Sometimes you want to spend years going through a series with a lot of twists and turns. And there are times when all you want is a story that will draw you in, keep you imprisoned on your couch, and allow you to bring the plot to an end before Monday morning. This is precisely the position from which miniseries and limited series operate — they give you all the emotional sparks, unexpected changes, and the visual quality of the cinema, but they do not ask for your loyalty for the entire season. If you need exhilaration-inducing thrillers, strange comedies, or heartwarming dramas, then the following options are exactly what you need for a weekend marathon. Ten of the most compelling—ranging from the latest buzzed-about to the new classics—can be binge-watched in just two days.
10. Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities
Horror enthusiasts, feast your eyes. Guillermo del Toro assembles a team of great directors to share spooky, stand-alone stories that are anywhere from gothic ghost stories to queasy-making creature features. It’s as if The Twilight Zone stumbled into a bad dream and returned with stunning cinematography and improved monsters.
9. From Scratch
If you’ve got tissues nearby, prepare to use them. Inspired by Tembi Locke’s memoir, Zoe Saldaña plays Amy, who falls in love with a Sicilian chef and builds a life across two continents—only to face devastating loss. It’s romantic, heartbreaking, and ultimately hopeful.
8. The Fall of the House of Usher
Mike Flanagan brings Edgar Allan Poe’s dark stories to a stylish family horror epic. Bruce Greenwood plays a ruthless CEO whose successors start dying off one by one. Look for creepy poetry allusions, surprise laughs, and Flanagan’s defining scares.
7. Boy Swallows Universe
This gritty crime drama is mixed with coming-of-age tender storytelling in this Australian series. Teen Eli Bell struggles to keep his dysfunctional family together—his mom recovering from addiction, his stepdad selling drugs, and his brother not having spoken in years. Amidst the drama and danger, the show exudes warmth and resilience.
6. Bodies
One killing. Four detectives. Four different eras. In this original science fiction crime thriller, detectives through the ages are drawn into the same intriguing case. Amidst its genre-defying twists, conspiratorial, sinister agendas, and creepy imagery, Bodies needs to be read in one sitting.
5. BEEF
Steven Yeun and Ali Wong are electrifying in this incisive dark comedy about two strangers whose road rage encounter leads to obsession. What starts as small-town revenge escalates into a richly human exploration of anger, isolation, and connection—all with laugh-out-loud humor.
4. Baby Reindeer
Richard Gadd’s unsettling, semi-autobiographical series probes obsession, trauma, and blurred lines. Playing himself, Gadd features as a comedian who becomes the victim of an obsessive stalker (Jessica Gunning in a tour-de-force performance). It’s messy, funny, uncomfortable, and unforgettable.
3. Apple Cider Vinegar
Kaitlyn Dever plays Belle Gibson, a wellness influencer who misled the world into believing she’d conquered a terminal sickness using “natural” treatments—when reality was much grayer. This caustic satire explores the cult of internet celebrities and the repercussions when lies meet adoration.
2. Anatomy of a Scandal
From David E. Kelley is a stylish legal thriller examining privilege, politics, and the messy landscape of consent. Rupert Friend stars as an accused politician, joined by Sienna Miller as his loyal wife and Naomi Scott as the accuser. It’s riveting and designed for post-binge watercooler discussions.
1. Adolescence
This British drama does more than tell a tale—it encloses you within it. Across four episodes, which were each filmed in a single, unbroken take, we witness the aftermath of a 13-year-old boy’s suspected murder of a fellow student. Co-created with Stephen Graham, Adolescence is as much about unraveling the human wreckage left in the wake of the crime as it is about solving the crime itself. Tense, intimate, and unforgettable.
So clear your Saturday, stock up on popcorn, and get ready to immerse yourselves in these amazing tales. They may only take a few hours—but they’ll linger long after the end credits.