Over the past year, HBO Max has become one of the most serious threats to Netflix’s throne. Millions of new subscribers signed up in 2021 as huge blockbusters hit the streaming service on the same day they came to theaters. HBO Max also debuted some superb original shows, such as Station Eleven and Made for Love. But as impressive as the HBO Max library might be, it’s still catching up with Netflix and other streaming services when it comes to features. To that point, HBO Max just added a shuffle button this week.
HBO Max now has a shuffle button
As Variety notes, Netflix first introduced its “Play Something” feature last April. If you hit the button, Netflix will automatically begin playing a TV show or movie on your watchlist or that the service thinks you will like based on your viewing history. It could be virtually anything, and you can continue shuffling until you find something you want to watch.
On HBO Max, the shuffle feature is slightly more limited.
Rather than shuffling through the entire library, the new shuffle button on HBO Max is only available for 45 select shows. When you go to the pages for those shows, you’ll see a shuffle button. When you click it, HBO Max will start playing a random episode.
“With HBO Max as home to the greatest array of series, movies, and specials for audiences of all ages, picking an episode of your favorite show isn’t always an easy task,” WarnerMedia said in a statement. “With an added element of serendipity, selecting the shuffle button lets you kick your feet up and start watching faster.”
At the moment, the shuffle feature on HBO Max is only available on the desktop interface. You won’t be able to shuffle from a mobile device or smart TV.
Which shows have the shuffle button?
Here are all 45 shows on HBO Max that give users the option to shuffle episodes:
A World of Calm
Adventure Time
Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown
Apple & Onion
Chappelle’s Show
Courage the Cowardly Dog
Craig of the Creek
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Ed, Ed and Eddy
ER
Flight of the Conchords
Fresh Prince
Friends
Full House
Great Pottery Throwdown
Hot Ones
How It Really Happened
Impractical Jokers
Key & Peele
Looney Tunes
Martin
Mike & Molly
Regular Show
Reno 911!
Rick & Morty
Robot Chicken
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!
Selena + Chef
Sesame Street
South Park
Teen Titans Go!
The Amazing World of Gumball
The Big Bang Theory
The Boondocks
The Mentalist
The Middle
The Nanny
The Office (U.K.)
The Shot: Uninterrupted
Tom and Jerry
Total Dramarama
Two and a Half Men
We Bare Bears
Whose Line is it Anyway
Young Sheldon
As you can see, most of the shows are sitcoms and cartoons. Most of these shows don’t feature strict, serialized plots, so you won’t be lost if you jump in halfway through. Also, if you’ve already seen every episode of Friends half a dozen times, it might be better to let HBO Max pick an episode rather than scroll through every season.
More HBO Max coverage: For more HBO Max news, check out our coverage of the latest new HBO Max movies and series to watch.
