While it's fun to get invested in a multiseason TV show, sometimes a good miniseries is just what you need! When you're looking for a short and sweet series that you could cover in just a couple of viewing sessions, these miniseries on Netflix are your best choice. Whether you're looking for something to kill time over a lazy weekend or searching for a distraction during a weeknight, a miniseries lets you get caught up in a story without requiring a full-on commitment. From fascinating documentaries to entertaining fictional shows, here are the best miniseries offerings currently available on Netflix for your next short term TV binge!
The television miniseries concept was a popular attraction during the late 1970s and especially in the 1980s. After such events tapered down some, cable resurrected the format in the 2000s.
Regardless what decade we're talking, the miniseries remains a staple when it comes TV viewing (and streaming these days, too). Here's a look at some of the best (in chronological order).
1. Maniac (2018) -
Genere : Comedy-drama
Deatils : Maniac is an experimental show about an experiment in curing mental illness. It is wild, audacious, addictive, and teeters so precariously between reality and fantasy that the audience will immediately question what’s real and what isn’t. The bold ten-episode series, one of the fall season’s best, repeatedly bounces in and out of its characters’ brains and hop-skips from genre to genre, yet somehow avoids spiraling out of control even when what transpires detours further into WTF-ville.
How to Watch Maniac ? - Click Here.
2. Sense8 (2015) -
Deatils : "Sense8" is a television series by Lilly and Lana Wachowski. Its title is a play on the word "sensate", meaning the "ability to perceive through the senses". The series watches as eight characters, or "sensates", suddenly find themselves linked to one another. These linkages, which transcend cultural, racial, sexual and spacial boundaries, allow the sensates to mentally and emotionally connect; they are able to communicate with one another, and use each other's knowledge, language and skills.
"Sense8's" plot functions as a giant metaphor. To be a sensate is to be an empathetic human being who appreciates, loves and respects all peoples, languages, lifestyles and cultures. To be a sensate is to also be accepting of the entire sexual spectrum (homosexuals, heterosexuals, bisexuals, transsexuals etc). Drawing from Eastern religions, the series also goes so far as to suggest that all human beings are "ultimately connected". "We are one," a character implies, which the series links to the number 8, its closed loop evoking themes of connection and togetherness.
The cast are likable and have great chemistry together, regardless of what combination is in the scene at any one time. It's funny too, emotionally charged and romantic. The plot is occasionally a little wayward and it does sometimes have the tendency to be a little self-indulgent when it comes to the length of some scenes. But overall it's pretty marvellous.
3. The Finder (2012) -
Genere : Drama
Ratings :
Deatils : When I first watched this show, I thought 'so what, folks ?'. But I gave it a second chance, a third, a fourth....until season finale. And now I miss it, knowing it will not be continued.
"The Finder" was nowhere to call a spin-off, except for the first few episodes, with a really small number of guest appearances from "Bones" there. What the producers seemingly didn't realize is the real target audience for the show. It is a great show for teenagers, whose struggles with the society are represented by the Willa Character, supported by the big Leo figure as a benefactor, and led to creativity in thinking by the deeply sympathetic main character Walter's crude solutions, which are of course mostly not replicable, but are indeed showing how lateral thinking could work.
This series is special, in a good way. Maybe it hit a special note in what the main characters and actors are concerned.
4. The last Hour -
Genere : Supernatural, Thriller
Ratings :
Details : ‘The Last Hour’ gets the setting right, but lacks the thrill that was needed to uplift this unique crime saga to another level.
If you like slow storytelling this is for you. It’s an exciting premise and especially, when the cold-blooded murders are happening in the hills. Being shot in the North East is a rarity, which is the most unique aspect of this show. The misty cold atmospherics of the town add to the eerie proceedings, but the inherent problem here is of the pace. For a crime thriller, ‘The Last Hour,’ is severely lacking in urgency. The writing is uneven and attempts to pack in suspense and secrecy by throwing in constant confusion at the audience, but it all happens so slowly that it tests your patience.
5. Alice in Borderland -
Genere : Thriller
Rating :
Details : Showing a completely deserted city center is an eerie trick. When it happens near the beginning of the Netflix series “Alice in Borderland,” it happens in broad daylight, with a bustling Tokyo empty and echoing. Even setting aside the real-world analogues of the not-too-distant past, there’s something about the way the series lets three characters bathe in that silence as they run across deserted highway lanes in search of anyone else who might still be left.
Before that trio gets a chance to really parse out why they’re seemingly alone in this alternate population-sparse reality, things take an even bigger turn: Entering a mysterious building locks them into a survival game with simple rules and a complex path to getting out alive.
This is a show you can watch without thinking much and still enjoy it.
6. firefly -
Rating :
Details : In the fascinating alternative future imagined in FIREFLY, humans have "used up" Earth and ventured out to terraform new planets across the galaxy. Though some of these new worlds are wealthy, the show mostly takes place in the ones along the fringes. On these rough-and-tumble planets, life can be tough, and the law doesn't carry much weight when there are people with guns who want to help themselves to whatever they need. The series follows the crew of the spaceship Serenity, a lovable rogues' gallery led by Captain Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds (Nathan Fillion). For various reasons, everyone on the ship wants to avoid notice by the Alliance that governs the galaxy, preferring instead to scratch out a living as mercenaries.
Still one of the Best Sci-Fi Series of the 21st century! Whereas Gene Roddenberry said "Star Trek " was his vision of a "Wagon Train iTo the Stars" here Josh Whedon succeeded in combining the American Western with Sci-Fi. The correct mix of humor and drama make this more than just your ordinary sci-fi comedy drama, and this is due both to the incredible acting performances by the cast but also the top-notch writing.
7. Dirk gently's holistic detective agency -
Genere : Dark Comedy, Sci-fi
Rating :
Details : Amazing Dark Humour and One of the Greatest Opeaning Scene in History Of Tv Series DIRK GENTLY'S HOLISTIC DETECTIVE AGENCY introduces a new kind of detective-sideick relationship. Todd Brotzman (Elijah Wood) lives alone and works for a hotel where his boss doesn't appreciate him. At the end of a bizarre work day that sees Todd fired for discovering a multiple homicide in one of the guest rooms, Dirk Gently (Samuel Barnett) drops into his life. Claiming to be a "holistic detective," Dirk explains that his methods hinge on the "fundamental interconnectedness of all things" which are more complex than normal people might understand. Confused? So is Todd. But with his life in tatters, broke, and implicated in murders he didn't commit, Todd's reluctance to act as Dirk's sidekick wears down. Strange happenings and coincidences start piling up around him, and Todd begins to believe Dirk's claim that he is "meant" to assist the zany detective in solving the murders he's suspected of. Dirk assures him that as Todd takes control of his life, "interesting things will happen." And they do.
8. Blood Drive -
Genere : Drama, Post apoclipce
Rating :
Details : Created by James Roland, Blood Drive is the kind of series that would immediately bankrupt Syfy were the network forced to pay royalties to the many schlock and B-movie auteurs who inspired it. Roger Corman would probably be at the front of the line with his hand out, but Walter Hill, George Miller, Dario Argento and the late Herschell Gordon Lewis would be among the bigger names ready to get cut a check. Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez, who taught a younger generation everything they know about grindhouse, would warrant a tribute, as would the creators of Fox’s short-lived drama Drive, which featured a mighty similar plot and structure.
9. The Lost Room -
Genere : Sci-fi
Rating :
Details : the show sets about building a world and a mythology with a deftness the likes of which we just don’t see anymore. Detective Joe Miller (Peter Krause – Six Feet Under) tracks down a young guy that he’s had previous dealings with, after finding evidence that he was present at a fresh and particularly grim crime scene. This kid is in serious trouble, though, and Miller soon finds out why: he has lifted a much-coveted supernatural hotel room key that unlocks any door in the world. Joe soon has the key, and he discovers that when he uses it, he can travel back to a 1960s motel room where the sun is always shining. The empty room seems fairly innocuous, but when Joe exits back into the world he doesn’t come out the way he went in, and he soon learns how to pick and choose his desired destinations.
The atmosphere of the show really takes you back to those Saturday afternoons sat on the sofa as a kid, watching intriguing new installments of The Outer Limits – but its tone is similarly close to something like Stephen King’s Golden Years or The Stand. It takes the time to set a firm foundation for its ideas, but none of the episodes are short on adventure or intrigue, and overall it’s a quality piece of sci-fi – which is why it feels so unfair that so few people have seen it.
How to Watch The Lost Room ? - Click Here
10. Terriers (2010) -
Genere : Comedy, Drama
Rating :
Details : I’d heard about series Terriers, but for the first two episodes, I was baffled. I appreciate a good, gritty detective drama as much as the next dame. But Terriers didn’t seem like anything special — just your run-of-the-mill crime procedural, about an ex-con and an ex-cop teaming up to solve cases.
Terriers takes its characters’ moral lives seriously, without ever being pompous. Hank is a recognizable TV-detective figure, with his hangdog weariness.
How to Watch Terriers ? - Click Here
11. Barry -
Genere : Dark Comedy, Drama
Rating :
Details : The funniest character in a sea of comic relief, his accent-driven malapropisms and celebrity culture obsessions stood out. It feels like there’s more of Noho Hank this season — both as a character, whose criminal responsibilities have increased, and for Carrigan, having to maintain wackiness and menace — and it feels like he’s being asked to drive the mirth single-handedly at times. It’s too much Noho Hank on some levels, yet it’s a tribute to Carrigan’s wild-eyed, expertly delivered performance that he remains generally likable and occasionally scary.
12. No Man's Land -
Genere : Drama
Rating :
Details : Another terrific French series in the genre of the fantastic The Bureau, this well crafted saga set in the Middle East captures the complexity.
How to Watch No Man's Land ? - Click Here
13. Happy! -
Genere : Comedy, Drama
Rating :
Details : Based on the graphic novel of the same name, Nick Sax is a corrupt, intoxicated, ex-cop turned hit man who is adrift in a twilight world of casual murder, soulless sex, and betrayal. Based on the graphic novel of the same name, Nick Sax is a corrupt, intoxicated, ex-cop turned hit man who is adrift in a twilight world of casual murder, soulless sex, and betrayal.
14. - Almost paradise -
Genere : Crime
Rating :
Details : Years of his life have been dedicated to the DEA. So many years that it’s cost Alex Walker (Christian Kane) more than he gains in his career. Now, months after being left for dead by his partner, whom he thought he could trust, Alex has some health challenges and so he buys a gift shop and moves to what he expects to be a relaxing Filipino island. Trouble is, shortly after his arrival, he spots what he thinks is a dangerous situation and he saves Kai (Samantha Richelle), a women he observes is about to be killed. What Alex doesn’t know is Kai is actually a cop working on an undercover op.
15. Deadly Class -
Genere : Comedy, Drama
Rating :
Details : the true dark magic of Deadly Class is that it indulges in a power fantasy of being powerful, being evil, and going unpunished. The show functions as a reassurance that good people like you and me, okay you more than me, might not thrive at a place like King’s Dominion, because we’re not willing to sell our souls. This sometimes results in lengthy narration that I could live without. But it also pays off with stories like Billy’s, or the unmistakable spark between Marcus and Saya.