Nothing makes me happier than a free weekend. Between the grind of the 9-to-5 lifestyle and the pressure of fulfilling social obligations, a weekend of rest and relaxation feels like a luxury. If I find myself with an open weekend, I love to start a show that I know I can finish before work on Monday morning.

A miniseries is perfect to watch over a weekend. The episode count can be as low as four and as high as 10. You don’t need to plan out the rest of your schedule to finish the show in a month. Instead, you can binge the episodes at your pace over Saturday and Sunday.

Netflix is always a great spot to start when looking for a quick miniseries. My top pick is a 2018 action series that aired on BBC One before getting a significant boost in popularity on Netflix later that same year. If you switch streamers, HBO Max has two excellent dramas from the past five years, with one potentially returning for a sequel season in the future.

6

WandaVision

Disney gets weird

I was wrong about WandaVision. Why would Marvel pay homage to American sitcoms instead of crafting an action-packed story in a post-Avengers: Endgame world? Given Marvel’s creative rut in recent years, I would welcome another unique show like WandaVision in a heartbeat.

Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) are living in the black-and-white town of Westview, which resembles the sitcoms of the 1950s and 1960s. A larger mystery unfolds, revealed at the end of the first episode, so I won’t spoil it for you. I appreciate that WandaVision is a fun show that took a risk. Plus, the show’s events might play a factor in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday.

Stream all nine episodes of WandaVision on Disney+.

5

Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair

You’re not the boss of me now

There is an episode of WandaVision that honors Malcolm in the Middle, a Fox sitcom from the early 2000s that deserves more flowers for its influence on the genre. Most sitcoms use a laugh track, shoot in front of a live-studio audience, and utilize a multi-camera setup. Malcolm in the Middle went the other way—zero laugh track, no live audience, and a single-camera production.

After a nearly 20-year hiatus, Malcolm in the Middle returns with a four-episode revival with much of the original cast, including Frankie Muniz (Malcolm), Bryan Cranston (Hal), and Lois (Jane Kaczmarek). Malcolm has distanced himself from his crazy family since the end of the series, and rightfully so. Now, he must bring his daughter and girlfriend into the fold for his parents’ wedding anniversary party. It’s still Malcolm in the Middle, so things are guaranteed to go off the rails.. However, more chaos equals more laughs.

Watch all four episodes of Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Unfair on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.

4

American Primeval

Grim depiction of Western expansion

You will find few to no laughs in American Primeval, Mark L. Smith’s Western set during the Utah War in 1857. This is not a Taylor Sheridan Western like Yellowstone, which embraces its melodramatic tone. American Primeval is gritty and grim. The miniseries does not glamorize America’s expansion in the West.

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The central story revolves around a mother (Betty Gilpin) and son (Preston Mota), who seek help from a mountain man (Taylor Kitsch) across the treacherous terrain. Meanwhile, there is a brewing showdown between the LDS Church and several indigenous cultures over control of the land. The violence of American Primeval can be hard to digest. Given the abundance of Western soap operas, American Primeval is a welcome change.

All six episodes of American Primeval are streaming on Netflix in the U.S.

3

We Own This City

David Simon returns with a new Baltimore-based series

In case you live under a rock, The Wire is frequently mentioned as one of the finest works of television ever. No show has ever surpassed The Wire’s realistic depiction of law enforcement and their relationship to the city. Fittingly, the only show that came close was We Own This City by The Wire’s David Simon and George Pelecanos.

In this spiritual sequel to The Wire, We Own This City chronicles the corruption of the Baltimore Police Department’s Gun Trace Task Force between 2003 and 2019. At the center is Wayne Jenkins, the cocky and abrasive sergeant played by a sensational Jon Bernthal. We Own This City does not turn a blind eye to the systemic misconduct of the BPD. It embraces tough conversations—an uncomfortable but necessary watch.

HBO Max is the streaming home for the six episodes of We Own This City.

2

Mare of Easttown

Kate Winslet in a Delco accent

One of my favorite shows of 2025 was Task, Brad Ingelsby’s Delco-based crime drama about a cop investigating a string of robberies executed by an unlikely thief. Four years before Mare of Easttown, Ingelsby proved audiences would respond to a small-town crime drama with the success of Mare of Easttown.

Kate Winslet plays Mare Sheehan, a detective in a Philadelphia suburb investigating the death of a teenage girl and the disappearance of another. The murder mystery certainly drives the plot, and there are several invigorating action sequences. However, the brilliance of the show is in its portrayal of complex characters, like Mare, forced to confront their past before proceeding with their future. Consider me someone with season tickets to anything with Ingelsby’s name on it. That might end up being Mare of Easttown season 2.

Mare of Easttown’s seven episodes are streaming on HBO Max.

1

Bodyguard

Robb Stark defends the Home Secretary

The British excel at the miniseries. Perhaps America’s obsession with long-running shows and spin-offs plays a role in why this country must always ask for more episodes after a limited series breaks out. I respect shows that make six episodes and call it a day. Bodyguard is one of my favorite examples of a successful British miniseries—invigorating premise, explosive middle, and a satisfying ending.

David Budd (Game of Thrones’ Richard Madden) is a former war veteran and principal protection officer (PPO) assigned to protect the Home Secretary, Julia Montague (Keeley Hawes). Budd disagrees with Montague’s political views, which interfere with his duty to protect. If this opening scene doesn’t have you on the edge of your seat, I don’t know what will. You might even finish all six episodes in one day.

Watch Bodyguard’s six episodes on Netflix in the U.S.

More TV shows available to stream

If you’re in the market for new shows, Hacks recently returned with its fifth and final season, while Euphoria had an explosive season 3 premiere. If you want to skip out on TV, Netflix is so much more than a streaming service, as users can play games and listen to podcasts.