Every HBO Comedy Ranked From Worst To Best

An unsung hero in HBO’s early line up, Dream On was the sitcom that paved the way for much of the network’s continued success going into the ‘90s and beyond. In its formal daring and use of adult content in a manner that wasn’t just for the sake of it, the show devised by Friends creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane is arguably one of HBO’s most important.

That’s not to say it’s one of the network’s best, because as we can ascertain from its placing on this list, it isn’t. It tells the story of Martin Tupper, unlucky in love divorcee, as he attempts to rebuild his life following the split from his wife. In its story beats and characterisation, it’s not majorly original.

Its key gimmick, though, was the interspersal of clips from old TV shows, which both served as a mood board for Tupper’s state of mind, and an illustration of how his (and our) mind had been shaped by untold hours in front of the box.

The postmodern vibe of Dream On would go on to inspire so many shows that obsess over pop culture, and the adult themes actually fed into the plot, rather than previous shows’ nudity and swearing just because they could. It’s been left behind a little by what came later, but is still well worthy of praise.