Watch HBO’s scariest show before season 2 drops

I will make a simple pitch: there is one and only show that features a former boxing convict performing exorcisms. You should watch it.

30 Coins’The premise of the show is simple enough. The HBO Europe mystery series follows Father Vergara (Eduard Fernández), who recently relocated to the small Spanish town of Pedraza as he tries to move on from an exorcism gone wrong. Before too long, weird paranormal shit starts happening — like a human baby born from a cow — and try as he might to avoid it all, Vergara is pulled into figuring out just what the hell is going on. And though he is more keen to play the skeptic, it all seems to relate back to a mysterious silver coin he owns, making it impossible for him to ignore what’s happening.

If you’re thinking to yourself, Wow — the title and a mysterious silver coin make me think that maybe this is a Judas connection, you’re in luck. Spend 30 coins’ captivating opening credits sequence minces no words and pulls no punches in clarifying the stakes of this supernatural mystery.

This all paints a picture of a show that could skew too hokey or too big, or even simply rest on its laurels — but I will reiterate that we’re dealing with a boxing, ex-convict priest Who is fighting demon forces by using monster of the week setups? The action begins immediately. Spend 30 coinsThis film’s opening sequence is a testament to its quality: a robbery in a bank takes place with a gunman who fends off the bullets without hesitation, before retiring to the luxury of his car to hide from the mysterious priest. It is a taut, exciting sequence that’s on par with the best thrillers. The sequence is taut and intriguing, not out of pace with some of the best action thrillers. Spend 30 coinsThe story continues, with the feeling that you are smarter than necessary, ready to tackle another beguiling puzzle (and, honestly, thank goodness for this).

It is a good idea to use The X-Files It is important to note that the following are not included in this list: The Evil of Using Recently, Spend 30 coinsThis show makes great use of the dynamic between skeptic and believer. This show does it twice, by allowing the limits of belief to flex, while still remaining grounded for each character. Though other exorcists — like Polygon’s 2023 Exorcist of the Year Father Gabriele Amorth (Russell Crowe) — are typically the ones talking people into it, Vergara is eager to explain away the show’s impossible incidents as natural events, or coincidences. As the town’s veterinarian Elena (Megan Montaner) and mayor (Miguel Ángel Silvestre) see more and more inexplicable phenomena, Vergara is the one encouraging a faith in logic, and nothing more.

Photo: Manolo Pavon/HBO Europe

Other shows may feel more limited. Spend 30 coinsNever settle for less. The series covers more in its first four episodes than some shows cover in whole seasons, and every change feels fully rooted in Fernández’s troubled solitude as Vergara. It’s the kind of performance that belies so much that the character always feels fully drawn, allowing the show to spin out all sorts of lore and backstory that might otherwise seem trite or neat. It’s not surprising that a show as wild as Spend 30 coins does across its first season, that’s vital. Even though the show has never lost its balance. Spend 30 coins deftly navigates its episodic demons while building a remarkably well-sketched world and conspiracy, which allow for a larger serialized story that’s always upping the ante.

With season 2 premiering Monday — listen, go with God and all, but it is my most fervent belief that you should be watching this show. It’s got action, mystery, horror, monsters, and gore, and that’s just before we get to the Vatican. And with the way Vergara fights, I wouldn’t be surprised if he knocks out his other exorcist competition.

Spend 30 coinsSeason 1 of Max is available now. Season 2 will premiere on October 23 with new episodes released every Monday.