15 greatest mini-series on Max

The sofa is asking, inviting you in for an excellent lengthy binge-watch. You crave a narrative that may sweep you up, characters who will captivate, and a run time that may wash away extra hours than your common film however not a complete weekend. Nothing is healthier for such a temper than an excellent mini-series.

Inside just some episodes, these reveals can unfurl wealthy tales — haunting, historic, heady, and even hilarious. Whether or not you’re craving gripping thrillers, poignant dramas, royal romance, iconoclastic humor, or wild journey, we’ve obtained you lined.

Listed below are the most effective mini-series on Max now out there to look at:

1. Station Eleven

Whether or not or not you have learn Emily St. John Mandel’s celebrated novel of the identical title, this lavish adaptation proved must-see TV. (Properly, not simply TV — must-see HBO!) Station Eleven creator/showrunner Patrick Somerville thoughtfully reimagined the setting and a few stirring specifics of Mandel’s dystopian drama, making for a narrative acquainted but stunning. In a world ravaged by plague, a scrappy theater troupe known as the Touring Symphony excursions settlements to deliver the pleasures of Shakespeare to the survivors. However how did humankind come to this place of wreck and revival? Weaving previous and current in a ragged however riveting tapestry, this mini-series gave an virtually alarmingly optimistic have a look at the apocalypse. Grounding the sensational storytelling is a critically heralded forged that features Mackenzie Davis, Matilda Lawler, Himesh Patel, Gael García Bernal, and Danielle Deadwyler.

Methods to watch: Station Eleven is streaming on Max.

2. Angels in America

This shifting 2003 mini-series is tailored from Tony Kushner’s Pulitzer Prize-winning two-part stage play, Angels in America: A Homosexual Fantasia on Nationwide Themes. Combining fictional characters, historic figures, and ardent symbolism, this formidable drama was a brazen condemnation of homophobia and America’s dealing with of the AIDS disaster within the Eighties. Its story follows a number of homosexual males, some affected by AIDS, some affected by disgrace, and most affected by heartbreak — all of whom are performed with soul-gripping conviction. Director Mike Nichols introduced collectively an impeccable ensemble, boasting Broadway stars and film legends like Patrick Wilson, Justin Kirk, Jeffrey Wright, Emma Thompson, Mary-Louise Parker, Al Pacino, and Meryl Streep. Their efforts mixed led not solely to radiant vital reward but additionally 11 Emmy awards, together with appearing honors for Wright, Parker, Streep, and Pacino.

Methods to watch: Angels in America is streaming on Max.

3. Mare of Easttown

25 years in the past, Mare Sheehan (Kate Winslet) was a star highschool athlete with a promising future forward of her. These days, she’s a bitter, divorced detective whose title is being dragged by means of the mud over a lacking individuals case she couldn’t remedy. When one other native lady vanishes, Mare should push apart private dramas — and interior demons — to crack the case. This small however gruff blue-collar city exterior of Philadelphia is the type of place the place everybody is aware of everybody, so certainly somebody should know one thing. Creator Brad Ingelsby brings collectively a crackling forged that features Julianne Nicholson, Jean Good, Angourie Rice, Man Pearce, and Evan Peters. Collectively, they construct an enveloping environment of snark and suspicion and a darkly amusing crime drama that had tongues wagging, critics cheering, and jaws dropping. It’s no thriller how Mare of Easttown earned 16 Emmy nominations in 2021.

Methods to watch: Mare of Easttown is streaming on Max.

4. Elizabeth I

The daughter of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII, Elizabeth I of England was born into royally outrageous drama, which might outline her entire life. This heralded 2005 mini-series focuses on the final 24 years of her 45-year reign, starting because the so-called Virgin Queen approached center age. Don’t be fooled by her nickname. This Sixteenth-century monarch had a wholesome urge for food for intercourse and romance. However to marry — as her advisors strain — would imply surrendering her throne to some man who could be king. Dame Helen Mirren brings the fireplace of ardour and fury to her vibrant portrayal of Elizabeth. Lending assist as her main males are the dashing Jeremy Irons and the dreamy-eyed Hugh Dancy. Below the helm of Tom Hooper, historical past comes alive in a sweeping two-part mini-series that received 9 Emmys. This included honors for Irons, Hooper, and Mirren, in addition to Finest Mini-Collection. From its wealthy manufacturing design to its heart-pounding performances and rousing drama, it is easy to see why.

Methods to watch: Elizabeth I is streaming on Max.

5. Watchmen

On this 2019 superhero present, Damon Lindelof boldly re-imagines the long-lasting comedian e-book collection from Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. Going down a long time after the occasions within the comics, this Watchmen facilities on Sister Night time (Regina King), a Tulsa police detective who wears a nun-like costume to combat crime. On this putting guise, she combats the rising energy of a white supremacist group generally known as the Seventh Kavalry. Fortunately, she received’t must do it alone, as she’s obtained some tremendous pals of her personal. Tim Blake Nelson, Jean Good, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jeremy Irons, and Hong Chau co-star, enjoying characters advanced, outrageous, and completely riveting. Weaving mature themes with graphic violence and daring socio-political commentary, this audacious adaptation received vital acclaim, a vociferous fan following, and a whopping 11 Emmy Awards, together with one for King.

Methods to watch: Watchmen is streaming on Max.

6. From the Earth to the Moon

Primarily based on Andrew Chaikin’s non-fiction e-book A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts, this stellar mini-series rocketed audiences again to the ’60s and ’70s to disclose the unimaginable true tales inside NASA’s Apollo program. Produced by Tom Hanks, From the Earth to the Moon was past formidable. Over the course of 12 episodes, it instructed quite a few tales, folding in a long time of aeronautics historical past and heroics, in addition to offering 30 portrayals of the astronauts who flew — or had been able to fly — on the Apollo missions. On prime of that, exceptional particular results had been created to make these journeys to the celebs really feel actual to a house viewers, placing us within the footwear — or area fits — of those legendary explorers. This 1998 occasion launched as “TV’s Largest Mini-Collection” and shortly landed the Primetime Emmy win for Finest Mini-Collection. So, make a journey again to see what all the thrill was about.

Methods to watch: From the Earth to the Moon is streaming on Max.

7. The Woman and the Dale

Max has a library of sensational true crime choices, but this 2021 mini-series is uniquely fascinating. Administrators Nick Cammilleri and Zackary Drucker unfurl the instances and trials of Elizabeth Carmichael, who was not solely a nationally acknowledged car govt and notorious con artist but additionally a spouse, mom, and transgender trailblazer. For many years, her story has been framed by those that despise her, leading to a story rife with hypothesis and transphobia. On this difficult and boldly humorous four-episode documentary mini-series, Carmichael’s story is reclaimed by balancing the attitude of her haters with in-depth interviews with those that knew her greatest. With animated pictures, a playful soundtrack, and a cheeky sense of journey, The Woman and the Dale goals not solely to showcase the complexity of the late Carmichael, but additionally to seize her spirit. All this makes for a watch that’s stunning, thrilling, and unforgettable.

Methods to watch: The Woman and the Dale is streaming on Max.

8. True Detective

From the second Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson had been forged as a duo of detectives on the hunt for an elusive killer, this 2014 present screamed “status TV.” Shortly after its debut, this neo-noir mini-series had audiences screaming too, hollering in horror of the unnerving visuals, cheering over its immersive cinematography, and yarn-walling over the way it may finish. Heralded filmmaker Cary Joji Fukunaga helmed your entire premiere season with aplomb, making a wealthy world of Southern-fried intrigue, blood-curdling violence, and mind-bending philosophy. Critics cheered. Audiences tuned in, and the Primetime Emmys introduced 5 awards to this daring drama. Positive, all that success led to author Nic Pizzolatto spinning new tales for successive seasons, to not point out Issa López’s corpsicle-focused spin-off, True Detective: Night time Nation. But it surely all started as one rattling wonderful mini-series.

Methods to watch: True Detective is streaming on Max.

9. I Could Destroy You

English author/actress/producer Michaela Coel first broke by means of along with her cheeky, sex-centric comedy collection Chewing Gum. With this addictive follow-up, her provocative humor oozes to darker corners, exploring the problems of social media affect, anti-Black racism, consent, and rape tradition. In I Could Destroy You, Coel stars as Arabella Essiedu, a twenty-something author who relishes a wild night time out in town. However when one such night time ends with a blackout, bloody brow, and troubling flashbacks, Arabella turns to her pals, new lovers, and plenty of doubtful distractions to manage. Surrounded by a suitably very good forged, which incorporates Weruche Opia and Paapa Essiedu, Coel delivers an electrifying portrayal of a lady on the verge. Her critically heralded 12-part creation has received two BAFTAs, one for her lead efficiency, the opposite for Finest Mini-Collection, in addition to a slew of Emmy nominations.

Methods to watch: I Could Destroy You is streaming on Max.

10. Fionna and Cake

Fionna and Cake appears like a fever dream for Journey Time lovers. The brand new spinoff picks up years after Journey Time‘s finale, roundabouts the timing of the spinoff film Journey Time: Distant Lands: Obsidian. However its eponymous characters started as in-show fan fiction concocted by the kooky Ice King, in a playful diversion that gender-bent all the characters of Ooo for recent enjoyable. So how did Journey Time showrunner Adam Muto spin these two into a complete new mini-series when Fionna and Cake weren’t even canon?*

Discovering out is simply a part of the enjoyable of this creative mini-series. However be warned: this one will mess you up.

Methods to watch: Fionna and Cake is streaming on Max.

11. Landscapers

In order for you true crime that will get really trippy, you may respect this British providing from author Ed Sinclair and director Will Sharpe (sure, that Will Sharpe). It is based mostly on a double murder case out of Mansfield, England, the place regardless of the brutality of the slayings the motive was love.

Critically acclaimed English actors Olivia Colman and David Thewlis star as murderous married couple Susan and Christopher Edwards. The Edwards solely beloved one factor as a lot as one another, and that’s Hollywood motion pictures. To offer a glimpse inside their minds, Landscapers blurs the strains of truth and fiction, staging fantasy scenes impressed by Westerns, romances, and different larger-than-life motion pictures that promise a cheerful ending. Nonetheless, a darkish humor bleeds by means of the whimsy, urging audiences to mirror on what’s actual, what’s imagined, and what “true crime leisure” even means.

Methods to watch: Landscapers is streaming on Max.

12. Thoughts Over Homicide

The true crime story on the middle of this documentary mini-series is astonishing on a number of ranges. It begins in 1985, when a beloved grandmother was murdered in her own residence, leaving a large number of confounding clues behind. One cop was decided to chase down any suspect who may match into this puzzling crime, even when he needed to pressure the items into place. A long time later, the Beatrice Six had been exonerated, however their story does not finish there. Director Nanfu Wang guides audiences by means of the case, the accusations, the false confessions, and the aftermath by talking with members of the Six, the investigator who went from hero to villain, the households of the victims, and a theater troupe attempting to make sense of the battle waged in conflicting narratives. Over six hour-long episodes, Thoughts Over Homicide not solely unfurls a stunning story of horror and murder, but additionally one among profound empathy and the therapeutic energy of forgiveness.

Methods to watch: Thoughts Over Homicide is streaming on Max.

13. The Final of Us

Technically, The Final of Us will not be a restricted collection for lengthy. After the smashing success of Season 1, Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin’s astonishing adaptation of the favored online game was greenlit for Season 2. Nonetheless, with 9 hour-long episodes telling a compelling and self-contained story, The Final of Us positively scratches that miniseries itch. Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey star as a pair of survivors thrown collectively in a post-apocalyptic America, ripped aside by a tenacious fungus that turns man into (basically) zombies. To save lots of the way forward for all mankind, mercenary Joel should get snarky teen Ellie throughout the U.S. to a secure zone. Alongside the way in which, they’re going to not solely must face quite a lot of vicious creatures, but additionally people who deliver new which means to the phrase evil. This collection not solely provides hair-raising horror, goofy puns, and a playlist that’ll get caught in your mind; it additionally delivers a few of 2023’s most emotionally devastating onscreen moments. Lean into it, and provides your self an excellent lengthy cry.

Methods to watch: The Final of Us is streaming on Max.

14. The White Lotus

Like True Detective and Miracle Staff, this darkish comedy collection is a little more anthology than strictly mini. Creator Mike White explores the humor to be discovered among the many ridiculously rich at a resort that caters to their each whim. Whereas every season is about in a unique picturesque locale (Hawaii! Sicily!), they share a setup of a mysterious loss of life within the first episode. Who will probably be killed? Who’s the killer? Because the tales of privileged jerks tangle with the hardships of the employees tending to (and exploiting) their needs, viewers are tempted to play whodunnit, even when the present’s not likely about that. Come for the homicide thriller, the cynical humor, or the star-stuffed forged that features Jennifer Coolidge, F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hollander, Aubrey Plaza, Haley Lu Richardson, Murray Bartlett, and Connie Britton.

Methods to watch: The White Lotus is streaming on Max.

15. Sharp Objects

Following the success of Gone Woman, which was tailored from Gillian Flynn’s best-selling e-book, HBO spun the writer’s Southern gothic novel Sharp Objects right into a scorching mini-series. Amy Adams stars as Camille Preaker, a criminal offense reporter who’s battling alcoholism and self-harm when she’s known as again to her hometown of Wind Hole, Missouri, to research a horrid murder. There, she’s compelled to face her domineering socialite mom (Patricia Clarkson), who’s obsessive about appearances. However amid her investigation, she will get the prospect to develop nearer to her half-sister Amma (Eliza Scanlen), who has a rebellious spirit and a curious dollhouse. Over the course of eight sweaty episodes, this crime present is something however procedural, main audiences not solely by means of the homicide case but additionally the Preaker family’s crimes of the center.

Methods to watch: Sharp Objects is streaming on Max.

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