With quality television competition on the rise in 2014, HBO needs to make sure it keeps doing what it has been doing for the last decade or so – continue producing solid and innovative tv shows. In this preview & review article of the best HBO shows of 2014 and of the 10’s in general, it seems that HBO is doing just that. With the new HBO tv shows in 2014 it is going beyond the detective series genre in True Detective, and is finally giving the gay community a respectful place on American television in the comedy drama Looking. In terms of new original series, a lot more promising than 2013.

HBO in preview – upcoming new HBO tv shows in 2014

In this section you can find the upcoming new HBO series of 2014. As soon as they are released they will get a review in the section below. True Detective has already been released. It can be found in the review section below. 

Looking (2014)

Created by Michael Lannan

Despite the hype surrounding True Detective, this is actually the new 2014 HBO series I am looking forward to the most. It is scheduled for release on 19th January 2014. Looking is set in the sexually open-minded Bay Area in San Francisco, and revolves around the friendship of three men who are in distinctly different points in their life. It is a very contemporary series, like HBO’s Girls, in the sense that it deals with the search for human connection, intimacy, and happiness in a postmodern world characterized by an excess of possibilities. And indeed, the three men are not only bound by friendship, but also by their fight for equal rights for gay men and women. It is being described by HBO as a comedy drama. My interest was mainly caught because director Andrew Haigh (famous for the British romantic drama film Weekend, 2011) is involved as an executive producer.

The Leftovers (2014)

Created by Daman Lindelof and Tom Perrotta

Admittedly, I was never been a huge fan of the cult series Lost. But for those who came obsessive followers, I have got great news. The creators of Lost, Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta, have been given the go-ahead to make a 10 episodes follow-up to Lost, and it will be about what happens after the Rapture occurs, and will focus on the ones that did not make the cut. Some big Hollywood names are already connected to the project, like Liv Tyler, so for Lost fans there is reason to believe they have found their best tv show of 2014.  The release date is currently set to ‘the Summer of 2014’. Here is the new teaser of The Leftovers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pv3FeBDU1Io

Silicon Valley (2014)

Created by Mike Judge

As is spread all over the internet, this new HBO series is supposed to become the new Entourage. But where Entourage, the Mark Wahlberg inspired comedy series, was focused on Hollywood, Silicon Valley will be introducing us to the world and culture of start-ups. It is said to be a dark comedy series, and I am curious about how it will unfold, as Mike Judge (best known for Office Space, 1999 and King of The Hill) does have an interesting take on  humor. This new HBO show will be released on the 6th of April 2014.

Another short HBO comedy series announced is Doll & Em created by HBO’s The Newsroom’s Emily Mortimer. This six episode show will be on the air the 19th of March.

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HBO in Review – Best HBO shows of 2014 so far

Here you can find the best HBO series of 2014, arranged by quality.

True detective (2014)

Created by Nic Pizzolatto

Sunday the 12th of January 2014 HBO premiered the much anticipated police series True Detective. In line with current trends, most notably like Kevin Spacey in Netflix’s House of Cards, True Detective brings cinema to television by casting Matthew Mcconaughey and Woody Harrelson to star as its main characters. It is not just casting-wise that the show is different from conventional television. Especially in terms of cinematography and pace I have not quite seen anything like it. Unlike other other detective series, instead of quick close-up’s of facial expressions or quickly spoken clever lines, the camera remains steady, but continuously assigns focus to emphasize where to look at, with often a lot of the screen out of focus. Next to that is filled with arty shots that seem to have no function whatsoever, besides expressing the dark but beautiful mysticism of Lousiana. This has a lot to do with the fact that the series is, unlike other series, directed by only one filmmaker, giving him (Cary Fukunaga) a chance to make True Detective transform television series to television d’auteur with a series bearing the touch of an individual filmmaker’s vision. Because of that the show reminds me more of independent drama films like Ain’t Them Bodies Saints (2013), and in comparison to other television series it feels a bit like a mix of Sundance’s Rectify (2013 -) and BBC’s psychological crime series Luther. Others were also quick to link it to one of the best HBO series The Wire, but I believe Forbes makes a more interesting plea by comparing it to the nineties police series Homicide: Life on the Streets.

Story-wise, the show seems to want to transcend the detective series genre by simply using the case of a serial killer as a means to sketch the troubled relationship of two detectives that used to be partners, The complexity of both characters, especially Mcconaughey’s, also goes beyond anything we have ever seen in detective shows, almost up to the point of it potentially becoming a problem, as it completely overshadows the case they are working on. From the first episode it can be gathered that True Detective is not thriving on the spectacle of sex and violence, as is the case with many other of the recent hit series, but will be carried by strong dialogue and ambiance. Interesting here is that the writer of the show Nic Pizzolatto was part of the team to make an US version of the Danish series The Killing, but disappointed with the result decided to write a screenplay for a more sincere series. I can imagine that it might be quite a challenge for fans of conventional crime series to appreciate this, but those who love slow-paced interpersonal drama shows with lots of character development are in for a treat.

If you are getting excited about a new tv show that will be coming your way in 2015, I am afraid I have to disappoint you. It is scheduled for several seasons, but is it meant to be an anthology series (like the horror series American Horror Story), meaning that every season will be with different characters and about a different topic.

Original best HBO series of the 10’s top 5 – of the decade

So what are the best HBO series from 2013 to 2010, this decade? Here we are also only dealing with scripted series that have had their premiere in the 10’s. So no, here you will not find Carnivale, The Sopranos or Curb Your Enthusiasm etc. It is mainly meant for people who do not want to watch everything, but feel that they should at least watch one or two shows to know what is going on in contemporary television, and want to watch the very best HBO show out there.

5. The Newsroom (2012, -)

4. Game of Thrones (2011, -)

3. Boardwalk Empire (2010, -)

2. Girls, Lena Dunham (2012, -)

1. True Detective (2014, -)

What do you think are the recent best HBO shows?

For the best of the earlier shows from the Home Box Office, check out our HBO & The Start of Quality US Drama TV in the 90?s & 00?s