Rotten Tomatoes’ October 22, 2025 guide places several HBO and HBO Max series at the top with displayed Tomatometer scores of 100%: Somebody Somewhere, The Larry Sanders Show, Pee-wee as Himself, How to With John Wilson, and The Chair Company. They share the same displayed score, so the guide’s list order does not establish one as a unique winner.
How Rotten Tomatoes ranks the series
Jean Bentley’s Rotten Tomatoes guide, published October 22, 2025, ranks eligible HBO and HBO Max series and miniseries by Tomatometer. The guide’s stated eligibility rule is at least 10 reviews counting toward a title’s score. That is a threshold for inclusion, not the review count for each individual show.
![Rome: The Complete Original HBO Series Blu-ray Collection – The Complete First & Second Seasons Bluray Set (Season 1 / Season 2) [Region 1, Spanish Artwork]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41eAmUqisgL._SL160_.jpg)
![An HBO Limited Series Collection [The Outsider / Watchmen / The Night Of] [Blu-ray] [2020] [Region Free]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51TSfSXyATL._SL160_.jpg)
![Boardwalk Empire: The Complete HBO Series Blu-ray Collection – The Complete First, Second, Third, Fourth & Fifth Seasons (Seasons 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) [Region 1, Spanish Artwork, Bluray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41TVd2b6ucS._SL160_.jpg)
The Tomatometer is “the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show,” according to Rotten Tomatoes’ methodology. It is not an average star rating, an audience score, or a prediction of whether a particular viewer will enjoy a show.
Which HBO series have the highest scores?
The guide opens with five titles displayed at 100%: Somebody Somewhere, The Larry Sanders Show, Pee-wee as Himself, How to With John Wilson, and The Chair Company. The published ordering shows their placement in that guide; the shared percentage alone does not distinguish a single best-reviewed title from the others. Equal percentages also do not mean that titles received the same number of reviews.
The breadth of the list extends across formats and genres. It includes established series such as The Sopranos, Chernobyl, Barry, Big Little Lies, and Westworld, as well as streaming-era titles including Hacks, Our Flag Means Death, Peacemaker, The Flight Attendant, and The Sex Lives of College Girls. The guide covers both series and miniseries, so the ranking is not limited to one format.
Tomatometer and Popcornmeter are different measures
The guide also displays Popcornmeter values, which are identified separately as the audience measure. Use the Tomatometer when comparing the professional critics’ positive-review share, and the Popcornmeter when considering the audience score. Neither percentage is a direct guarantee that a show will suit your taste.
Rank #2
![Deadwood: The Complete Series [Blu-ray] (Ultimate Collection)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51xlbR2W3xL._SL160_.jpg)
- All 36 episodes from HBO's critically-acclaimed, controversial western series, starring Timothy Olyphant and Ian McShane, set in the violent and corrupt South Dakota town of Deadwood in the days after Custer's defeat at the Little Big Horn.
What the ranking can—and cannot—tell you
- Critics’ reception: The Tomatometer reflects the share of counted professional critic reviews marked positive.
- Eligibility: Titles in Bentley’s October 22, 2025 guide meet its minimum of 10 counted reviews; the threshold does not reveal each title’s total review count.
- Scope: The guide includes HBO and HBO Max series and miniseries across drama, comedy, and genre storytelling.
- Date: Scores and ordering reflect a guide published October 22, 2025. They may change as reviews are added or Rotten Tomatoes revises listings.
- Availability: A high score does not confirm that a title is currently streamable in your country. The Rotten Tomatoes HBO Max browse page is a dynamic service-filter view, not a guarantee of title-level availability. Check the service’s catalog in your territory.
How to choose what to watch
Start with the genre, format, and premise you want, then use the Tomatometer as one signal about critical reception. If you are choosing among the five titles tied at 100% in the guide, their displayed percentages do not provide a meaningful tie-breaker. Compare their descriptions and the separately shown audience scores, and confirm current streaming access before settling on a title.
Quick Recap
Best Value
Rank #3
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