There is little question that we’re living in the age of miniseries. This genre of television consists of shows that don’t want to commit to multiple seasons, and, instead, opt to tell their story in one short season, usually running no more than 12 episodes. The miniseries gained widespread notoriety in 1977, when the TV adaptation of Alex Haley’s best-selling novelRootsbecame a ratings juggernaut for ABC andtook home nine Primetime Emmy Awards.
While there have been numerous miniseries that have garnered both critical and audience praise over the years, the genre really hit its peak with the rise in streaming, which allowed services such as Netflix to create one-off programming that could easily be consumed in a weekend, and there is little to suggest that this will be changing anytime soon. So, to honor the miniseries that reshaped the TV landscape, here are the most bingeable series that you can watch over-and-over again, and never feel like you have to poke your eyeballs out.
10’Little Fires Everywhere' (2020)
Developed by Liz Tigelaar
Let’s rewind the clock back to March 2020. As bad as that year was health-wise, 2020 was a great year for miniseries, as people were ordered to stay at home and protect themselves and their loved ones from the “Virus That Shall Not Be Named.” Everyone was searching for the best series to binge while passing the “two weeks” it would take to “flatten the curve” (no need to explain how that worked out), and during this time, people tuned in to an eight-episode Hulu drama calledLittle Fires Everywhere, based off of the 2017 novel byCeleste Ngthat told the story of two Cleveland-area mothers (Reese WitherspoonandKerry Washington) from different backgrounds and how their fates intertwined with one-another.
There was something both sad and uplifting aboutLittle Fires Everywhere, andLiz Tigelaarand her team did a great job in weaving a story about loss, secrets, identity, and hope, all the while exposing the myth that following the rules of society can avert disaster. If you haven’t watched it, I highly recommend you do. It’s a tear-jerker, and a surprisingly bingeable series thatwill have you ugly-crying for a week.
Little Fires Everywhere
9’Black Bird' (2022)
Developed by Dennis Lehane
True crime shows were made for the miniseries format.The story structure is tight, it’s engaging, and can easily be told in a nice, six-to-12 episode-long season with binge-watching opportunities oozing through the screen. This perfectly describes Apple TV+’sBlack Bird, which premiered in 2022, and is (rightfully) considered among the best modern true crime miniseries of our era.
Based on the 2010 autobiographyIn with the Devil: a Fallen Hero, a Serial Killer, and a Dangerous Bargain for RedemptionbyJames KeeneandHilel Levin,Black Birdfollows Keene, a once-promising football player who gets wrapped up in a life of crime and caught in a sting operation called “Operation Snowplow.” The series doesn’t deviate much from the book, and why should it? The true story of Jimmy Keene is fascinating, andDennis Lehanedid a great job in staying true to the book. Let’s also give a standing ovation toTaron Egerton, who portrayed the talkative Keene masterfully.
Black Bird
8’Watchmen' (2019)
Created by Damon Lindelof
When HBO announced that they were making a TV series on the DC ComicWatchmen, the first thing that came to my attention-deficit mind was “why?” Did they not see the box office disaster that wasZach Snyder’s2009 version (even though I personally like it)? Why would HBO feel they would have better success than Warner Bros. did? Thankfully, when I watched the first episode in October 2019, I happily ate my words. CreatorDamon Lindelofdid an incredible job bringingWatchmento life, and it was crystal clear that the story was better told in a TV format.
HBO’sWatchmenwasa remix of sorts to the comic that gave birth to it;and, in my opinion, that is what made it work so much better than Snyder’s big-budget flop. Lindolf set off to create a new story that still stayed true to theWatchmanuniverse, and we can’t overlook the binge-watching quality this series has, which is off-the-charts.
7’The Night Of' (2016)
Created by Richard Price and Steven Zaillian
As I mentioned earlier in theBlack Birdentry, true crime is a genre that was made for the miniseries format, and no streaming service or network realizes this more than HBO. In 2016, they releasedThe Night Off, an Americanized version of the famed British seriesCriminal Justice. Here,John Turturrostars as John Stone, a lawyer who is hired to represent Nasir Khan (Riz Ahmed), a college student who is on trial for the murder of a woman on New York City’s Upper West Side.
The Night Ofisfilled with tensionfrom the first episode to the series finale, and the cast is simply phenomenal, creating the tension that will grip you and won’t let go. No wonder this drama took home five Primetime Emmy Awards.
The Night Of
6’When They See Us' (2019)
Created by Ava DuVernay
This Netflix drama is tough to watch, and you wouldn’t think that a series that is hard to swallow at times would make for a great bingeable series, butWhen They See Usis different. For starters, the topic is so unbelievable, it will take multiple views for everything to sink in. Created byAva DuVernay,When They See Usis based on the real-life events of theCentral Park 5, a group of five black and latino males who were falsely accused and convicted of sexually assaulting a jogger in New York City’s Central Park.
The five were later exonerated and awarded a settlement from the city in 2014, but the miniseries does a good job of highlighting the injustices wrought by the judicial system against people of color. As mentioned earlier,When They See Usis tough to watch, especially for people of color like myself. It can be enraging, but it isa story that needed to be told, and DuVernay was the right person to tell it and bring this sad stain of judicial injustice back to light.
When They See Us
5’Adolescence' (2025)
Created by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham
There is something rather chilling about watching a young child, who should be enjoying his youth, being questioned for murder. That was the feeling I got when I watchedAdolescence, and it didn’t fade after watching the final episode. So, I watched it again. And again. And again.
Each time, it was just as chilling as the last. That’s how unsettling this psychological drama is, and also what makes it great. With each episode being shot in just one take, you really get a sense of just how intense and dreadful the search for the truth was. The spectacular cast really goes in and turns outcaptivating and chilling performancesthat will make your spine shiver.
Adolescence
4’WandaVision' (2021)
Created by Jac Schaeffer
What can you say about the MCU shows that haven’t already been said? They are not up to the same quality as the movies are (well, were), and most have been a bust, except forWandaVision. Released in 2021,WandaVisionis one of the rare MCU shows that was actually worth watching.Elizabeth OlsenandPaul Bettanydidn’t cut corners here, and give A+ performances reprising their roles as Wanda Maximoff and Vision.
One of the waysWandaVisionset itself apart from its counterparts was the way the showrunners and writers used sitcom tropes to tell its story. In fact, I’ll go to my grave professing that the pilot episode, “Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience,” isone of the best pilot episodes ever, and it set the series up for a tremendous finish. Thank God the producers didn’t make this a multiple-season show, it would have totally ruined the vibes.
WandaVision
3’Beef' (2023)
Created by Lee Sung Jin
Admit it, you’ve had a touch of road rage before. You’re driving, and all of a sudden, someone cuts you off. You honk your horn and flick the driver the bird. Thankfully, it doesn’t reach a point of no return, but for Danny Cho (Steven Yeun) and Amy Lau (Ali Wong), it did in the Netflix seriesBeef.
At its heart, this 10-episode series is not really about two people who caught an extreme case of road rage and engage in petty warfare. It’s about two people who use that momentary lapse in judgement to take out their own frustrations born out of personal struggles.Beefuses dark comedy to put on display how unchecked pettiness can lead to disastrous consequences, which makes thisa hilarious series to binge.
2’Sharp Objects' (2018)
Created by Marti Noxon
OK, I’m going to do a hot take here.Sharp Objectsstands on the same pedestal asOz,Band of BrothersandThe Wireas one of HBO’s greatest original series, and I stand on business with that. There is just something unique and thrilling about thisMarti Noxon-created psychological drama that will have you keeping your hands off of the remote.
Based on theGillian Flynnnovel of the same name,Sharp Objectsfollows a troubled reporter, Camille (Amy Adams), who heads back to her hometown of Wind Gap, Missouri to investigate the murder of two young girls. But this isn’t an ordinary reporting assignment for Camille, as she’s also forced to confront personal demons that she thought she long left behind when she left Wind Gap.Adams' performance as Camille is truly spectacular,and it seems as if this role was specifically made with her in mind.Sharp Objectsis dark, grim, and foreboding, and will leave you truly transfixed by this series for its entire eight-episode length.
Sharp Objects
1’Band of Brothers' (2001)
Created by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg
For a war drama that premiered 24 years ago,Band of Brothersstill gets praised as one of the best war shows of its time, and one of the best shows ever made, and it deserves that praise and then some. Created byTom HanksandSteven Spielberg, Band of Brothers follows a parachute unit during World War II as they train and head into battle to help the Allies defeat the Axis powers.
What makesBand of Brotherssuch a great miniseries ishow real it all feels.It’s like we are right there in the field with East Company, experiencing everything they’re going through, and the hurdles they have to overcome while fighting in the war. All the events inBand of Brotherswere based on actual events that happened during World War II, and everyone, from the cast to the crew, treated the source material with the respect it deserves. I’ll argue thatBand of Brothersis just as, if not better, than any war movie, and if you’re looking for a show to binge-watch, this, along with the nine other shows on this list, should be teed up for your viewing pleasure.
