Listen, I love a 15 season-long show as much as the next girl (I’ve watched all of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, for example), but there’s something special about the miniseries in its uniquely short runtime. When everyone watched The Queen’s Gambit back during the height of lockdown, it became clear how succinct a miniseries can be in telling a powerful story. So here is a list of some miniseries I believe are just as good as The Queen’s Gambit but are given half the recognition. Enjoy!
- The Dropout (Hulu)
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If you’re like me, you are probably absolutely fascinated by the Elizabeth Holmes story. Well, The Dropout is an 8-episode biopic series about Holmes starring Amanda Seyfried as Holmes herself, fake voice and Steve Jobs turtleneck intact. We follow Holmes as she comes of age, drops out of Stanford, and creates Theranos, the company that will ultimately end in flames when Holmes is found guilty of three counts of fraud and one count of attempted fraud.
- The Get Down (Netflix)
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The Get Down is probably the most underrated show on this list. It was not originally meant to be a miniseries, but after just two short seasons, it joined the list (along with Sense8 and I Am Not Okay With This) of Netflix shows that were canceled too soon. Set in 1970s New York, it follows a group of teens living in the South Bronx (including Justice Smith and Jaden Smith) as they become involved in the disco and hip hop music industry. Though the episodes that exist are phenomenal, we can only mourn how good this show could have become if it hadn’t been canceled.
- Everything Sucks! (Netflix)
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Like The Get Down, this show is on the list of shows Netflix canceled unexpectedly. Everything Sucks! follows Kate and Winston, two high school students in 1990s Oregon. While Winston is trying to figure out his crush on Kate, Kate is trying to figure out her attraction to girls. This show is reminiscent of cult classic Freaks and Geeks, and for all you Euphoria fans, you can see Sydney Sweeney in her first main role, playing the bully (and love interest) of our main character.
- Mare of Easttown (HBO Max)
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Despite having won four Emmys, I’ve only met three other people who have seen this show (and two of them are my parents). Following Mare, a detective in small town Pennsylvania as she investigates the murder of a young mother, this show has one of the best twists I’ve ever seen. This is undoubtedly Kate Winslet’s best performance in decades, and Evan Peters’ short time on the show was memorable enough to win him Outstanding Supporting Actor at the Emmys.
- Normal People (Hulu)
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Okay, okay. Maybe Normal People isn’t underrated. But I just really want everyone to watch it. Based on the novel by Sally Rooney (which is also outstanding), this 12 episode miniseries follows Connell and Marianne, two students from Ireland as they make their way through secondary school and university.
- Sharp Objects (Amazon Prime)
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Calling all Gone Girl fans– This 8-episode show based on another Gillian Flynn book, Sharp Objects, is just as dark and complex (and in my opinion, even more well written). Starring underrated queen Amy Adams as Camille, a tortured reporter, as she returns to her hometown in Missouri to cover the death of two young girls. As she is pulled deeper into the strange and abusive nature of her town, she in turn is brought back to the trauma of her childhood that may or may not connect to the girls’ disappearances.
I hope you enjoy these miniseries just as much as i did! there’s so many great shows on tv right now, and maybe one of my favorites will be yours as well.
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