10 Perfect Netflix Miniseries You Can Binge In One Day

So, here you are, likely ambushed by the blessing-slash-curse that is the unexpected day off. Whether you've been hit by a nasty case of the flu, trapped inside by the snow, left stranded at home after a flight cancellation, or have completely lost track of company holidays, you're finding yourself with nothing to do and/or not enough time to find someone to do it with. What better way to spend this moment than by knocking something off your overlong watch-list?

Fortunately, for Netflix subscribers, the streaming platform doesn't just have some of the best miniseries ever produced on offer. Rather, there are at least 10 full miniseries in the streamer's library that can be watched in their entirety before you have to drag yourself back to the office. (After all, who wants to end their day off by adding the last half of a new TV show to the list of things they have to catch up on after work?) What we've compiled below is a list of our favorites, ordered by how long it'll take you to finish every episode.

Interested in shutting yourself in and burning a little bit of the midnight oil for an entrancing, six-hour horror yarn? Do you have an afternoon to witness crime dramas inspired by true stories? Or are you looking for a thrilling docuseries that has a total runtime comparable to a single feature film? However you want to spend your day, /Film has the perfect Netflix binge-watch waiting for you just a few scrolls away.

Number of episodes: 7

Total Runtime: 6 hours and 29 minutes

There are few things more thrilling in the historical fiction genre than when a story is told so well that one starts to wonder if it could possibly be based in historical fact. "The Queen's Gambit" is a perfect example of transportive storytelling.

Based on Walter Tevis' 1983 novel of the same name, this miniseries blitzed Netflix viewers in 2020 as a record-breaking sleeper hit. The then-ascendant Anya Taylor-Joy gives a career-best performance in the historical drama as Beth Harmon, a young chess player who rises from basement scrimmages to international tournaments through the 1950s and '60s. As she battles her way through the scores of men who alternately underestimate and envy her, she must also keep her worsening substance abuse disorder in check — lest the volatile combination of addiction and self-destructive dedication lead to the unraveling of her powerful mind.

"The Queen's Gambit" was such a hit — serendipitously released at the first spark of the 2020 online chess boom — that multiple news outlets have credited it with making the game itself more popular, especially among women. At the 2021 Primetime Emmy Awards, Taylor-Joy and co-stars Thomas Brodie-Sangster and Moses Ingram earned nominations in their respective acting categories, while the series itself was awarded Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series. There's a lot at play in "The Queen's Gambit," narratively speaking, which some may find slightly overwhelming for a six-hour, one-day binge-watch. At the same time, those caught in its mesmerizing trap will find it impossible not to keep hitting play on the next episode.

Number of episodes: 7

Total Runtime: 6 hours and 23 minutes

Beloved for his ability to infuse rich, character-driven narratives with nightmare-inducing scares, Mike Flanagan is a storyteller horror fans can safely trust with their day off. The director has several incredible horror miniseries created for and streaming on Netflix — including "The Haunting of Hill House" and "The Fall of the House of Usher" — that can conceivably be watched in a day or two (depending on how much fright your heart can handle). For a one-day binge, however, you can't do better than "Midnight Mass."

Having finished serving his sentence for a tragic crime that took place years prior, guilt-ridden Riley Flynn ("Criminal Minds" and "Friday Night Lights" alum Zach Gilford) abandons his once promising career in Chicago for his hometown, wrestling his shame underneath the perpetually overcast skies of Crockett Island. As he attempts to settle back into this small and struggling fishing community, Riley begins to notice seemingly supernatural occurrences hitting the island – the onset of which just so happens to be coeval with the arrival of an ostensibly benevolent and charismatic new priest (Hamish Linklater).

"Midnight Mass" is a haunting contemporary gothic tragedy in more ways than one. Viewers will find their jaws squarely on the floor after witnessing its finale, which drives home Flanagan's bizarre yet brilliant thematic examination of the Bible through the lens of supernatural dread. It might just be the artist's best work in any format, with or without Netflix.

Number of episodes: 6

Total Runtime: 6 hours and 2 minutes

For readers who prefer thrills of a more realistic kind, "Bodyguard" will feel like the fastest six hours of your life. Released in 2018, the British political-crime thriller revolves around the tense relationship between a ruthless and arguably reprehensible politician and the struggling protection officer ordered to defend her with his life.

The latter is David Budd (Richard Madden of "Game of Thrones"), a veteran scarred physically, mentally, and emotionally by his service in the war in Afghanistan. Avoiding treatment for his increasingly apparent and severe case of post-traumatic stress disorder, David throws himself into his dangerous line of work completely, protecting Home Secretary Julia Montague (Keeley Hawes) from the lethal forces that threaten her. Unfortunately for him, she happens to be an outspoken advocate of the war that shaped his life and is pushing forward an aggressive Conservative agenda that conflicts with David's beliefs.

If that premise makes you think the series is headed toward some anodyne middle-ground unification of soldier and sinecure, think again. "Bodyguard" is an explosive series in every sense of the word, driven by irreconcilable differences and constant paranoia. A relationship that might inspire cheery mutual growth in a lesser series is instead drenched in duplicity, as David finds himself caught in a conspiracy that seems to orbit his ward. "Bodyguard" earned two nominations at the Emmys in 2019. Despite fan speculation and its technical categorization as a traditional series, there appear to be no plans for a sequel outing. At present, it's a satisfying, self-contained narrative that is well worth a day in.

Number of episodes: 4

Total Runtime: 4 hours and 55 minutes

At just under five hours in total runtime, "When They See Us" might seem like a lighter commitment than the series we've mentioned above. Be warned, though — it might be the hardest series to get through on this list. Nevertheless, you owe it to yourself to experience it.

"When They See Us" is a historical drama that depicts the devastating aftermath of a crime that took place in the spring of 1989. When a woman is violently and sexually assaulted in Central Park, five teenage boys — Kevin Richardson, Antron McCray, Yusef Salaam, Korey Wise, and Raymond Santana — were wrongfully accused of having committed the vile act and subsequently robbed of much of their lives by a broken criminal justice system. Though they were unanimously exonerated in 2002 and eventually awarded a multi-million dollar settlement in court, "When They See Us" showcases why this fight is far from over.

In Ava DuVernay's painful dissection of this miscarriage of justice, she explores exactly how law enforcement, litigators, and the media attempted to portray five innocent boys as monsters because of their skin color. She follows them throughout the initial investigation, the trial, and their ultimate incarceration, confronting the audience with the real consequences of the institutional racial prejudice that lives on today. To describe the series as infuriating would be an understatement, as well as incomplete — DuVernay's beautifully directed and brilliantly cast dramatization isn't merely a parade of tragedy, but a deeply human look at the lives of individuals who were stripped of their humanity. (Jharrell Jerome deserves special praise for taking on the challenge of portraying Wise as a teen and an adult, an impressive feat that earned him an Emmy Award.)

Number of episodes: 6

Total Runtime: 4 hours and 26 minutes

In spite of its unassuming appearance, "Alias Grace" is not only one of the best period dramas streaming on Netflix, it's also one of the platform's most underrated shows overall. Even those who might normally yawn at something described as a "19th-century psychological drama" should give it a chance, as its surprisingly complex, dark, and unsettling narrative should captivate the broad swath of devotees to the crime genre as well.

The first clues to its quality and tone are its creative team. Based on a novel written by Margaret Atwood (the author of a similarly grim book that eventually became Hulu's hit series "The Handmaid's Tale"), the 2017 Canadian series was penned by Academy Award-winning screenwriter Sarah Polley ("Women Talking") and directed by Mary Harron, the filmmaker best known for helming "American Psycho." Thus, it should be significantly less surprising that "Alias Grace" is strikingly modern in its psychological study of a young woman accused of murder.

"Alias Grace" is inspired by the real story of Grace Marks (played in the series by Sarah Gadon), a maid who was convicted of killing multiple people in 1843. This story examines her in part through the eyes of psychiatrist Simon Jordan (Edward Holcroft), who has been tasked with studying the veracity of the amnesia Grace has claimed to be afflicted by since the night of the crime. The shifting dynamic between the indecipherable Grace and her doctor is the series' primary motor, though to say much more would risk spoiling the twists along the way. Suffice it to say, if the viewer can relax into its necessarily patient pacing, "Alias Grace" will reward you handsomely.

Number of episodes: 7

Total Runtime: 3 hours and 53 minutes

Don't let the episode-count scare you off — if you're looking to wrap up your binge-watch in an afternoon, "Baby Reindeer" is a solid choice. That said, as is interestingly true of all our shortest picks for this list, it makes up for what it lacks in runtime with a truly stomach-churning story that you might need the rest of the day to recover from.

After turning a dark chapter in his life into a successful one-man stageplay in the U.K., Scottish comedian and actor Richard Gadd adapted "Baby Reindeer" into a miniseries for Netflix, in which he essentially plays a fictionalized version of himself named Donny Dunn. Through Donny, Gadd recounts, reimagines, and heavily dramatizes his harassment at the hands of a mentally unwell stalker (Jessica Gunning) who demanded a relationship with him after a polite encounter in a bar. Called "Martha" in the Netflix miniseries (in an unfortunately unsuccessful attempt to protect the real alleged stalker's identity), her efforts in the show to force her way into Donny's life escalate terrifyingly quickly, with Donny himself left to question his own responsibility in ever entertaining her advances.

"Baby Reindeer" is not a comfortable watch, as it interrogates Donny's psychology arguably with more scrutiny than Martha's. Both are ultimately treated with a complex level of empathy that challenges viewers to reflect on the role trauma plays in the inexplicable actions people take in their lives afterward. The miniseries was lauded upon its release in 2024, with Gadd performing something of a hat-trick by taking home Emmy Awards for writing, producing, and acting. Gunning also won an Emmy — which is likely a small consolation for Netflix, given that the real "Martha" is now suing it for defamation.

Number of episodes: 4

Total Runtime: 3 hours and 48 minutes

Unless you've sworn off the internet entirely (which you might just be compelled to do after watching our first miniseries recommendation), there's a fair chance you've already heard of this one. A chilling and visually inventive psychological crime drama, "Adolescence" is one of the best limited series Netflix has ever produced. It may also be one of its most upsetting.

Though it isn't explicitly based on a single, true story, "Adolescence" depicts the real and rising threat of misogynistic rhetoric online and its disturbing hold on young boys. 13-year-old Jamie Miller (exceptional child actor Owen Cooper) is brought in for questioning — accompanied by his loving yet bewildered father Eddie (co-creator and co-writer Stephen Graham) — after a young girl (Emilia Holliday) from his school is found dead. Despite Eddie's disbelief, his son is the prime suspect in her murder.

"Adolescence" wastes no time pulling viewers through the depths of its complex, challenging story, the relentless pace of the script embodied by director Philip Barantini's decision to shoot every episode in one take. Through the investigation, interrogation, and gut-wrenching ending, viewers will have their eyes opened to both the real, insidious virtual community known as the "manosphere" and the warped psyche of a young boy who's been poisoned by its output. (A member of /Film's team even experienced this phenomenon firsthand as a teacher.) Most arrestingly of all is the show's examination of Jamie's family and how they cope with the idea that the innocent child they knew may've committed murder. "Adolescence" was almost unanimously praised by critics, with its cast and crew taking home eight Primetime Emmy Awards (two of which went to Graham and Cooper). It's no wonder Netflix is interested in a second season.

Number of episodes: 4

Total Runtime: 3 hours and 25 minutes

"Unorthodox" is as hopeful as it is harrowing. "Captain America: Brave New World" actor Shira Haas plays Esther Shapiro, a young Jewish woman raised within an insular, ultra-Orthodox Hasidic community in Brooklyn. Miserable and unable to live any longer with the harsh expectations and lack of agency that come with being a woman in her position, she quietly runs away from home and takes a one-way flight to Berlin, Germany. The four-part miniseries follows her attempts to build a life in a country she's new to, avoid the pursuit of her husband from an arranged marriage (Amit Rahav), and give voice to a personal identity that had long been silent.

The plot of "Unorthodox" is loosely based on the life of writer Deborah Feldman, who chronicled her own journey away from her Orthodox Hasidic community in the autobiography "Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots." The decision to embrace an openly fictional version of this story allows Netflix's series to be more artistically ambitious and interpretive, especially in its visual presentation. (Maria Schrader was awarded an Emmy for directing.) Most of all, it gives Haas and writers Anna Winger and Alexa Karolinski the space to make Esther a remarkably well-rounded protagonist upon whose shoulders "Unorthodox" rests in its near entirety.

Number of episodes: 4

Total Runtime: 3 hours and 11 minutes

On August 28, 2003, Pennsylvania pizza delivery driver Brian Wells was cornered by local police after apparently attempting to rob a bank. By the time they noticed a bizarre, mechanical collar chained to his neck (and perhaps had the first flashes of realization that this suspect might be a victim himself), they began to hear it beep. Wells' fate was sealed.

This infamous and unbelievably complicated crime is the subject of "Evil Genius," a 2018 true crime documentary that remains one of the best Netflix has ever distributed. In the aftermath of Wells' tragic death, federal law enforcement was left baffled by the implications of the incident, eventually discovering that he had seemingly been forced under threat of death to rob the bank at the behest of a hidden conspiracy of criminals.

It's the kind of story you'd expect to only see in a fictionalized movie and bears a striking resemblance to the 2011 film "30 Minutes or Less" (along with the entire "Saw" franchise). "Evil Genius" gets plenty of mileage out of this larger-than-life narrative, while at the same time keeping Wells' previously contested innocence close enough to the heart of the project.

Number of episodes: 3

Total Runtime: 3 hours and 7 minutes

No matter what side of the internet you're on, there's one rule netizens of all stripes are expected to follow — Do not. F***. With cats. It's a lesson one depraved soul learned the hard way, as is recounted in this tight 2019 documentary miniseries.

In the early days of social media, when most video-sharing sites were loosely moderated and subjected to all manner of content, an anonymous young man shared a video of himself seemingly killing two kittens for his own amusement. Appalled and outraged, a group of wildly diverse social media users united with the singular goal of tracking the killer down and delivering him to law enforcement. The title somewhat buries the true tension of the series, which is the ever-growing concern that the killer will eventually take a human life if he isn't caught.

For a 2019 release, we'll admit that there's a surprising lack of polish to "Don't F*** with Cats." But even if the pacing is a little wonky and the overall presentation uninspiring, the story itself is wild, entertaining, and twisty enough that it's hard to mind its flaws. And at a brisk three-hour total runtime, this is a Netflix miniseries you can easily complete in a single day — and maybe have time for an episode or two of "Bridgerton" as a palate cleanser.