Entertainment Weekly’s picks range from sweeping romances like ‘Queen Charlotte’ to tense true stories like “Unbelievable” and “Griselda.”
In the so-called “Golden Age of Television,” miniseries have taken over, and streamers like Netflix have been at the forefront. True crime is perhaps the most notorious subgenre here, thanks to hard-hitting, auteur-driven shows like When They See Us and wild documentaries like Wild Wild Country. But there’s a little something for everyone, from historical epics like Band of Brothers to small-scale rom-coms like One Day, revisionist Westerns like Godless and the elevated horror of the Flanagan-verse.
It wasn’t easy to narrow it down, but here is Entertainment Weekly’s list of the 20 best miniseries on Netflix right now.
Alias Grace (2017)
If you’re excited that antiheroines are having a moment, then Alias Grace should be next on your watchlist. Created by Women Talking director Sarah Polley and directed by American Psycho helmer Mary Harron, Alias Grace follows Grace Marks (Sarah Gadon), a 19th-century maid who is in jail for allegedly murdering her employers.
Baby Reindeer (2024)
Based on Richard Gadd’s one-man show about his experience with stalking, Baby Reindeer starts with humor, then takes a sharp turn that makes you reevaluate everything that came before.
Band of Brothers (2001)
When it first aired in September 2001, Band of Brothers was all but eclipsed by 9/11, but since then it’s had a well-deserved renaissance. Following the journey of Easy Company, the group of American paratroopers who captured Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest, the miniseries reunites executive producers Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg after Saving Private Ryan for a similarly gritty, harrowing depiction of war and heroism.
Beef (2023)
The less you know going into Beef, the better. Steven Yeun and Ali Wong, both excellent as always, star as Danny Cho and Amy Lau, two people whose fates become intertwined after a road rage incident. As their behavior escalates, the miniseries becomes increasingly deep and strange. As EW’s critic writes, “What begins as a manic vengeance adventure veers sharply into an intense, philosophical, and at times meandering exploration of generational trauma, the Asian immigrant experience, and the fathomless mystery of our inner selves.”
Bodyguard (2018)
Many shows might build to their first nail-biting sequence, but not Bodyguard. The first episode starts with a 20-minute scene in which David Budd (Richard Madden), a British Army war veteran suffering from PTSD, tries to talk down a suicide bomber while on a train with his two children.
Godless (2017)
Godless takes the Western genre and turns it on its head, focusing on a town almost entirely run by women after a mining accident kills most of the men. Jeff Daniels chews the scenery as murderous robber Frank Griffin, giving a villainous performance for the ages (even if some of his monologues run a little long). But the women are the standouts, especially Downton Abbey’s Michelle Dockery and Merritt Wever as the men’s clothes-wearing, overtly feminist Mary Agnes. “I’m done with the notion that the bliss of me and my sisters is to be found in child bearing and caregiving,” she declares.
Griselda (2024)
You’ve never seen Sofia Vergara quite like this. The Modern Family alum sheds her comedic persona — and puts on some prosthetics — to deliver a chilling performance as Griselda Blanco, the infamous Colombian drug lord.
The Haunting of Hill House (2018)
Less of an adaptation than a reimagining, The Haunting of Hill House has almost nothing in common with the original Shirley Jackson novel except the characters’ names. But director Mike Flanagan captures the spirit of the work; in true elevated horror fashion, the miniseries uses ghosts as metaphors for trauma and unresolved grief, reaching a terrible and beautiful climax with the now-classic episode “The Bent-Neck Lady.”
The Last Dance (2020)
You don’t need to follow basketball to appreciate The Last Dance. Chronicling Michael Jordan’s final season with the Chicago Bulls, this 10-part docuseries became a quarantine favorite at a time when no one could watch live sports, painting a compelling portrait of ambition, leadership, and the price of success.
Maid (2021)
Based on Stephanie Land’s memoir, Maid follows Alex (Margaret Qualley), a young mother who escapes an abusive relationship and struggles to support herself and her daughter. The miniseries is a raw and empathetic portrayal of the challenges faced by those living on the margins of society and a scathing indictment of the institutions that make it nearly impossible to escape abuse and poverty.
Midnight Mass (2021)
The Haunting of Hill House is Mike Flanagan’s claim to fame, but some might call Midnight Mass his magnum opus. The miniseries follows Riley Flynn (Friday Night Lights’ Zach Gilford), a man who returns to his religious hometown after serving prison time for manslaughter. When a mysterious priest (Hamish Linklater) arrives, strange and unexplainable events begin to occur.
One Day (2024)
Forget the 2011 film version starring Jim Caviezel and Anne Hathaway — One Day on Netflix is now the definitive adaptation of the beloved novel by David Nicholls. The series follows college classmates Emma (Ambika Mod) and Dexter (The White Lotus’ Leo Woodall), whose relationship unfolds on the same day over the course of 20 years.
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story (2023)
A prequel series to ratings juggernaut Bridgerton, Queen Charlotte offers a lush, romantic look at the origins of one of the most beloved characters. The miniseries, by super creator Shonda Rhimes, delves into the young Queen Charlotte’s (India Amarteifio) rise to power and her relationship with King George III (Corey Mylchreest).
The story has a modern resonance as Queen Charlotte is written as a woman of color, which is the belief of many historians. “I wanted to tell the story of this young woman of color arriving in this world where she never imagined she’d be,” Rhimes told EW.
