Entertainment
10 Most Perfect HBO Miniseries, Ranked
For the longest time, if there was one cable channel that network television had been terrified of, it was HBO. Home to some of the greatest series of all time, like Game of Thrones, The Sopranos, and The Wire, HBO also had sensational miniseries on lock. Able to push stories to places basic cable couldn’t, HBO presented daring, brutal, and astounding stories that were wrapped up in a single sitting.
With so many great options, there are ten that are the most perfect. From a television adaptation of an award-winning play to retellings of true events, these miniseries are extraordinary. These miniseries have top-notch acting, brilliant writing, and cinematic production quality. They’re so good, you might be moved to check them out again!
10
‘Sharp Objects’ (2018)
When it comes to prolific mystery authors of the 21st century, look no further than Gillian Flynn. Her ability to pen an exceptional thriller has led studios to seek adaptations of her novels. Riding high off the success of the film version of Gone Girl came the miniseries of Sharp Objects. Based on her debut novel, the series is an American Southern Gothic psychological thriller that explores the troubling tale of a crime reporter grappling with her own traumas. Upon returning to her hometown of Wind Gap, Missouri, Camille Parker (Amy Adams) investigates the murders of two young girls. Suffering from alcoholism and a recent discharge from a psychiatric hospital following years of self-harm, Camille is forced to battle her personal demons as she’s back under the critical eye of her socialite mother, Adora (Patricia Clarkson).
The series achieved critical acclaim thanks to Adams’ gripping performance, Clarkson’s daring portrayal, and the slow-burn storytelling leading to an ending unimaginable. That final realization serves as a massive suckerpunch. Though Flynn’s mastery as an author doesn’t resonate in the same way it sparkles on the page, the story and how director Jean-Marc Vallée rolls it out over the course of eight episodes is simply mystifying. A truly nuanced masterpiece, Sharp Objects served as a strong miniseries entry against a landscape of massive, long-running series.
9
‘Olive Kitteridge’ (2014)
HBO has produced many explosive, thrilling miniseries, but it would be a shame to leave out a brilliant miniseries that strikes right at humanity. Based on the 2008 novel by Elizabeth Strout, Olive Kitteridge stars Frances McDormand as the titular role, a retired schoolteacher in the fictional seaside town of Crosby, Maine. A strict yet well-meaning woman, she is married to the polar opposite, Henry (Richard Jenkins), a kind man who runs a pharmacy. With a troubled son, Christopher (Devin Druid), Olive battles a life of depression, bereavement, jealousy, and friction with nearly everyone in her life. Spanning 25 years across four parts, the story depicts the harrowing complexities of Olive and her various relationships. A masterclass of character study, Olive Kitteridge is an honest and poignant exploration of marriage and parenthood, navigating the highs and lows, from love to apathy and back again.
Olive Kitteridge is an unflinching view of human emotion through accessible topics of longing, loneliness, jealousy, and depression. The series brings out the best of McDormand, who continues to dominate through a balance of subtleties and strength. Her great performance led to an assortment of accolades, including an Emmy Award. An honest adaptation of Strout’s story, Olive Kitteridge is a miniseries that doesn’t deserve to be forgotten.
8
‘Landscapers’ (2021)
Whether the product is good or bad, audiences flock to true-crime stories. Often brought to life with a darker tone, these ripped-from-the-headlines narratives dramatize events that might seem too outlandish to be true. Maybe due to timing, Landscapers was a blink-and-you-miss-it black comedy true-crime thriller. The truth is, it was an understated hit. Starring Olivia Colman and David Thewlis as Susan and Christopher Edwards, the miniseries chronicles the true story of the 1998 murders of William and Patricia Wycherley. The four-episode series follows the couple as they start a quiet life in France after burying Susan’s parents in their garden. Through financial depression and their delusional fantasy of the world, Landscapers depicts the contrasting devotion to each other with the reality of their crime.
Directed by Will Sharpe, Landscapers establishes a surreal, cinematic style that blends reality and fantasy. From Susan’s obsession with old Hollywood to David’s overwhelming sense of guilt, the contrasting mindsets are seamlessly integrated for a perfect piece of visual storytelling. Through the concept of multiple truths, Landscapers gives the audience a chance to choose their own version, even though they know the ultimate result. Colman and Thewlis are sensational, offering intensely nuanced portrayals of these real-life individuals. Whether in truth or imagination, they both bring humanity and vulnerability to the screen. At the end of the day, Landscapers is an eccentric love story told through true crime wonderment.
7
‘The Pacific’ (2010)
Serving as the second of three companion piece to a miniseries soon to come on this list, The Pacific brings the action to the seas. The 10-part war drama follows the men of Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment through the European Theater. Centering on three intertwined, true stories of three Marines—PFC. Robert Leckie (James Badge Dale), Cpl. Eugene Sledge (Joseph Mazzello), and GySgt. John Basilone (Jon Seda)—from Guadalcanal through Okinawa, highlighting the overtly intense psychological toll of combat and post-war return to civilian life. A darker, more somber series, The Pacific weaves the memoirs of Sledge and Leckie together for a bold and harrowing story of survival.
Less action-focused and more psychologically forward, The Pacific explores the profound disillusionment, PTSD, and moral injury sustained through the war. Yet the under-the-helmet perspective yields a truly immersive story of the loss of innocence and humanity. The production quality was quite extraordinary, making it one of the most expensive miniseries ever produced. The cinematography brought vivid images to the screen, such as the lush island landscapes, which serve as a reminder that the serene may actually be someone’s hellscape. The Pacific boasted a wide-spanning ensemble that represented the troops with honor and care. An honest exploration of World War II, The Pacific is a perfect war series for those who adore the genre.
6
‘The Night Of’ (2016)
We’ve all had those nights that we know could serve as a domino effect on our future. What happens if a single night ruins lives in the process? That’s the beginning premise of the extraordinary miniseries, The Night Of. Based on the British series Criminal Justice, the eight-episode series tells the story of Nasir “Naz” Khan (Riz Ahmed), a Pakistani-American college student who, after a night of partying with a stranger, wakes up to find her murdered. As the prime suspect, Naz faces a harrowing journey through the American criminal justice system. Showcasing the broken and flawed complications of the investigation and legal process, The Night Of focuses on the emotional impact the system has on each individual involved.
The enthralling mystery unravels with precision, leaving you emotionally bound, hoping for a positive outcome for Naz. Rather than a typical whodunit, The Night Of soars as a character-driven procedural. With Naz’s story as the focus, the most prominent relationship is between him and his ambitious lawyer, John Stone (John Turturro), who goes to great lengths to protect Naz and his innocence. The Night Of expertly demonstrates that a client-lawyer relationship is not always purely transactional when one seeks justice. Blending extraordinary political, social, and cultural themes, The Night Of rips open the reality of how, even the innocent, can get screwed by the forces around them, simply based on who they are. A truly claustrophobic masterpiece of suspense, The Night Of became a game-changer for crime thrillers.
5
‘Mare of Easttown’ (2021)
Sometimes, we finish a series and pray that a second season will follow. Such was the case for the brilliant Mare of Easttown. In Brad Ingelsby‘s crime drama, Mare Sheehan (Kate Winslet), a weary Pennsylvania detective, investigates the local murder of a teenage mother, Erin McMenamin (Cailee Spaeny), as she tries to solve a year-old missing persons case. Meanwhile, Mare navigates her own life, a life that is crumbling due to past trauma, grief, and family troubles. Set in a tight-knit community where everyone knows everyone, the murder mystery begins to hit everyone in unimaginable ways. A sensational dissertation on resilience and the lasting effects of grief, Mare of Easttown is a character-centric masterpiece where nothing is unfiltered.
Before we discuss the brilliant performances, Mare of Easttown finds its perfection through its stellar backdrop. Ripe with the DelCo accent and the isms that come with the locale, like hoagies at Wawa, Mare of Easttown is masterfully atmospheric, dropping you straight into the fictional town. It’s important as the setting serves as a formidable character. Ingelsby crafts exceptionally nuanced characters that lead to grounded performances. Winslet delivers a career-best performance on screen. Unlike many of her other parts, Winslet brings a raw and unglamorous performance in order to capture the sorrow of a woman dealing with profound loss. Alongside Winslet is a stellar ensemble that includes Julianne Nicholson as Lori Ross, Mare’s closest friend, Jean Smart as Helen Fahey, Mare’s mother, and Evan Peters as Detective Colin Zabel, the county detective called in to assist Mare. Through potent realism and gripping storytelling, Mare of Easttown left us wanting more. After the success of Ingleby’s follow-up, Task, there is an open door for more Mare.
4
‘Watchmen’ (2019)
Superhero stories lifted from beloved IP have always been a major player for blockbuster movies. But why limit a story to a single film when you can expand it into something extraordinary over multiple episodes? That’s what happened with the HBO adaptation of Watchmen. Serving as a limited series sequel to the 1986 DC graphic novel of the same name, Damon Lindelof’s Watchmen remixes history in an alternate reality of the 20th century, when some of America’s boldest events are given a new lens in a sometimes hard-to-watch, yet gripping fashion. The action brought viewers to events surrounding racist violence in present-day Tulsa, Oklahoma, as a white supremacist group called the Seventh Kavalry has taken up arms against the Tulsa Police Department. Because of perceived racial injustices, the police conceal their identities with masks to prevent the Seventh Kavalry from targeting them in their homes following the “White Night”. Meanwhile, Angela Abar (Regina King), a detective known as Sister Night, investigates the murder of her friend and the police chief, Judd Crawford (Don Johnson), and uncovers secrets about the circumstances surrounding vigilantism. Watchmen, a step up from Zach Snyder‘s 2009 film, was unafraid to comment on racial injustice, white supremacy, and police brutality through the lens of a superhero story.
The time-bending series featured complex, thought-provoking narratives as some of your favorite characters are brought to life. Yet, remove the heroes and villains, and you get a sensational social commentary that was necessary for its time. Thanks to the outstanding ensemble, which also featured Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jean Smart, Jovan Adepo, Louis Gossett Jr., and Jeremy Irons, Watchmen rivaled many of the superhero blockbusters on the big screen. Watchmen is meant to be dark, and yet it doesn’t deter from its source material. Receiving critical acclaim, despite being review-bombed on aggregator sites, Watchmen was another example of a series that could have gone on longer. That said, one perfect season will go down in infamy.
3
‘Chernobyl’ (2019)
At first, it sounded like a hard sell to see a dramatization of one of the world’s greatest human-made disasters. But right from episode one, Chernobyl married truth with entertainment to craft a sensationally riveting drama. Across five impactful episodes, Chernobyl told the stories of the individuals involved in the disaster and those who responded to it. The series went beyond the headlines and news programs to explore the human emotional and physiological toll of the disaster’s reverberations. At the time of release, there were parallels to modern society, with a focus on the dissemination of information and leaders’ dishonesty, which was quite horrific. Now, today, it feels as if history is repeating itself. Despite how it makes you feel, Chernobyl stands as a chilling, high-stakes human drama.
Chernobyl is a lingering horror story. The series was widely praised for its exploration of the disaster and its remarkable ensemble, namely Stellan Skarsgård as Boris Scherbina, a Council of Ministers’ deputy chairman, Jared Harris as Valery Legasov, the deputy director of Kurchatov Institute brought in to aid cleanup efforts, Jessie Buckley as Lydumilla Ignatenko, the wife of a first responder, and Emily Watson as Ulana Khomyuk, a composite character of many scientists and investigators. Despite a grim story, Chernobyl became one of HBO’s most celebrated limited series of all time, earning the award for Outstanding Limited Series at the Emmy Awards and Best Miniseries or Television Film at the Golden Globes.
2
‘Band of Brothers’ (2001)
War films have always been a beloved genre on screen. Over the course of a single film, audiences are immersed in the trenches. But with a tight timeframe, you only get the major moments. So when you can bring a cinema-worthy story into series form, you get a sensational opportunity to expand and enhance the drama. That’s exactly what Band of Brothers was able to do. Based on historian Stephen E. Ambrose‘s book, Band of Brothers dramatized the history of “Easy” Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division. From rigorous training in the U.S. to major campaigns in Europe, including D-Day, Operation Market Garden, and the Battle of the Bulge, to the end of the war. Highlighting the extraordinary bravery, camaraderie, and brutal realities of combat, the perfect series showcases what heroes are truly made of. With creators Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg on board, the miniseries was in capable hands. And the execution was flawless.
Perhaps the greatest addition to the series was the inclusion of real interviews with members of Easy Company. This element brought a raw and emotional authenticity to the story. Pair that with exceptional production and sound design, and you get a perfect series. Band of Brothers was a tried-and-true ensemble, with a genuine band of brothers making up the cast. The giant acting troupe, which featured Damian Lewis, Neal McDonough, Donnie Wahlberg, and Colin Hanks, was revered for its effortless work in making war on the small screen feel authentic. The series genuinely highlighted the horrors of war over the course of 10 riveting episodes, including the call to action from civilian soldiers. Within the violence was extraordinary bravery, the true testament of the story.
1
‘Angels in America’ (2003)
Adapting a stage play for the screen is no easy task, yet Mike Nichols made it look like a walk in the park. Lifting Tony Kushner’s Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning two-part play, Angels in America, revolves around six New Yorkers whose lives intersect. Set in the Reagan era, the individuals grapple with the AIDS crisis, homosexuality, political corruption, and spiritual revelations. From a dying gay man visited by an angel to a closeted Mormon hiding from his pill-popping wife and overbearing mother, and an infamous lawyer haunted by the ghost of a woman he got executed, Angels in America truly is a gay fantasia on national themes.
The script of Angels in America was always going to be perfect; it was going to come down to its direction and acting. With Nichols at the helm and an all-star cast featuring Al Pacino, Meryl Streep, Mary Louise Parker, Justin Kirk, Emma Thompson, Jeffrey Wright, and Ben Shankman, the miniseries was in capable hands. As in the stage play, the core group of actors played multiple roles in each character’s story. It was never confusing; it was exciting. Through a fantastical, surreal, and deeply emotional story, the narrative was woven together precisely. The heart of the miniseries was its central themes, which remain timeless. It’s rare to see an adaptation of a play be greater than its source material. Angels in America was an exception. As the script reminds us to this day: The great work begins.
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