10 miniseries you can finish in a weekend

The problem with series is that they never end. The solution: the miniseries. A complete story, a beginning, an end, and often more intensity than a show stretched over years. Here are 10 miniseries to finish in a weekend.

The must-sees

• Chernobyl (5 episodes): a chilling reconstruction of the 1986 disaster. A masterpiece.
• The Queen's Gambit (7 episodes): an orphan chess prodigy. Even if you don't play, you'll be hooked.
• Adolescence (4 episodes): each episode is shot in a single continuous take. A shock, and one of the most talked-about series of 2025.

True stories

• When They See Us (4 episodes): the case of the "Central Park Five", devastating.
• Unbelievable (8 episodes): an investigation into a series of rapes, restrained and remarkable.

Thrillers and investigations

• Mare of Easttown (7 episodes): Kate Winslet as a detective in a small Pennsylvania town.
• Baby Reindeer (7 episodes): a stalking story that's uncomfortable in a very controlled way.
• The Night Of (8 episodes): a night that goes wrong, then a trial. A remarkably precise legal drama.

To end on a gentler note

• Normal People (12 short episodes of about 30 minutes): a love story over several years, rarely this accurate.
• Fleabag (2 seasons of 6 episodes of 25 minutes): technically two seasons, but they're easy to watch in a weekend.

How to plan it

A 5-episode miniseries with hour-long episodes is the equivalent of two and a half feature films. Start the first episode on Friday night: if you're hooked, the weekend is sorted.