When I was growing up, HBO and its sister network Cinemax both had a reputation for the forbidden. This young, innocent television viewer knew nothing but the nickname (Skinemax), the hushed rumors around school, and the guilt that necessarily followed any mention of the network. Somewhere over the last quarter century, that changed. To be sure, there’s still a whiff of guilt that accompanies most mentions of HBO programming, but only because of the outright addiction many of its shows instill in fans.

From The Sopranos and The Wire to Entourage and Sex and the City, True Blood and True Detective to Girls and Vice, audiences have fallen – and fallen hard – for what HBO has to offer, and these three series – enjoying season or series premieres this Sunday – are no exception to its high standards and addictive content.

This article appears in April 4 • 2014.

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