The problem with streaming is that shows can get cancelled out of nowhere. Shows like Mindhunter, The OA, The Society, I Am Not Okay With This, and Hannibal were all cancelled before they could finish their stories. That’s why miniseries are so satisfying. They tell a full story in just a handful of episodes. No waiting for a new season. No risk of getting ghosted by the platform. But even miniseries can go off the rails. Many of them start strong but completely fall apart by the end.
HBO’s The Outsider pulled viewers in with a killer mystery, only to fumble it with a random supernatural twist that didn’t fit the tone. Netflix’s Clickbait built up a murder mystery for eight episodes and then revealed the killer was someone you didn’t even meet until the final episode. What’s the point of guessing if the answer comes out of nowhere? A great miniseries should keep you guessing, build tension, and then stick the landing. So, here are 10 miniseries that actually pull it off. Each one starts strong, stays strong, and ends on a high note.
11
‘Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber’ (2022)
Created by Brian Koppelman and David Levien
Super Pumped tells the real-life story of Travis Kalanick, played to perfection by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who also narrates the events. It’s about how he turned Uber into a global tech giant and completely bulldozed the entire cab industry in the process. It also dives deep into the Silicon Valley mindset, where ambition often outweighs ethics. You get to see how Uber played the game, bending the rules when it had to, clashing with tech giants like Google and Apple, and doing whatever it took to stay on top.
The show is packed with energy. It moves fast, the dialogue is sharp and witty, and it’s extremely funny. The best way to describe it is The Wolf of Wall Street meets The Social Network. And the show retains that fun energy from the very first scene all the way to the final episode.
10
‘Presumed Innocent’ (2024)
Created by David E. Kelley
Presumed Innocent is a courtroom drama starring Jake Gyllenhaal. He plays Rusty Sabich, a respected prosecutor who’s investigating the murder of a colleague, until he suddenly becomes the prime suspect himself. As the case goes on, things start to get messy. Secrets come out about the justice system, about Rusty’s personal life, and about how far people will go to protect themselves.
What makes this show so good is the paranoid atmosphere it builds. You can’t even trust your own protagonist. The show keeps you guessing the entire way through. Did he actually do it or not? And just when you think you’ve figured it out, a new twist comes in and flips the whole thing on its head. And best of all, it sticks the landing. The final reveal is satisfying and wraps everything up perfectly.
9
‘Midnight Mass’ (2021)
Created by Mike Flanagan
Midnight Mass is a slow-burn horror story set on a small, isolated island where everyone knows each other. Life is quiet until a new priest arrives in town and strange miracles start happening. But what seems like a blessing slowly turns into a nightmare.
This is Mike Flanagan’s most thought-provoking work yet. Midnight Mass feels like something straight out of a Stephen King novel but made for today’s world. It blends deep themes like religion, grief, addiction, guilt, and death into a story that hits hard on both emotional and supernatural levels. The long, philosophical monologues about faith and life are genuinely fascinating, the performances are top-notch, and when the horror kicks in, it’s truly terrifying.
8
‘Baby Reindeer’ (2024)
Created by Richard Gadd
Baby Reindeer is a black comedy drama about a struggling comedian and bartender who becomes the target of an obsessive stalker. What makes it even more powerful is that the story is based on real events from the life of Richard Gadd, who not only wrote the series but also stars as himself. That raw, personal connection brings an authenticity to the screen that very few shows ever manage to achieve.
It’s an unflinching and deeply honest look at trauma, loneliness, and the messiness of human nature. And Gadd doesn’t just focus on the stalker; he turns the focus inward too, digging into his own psyche and emotional ambiguities. As the episodes go on, things get more intense and uncomfortable, but you just can’t look away. The show has been praised across the board and holds a near-perfect 99% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Baby Reindeer
- Release Date
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2024 – 2023
- Directors
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Weronika Tofilska, Josephine Bornebusch
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Jessica Gunning
Martha Scott
7
‘Dopesick’ (2021)
Created by Danny Strong
6
Dopesick tells the story of how OxyContin was sold to America as a miracle painkiller. Purdue Pharma marketed it to doctors as safe and non-addictive, using aggressive and misleading advertising to get it into hospitals and clinics across the country. But in reality, it was highly addictive and ended up fueling the opioid crisis. The series shows how this drug destroyed lives and tore apart entire communities, all while the people behind it made billions.
The series follows multiple storylines over several years, and at the center of it is Michael Keaton. He plays a small-town doctor who buys into the promise of OxyContin, only to slowly realize the harm it’s causing his patients. Keaton’s performance is phenomenal, full of quiet heartbreak and frustration, and he even earned an Emmy for it.
5
‘The Haunting of Hill House’ (2018)
Created by Mike Flanagan
The Haunting of Hill House is a Netflix horror show centered around the Crain family, who once lived in a haunted house. The story jumps between their childhood and adult lives, showing how the trauma they went through as kids still affects them years later. From the very first episode, the series hooks you in. It scares you, breaks your heart, and by the end, hits you with an emotional gut punch that makes you want to watch it all over again, just to catch the details you missed.
And it’s not just a great story. There are so many creative touches that make this one stand out. The show hides ghosts in the background of scenes without ever pointing them out, and spotting one randomly is genuinely creepy. It also pushes filmmaking to a whole new level. One episode is done almost entirely in a single, long one-take shot that flows between time periods and characters. Add to that an unforgettable score, and you’ve got a show that truly is a masterpiece from beginning to end.
4
‘The Night Of’ (2016)
Created by Steven Zaillian and Richard Price
The Night Of is a legal drama that tells the story of Nasir Khan (Riz Ahmed), a quiet college student who wakes up after a night of partying to find a woman murdered next to him. He’s arrested almost immediately, and from there, the series follows his entire journey through the justice system. It takes you from the police station to the jail cell to the courtroom, and shows the emotional and mental toll it takes on him and his family.
Ahmed and John Turturro give incredible performances, with Ahmed winning an Emmy for his role. But what really sets this series apart is how real it feels. It shows how a single night can completely change someone’s life, and it truly feels like a nightmare that could happen to anyone. The supporting characters are well-developed; each one has their own intricate backstory, cultural nuances, and personal struggles. And the reason it lands on this list is the ending. The jury’s final verdict is something rarely seen in movies or shows, and it’s handled in a way that feels real and honest.
3
‘When They See Us’ (2019)
Created by Ava DuVernay
When They See Us is a Netflix limited series that tells the true story of the Central Park Five. These were five Black and Latino teenagers who were wrongly accused of a brutal assault in New York City back in 1989. The show is told in four parts, covering their arrest, the trial, their time in prison, and finally, their exoneration.
This is a show that will break your heart. It will make you squirm. And most of all, it will make you angry. It shows just how broken the justice system can be, and how racial profiling destroyed the lives of these innocent boys. The storytelling is strong from the beginning, but the final episode focused on Korey Wise’s (Jharrel Jerome) solitary confinement is widely seen as one of the most emotional and devastating hours of television ever made.
2
‘Adolescence’ (2025)
Created by Stephen Graham and Jack Thorne
Adolescence is a Netflix crime drama starring Owen Cooper in his debut role as Jamie Miller, a 13-year-old who gets arrested for the murder of his classmate. Even though this is Cooper’s first time acting, he absolutely commands the screen alongside veteran actors like Stephen Graham and delivers a performance that’s genuinely terrifying. The story is disturbingly dark and tackles some heavy, uncomfortable topics, but it’s told so well that you just can’t look away.
What elevates this series a notch above the rest is the cinematography. Each episode is filmed as one continuous take with no cuts, which makes everything feel way more real, like you’re right there inside the scene. It creates this eerie feeling like you’re watching something you shouldn’t be. With the standout performances, sharp writing, and stunning camera work, it’s no surprise the series holds an impressive 98% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Adolescence
- Release Date
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March 13, 2025
- Network
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Netflix