Get # MAX-imum Father’s Day Fun: Top HBO MAX TV Shows for Dad

Father’s Day is just around the corner. So why not take this Sunday to celebrate and honour the father(s) and father-figures in your life? Sure, ties and socks are the usual fare, but if you’re an HBO MAX subscriber you could also spend the day with your dad watching some gripping TV. So to get you started, we’ve come up with a list of awesome HBO MAX TV shows that feature captivating father-child dynamics and will have you hooked from start to finish.

Dive into the Sci-fi Marvel of Fringe

Fringe, a contemporary descendant of The X-Files, dabbles in a world of high-action sci-fi, but it’s anchored in the relationship between Walter Bishop and his estranged son, Peter. Their path to reunification is punctuated by twists and discoveries, until they learn so much about each other that they can’t be held apart any longer. Fringe manages the perfect mix of showy, bingeable case-of-the-week entertainment with thoroughly absorbing serialised storytelling. It gets my vote for a Father’s Day viewing appointment.

The Sopranos: A Gritty Dive into Family and Power

The Sopranos was the American TV show that set the stage for today’s boom in the antihero – the story of Tony Soprano, a gangster boss trying to balance his dual responsibilities as head of a crime family with those of a family man, a difficult but fascinating (and immensely dark) examination of family dynamics. The Sopranos is a masterclass in characterisation and storytelling that you and your dad will love.

Explore Power Dynamics in Succession

Founded by Logan Roy, the patriarch of the Roys, Succession explains the intricacies of a family power struggle to find who will be the heir to their media empire. With withering dialogue and the perfect balance of drama and black comedy, Succession depicts the power struggles that the Roy family goes through to find Logan’s approval and secure a place of power. This Father’s Day, watch Succession and take a dive into the Roy world.

The Emotional Depths of The Leftovers

It’s what Kevin and his family – indeed, everyone, as we follow their various adventures, some more successful than others – go through as they try to make sense of a world that they’ve suddenly lost 2 per cent of themselves in. This is not a show about the Rapture but about fatherhood and love and persistence. In short, The Leftovers is one of the richest, most beautiful, complex and thought-provoking shows I’ve watched in a long time. It’s a dramatisation of what happens when supernatural events and human drama collide.

Superhero Parenting in Superman & Lois

In Superman Ⅱ – Superman & Lois, the legendary heroes morph into parents, trying to raise two teenage sons, one of whom gains some of his dad’s powers. It’s a superbly intimate look at the father in Clark Kent, as opposed to the mask, with plenty of tearjerker moments that feature familiar themes of family, identity and belonging.

MAX Out Your Viewing Experience

There’s not a single week in the coming months when HBO MAX won’t have a new show that features themes of fatherhood, power and emotion, from chilling science-fiction on Fringe to the nail-biting family saga of The Sopranos and Succession.

Some of our picks delve into the complexities of family life, while others delve into fantasies; but, as their father-children casts attest, one thing they all have in common is that they are anchored by dads’ deep and nurturing love for their families. Stack this list against the TV Love Meter above, curl up together on the couch, pour some popcorn into a bowl, and binge-watch your way to a father-child bond that spans generations. Happy Father’s Day, and happy viewing!