If there is ever a need for a list of shows that are quick to watch, here is that list. A miniseries is intended to be a show with a full story in just a few episodes. Some popular series start as miniseries, but as their popularity grows, more seasons get made. For these series, their stories can endure compared to even the longest-running shows, with up to ten or even more seasons.
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These miniseries tell the tales of major book adaptations, real-life events, and theup-and-coming Marvel superheroes. If there is a day to spare, these series must be watched.
‘Bodyguard’ (2018)
David Budd, a war veteran, is assigned to protect the Home Secretary, whose values aren’t popular. She looks to introduce new surveillance methods for security reasons, so she becomes a target. Budd himself becomes a target for just protecting her, and when she dies, he is the first suspect in her murder.Richard Maddenstars in this high-intensity British thriller series.
If aBondfilmorThe Gray Manisn’t intense or long enough,Bodyguardis only six hours and six episodes long. The series has action and suspense in spades and is exciting enough for a rewatch once it’s done. It can easily bring excitement to an otherwise slow day.
‘It’s a Sin’ (2021)
Former and now current Doctor Who showrunnerRussell T. DaviescreatedIt’s a Sinas an homage to his younger years in London. From 1981 to 1991, It’s a Sin tells the story of a group of gay men and their close friends living during the HIV/AIDS crisis in England. Throughout each episode, the group goes through moments of love, fun, laughter, heartbreak, and grief. StarringOlly Alexanderof pop music fame, each character goes through their journey of dealing with the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
It’s a Sinwill take roughly five hours to watch, with each episode being about 45 minutes. While it is possible to watch this miniseries in a day, it might be best to space out the episodes a bit due to theseriousness of the ending. Yes, a box of tissues will be necessary.
‘Boo, B*tch!’ (2022)
Lana Condorstars inBoo, B*itch,a Netflix miniseries about a young woman named Erika who decides to change her life and be more outgoing. However, her plans are ruined when she wakes up the next day as a ghost. Some ghosts pass on immediately, but Erika’s plans to make the most of her life are her unfinished business, so she sticks around and does everything she intended to do - living her afterlife like there’s no tomorrow.
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With only seven episodes that are a half hour each,Boo, B*itchhas a little less than three and a half hour runtime. Watching this will leave more time to watch other, much longer miniseries as well.
‘The End of the F***ing World’ (2017-2019)
The End of the F***ing Worldwas an original Netflix show with a quirky sense of humor. The story focuses on young teens Alyssa (Jessica Barden) and James (Alex Lawther) as they get into a relationship with one another. She really wants a boyfriend, and he wants to figure out how to murder her. Together, they become embroiled in a murder mystery that has them on the run and in disguise.
While this series has two seasons, each episode is only 20 minutes, which is what might be spent anyway watching an 8-hour season ofBridgerton. This show can be spent in two four-hour chunks or binged through in eight hours.
‘WandaVision’ (2021)
For the massive superhero fan,WandaVisionis the perfect show to watch in one day. See Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) before becoming the Scarlet Witch (Paul Bettany) live out her sitcom dreams with her husband Vision. As the show continues, the mystery of what’s happening to Wanda unfolds in various sitcom styles and decades. This show was the first in Marvel’s Phase Four projects, so it helps to set up life afterAvengers: EndgameandWanda’s potential villain arcforDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
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The show is six hours, with each episode only half an hour. So it can easily be binged in a day. FollowingWandaVision, most Marvel Disney+ shows stayed in a 6-8 episode format, so most of them are easy to watch in a day, the whole MCU? Not so much.
‘Normal People’ (2020)
Sally Rooney’s infamous novel,Normal People, was adapted into a Hulu miniseries in 2020, starringPaul MescalandDaisy Edgar-Jones. The series follows Marianne and Connell’s love story in a small Irish town as they grow up with each other. With a miscommunication trope at the center of the show, audiences fell in love with Marianne and Connell.
This miniseries has 12 episodes that are a little over 20 minutes each, giving each watcher six hours to absorb Rooney’s complicated love story. If that series is not the one, Hulu also adapted Rooney’s other novel,Conversations with Friends.
‘When They See Us’ (2019)
Ava Duvernay’s retelling of the Central Park Five story is a must-watch. After a jogger is attacked in Central Park, five teens are falsely accused of the crime. Based on real events, the series follows the events of the crime from 1989 up until the settlement case in 2014. It was nominated for 16 Emmy Awards in 2019 and has left a mark on the world since its release.
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With only four episodes totaling a runtime of five hours, there’s no excuse not to watch this mini-series. It’s both well acted, thought out, and insightful.When They See Usmade a teaching moment so accessible to the public, so it is a must-see.
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