Ranking Every HBO Miniseries From Worst To Best

David Simon is teflon when it comes to HBO. They’ll air anything he wants to write, and for good reason. Show Me A Hero isn’t the finest of his HBO miniseries, but this true story of a bold New York City mayor, co-written by The Wire cohort William F. Zorzi, is angry, important TV in the trademark Simon style.

Oscar Isaac stars in one of his finest roles to date as Nick Wasicsko, the young mayor of Yonkers thrown into an ugly, racially motivated battle over public housing. Like many of Simon’s protagonists, Wasicsko is a good man fighting against the impossible tide of self serving bureaucracy and institutions that protect themselves and have no interest in changing for the better.

Isaac is exceptional, charismatic and fiery, and his performance is met by great work from Alfred Molina and Peter Riegert among many others. The whole thing is directed by Paul Haggis in assured form.

It’s heavy on the dialogue and politics - while it’s exciting, it’s not a thriller in the conventional sense; if you’ve seen much of David Simon’s work and enjoyed it, this one’s a winner.