According to the Museum of Broadcast Communications Encyclopedia of Television, a miniseries is defined as, “a narrative drama designed to be broadcast in a limited number of episodes.”
If you are having a hard time deciding which TV Show or Movie to watch next, consider watching a miniseries instead. There are many miniseries out there that have received positive reviews from critics and that were nominated for and won many awards.
Now, with all of that being said, here are 15 Miniseries You Need To Binge Watch ASAP:
Based on the 2015 News Article “An Unbelievable Story of Rape”, Unbelievable is about Marie Adler (Kaitlyn Dever), a teenage girl who reports that she was raped, recants her report, and is then accused of lying about it. The miniseries also follow two detectives (Toni Collette and Merritt Wever) who follow and investigate the twisting path to arrive at the truth.
Unbelievable consists of eight episodes (45 minutes long each) and was released by Netflix on September 13th, 2019. It has received nothing but positive reviews and was included on former US President Barack Obama’s list of Favorite TV Shows and Movies (which he does annually) of 2019.
The 2008 HBO Miniseries chronicles most of John Adams’s political life and his role in the founding of the United States. From the perspective of the second President of the United States, the miniseries also features key events of our nation’s first 50 years.
John Adams is the most awarded miniseries of all time, winning 13 of its 23 Primetime Emmy Nominations, including “Outstanding Miniseries” (Note: The category was renamed “Outstanding Limited Series” in 2015), “Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie” for Paul Giamatti’s portrayal of John Adams, “Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie” for Laura Linney’s portrayal of Abagail Adams, and “Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie” for Tom Wilkinson’s portrayal of Benjamin Franklin.
The miniseries I put for #3 and #4 are part of the hit anthology series American Crime Story. For those of you who don’t know, an anthology series presents a different story and different characters each season (in the case of a TV Series). Each story presented is unrelated to the previous one.
The first season of American Crime Story was subtitled The People v. O. J. Simpson and followed all of the events surrounding the infamous O. J. Simpson murder case. It consisted of ten episodes and ran from February 2 to April 5, 2016. Oscar-Winning Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. portrayed O. J. Simpson. The People v. O. J. Simpson received critical acclaim and won nine Primetime Emmys at the 68th Primetime Emmy Awards, including “Outstanding Limited Series”.
The second season of American Crime Story was subtitled The Assassination of Gianni Versace and explored the 1997 murder of fashion designer Gianni Versace by spree killer Andrew Cunanan. Its nine episodes aired from January 17 to March 21, 2018. The four main stars of Season 2 were Édgar Ramírez as Gianni Versace, Darren Criss as Andrew Cunanan, Ricky Martin as Antonio D’Amico, and Oscar-Winner Penélope Cruz as Donatella Versace.
Just like The People v. O. J. Simpson, The Assassination of Gianni Versace also received positive reviews from critics. At the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards, The Assassination of Gianni Versace won three of the nine Primetime Emmy Awards it was up for: “Outstanding Limited Series”, “Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special”, and “Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie” for Criss.
As I stated earlier, American Crime Story is an anthology series and its third season is set to premiere on September 27, 2020. The subtitle for Season 3 of American Crime Story is Impeachment and will chronicle the Clinton–Lewinsky scandal and the ensuing events during Clinton’s presidency.
This miniseries chronicles the infamous feud between Oscar-Winning Actresses Bette Davis and Joan Crawford during and after production of the 1962 film What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?. Although What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? was the only film that the two made together, their feud began years prior to the film being made. The miniseries stars Jessica Lange as Crawford and Susan Sarandon as Davis.
Oscar-Nominated Actress Maggie Gyllenhaal won a Golden Globe for her portrayal of Nessa Stein, a woman who finds herself in an international maelstrom after she inherits her father’s arms business.
This four-episode miniseries is a Netflix Original Series and was realized by the streaming service in 2019. When They See Us follows the true story of a group of five young African American men who became known as the “Central Park Five” after being wrongfully accused of sexually assaulting a woman in Central Park. The series also covers the trial, in addition to the lives and families of the five male suspects. When They See Us earn critical acclaim for its acting and casting.
The 2001 HBO War Drama Miniseries is based on Stephen E. Ambrose’s 1992 non-fiction book of the same name and was produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. The all-star ensemble cast features the likes of Damian Lewis, Ron Livingston, Michael Fassbender, David Schwimmer, and Jimmy Fallon, to name a few of the miniseries’ stars.
As described by Complex, Band of Brothers: “Follows the E Company, 2nd Battalion of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, otherwise known as “Easy” Company, as they complete training and participate in many pivotal events during World War II, up to and including the eventual end of the war.”
The miniseries is well-known for being the first prestige televised depiction of war. Band of Brothers won seven of the twenty Primetime Emmys it was nominated for, including “Outstanding Miniseries”.
Here’s a fun fact about the 1977 miniseries: Its finale episode was watched by 51.1% of all households in the United States at the time the episode first aired. That percentage is the third-highest-rated episode for any type of television series ever (behind the final episode of M.A.S.H. and “Who Done It”, the fourth episode of the fourth season of Dallas).
This 2012 Western Miniseries was the History Channel’s first aired scripted drama. The three-part miniseries documented the real-life and lengthy feud between the Hatfield and the McCoy families.
This eight-episode miniseries by Hulu was released on October 18th, 2019 and based on John Green’s 2005 novel of the same name. Looking For Alaska currently holds a 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, with the critics consensus stating, “Bittersweet and beautifully performed, Looking For Alaska is the rare adaptation that deviates from its source material only to find something even better.”
Fans of Jane Austen’s novels have said the 1995 BBC1 Miniseries is the best adaptation of Austen’s Pride & Prejudice. The miniseries received largely positive reviews and is highly ranked as one of the best British Miniseries of all time. Pride & Prejudice made Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth, who portrayed Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy respectively, the huge stars they are today.
This HBO Miniseries has a total of eight episodes and was released in 2016. The Night Of takes a detailed look at the criminal investigation and trial of Nasir “Naz” Khan (Riz Ahmed), a Pakistan-American college student who is the main suspect of a murder of a young white girl. This miniseries is a must-watch for those who enjoy dark and gritty crime dramas.
The 2019 HBO Miniseries chronicles the massive disaster that struck the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in 1986 and the cleanup efforts that were followed. The five-part miniseries received universal critical acclaim. At 71st Primetime Emmy Awards, which was held on September 22nd, 2019, Chernobyl won 10 of the 19 nominations it was up for, including “Outstanding Limited Series”, “Outstanding Directing”, and “Outstanding Writing”.
Based on Celeste Ng’s 2017 novel of the same name, Little Fires Everywhere stars Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington (both are also executive producers of the miniseries), as mothers from different socioeconomic backgrounds
Out of all the miniseries featured in this article, Little Fires Everywhere is the most recent one to be released. The miniseries premiered on Hulu on March 18th and as of April 15th, seven of its eight episodes have aired so far. The eighth and final episode is scheduled to be released on April 22nd.
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