HBO has had a big year in 2026, and while there have been dozens of new projects hit the screen, a few stand out above the rest as classics. One of the first shows that immediately comes to mind is The Pitt, the hit medical drama starring Noah Wyle that returned for Season 2 in January. The show was picked up for Season 3 months ago, and it was confirmed just this morning that production on the third season is now underway. Around the same time that The Pitt made its triumphant return to HBO Max, the studio expanded the Game of Thrones universe with the next spin-off, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which is coming back for Season 2 next year. The third season of House of the Dragon also premieres this Sunday.
While it doesn’t have the subscriber numbers like Netflix or Prime Video, HBO Max has become the premiere streaming home for many fans in the United States and other countries. HBO may not be available in every single country around the world, but the service is constantly expanding into new territory, even as recently as this week, where it has opened its doors in New Zealand, Vietnam, Cook Islands, and Tokelau. This marks the completion of HBO’s rollout in key Southeast Asian and ANZ markets, and now the studio will search for new territory to expand its empire. Similar to other big streaming services, different countries have different licensing laws, so some movies or TV shows available on HBO Max in America may not be available in Vietnam, or vice versa. Still, this is a step in the right direction to making HBO more accessible to fans around the world.
Collider Exclusive · Universe Personality Quiz Which Iconic Universe Do You Belong in the Most? Star Wars · Lord of the Rings · Harry Potter · Game of Thrones · Star Trek
Five legendary universes. Five completely different visions of what the world could be — or already was. One of them is the world your instincts, your values, and your particular way of existing were built for. Eight questions will tell you which one.
Star Wars
Lord of the Rings
Harry Potter
Game of Thrones
Star Trek
01
What gives your life its deepest sense of meaning? Every universe is built around a different answer to this question.
02
Which kind of world do you most want to inhabit? The environment shapes who you become. Choose carefully.
03
How do you prefer your conflicts resolved? The shape of a world’s conflicts tells you everything about its soul.
04
Who do you want beside you when things get difficult? Your ideal companions reveal the world you were made for.
05
What is your relationship with power? How you seek, wield, or resist power is the map of who you are.
06
How does your universe treat good and evil? A world’s moral architecture tells you more about it than any map.
07
What role would you naturally fall into? Every universe has archetypes. Which one fits you without trying?
08
What do you ultimately believe about the future? The answer to this is the clearest window into which universe already lives inside you.
Your Universe Has Been Chosen You Belong In…
Your answers point to the iconic universe your values, your instincts, and your particular way of seeing the world were built for. This is where you would find your people — and your purpose.
A Galaxy Far, Far Away
Star Wars
You believe in the cause — in the idea that freedom is worth fighting for even when the odds are impossible and the empire is vast.
You are drawn to the moral clarity of a universe where hope itself is a form of resistance.
You’d find your people in the Rebellion — a ragtag coalition of true believers held together by conviction more than resources.
Star Wars is fundamentally a story about ordinary people choosing to matter in an extraordinary conflict — and that is exactly your kind of story.
The Force may or may not be with you. But the will to use it for something larger than yourself certainly is.
Middle-earth
Lord of the Rings
You understand, in the deepest part of yourself, that the journey matters as much as the destination — and that the world’s beauty is worth protecting even at great cost.
Middle-earth is a world of ancient wonder, deep friendship, and a darkness that only retreats when enough small acts of courage accumulate.
You would thrive here because you value the fellowship more than the glory — the road more than the arrival.
Tolkien’s universe rewards patience, loyalty, and the willingness to carry something heavy across a very long distance.
Those are not burdens to you. They are simply how you move through the world.
The Wizarding World
Harry Potter
You believe that love, loyalty, and doing what’s right are not naive sentiments — they are the most powerful forces in any world, magical or otherwise.
The Wizarding World is a place of wonder hidden in plain sight, where learning is transformative and the bonds you form at school follow you into every battle.
You would flourish here because you take both the magic and the friendships seriously — and you understand that one without the other is incomplete.
Harry Potter’s universe ultimately rewards those who choose to stand for something even when standing is terrifying.
That choice — made quietly, without guarantee — is something you understand completely.
Westeros · The Known World
Game of Thrones
You see the world clearly — its power structures, its hypocrisies, its brutal arithmetic — and you are not paralysed by that clarity. You use it.
Westeros is a world that rewards intelligence, adaptability, and the willingness to understand that every alliance is also a negotiation.
You would survive here — possibly thrive here — because you don’t confuse the world as it is with the world as you’d like it to be.
Game of Thrones is a story about what happens when the idealists and the realists collide. You are sharp enough to know which one lasts longer.
Winter always comes. You are already prepared.
The United Federation of Planets
Star Trek
You believe the future is worth building — that curiosity, cooperation, and the expansion of understanding are not just ideals but the most practical path forward for any civilisation.
Star Trek is a universe where the questions matter as much as the answers, and where encountering something utterly alien is cause for wonder rather than fear.
You would belong here because you are fundamentally optimistic about what intelligence and decency can achieve — while being honest about how hard that achievement is.
The Federation is the universe’s most ambitious thought experiment: what if we actually got better?
You don’t just hope that’s possible. You think it’s the only thing worth working toward.
What Is Streaming on HBO Max Right Now?
The most popular show on HBO Max at the time of writing is the third season of Euphoria, which has now been confirmed to be the final season of the Zendaya and Sydney Sweeney-led erotic thriller series. Following closely behind Euphoria is House of the Dragon, which has been picking up steam on watchlists as fans anticipate the third season. HBO also has a few popular movies dominating streaming right now, not least of which is They Will Kill You, the new slasher horror film led by Deadpool 2’s Zazie Beetz. Ethan Hawke’s horror sequel, Black Phone 2, is also a streaming smash on HBO at the time of writing.
Stay tuned to Collider for more updates and coverage of all the hottest projects on HBO Max.
