The 25 best miniseries ready to binge-watch this weekend

Adolescence (2025)

One of the most talked-about pieces of television to emerge in 2025 is Adolescence. A British crime drama about a 13-year-old boy named Jamie Miller who is accused of murdering his classmate, the miniseries offers four episodes, all of which were shot in one continuous take. The technical execution of the project is thrilling, and so is the show’s depiction of how modern media affects the minds and actions of teenage boys.

Young actor Owen Cooper makes a brilliant Emmy-winning debut as Jamie, and the scenes between him and his therapist (Erin Doherty) in episode 3 are some of the most affecting examples of storytelling in recent history. A series that feels especially relevant as talk of incels and loneliness epidemics becomes more mainstream, Adolescence gets deep about what teenage boyhood really looks like today. —Ilana Gordon

Where to watch Adolescence: Netflix

Cast: Stephen Graham, Ashley Walters, Erin Doherty, Owen Cooper, Faye Marsay, Christine Tremarco, Mark Stanley, Jo Hartley, Amélie Pease

American Crime Story (2016–present)

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 so far — 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. —Declan Gallagher

Where to watch American Crime Story: Hulu

EW grade: A

Cast: Sarah Paulson, Sterling K. Brown, John Travolta, David Schwimmer, Courtney B. Vance

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. —D.G.

Where to watch Angelyne: Peacock

EW grade: B+

Cast: Emmy Rossum, Molly Ephraim, Alex Karpovsky, Lukas Gage

Baby Reindeer (2024)

This 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. —D.G.

Where to watch Baby Reindeer: Netflix

Cast: Richard Gadd, Jessica Gunning, Nava Mau, Nina Sosanya, Hugh Coles

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. —D.G.

Where to watch Band of Brothers: HBO Max

Cast: David Schwimmer, Damian Lewis, Ron Livingston, Peter O’Meara, Matthew Settle

Beef (2023–present)

The first season of Netflix’s astonishing anthology series 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. —D.G. 

Where to watch Beef: Netflix

EW grade: B

Cast: Ali Wong, Steven Yeun, Young Mazino, David Choe, Ashley Park

Black Rabbit (2025)

CombineThe Bear's subject matter with the stress of Uncut Gems and you get Black Rabbit. Netflix’s thriller miniseries tells the story of the Friedkin brothers, Jude Law's Jake and Jason Bateman's Vince, whose restaurant business is threatened by debt, accusations of sexual harassment, and other criminal activity. As their family, friends, and co-workers get pulled into the madness, Jake and Vince must confront their history and look for a way to save themselves and their restaurant, The Black Rabbit.

The series unfolds over eight fast-paced episodes — New York City culinary and scandal nerds may recognize elements of the story as being similar to those that precipitated the closing of the West Village’s beloved gastropub, The Spotted Pig. And while no one would describe this miniseries as uplifting, it does give Bateman a chance to reunite with former Ozarks costar Laura Linney, who directs two Black Rabbit episodes. —I.G.

Where to watch Black Rabbit: Netflix

Cast: Jude Law, Jason Bateman, Cleopatra Coleman, Sope Dirisu, Amaka Okafor, Troy Kotsur

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. —D.G.

Where to watch Dopesick: Hulu

EW grade: A–

Cast: Michael Keaton, Michael Stuhlbarg, Kaitlyn Dever, Will Poulter, Phillipa Soo

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, who 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's critic noted in a glowing review. —D.G.

Where to watch Dr. Death: Peacock

EW grade: A–

Cast: Joshua Jackson, Grace Gummer, Alec Baldwin, Christian Slater, AnnaSophia Robb

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Fellow Travelers (2023)

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. —D.G.

Where to watch Fellow Travelers: Paramount+

EW grade: B

Cast: Matt Bomer, Jonathan Bailey, Allison Williams, Matt Visser, Jelani Alladin

Five Days at a 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. —D.G. 

Where to watch Five Days at Memorial: Apple TV+

EW grade: B+

Cast: Vera Farmiga, Cherry Jones, Molly Hager, Julie Ann Emery, Cornelius Smith Jr.

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. —D.G.

Where to watch Feud: Bette vs. Joan: Hulu

EW grade: B

Cast: Jessica Lange, Susan Sarandon, Jackie Hoffman, Stanley Tucci, Kathy Bates

A Gentleman in Moscow (2024)

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, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, playing a silent film actress who begins a tentative romance with Rostov. —D.G.

Where to watch A Gentleman in Moscow: Paramount+

Cast: Ewan McGregor, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Beau Gadsdon, Alexa Goodall, Fehinti Balogun

Griselda (2024)

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. —D.G.

Where to watch Griselda: Netflix

Cast: Sofía Vergara, Vanessa Ferlito, Karol G, Alberto Guerra, Martín Rodríguez

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 entirely sure 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. —D.G.

Where to watch I May Destroy You: HBO Max

EW grade: B

Cast: Michaela Coel, Paapa Essiedu, Weruche Opia, Marouane Zotti

Lady in the Lake (2024)

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). —D.G.

Where to watch Lady in the Lake: Apple TV+

Cast: Natalie Portman, Moses Ingram, Noah Jupe, Brett Gelman, David Corenswet

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. —D.G.

Where to watch Midnight Mass: Netflix

EW grade: A–

Cast: Zach Gilford, Hamish Linklater, Kate Siegel, Rahul Kohli, Samantha Sloyan

Normal People (2020)

Sally Rooney writes novels “about what it feels like to be alive right now” and the miniseries adaptation of her book Normal People is bursting with youthful romance and struggle. Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal star as Marianne Sheridan and Connell Waldron, two Irish high school seniors transitioning into college life and young adulthood.

At school, Marianne is the rich outcast and Connell is the working class jock whose single mother cleans Marianne’s family’s home. In spite of their differences, the two connect emotionally and begin a complicated relationship that continues through their time at Trinity College Dublin. The story is told over 12 episodes, and while bingeing is definitely an option, Normal People is best enjoyed slowly, so you have time to process the show’s vulnerability and nuance. —I.G.

Where to watch Normal People: Hulu

Cast: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Paul Mescal, Sarah Greene

One Day (2024)

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 two decades.

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. —D.G.

Where to watch One Day: Netflix

Cast: Ambika Mod, Leo Woodall, Essie Davis, Eleanor Tomlinson, Amber Grappy

One Hundred Years of Solitude (2024–present)

Considered one of the foremost literary achievements of the last century, Gabriel García Márquez’s magical realism novel, One Hundred Years of Solitude, has finally been adapted for television. The series, which premiered on Netflix at the end of 2024, tells the story of the Buendía family over multiple generations and is set in the fictitious town of Macondo, Colombia, which the family founded.

Critics and fans have commended the adaptation for its acting, cinematography, and adherence to the original source material. A TV series with the spirit of the novel, Netflix has released the show's first eight episodes, with another eight still to come. A must-watch for literary lovers and TV nerds alike, treat yourself to One Hundred Years of Solitude. —I.G.

Where to watch One Hundred Years of Solitude: Netflix

Cast: Claudio Cataño, Diego Vásquez, Marleyda Soto, Viña Machado, Loren Sofía, Janer Villarreal, Akima, Moreno Borja, Ruggero Pasquarelli

The Queen's Gambit (2020)

One of the cultural highlights of the pandemic, The Queen’s Gambit is a period drama about an orphan who becomes a chess prodigy in the 1950s and '60s. Anya Taylor-Joy stars as Beth, a young woman who becomes addicted to tranquilizers during her time in an orphanage, and whose substance abuse and mental health issues threaten to undermine her rise through the competitive chess world.

Chess is an internalized and intellectual pursuit, but Taylor-Joy throws her body, face, and soul into it, and the result is a performance that makes a board game feel as exciting as an NBA championship. The show’s success generated a renewed interest in chess, and Taylor-Joy’s performance is almost universally acclaimed. EW’s reviewer highlights the show’s “luscious production design” and notes the “darkly fascinating lead performance duel against mawkish sentiment and a messy final act. It's always fun to watch, even when it's playing emotional checkers.” —I.G.

Where to watch The Queen's Gambit: Netflix

EW grade: B

Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Bill Camp, Moses Ingram, Isla Johnston, Christiane Seidel, Rebecca Root, Chloe Pirrie, Akemnji Ndifornyen, Marielle Heller, Harry Melling, Thomas Brodie-Sangster

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 struggles with 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. —D.G.

Where to watch Sharp Objects: HBO Max

EW grade: B+

Cast: Amy Adams, Patricia Clarkson, Eliza Scanlen, Chris Messina, Sydney Sweeney

Shōgun (2024–present)

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 (turned series — the show got picked up for two additional seasons) 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. —D.G.

Where to watch Shogun: Hulu

EW grade: A–

Cast: Hiroyuki Sanada, Cosmo Jarvis, Anna Sawai, Tadanobu Asano, Néstor Carbonell 

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. —D.G.

Where to watch The Thing About Pam: Peacock

EW grade: B+

Cast: Renée Zellweger, Judy Greer, Katy Mixon, Glenn Fleshler, Gideon Adlon

The White Lotus (2021–present)

The best way to travel these days is through HBO’s The White Lotus. The anthology series is set at The White Lotus Resort and Spa, a fictional hotel chain with luxurious locations in Hawaii, Italy, and Thailand (so far). The staff at The White Lotus are on hand to provide a special experience to the resort’s wealthy, if eccentric, guests, but the hotel is fast becoming known for the strange deaths that keep occurring.  

Mike White has established himself as a character study artiste, a keen observer of families, friend groups, and social dynamics. The characters on his show are fascinating, flawed people, and White knows exactly where to push to apply pressure and tension. The show is especially beloved for its ensemble casts, which are full of some of the best actors you forgot about. —I.G.

Where to watch The White Lotus: HBO Max

EW grade: B+

Cast: Jennifer Coolidge, Natasha Rothwell, Murray Bartlett, Connie Britton, Alexandra Daddario, Jake Lacy, Sydney Sweeney, Steve Zahn, F. Murray Abraham,Michael Imperioli, Adam DiMarco, Meghann Fahy, Beatrice Grannò, Jon Gries, Tom Hollander, Sabrina Impacciatore, Theo James, Aubrey Plaza, Haley Lu Richardson, Will Sharpe, Simona Tabasco, Leo Woodall, Leslie Bibb, Carrie Coon, Walton Goggins, Sarah Catherine Hook, Jason Isaacs, Lalisa Manobal, Michelle Monaghan, Sam Nivola, Lek Patravadi, Parker Posey, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Tayme Thapthimthong, Aimee Lou Wood, Sam Rockwell, Scott Glenn