The 20 best miniseries ready to binge-watch this weekend
Entertainment Weekly's list includes true-crime dramatizations, novel adaptations, and high-adrenaline horror.
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Before the Golden Age of TV, miniseries were mostly limited to the likes of Roots, Lonesome Dove, and Fatal Vision. With the advent of streaming, though, miniseries are having their own golden era. In 2024 alone, audiences have been treated to such delights as Netflix’s Baby Reindeer and Griselda, Apple TV+’s Lady in the Lake, and FX’s Shōgun.
For those of us who can’t commit to dozens of 25-episode seasons, miniseries are the perfect balm for our ailing eyes without those pesky cliffhanger endings (most of the time).
Read on as Entertainment Weekly runs down the 20 best miniseries streaming right now.
American Crime Story (2016–present)
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Ryan Murphy more or less does away with his signature campy trappings for this riveting fact-based anthology series profiling some of the most notorious crimes in American history. Each of the three seasons — concerning O.J. Simpson’s trial; the murder of Gianni Versace; and the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal — are accomplished pieces of television, but the first two installments are particularly well done.
Coming from Murphy’s stable, the miniseries are nothing if not soapy. However, American Crime Story takes a much more serious approach to its material, allowing a murderer’s row of talent to dramatize the most notorious period in the lives of those chronicled.
Where to watch American Crime Story: Hulu
EW grade: A (read the review)
Cast: Sarah Paulson, Sterling K. Brown, John Travolta, David Schwimmer, Courtney B. Vance
Related content: The 15 best Sterling K. Brown movies and TV shows, ranked
Angelyne (2022)
Emmy Rossum gave an astonishing performance in this sweet-natured but pleasantly barbed look at the life of Los Angeles’ No. 1 celebrity, Angelyne. Through a fascinating grass-roots campaign, Angelyne rose to fame simply on the merits of being famous decades before the Kardashians dreamt of such things.
Peacock’s lithe five-part series is a fictionalized version of Angelyne’s rise, but it’s emotionally truthful in its exploration of pre-internet fame (and infamy). Rossum is spectacular here, disappearing into the role in a way she’s not been afforded to do before.
Where to watch Angelyne: Peacock
EW grade: B+ (read the review)
Cast: Emmy Rossum, Molly Ephraim, Alex Karpovsky, Lukas Gage
Related content: Angelyne slams Emmy Rossum's miniseries based on her life
Baby Reindeer (2024)
Netflix
This recent Netflix hit is as controversial as it is buzzy, but there’s no denying a terrific miniseries when you see it. Making splendid use of both the short-form medium and the tragi-comedy genre, Richard Gadd’s seven-episode, semi-autobiographical work follows a struggling comedian (Gadd) who can’t shake an increasingly deranged stalker (Jessica Gunning) who inserts herself into all aspects of his life.
Baby Reindeer is an excellent example of juggling tone and allegedly true events with dramatizations. That’s caused quite a stir, including a lawsuit, but the combination makes for one of the most daring and binge-able miniseries in recent memory.
Where to watch Baby Reindeer: Netflix
Cast: Richard Gadd, Jessica Gunning, Nava Mau, Nina Sosanya, Hugh Coles
Related content: Baby Reindeer stars Richard Gadd and Jessica Gunning open up about the “complicated” stalker series
Band of Brothers (2001)
HBO’s groundbreaking dramatization of WWII takes an ensemble approach to the mayhem, showing many different facets of the American men who served and their disparate experiences fighting abroad.
Created by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, who are well-heeled in authentic WWII productions, Band of Brothers positions itself as overtly emotional and realistic. This is an incredibly harrowing, at times hard-to-watch miniseries, but it’s one of the finest stories ever told about war. The heartbreaking moments feel authentic and well-earned, while the brilliant writing rarely relies on the easy way out.
Where to watch Band of Brothers: Max
EW grade: N/A (read the review)
Cast: David Schwimmer, Damian Lewis, Ron Livingston, Peter O’Meara, Matthew Settle
Related content: Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg Discuss War Games
Dopesick (2021)
Hulu’s distressing miniseries spotlights America’s opioid epidemic, from the Purdue Pharma headquarters to a small middle-American community ravaged by drug abuse. Michael Stuhlbarg stars as Richard Sackler, a modern-day villain if there ever was one, while Michael Keaton plays a well-intentioned GP who is suckered into prescribing OxyContin to a young coal miner (Kaitlyn Dever) with a back injury.
Charting the crisis from the early 1990s to the present day, Dopesick lays out in tragic and unambiguous detail how pharmaceutical companies have been allowed to prey upon hapless victims for decades. The series, created by writer Danny Strong, is one of the most compelling and credible modern dramas.
EW grade: A– (read the review)
Cast: Michael Keaton, Michael Stuhlbarg, Kaitlyn Dever, Will Poulter, Phillipa Soo
Related content: Why Michael Keaton returned to television with Hulu's Dopesick
Dr. Death (2021–2023)
The first season of NBC’s haunting true-crime procedural, based on the Wondery podcast of the same name, stars Joshua Jackson as real-life spinal surgeon Christopher Duntsch. Duntsch was eventually found guilty and sentenced to life in prison after maiming 31 of his patients and killing two.
Dr. Death’s terrifically satisfying structure pivots around Duntsch’s co-workers, Dr. Robert Henderson (Alec Baldwin) and Dr. Randall Kirby (Christian Slater), slowly putting the pieces together which implicate the twisted surgeon in a series of increasingly botched procedures. The miniseries is “part medical drama, part mystery, part Catch Me If You Can thriller,” EW critic Kristen Baldwin noted in her glowing review.
Where to watch Dr. Death: Peacock
EW grade: A– (read the review)
Cast: Joshua Jackson, Grace Gummer, Alec Baldwin, Christian Slater, AnnaSophia Robb
Related content: Dr. Death executive producer explains how Christopher Duntsch could have avoided prison
One Day (2024)
Netflix
This adaptation of David Nicholls’ 2009 novel gets the source material completely right, unlike the anemic 2011 film of the same name starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess. The Netflix miniseries sees Emma (Ambika Mod) and Dexter (Leo Woodall) meet at their university graduation and proceed to fall in and out of love throughout the next decade.
One Day takes the Normal People recipe of sex and tragedy and manages to do the most authentic, interesting version of it since. Nicholls’ novel, and both of its screen adaptations, are upfront about their emotional manipulation. It’s a testament to Woodall and Mod’s undeniable chemistry, and the sharp character writing, that One Day makes those turns not only believable but deeply affecting.
Where to watch One Day: Netflix
Cast: Ambika Mod, Leo Woodall, Essie Davis, Eleanor Tomlinson, Amber Grappy
Related content: Inside the making of Netflix's poignant, beautiful One Day
Fellow Travelers (2023)
Ben Mark Holzberg/SHOWTIME
Based on Thomas Mallon’s 2007 novel, this riveting Showtime miniseries follows politicians Tim Laughlin (Jonathan Bailey) and Hawk Fuller (Matt Bomer) as they conduct an illicit affair behind their families’ and co-workers’ backs.
Spanning from the “Lavender Scare” in the ‘50s through the AIDS crisis in the ‘80s, Fellow Travelers is a somber, richly drawn reminiscence on (thankfully) bygone eras. The episodes unfold as if we’re present in the character’s memories, weaving a visceral recollection of events that are impossible to forget.
Where to watch Fellow Travelers: Paramount+
EW grade: B (read the review)
Cast: Matt Bomer, Jonathan Bailey, Allison Williams, Matt Visser, Jelani Alladin
Related content: Jonathan Bailey reveals how he selected his fake penis for Fellow Travelers
Feud: Bette vs. Joan (2017)
The polar opposite of American Crime Story’s (relatively) austere presentation, this is likely the closest Ryan Murphy will ever come to producing an out-and-out WWE battle. Susan Sarandon and Jessica Lange play the titular divas, respectively, in this dramatization of their infamous (though largely invented) feud.
Less baroque than its title suggests but just as campy as it needs to be, Bette vs. Joan relies less on extended sequences of Sarandon and Lange berating one another (though there are plenty) in favor of more nuanced stories about how hard it was, and still is, to be a woman in a man’s world. There are also fun Easter eggs for film buffs — like John Waters playing schlock-meister William Castle, and Catherine Zeta-Jones as Olivia de Havilland, doing her best Lady in a Cage impression.
Where to watch Feud: Bette vs. Joan: Hulu
EW grade: B (read the review)
Cast: Jessica Lange, Susan Sarandon, Jackie Hoffman, Stanley Tucci, Kathy Bates
Related content: Olivia de Havilland sues Ryan Murphy, FX over Feud portrayal
Five Days at Memorial (2022)
Among the best shows Apple TV+ has produced thus far, John Ridley and Carlton Cuse’s eight-episode miniseries is an adaptation of Sheri Fink’s non-fiction book, which chronicled a New Orleans hospital left devastated after Hurricane Katrina.
If “agonizing” and “deeply anxiety-inducing” are things you avoid in your entertainment, Five Days at Memorial is probably not for you. The title itself is almost a taunt — can you make it through another? However, despite the challenging material, the series is a compelling dissection of the U.S. government’s beyond-blundered response to the natural disaster and an inspiring ode to the first responders who attempted to fill the gaps.
Where to watch Five Days at Memorial: Apple TV+
EW grade: B+ (read the review)
Cast: Vera Farmiga, Cherry Jones, Molly Hager, Julie Ann Emery, Cornelius Smith Jr.
Related content: The 20 best TV shows based on a true story
A Gentleman in Moscow (2024)
Jason Bell/Paramount+ With Showtime
Ewan McGregor stars as former Russian aristocrat Alexander Rostov — who is stripped of his title and forced into exile in a luxurious Moscow hotel, where he is to spend the rest of his life under house arrest — in this rich, hard-edged adaptation of Amor Towles’ 2016 novel.
McGregor gives one of his finest performances here. He seems to be one of those actors who only gets sharper as he ages, his choice of projects is almost always bold and interesting. Here, he stars opposite his real-life wife (and Fargo costar) Mary Elizabeth Winstead as a silent film actress who begins a tentative romance with Rostov.
Where to watch A Gentleman in Moscow: Paramount+
Cast: Ewan McGregor, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Beau Gadsdon, Alexa Goodall, Fehinti Balogun
Related content: Ewan McGregor, Mary Elizabeth Winstead used intimacy coordinators for new show’s sex scenes
Griselda (2024)
Elizabeth Morris/Netflix
Sofía Vergara reinvented her largely comedic persona (and earned a much-deserved dramatic Emmy nomination) for this kaleidoscopic, perfectly calibrated dramatization of the life and crimes of Griselda Blanco — the “Cocaine Godmother” of Miami.
The miniseries is as splashy and fun as you’d want something of that description to be, but through Vergara’s keen performance, it’s also a portrait of a frayed mother, wife, and business owner that wouldn’t feel completely out of place in a John Cassavetes picture. Unlike some Netflix series, Griselda skillfully paces its six episodes so that they are constantly moving, unpredictable, and filled with incident.
Where to watch Griselda: Netflix
Cast: Sofía Vergara, Vanessa Ferlito, Karol G, Alberto Guerra, Martín Rodríguez
Related content: ??Griselda executive producer breaks down the explosive episode 5 party scene
Lady in the Lake (2024)
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Clear your weekend and find a cozy comforter. Once you begin this magnificently drawn Apple TV+ miniseries, based on the novel of the same name by Laura Lippman (not Raymond Chandler), you’ll be hooked until its final moments.
Lady in the Lake concerns Maddie Schwartz (Natalie Portman), a journalist in 1960s Baltimore who comes up against a community activist (Moses Ingram, in a role originally intended for Lupita Nyong’o) while trying to uncover the culprit responsible for murdering a young girl. As Maddie finds herself drawn deeper into the case, she’s taken further from her domineering husband (an astonishingly repellent Brett Gelman) and her young son (Noah Jupe).
Where to watch Lady in the Lake: Apple TV+
Cast: Natalie Portman, Moses Ingram, Noah Jupe, Brett Gelman, David Corenswet
Related content: Natalie Portman series Lady in the Lake hits pause after threats of violence and extortion
I May Destroy You (2020)
Writer-director-actor Michaela Coel’s devastating, terrifically smart miniseries follows a young writer (Coel) who attempts to remount her life after a sexual assault lingers as such a fleeting, dim memory she’s not what happened.
Coel’s exceptional, largely autobiographical 12-part series upends the clichés about processing unspeakable trauma. I May Destroy You is a vicious satire of modern social mores and a deeply authentic, heartbreaking examination of a life undone just as it was taking flight. Coel has just lined up her next series with Max and the BBC, First Day on Earth, and we can’t wait to see what she has in store.
Where to watch I May Destroy You: Max
EW grade: B (read the review)
Cast: Michaela Coel, Paapa Essiedu, Weruche Opia, Marouane Zotti
Related content: The biggest Golden Globe TV nominee snubs have one thing in common
Midnight Mass (2021)
Mike Flanagan’s stunning Netflix miniseries stars Zach Gilford as a former finance bro who returns to his hometown following a tragedy. His arrival coincides with that of Father Paul Hill (Hamish Linklater), a charismatic priest who is to replace the church’s ailing monsignor. As you may have guessed, Father Hill isn’t exactly who (or what) he appears to be, and his presence has shocking ramifications throughout the close-knit community.
Flanagan is a clear-eyed auteur who rarely puts a foot wrong. With this darkly hilarious, genuinely quite frightening ode to Stephen King and ‘80s supernatural horror, Midnight Mass is unabashedly an homage to the author, but it’s also blessedly and entirely its own beast.
Where to watch Midnight Mass: Netflix
EW grade: A- (read our review)
Cast: Zach Gilford, Hamish Linklater, Kate Siegel, Rahul Kohli, Samantha Sloyan
Related content: Midnight Mass ending explained by creator Mike Flanagan
Sharp Objects (2018)
Amy Adams stars as Camille Preaker, a big-city journalist who returns home to her small hometown in Missouri where a spate of child murders has unsettled locals. In addition to outing the killer, Camille must deal with her icy, high-society mother (the always incredible Patricia Clarkson) and her creepy little sister (Eliza Scanlen), not to mention her own crippling alcoholism.
The late, great Jean-Marc Vallée directed all eight episodes of this darkly comic, consistently suspenseful adaptation of former EW staffer Gillian Flynn’s 2006 novel. It’s a delight to watch actors like Adams and Clarkson go toe-to-toe, while Vallée, ever a master at capturing the near-imperceptible shifting loyalties amongst society’s ranks, puts his sardonic eye to particularly good use here.
Where to watch Sharp Objects: Max
EW grade: B+ (read the review)
Cast: Amy Adams, Patricia Clarkson, Eliza Scanlen, Chris Messina, Sydney Sweeney
Related content: The 50 best shows on Max right now
Shōgun (2024)
Katie Yu/FX
Set in 1600, this adaptation of James Clavell’s blockbuster novel follows Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada??), a Japanese lord who discovers an abandoned European vessel at the edge of his modest coastal village whilst laying siege to his enemies on the Council of Regents.
One of the buzziest network shows in recent memory — it’s technically an FX miniseries if you can wrap your head around the network’s entanglement with Hulu and Disney+ — Shōgun rightfully earned praise for its properly novelistic approach to television, managing to be both dense and remarkably well-paced.
EW grade: A– (read the review)
Cast: Hiroyuki Sanada, Cosmo Jarvis, Anna Sawai, Tadanobu Asano, Néstor Carbonell
Related content: Shōgun's fraught political landscape and power players, explained
Stateless (2020)
Netflix’s twisted thriller follows a group of disparate strangers whose lives intertwine when they find themselves incarcerated in the same refugee detention center. This dramatized miniseries is inspired by the true story of Australian citizen Cornelia Rau, who was unlawfully detained through the country’s mandatory detention initiative.
Created by Cate Blanchett, Stateless is a chilling depiction of human lives swept up in bureaucratic red tape featuring remarkably naturalistic performances from Yvonne Strahovski (as Rau stand-in Sofie Werner) and Fayssal Bazzi (as a refugee detained with Sofie). It’s never easy to watch, but it’s a well-told, important, and ultimately redemptive story.
Where to watch Stateless: Netflix
EW grade: A– (read the review)
Cast: Yvonne Strahovski, Fayssal Bazzi, Elise McCredie, Soraya Heidari, Phoenix Raei
Related content: Fayssal Bazzi on playing refugee Ameer in Netflix's Stateless
The Thing About Pam (2022)
Renée Zellweger stars as real-life murderer Pam Hupp in this pleasantly campy six-part series. In 2011, Betsy Faria (??Katy Mixon) was found slain in her suburban home. A bullish prosecutor (Judy Greer) comes after Betsy’s husband, Russ (Glenn Fleshler), but it’s Betsy’s best friend Pam who was the last person to see her alive.
Much like Max’s The Staircase, The Thing About Pam uses a star-studded assortment of actors to sketch a lightly fictionalized dramatization of a notorious murder. This miniseries isn’t always beholden to the facts, but it’s pretty close and is certainly one of the most delightfully odd entries in the true-crime television genre.
Where to watch The Thing About Pam: Peacock
EW grade: B+ (read the review)
Cast: Renée Zellweger, Judy Greer, Katy Mixon, Glenn Fleshler, Gideon Adlon
Related content: Renée Zellweger couldn't pass up The Thing About Pam
Beef (2023)
Netflix
Netflix’s astonishing miniseries stars Ali Wong and Steven Yeun as Amy and Danny, two strangers who get into a fender bender and proceed to disrupt each other’s lives to the Nth degree. To say any more would ruin Beef’s terrific surprises. This is both one of the funniest and most tragic shows in recent memory, one which conveys with unmistakable clarity the low-level anxiety, and perhaps anger, that many people harbor in the modern age.
EW grade: B (read the review)
Cast: Ali Wong, Steven Yeun, Young Mazino, David Choe, Ashley Park
Related content: Cailee Spaeny says she's in Beef, teases "bats---" season 2
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