Miniseries are always coming and going, and that influx of new shows often means audiences miss out on fantastic TV. Everybody watched Stephen Graham’s Adolescence when it came out last year, but almost no one remembers miniseries like Five Days at Memorial. Underrated miniseries are all over streaming services, especially the prestigious ones that critics and viewers raved about or that made the list of Emmy Award winners for their respective years.
However, these gems often fly under the radar or get buried by everything else that came out at the same time. Others were wildly popular when they came out, but decades have since passed, and people rarely talk about them anymore. Whatever the reason, there are several prestige miniseries on streaming right now that deserve to be watched.
Lonesome Dove (1989)
Prime Video
Lonesome Dove is one of the best miniseries ever made, but newer generations might not be aware of this masterpiece. Considering Netflix recently announced it is making its own Lonesome Dove adaptation, viewers might want to watch or re-watch the original. Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book of the same name by Larry McMurtry, this Western drama follows two retired Texas Rangers in the late 19th century.
The Rangers must take on a monumental cattle drive that ranges from Texas to Montana, that is filled with outlaws, challenging terrain, and personal tragedies. Lonesome Dove isn’t only a Western, though; it’s an incredibly human story full of emotion and themes of loyalty, love, mortality, and loss told through cattle and cowboys.
It garnered such significant ratings over its run that it essentially revamped the entire television season that year. Critics loved it as much as audiences, and the miniseries racked up seven wins and 18 nominations at the 1989 Emmy Awards.
Empire Falls (2005)
HBO Max
Empire Falls, based on Richard Russo’s 2001 novel, is a gem of an HBO miniseries. Set in a small, dying town in Maine, it features Ed Harris as Miles Roby, who is navigating a divorce, running a restaurant, grieving his deceased mother, and dealing with his father. It’s a lot, to say the least, and Miles’s stress doesn’t abate throughout the series. However, by the end, some things have been resolved, though not necessarily in the best way.
While the miniseries is a small-town drama at heart, it’s also an exploration of betrayals, family secrets, trauma, and regret. Small towns are always rife with generations of warring families and emotional oppression, which the fantastic cast brings to life. Along with Harris, Empire Falls stars Joanne Woodward, Helen Hunt, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Robin Wright, and Paul Newman.
Empire Falls earned several awards when it came out, from the Emmys to the Screen Actors Guild Awards, plus several nominations. Paul Newman’s performance was the standout, which earned him a SAG Award, as well as a Golden Globe.
John Adams (2008)
HBO Max
For those looking to sink their teeth into an epic historical miniseries, John Adams should hit the spot. This HBO miniseries follows the life of one of America’s Founders and the second President of the United States. Based on the 2001 biography of Adams by David McCullough, the miniseries covers the first 50 years of the United States’ history and Adams’ rise from lawyer to President.
Paul Giamatti captures the complex nature of its titular historical figure who is both committed to the rule of law and to keeping his new country together. The show offers a fresh perspective on the Revolutionary War and John Adams‘ role in securing victory for the United States, as well as being a delightfully human look at one of the country’s most important historical figures. It brings not only Adams but the other historical figures around him to life, as they figure out how to develop their country’s independence.
John Adams received mostly positive reviews and a number of awards. In fact, it won more Emmy Awards than any other miniseries that came before it, taking home 13 in total.
A Very English Scandal (2018)
Prime Video
2018’s A Very English Scandal was popular when it came out but seems to have flown under the radar since, so many might not know of its existence. Based on the 2016 book by John Preston, the miniseries dramatizes the Thorpe scandal of the 1970s. For those unfamiliar, UK politician Jeremy Thorpe (played by Hugh Grant here) was accused of attempting to murder his ex-lover Norman to keep his political career safe. While Thorpe was acquitted at trial, the scandal damaged his reputation.
While only three episodes, A Very English Scandal is an excellent exploration of systemic homophobia, sex, politics, ambition, and the lengths people will go to in an effort to protect themselves. Of course, while incredibly engaging, like most dramatized versions of history, it definitely takes a few liberties, but it covers the important parts of the scandal well.
Audiences and critics all gave it extremely positive reviews, and the miniseries received 12 BAFTA nominations (it won four). A Very English Scandal was so successful that it led to two more miniseries based on true events — A Very British Scandal in 2021 and A Very Royal Scandal in 2024.
The Little Drummer Girl (2018)
Prime Video
The Little Drummer Girl came out in 2018 and was star-studded from head to toe. Based on the 1983 novel by John le Carré, it starred Michael Shannon, Florence Pugh, and Alexander Skarsgård. Park Chan-wook, known for Oldboy and The Handmaiden, directed it.
The miniseries was set in 1979 and followed Pugh’s aspiring actress character as Mossad recruits her to infiltrate a Palestinian group supposedly plotting terror attacks. An enthralling geopolitical thriller, The Little Drummer Girl offered a nuanced look at the conflicts between Israel and Palestine (which matters even more today in the current political climate) and examined how British foreign policy had a lasting impact on the Middle East.
When it debuted, critics praised it for its intelligence, psychological suspense, and extraordinary art direction. However, it wasn’t long before the miniseries was buried beneath newer media. While it didn’t receive as many awards as some other acclaimed miniseries, The Little Drummer Girl did win a BAFTA for Best TV Photography and Lighting.
Dopesick (2021)
Hulu
This Hulu miniseries, based on the book Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company That Addicted America by Beth Macy, is absolutely heart-wrenching. Dopesick follows America’s opioid crisis from the introduction of OxyContin in 1996 to the present day. It not only focuses on the ways this painkiller ravaged middle-American towns, but also on the impact it had on the doctors, drug reps, and pharmaceutical company involved.
Nothing good came from this opioid, and this miniseries displays in harrowing detail the tragedy that followed. Dopesick‘s rather large cast is led by Michael Keaton and Michael Stuhlbarg, who ensure that this compelling drama demonstrates exactly how pharmaceutical companies have preyed on patients for years.
Dopesick earned rave reviews from critics and viewers when it came out and was briefly the talk of the town. It also garnered nine Emmy Awards, including one for Michael Keaton for Outstanding Lead Actor.
The Underground Railroad (2021)
Prime Video
The Underground Railroad in real life was a network of safe houses and hidden routes enabling enslaved people to get away from the South and to safety. In The Underground Railroad, based on the 2016 novel by Colson Whitehead, the Underground Railroad is reimagined as an actual underground train, complete with stations and tunnels. This historical magical-realism drama offers a heartbreaking glimpse into the dangers runaway slaves faced, mainly focusing on Cora (Thuso Mbedu) as she escapes and is recaptured multiple times on her journey to freedom.
The Underground Railroad has a fantastic cast that includes not only Thuso Mbedu but also Peter Mullan, Joel Edgerton, Lily Rabe, Mychal-Bella Bowman, Chase W. Dillon, Will Poulter, Fred Hechinger, and Sheila Atim. This phenomenal group of actors brings the tragedy to life, creating a TV show that’s terribly painful, yet beautiful.
The Underground Railroad earned critical acclaim, along with a slew of nominations and awards. Those included a Peabody Award, a Golden Globe, and seven Emmy noms.
Five Days at Memorial (2022)
Apple TV
Hurricane Katrina and the U.S. government’s blundered response to it resulted in a catastrophe, but it also led to heroic efforts from first responders. However, as Five Days at Memorial, based on the 2013 nonfiction book Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital by Sheri Fink, showed, not everybody was as heroic as they first appeared.
The miniseries followed five days at a hospital in New Orleans devastated by the storm and left in what Vera Farmiga called in an interview, “dire and abysmal” circumstances. The first five episodes represent the time everyone was trapped without power at the hospital before finally being rescued. Without power, a triage system had to be put into place, and by the end of those few days, 45 patients were dead. However, some of those patients seemingly did not die on their own.
Five Days at Memorial is taut and can be extremely anxiety-inducing at times, but it’s also an unflinching look at the U.S. health system and government responses to emergencies. The miniseries received mostly favorable reviews and won a Creative Arts Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Single Episode.
The English (2022)
Prime Video
This incredibly underrated Western miniseries seemed to have gotten lost among everything else that came out around the same time. However, The English is an action-packed show with people seeking revenge-driven justice, plenty of betrayals, and even more secrets.
In it, Englishwoman Lady Cornelia Locke (Emily Blunt) comes to the United States in 1890 to get revenge on the man responsible for her child’s death. She meets Eli Whipp (Chaske Spencer), a member of the Pawnee Nation and a former cavalry scout, who quickly becomes an ally. Their journey leads to quite a bit of death and destruction, but the show is still an enjoyable watch.
When The English came out, it earned high praise as a visually stunning miniseries with a fantastic cast and engaging performances. It also earned five BAFTA nominations, while Blunt earned a SAG Award nomination for her performance.
Death By Lightning (2025)
Netflix
Because his time as president was so short, Garfield has often been overshadowed in history books. However, in Death by Lightning, based on 2011’s Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard, he finally gets the recognition he deserves.
This miniseries has only four episodes, so it’s an easy binge-watch. It chronicled Garfield’s election, his pro-civil rights and anti-corruption stances, and of course, how his path ended up crossing with Charles J. Guiteau, his assassin. Death by Lightning offers a unique glimpse at a historical footnote and a hint of what might have been had Garfield not been killed.
Critics raved about the prestige miniseries when it came out, and the American Film Institute called it “one of the ten best television programs of the year.” It’s also one of the best TV shows based on a book. Death by Lightning racked up nominations and wins across the award show board, as well.
