--- title: "“Wildly original” Lovecraft Country and more brilliant HBO series to stream" description: "HBO consistently produces quality, award-winning series that blow the lights out at awards shows. The latest is pulpy, scary Lovecraft Country." type: "NewsArticle" publisher: "Daily Maverick" site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za" section: "Sponsored Content" author: "Showmax" author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/showmax/" canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2020-09-17-wildly-original-lovecraft-country-and-more-brilliant-hbo-series-to-stream/" published: "2020-09-17T17:24:45" lang: "en-ZA" word_count: 683 --- # “Wildly original” Lovecraft Country and more brilliant HBO series to stream > HBO consistently produces quality, award-winning series that blow the lights out at awards shows. The latest is pulpy, scary Lovecraft Country. By Showmax · Published 17 September 2020, 19:24 SAST ## Content HBO’s brand-new horror drama [Lovecraft Country](https://www.showmax.com/eng/tvseries/939yhgjp-lovecraft-country) has landed with a bang, with critics calling it “a masterpiece” and "a stunning dissection of America's racist history". The first four episodes are ready to binge on Showmax. In the 1950s, Atticus, a young African-American, sets out on a road trip with his childhood friend Letitia and his uncle George to find his missing father. This catapults the three into a struggle for survival against the dual terrors of Jim Crow-era America and terrifying monsters that could be ripped from a paperback written by pulpy horror author HP Lovecraft. As the lines between real-world dangers and the realm of the fantastic start to blur, the trio find themselves caught between the monstrous Cthulhu and the KKK, with sinister cultists as their only allies. **Trailer:** [YouTube video: "YouTube video"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPERMUgPyXU)“Atticus is a bibliophile and a soldier, a warrior and a poet,” says lead actor Jonathan Majors (*The Last Black Man in San Francisco*). “He’s a man that goes from living in a world of books and of sci-fi, to living in an actual world full of monsters and witches.” Based on the cult novel by Matt Ruff, *Lovecraft Country* is exec produced by Oscar winner Jordan Peele ([Us](https://www.showmax.com/eng/movie/mrrl495i-us), Get Out) and Emmy winner JJ Abrams (Star Wars, [Star Trek](https://www.showmax.com/eng/movie/g6h6pu0o-star-trek)), as well as Emmy nominee Bill Carraro (*American History X*, *Blade Runner 2049)*. *NPR*calls *Lovecraft Country* “a masterpiece.” *Time Magazine* calls it “a stunning dissection of America’s racist history - and an absolutely wild ride … smart, gripping and wonderfully wild.” And *Rolling Stone* hails it as “a mind-bending, genre-blending tour de force… Couldn’t possibly feel timelier.” [*Lovecraft Country*](https://www.showmax.com/eng/tvseries/939yhgjp-lovecraft-country) has an 86% critics rating on *Rotten Tomatoes*, with much of the praise going to the formidable cast, which also includes Jurnee Smollett-Bell (*Birds of Prey*) as Letitia, Golden Globe nominee Courtney B Vance (*The People Vs OJ Simpson*) as George, and Emmy nominee Michael Kenneth Williams (*When They See Us*, *The Wire*) as Atticus’s father, Montrose. As *Newsday* put it, “To call *Lovecraft Country* ‘wildly original’ seems almost a quaint understatement. But it is wild. And original. Little doubt about that.” The next four episodes are [coming to Showmax](https://www.showmax.com/eng/tvseries/939yhgjp-lovecraft-country) on 6 October, with the final two coming 20 October, just after the US finale. Alternatively, catch new episodes on 1Magic or DStv Now on Mondays at 21:30. # **More of the best from HBO** Binge the best of HBO on Showmax and spend your nights with award-winning comedies, dramas and more. Here are some of our favourites ready to stream now: ## **Drama** [**I May Destroy You**](https://www.showmax.com/eng/tvseries/fg3rxxkq-i-may-destroy-you) [YouTube video: "YouTube video"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsbratLh2Iw)Michaela Coel’s brand-new series that follows a young woman’s journey in the aftermath of a sexual assault has set critics buzzing. **Also watch:**[I Know This Much Is True](https://www.showmax.com/eng/tvseries/yl86dkdr-i-know-this-much-is-true); [Succession S1-2](https://www.showmax.com/eng/tvseries/yous6pmy-succession); [Euphoria S1](https://www.showmax.com/eng/tvseries/f9yitlkr-euphoria); [Chernobyl](https://www.showmax.com/eng/tvseries/ckrt5tqn-chernobyl) ## **Fantasy** [**His Dark Materials**](https://www.showmax.com/eng/tvseries/1uqczurx-his-dark-materials) [YouTube video: "YouTube video"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-H0gHnOa4VE)Based on the books by Philip Pullman, this series takes place in a rich fantasy world where humans all have animal familiars, and where an orphan uncovers a dangerous secret. **Also watch:**[Game of Thrones S1-8](https://www.showmax.com/eng/tvseries/jvquw58k-game-of-thrones); [Watchmen S1](https://www.showmax.com/eng/tvseries/yuzkib0j-watchmen); [Westworld S1-3](https://www.showmax.com/eng/tvseries/9bv3idbe-westworld) ## **Crime** [**Perry Mason S1**](https://www.showmax.com/eng/tvseries/v6avgqf8-perry-mason) [YouTube video: "YouTube video"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlsF5Sw-7Lg)It’s the 1930s and while America is struggling through the Great Depression, Los Angeles is booming. It’s here that a down-and-out defence attorney, Perry Mason, takes on the case of the decade. Starring Matthew Rhys. **Also watch:**[The Sopranos S1-6](https://www.showmax.com/eng/tvseries/8fwn1hh9-the-sopranos); [True Detective S1-3](https://www.showmax.com/eng/tvseries/6x4ajiml-true-detective); [The Wire S1-5](https://www.showmax.com/eng/tvseries/3r70w42v-the-wire) ## **Comedy** [**Betty**](https://www.showmax.com/eng/tvseries/pckq514z-betty) [YouTube video: "YouTube video"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtnpYZ-7P8o)A group of young women try to find their place in the male-dominated world of skateboarding in this comedy inspired by the acclaimed film Skate Kitchen, which was in turn inspired by the real-life female skaters of New York. **Also watch:**[Run S1](https://www.showmax.com/eng/tvseries/3tl7eldr-run); [Looking S1-2](https://www.showmax.com/eng/tvseries/ytiewyyn-looking); [Insecure S1-4](https://www.showmax.com/eng/tvseries/2ji8dze7-insecure) ## **Documentaries** **[McMillion$](https://www.showmax.com/eng/tvseries/vtk48c9r-mcmillions?utm_source=Showmax_blog&utm_medium=Text&utm_campaign=Showmax_blog_watch-best-hbo-shows-showmax)** [YouTube video: "YouTube video"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rI7c63OmczY)The incredible story of how a plan to sell more burgers became a multi-million dollar fraud that eventually involved the mafia. **Also watch:**[After Truth: Disinformation and the Cost of Fake News](https://www.showmax.com/eng/movie/fc0cvkrx-after-truth-disinformation-and-the-cost-of-fake-news?utm_source=Showmax_blog&utm_medium=Text&utm_campaign=Showmax_blog_watch-best-hbo-shows-showmax); [Kill Chain: The Cyber War On America’s Elections](https://www.showmax.com/eng/movie/fbxpxkye-kill-chain-the-cyber-war-on-americans-election?utm_source=Showmax_blog&utm_medium=Text&utm_campaign=Showmax_blog_watch-best-hbo-shows-showmax); [The Scheme](https://www.showmax.com/eng/movie/jf9te2o8-the-scheme?utm_source=Showmax_blog&utm_medium=Text&utm_campaign=Showmax_blog_watch-best-hbo-shows-showmax)**DM/ML** [Subscribe to Showmax from R49 per month.](https://www.showmax.com/eng/welcome)