I watched the first couple of seasons of Banshee when I was living in China because you could get a Cinemax subscription for literally pennies a month. Amazing that it was allowed to air on TV there but I guess the censors weren’t watching! It is one of the most ridiculous shows I’ve ever seen but definitely entertaining.

I’d go with

Spartacus - out about the same time and able to compete regarding the sex and violence

Quarry - another Cinemax show but only got 1 series

Accused - the original series by Jimmy McGovern was good. I’ve not watched the new series that came out last year

The Lakes - Another Jimmy McGovern story from way back in the 1990s