10 Best R-Rated TV Shows of All Time, Ranked (2024)

TV and censorship went hand in hand for decades. For many decades, some things just couldn't be done on network TV, and shows were censored in ways that would become more ridiculous as years went by. However, network TV's stranglehold on the airwaves would go the way of the dodo when HBO debuted in 1972. This pay channel was the first of its kind, but most importantly it wasn't constrained by FCC regulations when it came to what it could and couldn't broadcast. This would eventually lead to more mature comedies and dramas, ones that could be considered R-rated.

Many of the greatest TV shows of all time can be considered R-rated. They've used the freedom of mature content to tell better stories, giving viewers more realistic stories. Many of these shows have changed the landscape of television, sparking the Golden Age of Television that led to so many amazing shows.

10 The Boys Is Profane Satire of the Highest Level

Calling The Boys R-rated may be underplaying it a bit — there are definitely sequences in the show that would fit better into an NC-17-rated movie — but it's mostly R-rated. The Boys is based on the comic of the same name by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, following a group of men and women out to take down Supes, the superpowered heroes of the world created by Vought Industries. Ennis and Robertson didn't skimp on the gore and nudity in their comics, and the show doesn't either. The Boys can be shocking, but that's not what makes it so great.

The Boys works so well that it combines all the over-the-top language, sex, and gore with deep characters and wonderful satire. Some people start watching The Boys because of its shocking reputation but stay because the characters and stories are really that good. The show's satire is never short of biting and it targets pretty much everyone. It's also played so straight in the show that there are some people out there who don't realize they're being made fun of. The Boys went above and beyond, taking a show that could have been good but instead is consistently great.

The Boys

Genre

Comedy, Action

Language

English

Number of Seasons

2

Debut Date

July 26, 2019

Studio

Amazon Studios

See at Amazon

9 Foundation Is The Best Sci-Fi Television In Years

Isaac Asimov's series of Foundation novels are beloved by fans of the genre and on the short list of greatest sci-fi books ever. However, the book series was always considered to be unadaptable for a variety of reasons (e.g. no true main character, very little action, and a rather dry writing style), which is what makes Foundation such an accomplishment. While many hardcore fans of the book don't enjoy the changes made to it, all of that works in the context of the show because they allow the story of the fall of the Galactic Empire and the rise of the Foundation to become an actual story and not just an encyclopedic retelling of events.

Foundation isn't one of the more egregious offenders when it comes to its R-rated content — there's nudity, language, and violence but not extreme amounts — but it does use them to remarkable effect. The show can get very deep with its questions about humanity and its conflict is about so much more than just wars in the stars. The changes made to the story are the key to its success, introducing wonderful new pieces of lore that open up Foundation to new horizons.

Foundation

8 The Larry Sanders Show Took Viewers Behind the Scenes of a Late Night Talk Show

Late talk shows have always been a huge part of the television landscape, but their nature meant that the backstage workings of such shows were opaque to the general public. At best, tell-all books would be written years later and at worst, there would be no information. Garry Shandling and Dennis Klein decided to allow viewers a peak behind the curtain in 1992 with The Larry Sanders Show, a comedy series that used the titular late-night talk show, its host, and crew to tell hilarious stories.

The Larry Sanders Show got pretty raunchy when it came down to it, its place on HBO allowing it to use all the profanity that network late-night TV shows couldn't. Its place on HBO in the '90s, back when the channel was more the providence of the upper middle class, means that it doesn't have the legacy it deserves, which is a tragedy. The Larry Sanders Show is legendary, and a treat for fans coming back to it or discovering it for the first time.

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The Larry Sanders Show

TV-MA

Comedy

Satire

Created by Garry Shandling, who also stars as the titular Larry Sanders, the series dives into the chaotic world of late-night television. Larry Sanders, a neurotic and self-absorbed talk show host, navigates the pressures of showbiz with the help of his loyal yet cynical producer, Artie (Rip Torn), and his bumbling sidekick, Hank Kingsley (Jeffrey Tambor).

Release Date

August 15, 1992

Cast

Garry Shandling , Jeffrey Tambor , Megan Gallagher , Wallace Langham , Jeremy Piven , Penny Johnson Jerald , Linda Doucett , Janeane Garofalo , Rip Torn , Kathryn Harrold

Main Genre

Comedy

Seasons

6

Writers

Garry Shandling , Dennis Klein

Network

HBO Max

Showrunner

Garry Shandling

7 Peacemaker Was Much Deeper Than Anyone Would Have Guessed

Peacemaker spun out of The Suicide Squad, the R-rated sequel to Suicide Squad. Writer/director James Gunn does two things very well: R-rated action-comedy and finding the heart in characters that seem to have none. The Suicide Squad succeeded where its predecessor failed because Gunn was able to give viewers a blood-drenched spectacle and raunchy, extreme humor while also delivering poignant character moments. Gunn brought all this to Peacemaker.

Peacemaker followed the titular character on a mission for Amanda Waller, the DC spymaster extraordinaire. Peacemaker, played brilliantly by WWE wrestler John Cena, seems like a shallow character, but the show keeps peeling away layers of him and revealing hidden depths, something that's done with pretty much every character. There's some great R-rated humor and violence in the show, but what makes it so amazing are the characters, each one with their own secrets and shame that make them wonderfully well-rounded ne'er-do-wells.

Peacemaker

Comedy

superheroes

Where to Watch

*Availability in US

• stream
• rent
• buy

Not available

Release Date

January 13, 2022

Cast

John Cena , Danielle Brooks , Freddie Stroma , Chukwudi Iwuji , Jennifer Holland

Seasons

1

Creator

James Gunn

Number of Episodes

8

Streaming Service(s)

HBO Max

6 Game Of Thrones's Ending Wasn't Great but the Rest of the Show Was Stellar

Game Of Thrones is often looked at as a cautionary tale for adaptations. Based on the book series A Song Of Ice And Fire by George R.R. Martin, the show outpaced its glacially written source material and the last two seasons weren't of the quality of the ones that came before them. However, the show's early seasons are still the best fantasy TV out there, putting viewers smack dab in a war for the throne populated by some of the greatest characters on TV.

Game Of Thrones was well-known for its violence, profanity, sex, and nudity. It was basically fantasy for adults, with Game Of Thrones containing many controversial moments. There are plenty of classic episodes from the show's heyday, but even the last half of the show has some of its best entries. The lackluster ending can make a rewatch of the show a bit disappointing, but that doesn't change the fact that when Game Of Thrones is good, it's among the best shows ever.

Game Of Thrones

TV-MA

Fantasy

Drama

Action

Adventure

Where to Watch

*Availability in US

• stream
• rent
• buy

Not available

9

10

Nine noble families fight for control over the lands of Westeros, while an ancient enemy returns after being dormant for a millennia.

Release Date

April 17, 2011

Cast

Peter Dinklage , Emilia Clarke , Nikolaj Coster-Waldau , Sophie Turner , Maisie Williams , Kit Harington , Lena Headey , Sean Bean

Main Genre

Drama

Seasons

8

Creator

David Benioff, D.B. Weiss

Production Company

Home Box Office (HBO), Television 360Grok! Studio

Number of Episodes

73

Network

HBO Max

Streaming Service(s)

HBO Max

5 Six Feet Under Told Poignant Stories Of A Family-Owned Mortuary

The Golden Age of TV started with The Sopranos in 1999, which made HBO the epicenter of the best dramas on TV. Awash in subscriber money and award nominations, HBO kept the prestige TV ball rolling in the years after The Sopranos, and writer/director Alan Ball, fresh off the success of the film American Beauty, got his chance to create a new show for HBO — Six Feet Under. Six Feet Under followed the lives of the Fisher family, who own a mortuary, after the death of the family patriarch.

The show is a pitch black comedy about life, death, and how they intertwine. Each episode began with a death, and then dug into the lives of a family surrounded by death. Six Feet Under has some brilliant episodes, including what is possibly the best ending to a show of all time. The show didn't shy from the subjects of sex and was progressive in its portrayal of hom*osexuality, which was much rarer in the early '00s than it is now. It's an all-around brilliant show, one that was overshadowed by The Sopranos but still deserves all the credit in the world.

Six Feet Under

Comedy

Drama

Where to Watch

*Availability in US

• stream
• rent
• buy

Not available

Release Date

June 3, 2001

Cast

Peter Krause , Michael C. Hall , Lauren Ambrose , Frances Conroy

Seasons

5

Number of Episodes

63

4 Deadwood Is The Best TV Western Ever

Television and Westerns went hand in hand for a very long time. TV came of age just as the Western was the biggest genre in America, with the early TV networks full of shows like Gunsmoke and Wagon Trail. Of course, the popularity of Westerns wouldn't last and they'd eventually go the way of the dodo. Western shows would pop up throughout the '70s, '80s, and '90s, but it would take HBO to give viewers a Western that could live up to the truths of the Old West - the masterpiece known as Deadwood.

Deadwood was set in the town of the same name in the Dakota territories, a boom town populated by miners, gamblers, criminals, prostitutes, and more. The show revolved around the relationship between Seth Bullock, who would become the town sheriff, and Al Swearngen, the owner of the Gem Saloon. The show became well-known for its sex and violence, but the poetic way that it used profanity will always stick with fans of the show, especially Al's special way of speaking that made cursing sound Shakespearean. Deadwood ended much too early, finally getting a movie to finish it off in 2019, but what viewers got was brilliant.

Deadwood

TV-MA

Western

Crime

Drama

History

Where to Watch

*Availability in US

• stream
• rent
• buy

Not available

Release Date

March 21, 2004

Cast

Timothy Olyphant , Ian McShane , Molly Parker , Brad Dourif , W. Earl Brown , John Hawkes , Paula Malcomson , Dayton Callie

Main Genre

Western

Seasons

3

Creator

David Milch

3 Oz Showed What TV Could Be Before The Golden Age Of Television Officially Started

The Sopranos changed TV forever, but there were some precursors to it that deserve to get more credit than they have. Oz is a perfect example of this. The show premiered in 1997 and took place at the Oswald Correctional Facility, a maximum security prison. The crux of the show was Emerald City, a special part of the prison where the prisoners were given more freedom than usual as an experiment. The show followed multiple prisoners, guards, and prison administrators and the ways there lives intertwined.

Oz was a show that really couldn't work without its R-rated content. The show didn't flinch from the terrors of life behind bars, but it also showed the other side of things as well. Oz was completely overshadowed by The Sopranos when the latter debuted, but that doesn't change just how amazing the show is. It's a best-of-all-time show and one that showed that TV could be more than anyone imagined.

Oz

TV-MA

Crime

Drama

Thriller

Where to Watch

*Availability in US

• stream
• rent
• buy

Not available

A series chronicling the daily activities of an unusual prison facility and its criminal inhabitants.

Release Date

July 12, 1997

Cast

Ernie Hudson , J.K. Simmons , Lee Tergesen , Dean Winters , Terry Kinney , Rita Moreno , Harold Perrineau , Eamonn Walker

Main Genre

Crime

Seasons

6

Creator

Tom Fontana

2 The Wire Redefined What Crime TV Could Be

Crime shows have always been a big part of the televisual landscape, but network censorship held them back. Shows like NYPD Blue used later start times to get away with more, but FCC guidelines still held them back. Pay networks like HBO would change all of that, and the Golden Age Of Television would have some examples of brilliant crime shows. However, there's one that is almost universally agreed upon as the best: The Wire.

The Wire ran for five seasons. It was never the highest-rated show, but viewers loved it. The show was set in Baltimore, Maryland and had five recurring subjects — the illegal drug trade, the port system, the city government and bureaucracy, education and schools, and the print media. The show didn't flinch from any difficult subject matter and is considered one of the great masterpieces of the Golden Age Of TV.

The Wire

TV-MA

Crime

Drama

Where to Watch

*Availability in US

• stream
• rent
• buy

Not available

Not available

The Baltimore drug scene, as seen through the eyes of drug dealers and law enforcement.

Release Date

June 2, 2002

Cast

Dominic West , John Doman , Idris Elba , Michael K. Williams , Seth Gilliam , Domenick Lombardozzi , Robert Wisdom , Deirdre Lovejoy , Wendell Pierce

Main Genre

Crime

Seasons

5

Creator

David Simon

Number of Episodes

60

Network

HBO Max

Streaming Service(s)

HBO Max

1 The Sopranos Is Considered by Many to Be the Greatest Show Ever

The Sopranos was something of a cultural touchstone of the early '00s. The show began in the year 1999, despite being greenlit in 1997, and followed Tony Soprano, a mob boss who decides to go to therapy to deal with his depression, anxiety, and panic attacks. The show digs into the lives of his family — both his blood family and the illegal one - dealing with the realities of the mafia lifestyle. The Sopranos completely changed what people expected from TV shows, and was beloved by pretty much everyone that watched it. It won basically every possible award and tops list of best of all-time TV shows.

The Sopranos only works so well because of its R-rated subject matter. Mafia stories had mostly been consigned to movies until The Sopranos, the lack of censorship allowing the show to feel authentic for viewers. The Sopranos has some brilliant episodes, each season chock full of quality TV. The Golden Age Of TV might still exist without The Sopranos, but the last quarter century of television wouldn't be as great without it.

The Sopranos

TV-MA

Drama

Crime

New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano deals with personal and professional issues in his home and business life that affect his mental state, leading him to seek professional psychiatric counseling.

Release Date

January 10, 1999

Cast

James Gandolfini , Lorraine Bracco , Edie Falco , Jamie-Lynn Sigler , Robert Iler , Drea De Matteo

Main Genre

Drama

Seasons

6

Creator

David Chase

Number of Episodes

86

Network

HBO Max

Streaming Service(s)

Max