March has that in-between energy where it’s not quite spring, not quite winter, but somehow you’re already ready for a new comfort watch or something fresh and unique. HBO Max makes the choice harder—in a good way—because its library is basically a cavern of eldless possibilities.
For March 1 to 8, I’ve ranked these three TV show picks for you: a warts-and-all documentary about a comedy icon, the slickest period drama about New York’s ad world, and a totally unique animated series that’s as savage as they come.
3
I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not
From SNL‘s Weekend Update desk to Clark Griswold to Fletch to Pierce Hawthorne, Chevy Chase has had a career that has made me laugh harder than most comedic actors of his generation. But off camera, the living legend has had his share of detractors, and Marina Zenovich’s honest and compelling new documentary, I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not, gets into it, warts and all.
The 97-minute CNN Films feature documentary, which has so far garnered a near-perfect 93% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, traces Chase’s 50-plus-year career, from founding cast member of Saturday Night Live to ’70s and ’80s boxoffice royalty, while repeatedly burning relationships and bridges along the way. Zenovich, the Emmy-winning filmmaker behind Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired and Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind, uses a mix of rare and stunning archive footage and so many interviews with those who love and loathe him, including Dan Aykroyd, Goldie Hawn, Lorne Michaels, Ryan Reynolds, Martin Short, and Beverly D’Angelo. And it’s not afraid to get touchy, even delving into his firing from Community to his feud with SNL castmate Terry Sweeney, the show’s first openly gay cast member.
Lovers and haters of Chase will appreciate the biographical doc for its candor, as it paints a portrait of a misunderstood man whose oversized ego and childhood trauma got the better of him.
2
Mad Men
Totally original, endlessly parodied, and truly must-watch TV of the time, Mad Men was a landmark of prestige television. The AMC series that ran for seven remarkable seasons from 2007 to 2015 made history as the first basic cable series to win the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series, claiming the prize four years in a row, and winning 16 Emmys total. It was a pioneering show for cinematic, character-driven storytelling and paved the way for everything from Breaking Bad to Succession.
If you’ve never seen it, now’s the time. Mad Men centers on the dapper and mysterious Don Draper (Jon Hamm), a hot-shot Manhattan ad executive at Sterling Cooper, who’s hiding a stolen identity and a life of lies.
Orbiting Don’s world is one of the greatest ensemble casts ever assembled: scrappy copywriter Peggy Olson (The Handmaid Tale’s Elisabeth Moss), sharp office manager Joan Holloway (Christina Hendricks), smart-ass partner Roger Sterling (John Slattery), and Don’s disillusioned wife Betty (January Jones).
Every episode of the show made for delicious watercooler banter, with its salacious sex, secrets, exploration of workplace power and gender dynamics, and smoking … So. Much. Smoking.
Mad Men
Release Date
2007 – 2015-00-00
Network
AMC
Showrunner
Matthew Weiner
Directors
Michael Uppendahl, Jennifer Getzinger, Scott Hornbacher, Matthew Weiner, Lesli Linka Glatter, Tim Hunter, John Slattery, Alan Taylor, Andrew Bernstein, Jon Hamm, Barbet Schroeder, Daisy von Scherler Mayer, Ed Bianchi, Jared Harris, Matt Shakman, Lynn Shelton
Elisabeth Moss
Peggy Olson
Vincent Kartheiser
Pete Campbell
January Jones
Betty Draper
1
Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal
An occupational hazard of this gig is that I watch a lot of TV. Boo-hoo, I know. But much of the time, you’re dealing with a litany of character-driven dramas with heavy plotlines and loads of dialogue—ergo, not much that relies or focuses heavily on visual storytelling. I can’t tell you how elated I was to then find this feast for the eyes and ears from the masterminds behind Samurai Jack and Star Wars: Clone Wars, Genndy Tartakovsky.
Primal is just that—primal. Totally not for kids, it’s dark, bloody, and violent, has no dialogue, and the plot, if you can call it that, is wonderfully simple: Kill, eat, don’t die. Primal is all about Spear, a knuckle-dragging caveman, who strikes up an unlikely bond with a nearly-extinct T-Rex, the series calls Fang, after they both witness their families destroyed in the first episode. Through each season’s 10 episodes, the pair’s eye-popping adventures center around them either finding and killing their food, defending themselves from becoming food, or trying stay alive in the harsh elements of the prehistoric wilderness. Spear and Fang are quite the pair, but they are definitely better off together.
I can’t believe I’d never heard of this show before, seeing as it’s been going strong since 2019—its third season is currently airing on Adult Swim and HBO Max, and has won five Emmy Awards. If you’re looking for something different to watch that will blow your mind with its visuals and offer surprising emotion and catharsis for a series where not one word is spoken, then give Primal a try.
Primal
Release Date
October 8, 2019
Network
Adult Swim
Showrunner
Genndy Tartakovsky
Directors
Genndy Tartakovsky
Laëtitia Eïdo
Mira (voice)
Aaron LaPlante
Spear (voice)
Amina Koroma
Amara (voice)
Sebastian Vázquez
Shelton (voice)
Whether you’re in the mood for a candid exploration of a comedy legend, one of the sexiest and smokiest dramas of a generation, or pure, teeth-bared chaos, this lineup on HBO Max covers the range this week.
Subscription with ads
Yes, $10.99/month
Simultaneous streams
2 or 4
HBO Max is a subscription-based streaming service offering content from HBO, Warner Bros., DC, and more. In 2025, the service re-branded itself as HBO Max after having previously cut “HBO” from its name.
