Best on Max › Drama
Included with subscription · US · updated October 28, 2026
Best dramas on Max right now, ranked
The highest-rated dramas you can stream with a standard Max plan in the US today: 25 movies and 25 series, checked title by title. Titles that need a paid add-on channel, a rental or a purchase aren’t counted.
How this is ranked: when a title has at least 5 ratings from Wochly users, its score is their average (green). Otherwise we use TMDB’s user rating weighted by how many people voted (marked “TMDB, weighted”), so a title with a handful of votes can’t outrank an established favorite. Talk, news and reality shows are left out. Availability comes from JustWatch via TMDB and is re-checked every few hours.
Best drama movies on Max
- 1
Your Name. (2016)
Animation, Romance, Drama
High schoolers Mitsuha and Taki are complete strangers living separate lives. But one night, they suddenly switch places. Mitsuha wakes up in Taki’s body, and he in hers. This bizarre occurrence continues to happen randomly, and the two must adjust their lives around each other.
8.4TMDB, weighted
- 2
Seven Samurai (1954)
Action, Drama
A samurai answers a village's request for protection after he falls on hard times. The town needs protection from bandits, so the samurai gathers six others to help him teach the people how to defend themselves, and the villagers provide the soldiers with food.
8.3TMDB, weighted
- 3
Modern Times (1936)
Comedy, Drama, Romance
A bumbling tramp desires to build a home with a young woman, yet is thwarted time and time again by his lack of experience and habit of being in the wrong place at the wrong time...
8.1TMDB, weighted
- 4
The Departed (2006)
Drama, Thriller, Crime
To take down South Boston's Irish Mafia, the police send in one of their own to infiltrate the underworld, not realizing the syndicate has done likewise. While an undercover cop curries favor with the mob kingpin, a career criminal rises through the police ranks. But both sides soon discover there's a mole among them.
8.1TMDB, weighted
- 5
The Usual Suspects (1995)
Drama, Crime, Thriller
Held in an L.A. interrogation room, Verbal Kint attempts to convince the feds that a mythic crime lord, Keyser Soze, not only exists, but was also responsible for drawing him and his four partners into a multi-million dollar heist that ended with an explosion in San Pedro harbor – leaving few survivors. Verbal lures his interrogators with an incredible story of the crime lord's almost supernatural prowess.
8.1TMDB, weighted
- 6
Joker (2019)
Crime, Thriller, Drama
During the 1980s, a failed stand-up comedian is driven insane and turns to a life of crime and chaos in Gotham City while becoming an infamous psychopathic crime figure.
8.1TMDB, weighted
- 7
Full Metal Jacket (1987)
Drama, War
A pragmatic U.S. Marine observes the dehumanizing effects the U.S.-Vietnam War has on his fellow recruits from their brutal boot camp training to the bloody street fighting in Hue.
8.1TMDB, weighted
- 8
Casablanca (1943)
Drama, Romance
In Casablanca, Morocco in December 1941, a cynical American expatriate meets a former lover, with unforeseen complications.
8.0TMDB, weighted
- 9
Hidden Figures (2016)
Drama, History
The untold story of Katherine G. Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson – brilliant African-American women working at NASA and serving as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history – the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit. The visionary trio crossed all gender and race lines to inspire generations to dream big.
8.0TMDB, weighted
- 10
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)
Crime, Drama
After seven months have passed without a culprit in her daughter's murder case, Mildred Hayes makes a bold move, painting three signs leading into her town with a controversial message directed at Bill Willoughby, the town's revered chief of police. When his second-in-command Officer Jason Dixon, an immature mother's boy with a penchant for violence, gets involved, the battle between Mildred and Ebbing's law enforcement is only exacerbated.
8.0TMDB, weighted
- 11
Bicycle Thieves (1948)
Drama
Unemployed Antonio is elated when he finally finds work hanging posters around war-torn Rome. However on his first day, his bicycle—essential to his work—gets stolen. His job is doomed unless he can find the thief. With the help of his son, Antonio combs the city, becoming desperate for justice.
7.9TMDB, weighted
- 12
City Lights (1931)
Comedy, Drama, Romance
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.
7.9TMDB, weighted
- 13
Wolf Children (2012)
Animation, Family, Drama
After her werewolf lover unexpectedly dies in an accident, a woman must find a way to raise the son and daughter that she had with him. However, their inheritance of their father's traits prove to be a challenge for her.
7.9TMDB, weighted
- 14
Room (2015)
Drama, Thriller
Held captive for 7 years in an enclosed space, a woman and her young son finally gain their freedom, allowing the boy to experience the outside world for the first time.
7.9TMDB, weighted
- 15
The Seventh Seal (1957)
Fantasy, Drama
When disillusioned Swedish knight Antonius Block returns home from the Crusades to find his country in the grips of the Black Death, he challenges Death to a chess match for his life. Tormented by the belief that God does not exist, Block sets off on a journey, meeting up with traveling players Jof and his wife, Mia, and becoming determined to evade Death long enough to commit one redemptive act while he still lives.
7.9TMDB, weighted
- 16
In the Mood for Love (2000)
Drama, Romance
In 1960s Hong Kong, two neighbors form an intimate bond after making a discovery about their spouses in this visually stunning tale of unrequited love.
7.9TMDB, weighted
- 17
Love, Simon (2018)
Comedy, Drama, Romance
Everyone deserves a great love story, but for 17-year-old Simon Spier, it's a little more complicated. He hasn't told his family or friends that he's gay, and he doesn't know the identity of the anonymous classmate that he's fallen for online.
7.9TMDB, weighted
- 18
Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)
Drama, Romance
On an isolated island in Brittany at the end of the eighteenth century, a female painter is obliged to paint a wedding portrait of a young woman.
7.9TMDB, weighted
- 19
The Kid (1921)
Comedy, Drama
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.
7.9TMDB, weighted
- 20
Stalker (1979)
Science Fiction, Drama
Near a gray and unnamed city is the Zone, a place guarded by barbed wire and soldiers, and where the normal laws of physics are victim to frequent anomalies. A stalker guides two men into the Zone, specifically to an area in which deep-seated desires are granted.
7.8TMDB, weighted
- 21
High and Low (1963)
Drama, Crime, Thriller
A Yokohama shoe executive faces a wrenching choice when kidnappers mistakenly seize his chauffeur’s son but demand the ransom anyway.
7.8TMDB, weighted
- 22
Ikiru (1952)
Drama
Kanji Watanabe is a middle-aged man who has worked in the same monotonous bureaucratic position for decades. Learning he has cancer, he starts to look for the meaning of his life.
7.8TMDB, weighted
- 23
8½ (1963)
Drama
Guido Anselmi, a film director, finds himself creatively barren at the peak of his career. Urged by his doctors to rest, Anselmi heads for a luxurious resort, but a sorry group gathers—his producer, staff, actors, wife, mistress, and relatives—each one begging him to get on with the show. In retreat from their dependency, he fantasizes about past women and dreams of his childhood.
7.8TMDB, weighted
- 24
Persona (1966)
Drama
A young nurse, Alma, is put in charge of Elisabeth Vogler: an actress who is seemingly healthy in all respects, but will not talk. As they spend time together, Alma speaks to Elisabeth constantly, never receiving any answer.
7.8TMDB, weighted
- 25
M (1931)
Drama, Thriller, Crime
In this classic German thriller, Hans Beckert, a serial killer who preys on children, becomes the focus of a massive Berlin police manhunt. Beckert's heinous crimes are so repellant and disruptive to city life that he is even targeted by others in the seedy underworld network. With both cops and criminals in pursuit, the murderer soon realizes that people are on his trail, sending him into a tense, panicked attempt to escape justice.
7.8TMDB, weighted
Best drama shows on Max
- 1
Chernobyl (2019)
Drama
The true story of one of the worst man-made catastrophes in history: the catastrophic nuclear accident at Chernobyl. A tale of the brave men and women who sacrificed to save Europe from unimaginable disaster.
8.7TMDB, weighted
- 2
The Sopranos (1999)
Crime, Drama
The story of New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads. Those difficulties are often highlighted through his ongoing professional relationship with psychiatrist Jennifer Melfi. The show features Tony's family members and Mafia associates in prominent roles and story arcs, most notably his wife Carmela and his cousin and protégé Christopher Moltisanti.
8.5TMDB, weighted
- 3
Band of Brothers (2001)
Drama, War & Politics
Drawn from interviews with survivors of Easy Company, as well as their journals and letters, Band of Brothers chronicles the experiences of these men from paratrooper training in Georgia through the end of the war. As an elite rifle company parachuting into Normandy early on D-Day morning, participants in the Battle of the Bulge, and witness to the horrors of war, the men of Easy knew extraordinary bravery and extraordinary fear - and became the stuff of legend. Based on Stephen E. Ambrose's acclaimed book of the same name.
8.5TMDB, weighted
- 4
Game of Thrones (2011)
Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama, Action & Adventure
Seven noble families fight for control of the mythical land of Westeros. Friction between the houses leads to full-scale war. All while a very ancient evil awakens in the farthest north. Amidst the war, a neglected military order of misfits, the Night's Watch, is all that stands between the realms of men and icy horrors beyond.
8.4TMDB, weighted
- 5
The Wire (2002)
Crime, Drama
Told from the points of view of both the Baltimore homicide and narcotics detectives and their targets, the series captures a universe in which the national war on drugs has become a permanent, self-sustaining bureaucracy, and distinctions between good and evil are routinely obliterated.
8.4TMDB, weighted
- 6
The Last of Us (2023)
Drama
Twenty years after modern civilization has been destroyed, Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie, a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal, heartbreaking journey, as they both must traverse the United States and depend on each other for survival.
8.3TMDB, weighted
- 7
Batman: The Animated Series (1992)
Action & Adventure, Animation, Drama
Vowing to avenge the murder of his parents, Bruce Wayne devotes his life to wiping out crime in Gotham City as the masked vigilante "Batman".
8.3TMDB, weighted
- 8
House of the Dragon (2022)
Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama, Action & Adventure
The Targaryen dynasty is at the absolute apex of its power, with more than 15 dragons under their yoke. Most empires crumble from such heights. In the case of the Targaryens, their slow fall begins when King Viserys breaks with a century of tradition by naming his daughter Rhaenyra heir to the Iron Throne. But when Viserys later fathers a son, the court is shocked when Rhaenyra retains her status as his heir, and seeds of division sow friction across the realm.
8.3TMDB, weighted
- 9
The Vampire Diaries (2009)
Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
The story of two vampire brothers obsessed with the same girl, who bears a striking resemblance to the beautiful but ruthless vampire they knew and loved in 1864.
8.3TMDB, weighted
- 10
The Pitt (2025)
Drama
The staff of Pittsburgh's Trauma Medical Center work around the clock to save lives in an overcrowded and underfunded emergency department.
8.2TMDB, weighted
- 11
Euphoria (2019)
Drama
A group of high school students navigate love and friendships in a world of drugs, sex, trauma, and social media.
8.2TMDB, weighted
- 12
True Detective (2014)
Drama, Mystery
An American anthology police detective series utilizing multiple timelines in which investigations seem to unearth personal and professional secrets of those involved, both within or outside the law.
8.2TMDB, weighted
- 13
True Beauty (2020)
Comedy, Drama
After being bullied and discriminated because of her ugly looks, a high school girl transforms herself into a gorgeous "goddess" and quickly rises to fame after mastering the art of makeup via online tutorial videos.
8.1TMDB, weighted
- 14
The Penguin (2024)
Drama, Crime
With the city in peril following the seawall's collapse, Oswald "Oz" Cobb seeks to fill the power vacuum left by the death of Carmine Falcone and finally give his mother Francis the life he's always promised. But first, Oz must confront his enemies and his own demoralizing reputation as "the Penguin."
8.1TMDB, weighted
- 15
Veneno (2020)
Drama
Adored for her charisma and her free, explicit and fun way of expressing herself, La Veneno gained popularity thanks to her television appearances in the 90s. However, her life and especially her death remain an enigma.
8.1TMDB, weighted
- 16
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (2026)
Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Action & Adventure
A century before the events of Game of Thrones, two unlikely heroes wandered Westeros: a young, naive but courageous knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, and his diminutive squire, Egg. Set in an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne and the last dragon has not yet passed from living memory, great destinies, powerful foes, and dangerous exploits await these improbable and incomparable friends.
8.1TMDB, weighted
- 17
Succession (2018)
Drama, Comedy
Follow the lives of the Roy family as they contemplate their future once their aging father begins to step back from the media and entertainment conglomerate they control.
8.1TMDB, weighted
- 18
Heated Rivalry (2025)
Drama
Two of the biggest stars in Major League Hockey are bound by ambition, rivalry, and a magnetic pull neither of them fully understands. What begins as a secret fling between two fresh faced rookies evolves into a years-long journey of love, denial, and self-discovery. Over the next eight years, as they chase glory on the ice, they struggle to navigate their feelings for each other. Torn between the sport they live for and the love they can’t ignore, they must decide if there’s room in their fiercely competitive world for something as fragile – and powerful – as real love.
8.0TMDB, weighted
- 19
IT: Welcome to Derry (2025)
Drama, Mystery
In 1962, amid a spate of unexplained disappearances of local children, a group of misfit friends begin to suspect a long-buried ancient evil lurking. As the kids set out to determine what's really going on, a rising unease prompts several townspeople to work together to restore peace – all while a U.S. military operation seeks to exploit Derry for its own objectives.
8.0TMDB, weighted
- 20
Rome (2005)
Action & Adventure, Drama
A down-to-earth account of the lives of both illustrious and ordinary Romans set in the last days of the Roman Republic.
8.0TMDB, weighted
- 21
Mare of Easttown (2021)
Drama, Crime, Mystery
A detective in a small Pennsylvania town investigates a local murder while trying to keep her life from falling apart.
7.9TMDB, weighted
- 22
Gossip Girl (2007)
Drama
An exclusive group of privileged teens from a posh prep school on Manhattan's Upper East Side whose lives revolve around the blog of the all-knowing albeit ultra-secretive Gossip Girl.
7.9TMDB, weighted
- 23
Superman & Lois (2021)
Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
After years of facing megalomaniacal supervillains, monsters wreaking havoc on Metropolis, and alien invaders intent on wiping out the human race, The Man of Steel aka Clark Kent and Lois Lane come face to face with one of their greatest challenges ever: dealing with all the stress, pressures and complexities that come with being working parents in today's society.
7.9TMDB, weighted
- 24
Young Sheldon (2017)
Comedy, Family, Drama
The early life of child genius Sheldon Cooper, later seen in The Big Bang Theory.
7.9TMDB, weighted
- 25
Mad Men (2007)
Drama
Set in 1960-1970 New York, this sexy, stylized and provocative drama follows the lives of the ruthlessly competitive men and women of Madison Avenue advertising.
7.9TMDB, weighted
Rank your own list
Seen some of these? Rate them in a couple of quick comparisons and Wochly builds your personal ranking, then shows what’s best across all your services.
Start rankingStreaming availability by JustWatch. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.