which is part of the package. This remains a more modest service, especially compared with the constantly renewing and sprawling arsenals of Netflix and Amazon Prime. Still, we dug around and found several titles that hadn’t reached Israel and are absolutely worth your time.
A particularly strong presence comes from the DC superhero television universe of recent years, which underwent a makeover after James Gunn took over the reins and began reshaping the franchise at full speed. So let’s start with:
Peacemaker
Words hardly do justice to just how highly recommended this two-season series is. Not only for fans of the DC cinematic universe, before Gunn and certainly after, but for anyone who knows how to appreciate great television. Yes, despite its overt immaturity, “Peacemaker” is simply excellent TV — and that’s because it is genuinely moving.
This is no small thing, given that the series centers on Chris “Peacemaker” Smith, played wonderfully by John Cena — a violent brute we first met in “The Suicide Squad” in 2021, directed by Gunn — who believes that in order to “achieve peace,” he must kill anyone who stands in his way, men, women and children alike. As the series reveals, however, Chris is ultimately a victim of an abusive father and childhood trauma, a fundamentally good soul when he’s not shooting people in the face, and a devoted dad to Eagly, his eagle and the show’s No. 1 scene-stealer.
It helps that a crew of questionable characters gathers around him: the bitter genius Economos, played by Steve Agee; young agent Leota Adebayo, played by Danielle Brooks; the tough agent Emilia Harcourt, played by Jennifer Holland, Gunn’s real-life wife; and Adrian Chase, aka Vigilante, played by the hysterical Freddie Stroma. The latter is the sweetest sociopath imaginable and is long overdue for a spinoff of his own.
Hilarious, completely stupid, violently graphic in ways that may disturb passersby who catch a glimpse of your screen — and, as noted, deeply emotional in its portrayal of the alternative family that forms around Chris and the loyalty and affection that blossom within it — do not allow yourself to miss “Peacemaker.” And we haven’t even mentioned its opening sequences, from seasons one and two, which are, unequivocally and without competition, the best opening credits in TV history. Don’t argue. It’s science.
Creature Commandos
This wild animated series is also part of James Gunn’s revamped DC universe, now branded the DCU. In fact, it is Gunn’s first official series within the franchise, and entirely his: he serves as creator and sole writer. His fingerprints are everywhere — graphic violence, juvenile humor and a successful effort to anchor the chaos with genuine emotion. As with “Peacemaker,” the result is a win.
The premise echoes “The Suicide Squad”: a group of supervillains — or in some cases just deeply dubious, rejected figures — is assembled under the command of Amanda Waller, played once again by Viola Davis, as a secret government unit tasked with fighting supervillains. Or dying in the attempt, which no one would particularly mourn.
The team includes the Bride, played by Indira Varma, Frankenstein’s partner who fled him after realizing he is a psychopath; G.I. Robot, voiced by Sean Gunn, a World War II metal soldier who only wants to kill Nazis and can be triggered simply by the words “Look, a Nazi!” — his origin episode is magnificent; Weasel, voiced by Gunn himself, the murderous human-ferret previously seen in “The Suicide Squad,” whose backstory is heartbreakingly effective; Dr. Phosphorus, voiced by Alan Tudyk, a scientist turned radioactive glowing man who takes particular pleasure in ending lives; and Nina Mazursky, voiced by Zoe Chao, an aquatic creature vaguely reminiscent of Hellboy’s Abe Sapien, whose powers and purpose remain delightfully unclear.
Unlike “Peacemaker,” enjoyment here may depend on your affection for animation. Fans of the genre should not hesitate. Even skeptics would do well to give “Creature Commandos” a chance, as it thrives on Gunn’s manic energy and serves as a highly successful opening shot for his new creative universe.
The Pitt
This hospital drama, starring veteran medical-show lead Noah Wyle of “ER,” has already collected five Emmy Awards, including best drama series and best actor for Wyle. Each season unfolds over a single 15-hour emergency shift at the fictional Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center, focusing on an ER staff buckling under immense pressure amid shortages of personnel and funding. Genre fans will find gripping realism and plenty of bloody close-ups, very much in tradition.
The series was created by “ER” alum R. Scott Gemmill, and the hype is well deserved. Each episode delivers an intense, nerve-racking and richly dramatic experience that forms part of a highly rewarding 15-episode whole.
Heated Rivalry
There’s a good chance you’ve heard about this series in the past month. It became a massive, much-discussed and unexpected hit for HBO, which acquired it from the small Canadian streaming service Crave. How big a hit? It posted the strongest viewing figures of any non-animated acquired series on Max since the service launched in 2019 and is currently generating wild global buzz. A second season is already on the way.
Based on the “Game Changers” book series by Canadian author Rachel Reid, the show follows the rivalry between two ice hockey players, one Russian and one Canadian — a rivalry that, behind the scenes, gives way to an intense romance. Intense as in lots of explicit sex scenes that push the limits of what can be shown on television. Naturally, there is a substantial audience eager for this all-male soft-core fare — primarily women, according to reports, though let’s be honest, plenty of men won’t complain either. In any case, this is one of Max’s hottest new offerings, and now we can finally see what all the fuss is about.
HBO’s classic series
As noted, the arrival of HBO Max is most exciting above all because of HBO’s legendary content library — the one that shaped, and in many ways defined, television’s golden age. Take a deep breath. Here are some of the standouts, listed not as a ranking but at random, though the first will forever reign supreme: “The Sopranos,” “The Wire,” “Six Feet Under,” “Deadwood,” “Band of Brothers,” “The Larry Sanders Show,” “Oz,” “Succession,” “Silicon Valley,” “In Treatment,” “Westworld,” “Game of Thrones,” “True Detective,” “Veep,” “Girls,” “Rome,” “Boardwalk Empire,” “The Pacific,” “Entourage,” “Sex and the City,” “True Blood,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “The White Lotus,” “Angels in America,” “The Night Of,” “Extras,” “Carnivàle,” “The Leftovers,” “Enlightened” — and more. Yes, more. It’s insane.
It: Welcome to Derry
This is a horror series that brings to the small screen the world introduced in the two successful “It” films — the universe Stephen King created in his monumental 1986 novel, specifically the small town of Derry, Maine. Derry, as you already know, is home to an ancient evil that often takes the form of a clown known as Pennywise, less interested in entertaining the neighbor’s kid than in eating him.
The series is set 27 years before the events of “It,” both the novel and the first film, in 1962. The Hanlon family — yes, the grandparents of Mike Hanlon, one of the heroes of “It” — moves to Derry and quickly realizes it may have been a mistake. Children across town begin to disappear one by one, the atmosphere grows ominous and foreboding, and a chilling supernatural presence starts to take shape. That shape, as you’ve probably guessed, is a clown.
Bill Skarsgard returns to the role he played in the “It” films, which alone is reason enough to tune in — the man clearly loves the job. Skarsgard isn’t the only returning figure: the series is led by Andy Muschietti, who directed both films and helmed four of the show’s eight episodes, alongside producer Barbara Muschietti and screenwriter Jason Fuchs, who co-wrote “Wonder Woman” and “Minecraft: The Movie.”
Reviews have been favorable, with an average score of about 80 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, and viewership on Max has been strong enough to set the wheels in motion for a second season, though it has yet to be officially announced. If you’ve been missing a solid horror series lately, this may be it.
Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai
In recent years, as part of the TV industry’s hunger for recognizable content, significant efforts have been made to resurrect the beloved “Gremlins” franchise. A third “Gremlins” film is currently in advanced development, with Steven Spielberg producing, Chris Columbus set to direct — replacing Joe Dante, who directed the original “Gremlins” and “Gremlins 2” — and a target release sometime in fall 2027.
In the meantime, those who can’t wait can turn to this charming animated series, which, while family-friendly, manages to preserve some of the chaos and mischievous nastiness that defined the original films.
The story traces the origins of the Mogwai — the magical creatures that include Gizmo, whom we learned in “Gremlins” should never be fed after midnight or exposed to water, lest he spawn the destructive monsters that gave the film its name. The series is set in 1920s Shanghai, where a young boy named Sam Wing meets Gizmo and embarks on a series of adventures with him. That same Sam Wing will later become Mr. Wing, the shop owner who sells Gizmo in the original film. Not exactly cool, Mr. Wing.
Sam and Gizmo team up with a young thief named Elle, and together the trio set off on a perilous journey, encountering monsters from Chinese folklore and facing hordes of evil Gremlins led by the scheming industrialist Riley Greene, voiced by Matthew Rhys. Bonus fact: Israeli actress Yael Grobglas is also part of the voice cast.
Harley Quinn
Yes, there’s a lot of animation here, but that’s because it’s shaping up to be one of Max’s strongest suits. And regardless, we would insist on including “Harley Quinn,” because it’s simply terrific.
So let’s start with a question: Did you like Margot Robbie’s take on the character? The one first introduced in DC comics as the Joker’s girlfriend and Batman’s enemy, before Robbie portrayed her in three DC films — “Suicide Squad” (2016), “Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn” and “The Suicide Squad” (2021)? Great. Now prepare to like the animated version voiced by Kaley Cuoco (“The Big Bang Theory,” “The Flight Attendant”) about a thousand times more.
The series follows Harley’s desperate attempts to be taken seriously as a legitimate supervillain, a goal that requires her acceptance into the Legion of Doom — essentially the villains’ version of the Avengers. Standing in her way are blatant misogyny, the dismissive attitude that “without the Joker you’re nothing,” and the many other frustrations that come with a life of crime.
But that’s really just the setup. Beneath the wildly entertaining action — and it is extremely violent; this show is definitely not for younger viewers — lies something else entirely: a story about emancipation, about a woman who was effectively a captive child until her eyes were opened and who is now taking her first steps into the world.
As much as the series revels in Harley’s anarchic antics and the lovable band of losers that forms around her, it also delves deeply into her relationship with Poison Ivy, voiced by Lake Bell — another beloved Batman villain who, over the course of the show’s three seasons, becomes much more than just a close friend.
The stacked voice cast also includes Jason Alexander, Tony Hale, Alan Tudyk (of course), Ron Funches — hysterical as King Shark — Diedrich Bader as Batman, Christopher Meloni, Giancarlo Esposito, Wanda Sykes, Wayne Knight and many more. The entire package is enormously fun and highly recommended — once again, not just for animation fans.