Before streaming took over, these 3 HBO shows rewrote the rules of TV — and they're due for a rewatch

(Image credit: HBO Max; Shutterstock)

HBO is pretty synonymous with top-tier television shows, from dystopian stunners like “The Last of Us” to fantasy juggernauts like “Game of Thrones” to pulpy whodunnits like “The White Lotus.” The network has the highest number of overall Primetime Emmy wins and nominations in television history, securing over 1,500 nominations and more than 220 wins, many of which were earned off the strength of its dramatic series. (For example, “GOT” holds the all-time record for the most Emmy Awards won by a drama series.)

But that reputation for excellence started back in the 1990s, when the acclaimed network first introduced hourlong dramas to its regularly scheduled programming with the debut of the trailblazing prison drama “Oz.” It followed that up with some serious TV heavy hitters, including now-iconic genre standards like “The Sopranos” and “Sex and the City.”

If you missed out on these culture-changing '90s shows, now’s the time to catch up. Here are three HBO series that you should check out ASAP if you haven’t already or rewatch if it's been a couple of decades since you last saw them.

'Oz'

Oz Trailer (HBO) - YouTube

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Given how much of a household name the Home Box Office network is nowadays when it comes to big-name dramas, it’s easy to forget that back in the 1990s, the channel was a mere fledgling of the form. That all changed with HBO's first one-hour dramatic series, “Oz,” set within the brutal Oswald State Correctional Facility, a fictional level 4 maximum-security state prison on the East Coast.

From July 1997 through February 2003, the six-season prison epic laid the foundation for all future HBO dramas to come, detailing the daily activities, complex dynamics and power struggles of the dangerous inmates and corrections officers that make up the facility’s gritty culture. Those colorful characters were played by a true who’s who of acting talent, including J.K. Simmons, Harold Perrineau, Christopher Meloni, Ernie Hudson, Dean Winters, Rita Moreno, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and Lee Tergesen, among many others.

Stream “Oz” on HBO Max now

'Sex and the City’

Sex and the City 25th Anniversary | Official Trailer | HBO - YouTube

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Even if you didn’t watch the romantic exploits and nightlife antics of Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker), Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon), Charlotte York (Kristin Davis) and Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall) during its stylish run from June 1998 to February 2004, you likely already know the social influence of the beloved dramedy “Sex and the City,” from Manolo heels to Magnolia cupcakes.

For six seasons, the Emmy-winning series chronicled the loves, lusts, losses and ludicrously extensive handbag collection of four close-knit career women living in New York City and in doing so, revolutionized television by unapologetically celebrating women’s sexuality, female friendship, professional ambition and urban single life. (And if you want to make it a real marathon, you can tack on the two “SATC” films as well as the sequel series “And Just Like That…,” all available to stream on HBO Max.)

Stream "Sex and the City" on HBO Max now

'The Sopranos’

The Sopranos | Critics Rave Trailer | HBO - YouTube

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Hollywood was no stranger to the mob drama, but before “The Sopranos,”most of that organized criminal action took place on the big screen (your “Godfathers,” “Goodfellas” and what have you). The classic HBO crime drama, which followed the personal demons and professional dramas of New Jersey mafia boss Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) for six seasons from January 1999 to June 2007, delved into the genre more deeply, exploring the dangerous realities found beneath all that dark glamor and offering up one of pop culture’s most iconic antiheroes in the process.

If you missed the David Chase-created series the first time around, you can catch up on HBO Max. There’s also the 2021 prequel movie, “The Many Saints of Newark,” which explores the early life of a young Tony Soprano (played by Gandolfini's real-life son Michael Gandolfini) during the 1960s and 1970s, but that you’ll have to rent or buy on PVOD platforms such as Prime Video, Apple TV and Fandango at Home.

Stream "The Sopranos" on HBO Max now

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Christina Izzo is a writer-editor covering culture, food and drink, travel and general lifestyle in New York City. She was previously the Deputy Editor at My Imperfect Life, the Features Editor at Rachael Ray In Season and Reveal, as well as the Food & Drink Editor and chief restaurant critic at Time Out New York.