5 overlooked Netflix miniseries to binge in one weekend
But beyond those big-name shows, the sheer breadth of options on Netflix's platforms means that sometimes equally worthy titles can get lost in the mix. The five limited series on this list are just as binge-worthy as those aforementioned streaming hits, with gripping stories spread across a short stretch of episodes that can be easily consumed in one weekend.
Whether you're after a British mystery thriller, an Australian coming-of-age epic or an India-set docuseries about a controversial guru, here are five overlooked Netflix miniseries you should add to your next weekend watch list.
OK, sure, it's tricky to call a miniseries "overlooked" when it won several Emmy Awards — including individual honors for Jeff Daniels and Merritt Wever's supporting performances, as well as for the main title theme song by Carlos Rafael Rivera — but this gorgeous 2017 Western drama deserves to have plenty more eyes on it.
Set in a 19th-century New Mexican town almost entirely populated by women, the seven-episode miniseries "Godless" sees that quiet desert life get shaken up when a young outlaw (Jack O'Connell) arrives while on the run from menacing, murderous gang leader Frank Griffin (Daniels).
"Vistas and violence root 'Godless' firmly in traditional Western territory, but its female-driven ensemble sets it apart in a male-dominated genre," reads the critical consensus over at Rotten Tomatoes, where the Netflix drama has an 85% approval rating.
Watch "Godless" on Netflix now
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Netflix has been working its way through adaptations of Harlan Coben novels, from "Fool Me Once" to "Missing You" to "Just One Look." But our favorite of the bunch is "Stay Close."
This gripping eight-episode British thriller tells the story of three people who are each hiding dark secrets: suburban mother of three Megan Pierce (Cush Jumbo), once-promising documentary photographer Ray Levine (Richard Armitage) and jaded police sergeant DS Michael Broome (James Nesbitt).
Broome, in particular, is haunted by a cold case from nearly two decades ago: the disappearance of local husband and father Stewart Green. However, when another man, Carlton Flynn, vanishes on the 17th anniversary of Stewart's disappearance, it sets off a chain reaction in the lives of people connected to both men.
Watch "Stay Close" on Netflix now
Based on the semi-autobiographical debut novel of the same name by Australian writer Trent Dalton, this seven-episode, genre-bending miniseries centers on Brisbane-based boy Eli Bell (played at different ages by Felix Cameron, Zac Burgess and Auden Ryan), who is caught up in his family's criminal dealings in 1980s Australia.
When Eli and his mute brother (Lee Tiger Halley) answer a ringing red telephone, that call launches the boy on a bizarre journey through Brisbane's criminal underworld to save their mother from danger, encountering everything from drug dealers to school bullies along the way.
"As in the book, the mood is a tightrope walk between despair and childish optimism," wrote Kylie Northover in her review for The Sydney Morning Herald. "The brothers' lives are shaped by trauma, but this sprawling story is infused with humour and great warmth, even for the adults who have let them down."
Watch "Boy Swallows Universe" on Netflix now
Along with the great narrative miniseries available to watch on Netflix, the streamer is also home to top-rate true tales like this original six-part documentary, which focuses on the controversial Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh as he builds the utopian Rajneeshpuram commune in Wasco County, Oregon.
However, as the cult rises in popularity and power, Rajneesh clashes with the surrounding community, which later leads to the first bioterror attack in the United States.
Contrasted splashier true-crime docs centered on more recognizable names—think "American Murder: Gabby Petito", "Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey" and "The Menendez Brothers"—"Wild Wild Country" is a fittingly wild recounting of a comparatively underreported scandal, and it took home the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series in 2018.
Watch "Wild Wild Country" on Netflix now
Looking for a miniseries with more of a gothic, supernatural edge? From "The Haunting of Hill House" creator Mike Flanagan comes this creepy 2021 title, set on the isolated fishing community of Crockett Island.
When the charismatic Father Paul Hill (Hamish Linklater) arrives on the island, mysterious and miraculous events begin to occur, leading to revitalized religious fervor throughout the small town. Riley Flynn (Zach Gilford) — a Crocket Island native who returns to his hometown after serving time for killing a woman in a drunk driving crash — leads skepticism against the young priest.
With an 87% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the site's critical consensus praises "Midnight Mass" as "an ambitious meditation on grief and faith that is as gorgeous as it is unsettling" and "a triumph of terror that will leave viewers shaking—and thinking — long after the credits roll."
Watch "Midnight Mass" on Netflix now
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