Honestly, the "streaming fatigue" is real. We’ve all spent forty-five minutes scrolling through rows of tiles just to end up re-watching The Sopranos or Succession for the fourth time. But right now, Max is actually having a bit of a moment. Between the long-awaited return to Westeros and some gritty A24 additions, there is genuinely fresh stuff to dig into.
If you are staring at your screen wondering what to watch on hbo max right now, you’ve basically got three choices: dive into the new Game of Thrones prequel that just dropped, catch up on the high-stakes stress of Industry, or check out some of the award-season heavy hitters that finally hit the platform. It’s January 2026, and the library is looking surprisingly deep.
The Big Heavy Hitters: Westeros is Back (Again)
Let’s talk about the elephant—or rather, the dragon—in the room. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms officially premiered on January 18. If you’re expecting the massive, world-ending stakes of House of the Dragon, you might be surprised. It’s based on George R.R. Martin’s Dunk and Egg novellas. It’s smaller. More personal.
The show follows Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire, Egg, wandering around Westeros about a hundred years before Ned Stark lost his head. It’s got a "knight-errant" vibe that feels more like a classic adventure than a political bloodbath, though it’s still HBO, so don't expect it to be totally sunshine and rainbows. Peter Haffley and Dexter Sol Ansell have this weird, endearing chemistry that makes the show feel a lot lighter than its predecessors.
Why Industry is the Most Stressed You’ll Ever Be
If you haven't started Industry, what are you even doing? Season 4 just kicked off on January 11, and the stakes are basically "heart-attack levels" of high. It’s the closest thing we have to Succession right now, but with more drugs and way more anxiety.
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Yasmin is tangled up with Sir Henry Muck (played by Kit Harington, continuing the GoT alumni pipeline), and Harper is still out there being a tactical genius/villain. It’s a show about people who are fundamentally broken by money, and yet, you cannot look away. It’s easily one of the sharpest things on TV right now.
Movies to Catch Before the Oscars
The HBO and A24 partnership is the best thing to happen to our subscription fees. We finally got The Smashing Machine on January 23. This is the one where Dwayne Johnson actually acts. Like, really acts. He plays Mark Kerr, the legendary MMA fighter, and he is completely unrecognizable. It’s a brutal, emotional biopic directed by Benny Safdie, and it’s a far cry from the jungle-adventure stuff The Rock usually does.
Then there’s If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, which arrived on January 30. Rose Byrne plays a mom who is basically watching her life implode in slow motion. It’s dark, it’s funny in a "laugh so you don't cry" way, and it’s exactly the kind of mid-budget adult drama that used to fill theaters but now lives on Max.
The Medical Drama That Everyone Is Binging
If you’re seeing The Pitt everywhere on your social feed, there’s a reason. Season 2 premiered on January 8, and it has basically taken over the "Top 10" list. Noah Wyle is back in the hospital setting, but this isn't ER. It’s much more grounded in the actual, soul-crushing reality of modern healthcare.
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The first season was unique because it covered a single 15-hour shift in real-time. Season 2 keeps that relentless pacing. It’s currently sitting at a 99% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is almost unheard of for a "traditional" medical drama.
Hidden Gems and Documentaries
Don't sleep on the weird stuff. Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man! dropped on January 22. It’s a two-part docuseries directed by Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio. Even if you aren't a comedy nerd, seeing Mel Brooks talk about his life is like getting a history lesson from the funniest person who ever lived.
There's also some weirdly addictive true crime for the "Sunday Scaries" crowd:
- The Cult Behind the Killer: The Andrea Yates Story (ID)
- The Yogurt Shop Murders (A brutal but well-handled deep dive into the 1991 Austin case)
- 33 Photos from the Ghetto (A haunting documentary that premiered on January 27)
What Most People Get Wrong About Max
People think Max is just "The HBO App," but the Discovery merger actually changed the math on value. Honestly, the most watched thing on the platform last week wasn't a prestige drama—it was House Hunters. Max is basically two apps wearing a trench coat. You have the high-brow, Emmy-winning stuff like Task (the Mark Ruffalo FBI thriller that just cleaned up at the Golden Globes), and then you have 1000-lb Sisters.
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It’s okay to watch both. Nobody’s judging.
If you’re looking for a weekend binge, the move is definitely to catch up on Task if you missed it in late 2025. It’s 7 episodes. Mark Ruffalo is playing an FBI agent looking for a missing kid in a small town. Yeah, we've seen that plot before, but Brad Ingelsby (the guy who did Mare of Easttown) makes it feel brand new.
Actionable Next Steps for Your Watchlist
Start with A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms if you want that big-budget fantasy fix. If you want something that will make you feel better about your own job, go with Industry. For a movie night that actually feels like "cinema," put on The Smashing Machine.
Check your settings, too. If you’re paying for the "Ultimate Ad-Free" tier, make sure you're actually streaming in 4K for the Westeros scenes; the cinematography in the premiere is way too good to watch in grainy 1080p.