21 Best TV Miniseries to Watch (2023)

Well, it’s fun to watch multi-season TV show, but sometimes watching the best TV miniseries too feels great. When you don’t want to get invested in watching a long series of multiple episodes, miniseries can save you there.

Almost all the OTT platforms have their original TV miniseries and some of them can be tagged as the best.

Lately, I have been binge-watching a lot of limited series and I found how concrete their plots are and how less distracting these series are.

Based on my watch, I want to list out a few best TV miniseries to watch, having a solid story, performances and screenplay.

Here is the list for your entertainment –

Best TV Miniseries

The Queen’s Gambit

It’s hard to find a quality TV series that is engaging and enjoyable. Netflix’s limited TV miniseries came in rescue. Set in the early 1960s’, tell the story of a prodigy female chess international player.

Ana Taylor Joy is magnificent to watch. She has performed her complex on-screen character so flawlessly. I completed watching the series at one-go. It is the intensity of the story that has captured my undivided attention.

For every reason, ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ is worth watching TV miniseries.

Chernobyl

The limited TV series ‘Chernobyl’ captures all the emotions and tension that went on during the time of the nuclear disaster. The show went on to explore the lives of the people who were affected by the disaster. 

Few series are that powerful. ‘Chernobyl’ grips you deep inside and makes you feel the traumatic event.

With an IMDB rating of 9.4, HBO’s limited series is the neat narration of the larger truth that is horrible. The human and political ignorance that cost the world the nuclear disaster of the history.  

When they see us

Ava DuVernay’s ‘When they See Us’ is a powerful miniseries and a docudrama, tells the story that involves the arrest and wrongful conviction of five black and latino Harlem juveniles, for raping and beating of a white female jogger in 1989 in New York’s Central Park.

The dialogues, editing, camera work, storytelling and designs everything add up to the magnitude of the story.

The following episodes show the consequences of the event that turned the lives of the juveniles into a nightmare. How they were treated by the police and the society and how their innocence got proved after years of sentencing.

The Haunting of Bly Manor

The Netflix Original limited series ‘The haunting of Bly Manor’ is not a typical scary series, but it is an extremely well-thought story.

The limited number of episodes is well-paced and exciting. There are scenes that will give you goosebumps and there are also some lovely scenes that will bring a smile on your face.

The story follows a family who owns an old estate, soon finds out it is haunted. There are mainly five main characters that are throughout the series.

After watching the series, I have become a fan of Flanagan’s work. The psychological thrill, camera work, the way the story unfolds and emotional connections through the backstories of the ghosts of Bly Manor hooks you deep.

It’s, unique in a way. Many have criticised, though, but I find the mini series extremely endearing to watch, especially since the ending has left me aghast and broken.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxeiY2W03Mc

The Spy

Sacha Baron Cohen has always been signified as a comedy actor, but Netflix’s limited series ‘The Spy’ proved his skill.

His magnificent performance has said it all. He is an actor who should be taken seriously. His stunning performance as one of Mossad’s greatest Spy, Eli Cohen, is marvellous to watch.

How he infiltrates the highest of the levels of the Syrian government and the military, gained their trust and used them in his goal.

If you haven’t watched it yet, give yourself a chance to watch.

Alias Grace

Alias Grace is a six-episode drama series based on Margaret Atwood’s novel. The story follows Grace marks, a teenager who is convicted of brutal murder. The story is set in the 19^th century.

It is beautifully told, sublimely filmed, limited series with many dream sequences and flashbacks. The portrayal of the protagonist character is psychological and deeply sorrowful. If you want to see something like this, binge watch it.

Behind Her Eyes

A psychological thriller with a twist in the end is what the series is about. The series is creative, full of suspense, glamourous. The performances by all the actors are top-notch. It has shocked the audience at the end of the series. Gave no clue.

But you must not watch it with your kids and parents.

Black Earth Rising

I found this series very engaging and delightful to watch. The series brings forth a sensitive and political issue of the extremes of human suffering and atrocities. Michaela Coel playing the character Kate Ashby, a Rwandan genocide survivor, is interesting to watch.

It is an underrated TV mini series that is worth watching.

The Forest

Netflix’s The Forest is a perfect French mini series for a one day binge. Set in the Belgian Ardennes, it is a crime thriller series where a teenage girl goes missing and how the detective figure out what had happened.

The series is not wrapped with many twists or emotions. It is a murder mystery tale told in a solid six hours.

If you love to watch a crime thriller genre of series, this is the perfect one for you.

Since it is a French-speaking series, you would be needed subtitles to understand, you are going to have to pay your attention to the subtitles.

The Sinner

I love detective series. They are so engaging and thrill to watch. There are mysteries about human behaviour and unresolved crime.

‘The Sinner’ is no different from any other detective story. Bill Pullman, like Harry Ambrose, is a police detective who tends to not give up on cases. He notices things that no one else notices and give his everything to solve the case.

Each season of ‘The Sinner’ focuses on a new crime story that Harry solves. It might look like a simple detective series, but it is not. Each crime story tells the unspeakable truth about human’s ability, endurance and emotion.

Clickbait

If you are like me addicted to thriller movies and series, Netflix’s ‘Clickbait’ is yet another best TV miniseries to watch.

The beginning of the story might make you feel there is nothing special about the plot, but if you spare some time and continue to watch, you will see the difference.

The story starts with a clip where a person holds a sign showing his taped confession of abuse. As soon as the clip reaches 5 million views, he will die.

The series makes a very basic point about the internet world. Everything on the internet doesn’t look the same. Each episode points out the differences in an opinion of the characters.

Nick’s sister, Pia, is the only one who has faith in her brother. What’s other think you got to watch the series? There is more in the story.

Bodyguard

With an IMDB rating of 8.1, the six-episode mini series ‘Bodyguard’ was the highest-rated British drama when it got released after Downtown Abbey.

Bodyguard’s protagonist, Richard Madden, who is a well-known face on the ‘Games of Thrones.’ He played the character David Budd, a war veteran now serving in the police department protecting the home secretary.

Budd is a sketched character who has a traumatic past and how the story turns into an unexpected twist where Budd finds himself stuck between the political chaos.

It is a worth watching series for one-day.

Unbelievable

The next one of the best crime thriller series on Netflix is ‘Unbelievable.’ It is also said to be one of the best shows of 2019. I started watching the series because I love crime drama, but as I go deep into the episodes, I found the limited mini series different.

The central subject of the story is, although the same, detectives trying to solve and find out the rapist but of two different cases.

One case takes us to the story where Marie, a young woman living in a community in Lynnwood, Washington, tells the police about her being raped by a masked intruder while she was sleeping.

The second case takes us to Colorado, where detective Karen Duvall, investigate a similar case.

The series has one story but unfolds on two tracks and with different approaches from the detectives towards the victim.

The series is less about finding out the accused. It is more about the consequences of not believing women in rape cases. It is exciting to see the detail police procedural and developments in the Law and Order.

Netflix truly has some of the best crime thriller series that I love to watch.

Sharp Objects

I could recommend watching this amazing series because of the intriguing plot and the performance of Amy Adams.

It is a five episode miniseries where Camille, a journalist, returns to her hometown and investigates the disappearance of a young girl.

There are several layers of stories jumbles up between past and the present. There are stories about the traumatic past and its effect in the present.

Overall, it is a worth watching limited series for its sheer excellence of writing and execution.

The Outsider

Stephen King’s adaptation ‘The Outsider’ streaming on HBO, is an excellent mystery series to binge watch. The story follows about a man who has been accused of a child murder with all the evidence go against him, but the story is something else.

The episode goes deep into revealing a dark character that adds a hybrid of horror and mystery into the story.

There is a sense of creepiness, terror and violence in the series. If you don’t watch it, you won’t understand why I am suggesting the TV series to watch.

It is not a typical detective chasing the bad guy series. The series introduces us with the real-world bleakness and terror that surrounds us.

Watchmen

HBO’s miniseries ‘Watchmen’ depicts the race massacre of 1921 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The massacre is one of the most shocking acts of racial violence in American history. It is a quite bold series talking about the racial attacks in America then and today.

Certainly, one of the best TV miniseries to watch.

I am not Okay with this

Netflix’s series is actually fun to watch. It has combined the superhero and superpowered teenage angst.

There is no marvel superhero or the young Peter Parker. The story follows Sydney, a socially disintegrated white girl who is confused soul about her emotions and sexual feelings.

Soon, she discovers about herself that getting angry is not good for her, especially because she can break things with her mind.

It is a bit laid back series where the characterizations are mostly flat and monotonous until Sydney gets angry.

The Stranger

Netflix’s ‘The Stranger’ is an adaptation of the Harlan Coben novel. After ‘Broadchurch’ I loved this British crime thriller drama.

The plot is not too predictable though, each episode tangled in mysteries and stories. The constant disturbance in the husband’s mind after his wife goes missing suddenly. There are emotion-filled scenes but overall a worth watching series.

The Maid

The limited series of Margaret Qualley’s The Maid deserves all the rating for an incredible performance. It’s so realistic, desperate and mature, the story is so poignant to watch.

Single mother Alex fighting for survival from her abusive relationship and raising her daughter turns to housecleaning to make end meets.

It is worth binge-watching her journey. The series depicts how destitution looks like in the contemporary world. Margaret Qualley has taken the series to the next level of perfection. Her expressions, calmness has directly connected with the audience.

Certainly, one of the best TV miniseries to watch on Netflix.

Midnight Mass

Mike Flanagan’s ‘Midnight Mass’ is a much talked horror show of 2021. It could be simply called as a zombie series or a horror TV miniseries.

But what makes the show a perfect miniseries to watch?

The set, a small isolated town of Crockett island gives the series a grim look. The series questions about faith. To what extent people can do in the name of faith?

Though a horror series technically, but there are no jump scares. The delicately crafted monologues are the best in the series.

The performances of the ensemble cast make the series so compelling to watch.

Mare of Easttown

I am a big fan of Kate Winslet and I couldn’t have missed ‘Mare of Easttown.’ The limited series is brilliant because of its focus on the details. The story typically depicts the ripple effect of crime on a small town and the life of detective Mare.

Mare’s life is only surrounded by the unsolved cases. Winslet has always kept the audience in awe of her terrific performances and has been winning hearts for years.

‘Mare of Easttown’ is no different. Here too, she is the heart and soul of the series and you must binge watch it.

Conclusion:

These are some of the best TV miniseries that I have watched and found them exceedingly worthy to watch. These series are incredible as per the IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes rating.

You can certainly binge watch them on weekends.

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