Sometimes you want more than a two-hour movie but don’t feel like committing to seven seasons of television. That’s where miniseries shine—and when it comes to delivering bite-sized but unforgettable storytelling, HBO Max (now just Max) is in a league of its own. These shows are ideal for a weekend binge, with the cinematic feel of a movie and the richness of a longer story, and provide you with a good ending before the credits roll for good. This is a countdown of the 15 best miniseries currently available on Max.
15. Sharp Objects
Part Southern Gothic, Sharp Objects looms dark and moody over viewers, bathing them in an atmosphere that rarely lets up on the slow-burning mystery level. The role of journalist Camille Preaker, returning to her troubled hometown to cover a pair of murders—while confronting her traumatic past—relied upon a very talented Amy Adams. Patricia Clarkson and Eliza Scanlen deliver haunting supporting performances, and every episode peels back another unsettling layer of family secrets and psychological tension.
14. The White Lotus
Luxury getaways have never seemed so poisonous. The White Lotus combines biting social commentary with a murder mystery played out against postcard-pretty backdrops. Every season features a new location and roster—Hawaii, Sicily, and more—but the same wonderful combination of dysfunction, entitlement, and poor choices remains. Jennifer Coolidge’s Tanya McQuoid has reached iconic levels of tragic comedy.
13. The Last of Us
This is how you make a video game work. Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey guide The Last of Us through a postapocalyptic landscape overrun by a lethal fungal disease. Half horror, half heartbreaking drama, the series combines heart-stopping survival with some of the most poignant, shattering scenes on television. It’s not so much about zombies and more about the tenuous, desperate bonds between humans.
12. Mind Over Murder
True crime enthusiasts will be hooked on this one. Mind Over Murder takes another look at the strange case of the Beatrice Six, who were wrongly accused of a 1985 killing in Nebraska. Using interviews, vintage footage, and precise storytelling, the docuseries explores how memory, manipulation, and justice can intersect in unexpected—and tragic—ways.
11. Landscapers
This offbeat British crime drama turns the murder-mystery genre on its head. Olivia Colman and David Thewlis star as a mild-mannered couple accused of killing her parents. What makes Landscapers unique is its surreal style—blending real events with dreamlike re-creations that reveal the characters’ inner worlds. Dark humor meets tragedy in a way that sticks with you.
10. Fionna and Cake
For fans of Adventure Time, this spin-off is complete bliss. Fionna and Cake reimagines the world of the original series with the male leads Finn and Jake replaced by gender-swapped counterparts on new, raucous, and unexpectedly sentimental adventures. It’s a retro treat that remains fresh, lighthearted, and emotionally fulfilling.
9. I May Destroy You
Michaela Coel’s innovative drama confronts consent, identity, and recovery with integrity and humor. As it follows writer Arabella on the journey to reconstruct the actions of one night she can’t recall, I May Destroy You doesn’t shy from difficult truths. It is laugh-out-loud funny, raw, intelligent, and completely fearless.
8. True Detective (Season 1)
One of the greatest HBOs of all time, True Detective Season 1 teams Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson as Louisiana detectives on the trail of a case that’s as creepy as it is mystifying. The slow-burning case, the spooky setting, and the abstract, heady ponderings make it more than a crime show—it’s a full-fledged mood.
7. The Lady and the Dale
This stranger-than-fiction documentary series follows Elizabeth Carmichael, a trans woman who said she was revolutionizing the automotive industry with her three-wheeled automobile in the 1970s. Using wily animation and candid interviews, The Lady and the Dale recounts ambition, identity, and how one woman’s legacy was constructed through media bias and scandal.
6. From the Earth to the Moon
Tom Hanks’ paean to NASA’s Apollo program remains wondrous years later. From the Earth to the Moon tells the story of the people, the politics, and the passion that sent men to the moon. Sweeping, inspiring, and carefully researched, it brings history alive on the screen.
5. Watchmen
Damon Lindelof’s Watchmen is not a remake—rather, it’s a fearless next chapter in the legacy of the graphic novel. Regina King dominates the screen as Sister Night, a masked detective entangled in a matrix of racial oppression, masked vigilantism, and multigenerational trauma. It’s intelligent, risky, and refuses to shy away from tackling real-world themes.
4. Elizabeth I
Helen Mirren gives a tour-de-force performance as England’s Virgin Queen in this sumptuous two-part drama. Covering the last decades of Elizabeth’s reign, the show captures the political shenanigans, personal concessions, and incisive intelligence that characterized her monarchy. Production design is pure high-gloss, and the performances are regal perfection.
3. Mare of Easttown
Small-town murder mystery and character-driven drama intersect in Mare of Easttown. Kate Winslet’s Mare is a beleaguered detective trying to juggle her job, her family, and her grief while solving a local murder. The show is chock-full of great performances and an emotional resonance that takes it above the level of a mere whodunit.
2. Angels in America
Mike Nichols’ television adaptation of Tony Kushner’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play is epochal television. Told against the backdrop of the 1980s AIDS epidemic, it incorporates political satire, magical realism, and unvarnished emotion. Featuring a cast that boasts Al Pacino, Meryl Streep, and Jeffrey Wright, Angels in America is as affecting today as it was the first time around.
1. Station Eleven
Hope and beauty amidst the apocalypse—Station Eleven achieves the impossible. This TV show adaptation of Emily St. John Mandel’s novel traces a peripatetic Shakespeare company decades after a plague remakes the world. Jumping between timelines, it’s an exploration of art, love, and survival, with performances that will linger long after the credits fade.
From post-apocalyptic drama to royal intrigue, these Max miniseries prove you don’t need dozens of episodes to tell an unforgettable story. Whether you’re after big emotions, sharp mysteries, or a history lesson wrapped in drama, there’s something here worth clearing your weekend for.