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Hidden gems on HBO Max

Right now the best hidden gems on HBO Max in the United States are City Lights (1931), The West Wing (1999) and The Kid (1921). This is the top 30 streaming there today, ranked by how well rated each one is, how many people have rated it, and what people are watching now.

Highly rated by the people who've seen them, at least two years old, and not seen by many: the ones nobody has recommended to you yet.

Updated November 12, 2026 · streaming in the United States

Pick three for meAllFilmsSeries

  1. 1. City Lights1931

    Film · 1h 27mComedy, Drama, Romance★ 8.2

    A tramp falls in love with a beautiful blind flower girl. His on-and-off friendship with a wealthy man allows him to be the girl's benefactor and suitor.

    Stream onPrime VideoHBO MaxHoopla (free)Fawesome (free)+3

  2. 2. The West Wing1999

    Series · 7 seasonsDrama★ 8.3

    The West Wing provides a glimpse into presidential politics in the nation's capital as it tells the stories of the members of a fictional presidential administration.

    Stream onNetflixHBO Max

  3. 3. The Kid1921

    Film · 1h 8mComedy, Drama★ 8.1

    A tramp cares for a boy after he's abandoned as a newborn by his mother. Later the mother has a change of heart and aches to be reunited with her son.

    Stream onfuboTVHBO MaxMGM+Philo+13

  4. 4. Paris, Texas1984

    Film · 2h 25mDrama★ 8.1

    A man wanders out of the desert not knowing who he is. His brother finds him, and helps to pull his memory back of the life he led before he walked out on his family and disappeared four years earlier.

    Stream onHBO MaxShout! Factory TV (free)Plex (free)Tubi (free)

  5. 5. The Newsroom2012

    Series · 3 seasonsDrama★ 8.1

    A behind-the-scenes look at the people who make a nightly cable-news program. Focusing on a network anchor, his new executive producer, the newsroom staff and their boss, the series tracks their quixotic mission to do the news well in the…

    Stream onHBO Max

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  7. 6. Warrior2019

    Series · 3 seasonsCrime, Drama, Action & Adventure★ 8.0

    A gritty, action-packed crime drama set during the brutal Tong Wars of San Francisco’s Chinatown in the second half of the 19th century.

    Stream onHBO Max

  8. 7. Prodigal Son2019

    Series · 2 seasonsCrime, Drama, Mystery★ 8.0

    The son of a notorious serial killer becomes an acclaimed criminal psychologist who uses his unique insight into how killers think to help the NYPD.

    Stream onNetflixHBO Max

  9. 8. The Gold Rush1925

    Film · 1h 35mAdventure, Comedy, Drama★ 8.0

    A gold prospector in Alaska struggles to survive the elements and win the heart of a dance hall girl.

    Stream onPrime VideoHBO MaxCriterion ChannelHistory Vault+11

  10. 9. The Shop Around the Corner1940

    Film · 1h 39mComedy, Drama, Romance★ 8.1

    Two employees at a gift shop can barely stand one another, without realising that they are falling in love through the post as each other's anonymous pen pal.

    Stream onHBO Max

  11. 10. Impractical Jokers2011

    Series · 13 seasonsComedy★ 8.0

    This hidden-camera series follows four lifelong friends -- Brian "Q"' Quinn, James "Murr"' Murray, Joe Gatto and Sal Vulcano -- who take dares to an outrageous level.

    Stream onHuluHBO MaxDiscovery+YouTube TV+3

  12. 11. Flight of the Conchords2007

    Series · 2 seasonsComedy★ 8.0

    The trials and tribulations of a two man, digi-folk band who have moved from New Zealand to New York City in the hope of forging a successful music career.

    Stream onHBO Max

  13. 12. Generation Kill2008

    Series · 1 seasonWar & Politics, Drama, Action & Adventure★ 7.9

    The first 40 days of the war in Iraq as seen through the eyes of an elite group of U.S. Marines who spearheaded the invasion along with an embedded Rolling Stone reporter.

    Stream onHBO Max

  14. 13. Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage2024

    Series · 3 seasonsComedy★ 8.0

    Georgie and Mandy raise their young family in Texas while navigating the challenges of adulthood, parenting, and marriage.

    Stream onfuboTVHBO MaxParamount+YouTube TV

  15. 14. The Red Shoes1948

    Film · 2h 13mDrama, Romance★ 8.0

    A fledgling ballerina falls in love with a brilliant composer, but the jealous head of the ballet company plots to drive them apart.

    Stream onHBO MaxRoku Channel (free)Pluto TV (free)Shout! Factory TV (free)+3

  16. 15. The Circus1928

    Film · 1h 12mComedy, Drama, Romance★ 7.9

    Charlie, a wandering tramp, becomes a circus handyman - soon the star of the show - and falls in love with the circus owner's stepdaughter.

    Stream onPrime VideoHBO MaxCriterion ChannelFlixFling+5

  17. 16. Carnivàle2003

    Series · 2 seasonsSci-Fi & Fantasy, Mystery, Drama★ 7.9

    Carnivàle is an American television series set in the United States during the Great Depression and Dust Bowl. In tracing the lives of two disparate groups of people, its overarching story depicts the battle between good and evil and the…

    Stream onHBO Max

  18. 17. Pennyworth: The Origin of Batman's Butler2019

    Series · 3 seasonsDrama, Crime★ 7.9

    The origin story of Bruce Wayne's legendary butler, Alfred Pennyworth, a former British SAS soldier who forms a security company in 1960s London and goes to work with young billionaire Thomas Wayne and his wife Martha, before they become…

    Stream onHBO Max

  19. 18. Schitt's Creek2015

    Series · 6 seasonsComedy★ 7.8

    Formerly filthy rich video store magnate Johnny Rose, his soap star wife Moira, and their two kids, über-hipster son David and socialite daughter Alexis, suddenly find themselves broke and forced to live in Schitt's Creek, a small…

    Stream onHulufuboTVHBO MaxPhilo+1

  20. 19. Tokyo Vice2022

    Series · 2 seasonsCrime, Drama★ 7.9

    A first-hand account of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police beat following Jake Adelstein, an American journalist who embeds himself into the Tokyo Vice police squad to reveal corruption.

    Stream onHBO Max

  21. 20. One Tree Hill2003

    Series · 9 seasonsDrama★ 7.8

    In Tree Hill, North Carolina two half brothers share a last name and nothing else. Brooding, blue-collar Lucas is a talented street-side basketball player, but his skills are appreciated only by his friends at the river court.

    Stream onHuluHBO Max

  22. 21. From the Earth to the Moon1998

    Series · 1 seasonAction & Adventure, Drama★ 8.1

    The story of the United States' space program, from its beginnings in 1961 to the final moon mission in 1972.

    Stream onHBO Max

  23. 22. Love & Death2023

    Series · 1 seasonCrime, Drama★ 7.8

    Candy and Pat Montgomery and Betty and Allan Gore — two churchgoing couples — enjoy their small town Texas life... until an extramarital affair leads somebody to pick up an axe.

    Stream onNetflixHBO Max

  24. 23. The Knick2014

    Series · 2 seasonsDrama★ 7.9

    Set in downtown New York in 1900, 'The Knick' is centered on the Knickerbocker Hospital and its staff, notably Dr. John Thackery, the hospital's brilliant chief surgeon who pushes medicine's boundaries, pioneering new procedures despite a…

    Stream onHBO MaxCinemaxSpectrum On Demand

  25. 24. Limelight1952

    Film · 2h 17mRomance, Drama, Comedy★ 7.9

    A fading music hall comedian tries to help a despondent ballet dancer learn to walk and to again feel confident about life.

    Stream onHBO MaxKanopy (free)

  26. 25. It's a Sin2021

    Series · 1 seasonComedy, Drama★ 7.9

    A chronicle of five friends during a decade in which everything changed, including the rise of AIDS.

    Stream onHBO Max

  27. 26. Temple Grandin2010

    Film · 1h 48mDrama, History★ 7.9

    A biopic of Temple Grandin, an autistic American who has become one of the leading scientists in humane livestock handling.

    Stream onHBO Max

  28. 27. To Be or Not to Be1942

    Film · 1h 39mComedy, War, Romance★ 7.8

    During the Nazi occupation of Poland, an acting troupe becomes embroiled in a Polish soldier's efforts to track down a German spy.

    Stream onHBO MaxCriterion Channel

  29. 28. Freaks1932

    Film · 1h 4mDrama, Horror★ 7.8

    A circus' beautiful trapeze artist agrees to marry the leader of side-show performers, but his deformed friends discover she is only marrying him for his inheritance.

    Stream onHBO MaxYouTube TVTCMBloodstream+3

  30. 29. Gentleman Jack2019

    Series · 2 seasonsDrama★ 7.9

    Halifax, West Yorkshire, England, 1832. Anne Lister attempts to revitalize her inherited home, Shibden Hall. Most notably for the time period, a part of her plan is to help the fate of her own family - by taking a wife.

    Stream onHBO Max

  31. 30. The Normal Heart2014

    Film · 2h 13mDrama★ 7.7

    The story of the onset of the HIV-AIDS crisis in New York City in the early 1980s, taking an unflinching look at the nation's sexual politics as gay activists and their allies in the medical community fight to expose the truth about the…

    Stream onHBO Max

Questions

What are the best hidden gems on HBO Max right now?
In the United States, as of November 12, 2026: City Lights (1931), rated 8.2 out of 10 on TMDB, then The West Wing and The Kid.
How is this list made?
Watchwalla asks TMDB for everything of this kind that streams in your country today, ranks it by rating (pulled toward the middle until enough people have rated a title), with a nudge for what's new and what people are watching now, and refreshes the list every day. Streaming availability comes from JustWatch, through TMDB.
Can it pick something for me?
Yes. The picker at watchwalla.com/tonight asks who's watching, how much time you have and what you're in the mood for, and gives three picks streaming where you are. Sign in and every title also gets a match score for your own taste.

More to choose from