1
Beef
Beef is reportedly getting a second season, but it sounds like it’s going to be turned into an anthology series, so it still deserves a place on this list as a limited series. Season 1 focused on a road rage incident that develops into an all out war between Amy (Ali Wong), a posh small business owner, and Danny (Steven Yeun), a contractor struggling to get by.
2
One Day
Based on the novel by David Nicholls, One Day breaks down the long friendship/romance of Dexter (Leo Woodall) and Emma (Ambika Mod), two ordinary people who meet on graduation night and strike up an unexpected friendship that spans decades. Each episode takes place in a new year, tracking their bond as they go through relationships, weddings, fights, and tragedies. It’s a delightful, romantic show anchored by charming leads. No spoilers, but I highly recommend having tissues ready for the last few episodes.
3
The Brothers Sun
The Brothers Sun wasn’t technically intended to be a limited series, but unlike other Netflix dramas canceled after one season, the 8-episode series manages to tell a satisfying story without ending on a huge cliffhanger. The show is part kung fu movie, part crime thriller, and part family drama. It follows Charles Sun, a strongman in his father’s gang, who goes to LA to protect his estranged mother, played by Michelle Yeoh, and his younger brother, Bruce, after his father is shot. The twist? Bruce has grown up completely shielded from his family’s criminality, and he’s about to have a very rude awakening.
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4
Inside Man
Not to be confused with the Spike Lee’s bank heist film Inside Man (though, you should totally watch that too), this Netflix limited series is a thriller about what it takes to drive someone to murder. The show uses the intertwined stories of Harry (David Tennant), a British vicar desperate to protect himself and his family, and Jefferson (Stanley Tucci), a former criminology professor on death row for killing his wife, to ask the question: Under the right circumstances, is everybody capable of murder?
5
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story
As far as television spinoffs go, Queen Charlotte is one of the greats. The limited series opened up the Bridgerton universe by exploring the history of fan-favorite Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) and giving the royal her very own moving (and sexy) love story. What makes this series unique is that it gives you the best of both worlds: You get the contained story of a miniseries with the option of more related content!
6
The Serpent
True-crime lovers, this one’s for you. The Serpent tells the true story of Charles Sobhraj (Tahar Rahim), a conman and serial killer who is believed to have murdered almost two dozen American and European tourists as he traveled around Asia in the ‘70s. Sobhraj reportedly preyed on hippies, told stories of being an infamous gem dealer to con them, and would sometimes poison them. And even when authorities caught onto him, he remained elusive, hence the nickname “The Serpent.”
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7
Spinning Out
Another accidental miniseries, Spinning Out explored the cutthroat world of competitive figure skating. The show starred Kaya Scodelario as Kat, a competitive skater whose journey to the Olympics is thwarted by injury. Desperate for a comeback, she decides to go into pairs skating, but her renewed career also comes with increased pressure to keep her family’s history of mental illness a secret.
8
Little Women
Little Women is a highly addictive K-Drama about three sisters who get in over their heads when one of them finds a duffle bag filled with cash—and decides to keep it. Soon, the sisters get caught up in the twisted lives of one of South Korea’s richest families, putting their own relationship at risk.
9
Collateral
This British crime miniseries originally aired on BBC Two, so you know it’s got to be good. The show stars Carey Mulligan as a London detective investigating the murder of a pizza delivery man, who gets caught up in a possible government conspiracy and cover up.
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10
Griselda
Griselda tells the mostly true story of Griselda Blanco, a Colombian drug lord who operated in the US in the ‘70s and ‘80s. The show tracks her rise in the Medellin Cartel, her establishment of a cocaine trade in Miami, and her life as a mother of four. But the big draw of the show is star Sofia Vergara, whose prosthetics and performance will have you seeing her in a brand new light.
11
The Haunting of Hill House
Mike Flanagan made a splash with this miniseries adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s novel. He also kept a lot of people up at night because this miniseries is scaaaary, in both a “things that go bump in the night” way and a psychological horror way.
12
The Haunting of Bly Manor
Instead of Hill House season 2, Flanagan rounded up most of the same cast to do another spooky adaptation, this time of The Turn of the Shrew. The show took the eerie tone of Hill House, added in a fe
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13
The Queen’s Gambit
Remember when this miniseries came out and everyone had CHESS FEVER?? What a magical time that was. I loved Beth and her many boyfriends so much. The Queen’s Gambit is kind of the perfect miniseries. It takes you on a whole journey. There isn’t any filler. And you can talk about it with friends who haven’t finished without worrying about spoilers, really.
14
Inventing Anna
In 2022, it felt like every streaming platform had a miniseries about a woman who scammed people IRL. Two of them even had memorable voices. But only Inventing Anna had people talking about what they would do and what they would get away with.
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16
Maniac
If you liked the trippiness of Everything Everywhere All at Once you will probably like this miniseries. This science fiction story also served as a Superbad reunion for Emma Stone and Jonah Hill.
17
When They See Us
Ava Duverney’s miniseries took on the real story of Central Park Five, now known as the Exonerated Five, shining a new spotlight on how five innocent boys were convicted of a crime they did not commit. It challenged how we view the justice system in America, much like Duvernay’s documentary 13th. It’s also one of the most awarded Netflix original miniseries. When They See Us won Emmys, a BAFTA, a Peabody, Critics Choice Awards, and more!
18
Bodyguard
This limited series, which starred Richard Madden as the titular bodyguard, was another moment in Netflix. It felt like everybody was watching. There were twists and turns we had to get into. Soooo many people learned that “ma’am” sounds like “mum” in a British accent.
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19
Godless
This miniseries was billed to me as a Western about a town with no men…but TBH, there are a lot of male characters in the show. Still, the ladies are badass and the yee is plenty haw!
20
Maid
Margaret Qualley fully embraced her nepobaby status in Maid, acting opposite her real life mother, Andie MacDowell, who played her character’s mother in the moving miniseries. The show, based on the memoir by Stephanie Land, stars Qualley as a young mother who takes off with her toddler to get out of an abusive marriage and gets a job cleaning houses.
