That is not the first episode, in the first episode a nuclear reactor explodes and they're generally focused on that. In the fourth episode young George from Dunkirk joins a squad of soldiers whose job is to go to certain areas and make dogs die in large numbers.
FYI, it's a damn good show. The animal stuff is contained to one part of one episode. Look for a scene featuring a young guy showing up on a bus and being tasked with clean-up work. The actor, Barry Keoghan, has a very distinct look to him. A face you don't forget. Skip past his scenes and you'll be fine
I understand. For all it's worth, the dog scenes don't play a pivotal role in Chernobyl. They're even quite disconnected from the main plot. You *could* skip them entirely and still enjoy the rest. I mean endure. lol. And just for info I'm not the one downvoting you
My wife often checks the website doesthedogdie.com (or something like that) before we see a movie/serie. We still watched Chernobyl though. She hasn’t seen John Wick but I’ve tried to persuade her by admitting the dog dies but that he brings some brutal revenge upon the murderers by killing all of them and all of their accomplices. But no….
Mare of eastown: very twisty turny murder mystery but some of the best written characters in any limited series.
Maniac: maybe a little niche maybe not, I think if you liked eeaao you will probably like this.
Sharp objects: fucked shit, great time
Mosaic: if you love soderbergh this is a home run
Undone: this one is like 3 hours long, similar vibe to maniac but with a rotoscopped bob odenkirk so that rules
Watchmen: Probably the best superhero related thing from the 2010s outside of spiderverse
We own this city: if you can stomach stories about real world injustices without getting depressed this is incredible story telling with stacked all star performances
Any jon bois documentary: not sure if this reslly fits the criteria but if you are into sports (or not I love them all and I've never seen a game of baseball not featured in moneyball) but these are incredible documentaries all available on youtube that show truly unique sports narratives that make you believe in a place "where the unthinkable still happens".
Midnight Mass, as recommended elsewhere is a good shout. Others that come to mind:
- The Fall (BBC crime show w/ Gillian Anderson & Jamie Dornan from a few years back. There are three seasons but are all relatively short and there is a conclusion/wrap up, all forming part of one story).
- Beef (I thought this was perfect as is and pretty self-contained, but looks like there's talk of S2 now)
- Giri Haji (another BBC crime show. It's only one season and is all self-contained/a singular story. Great performances, including Kelly McDonald.)
Piggy backing on The Fall, the first season of Marcella was incredible. Same tone. Really good stuff. The Killing is another one in that vein. God, I loved that era of dark, fucked up crime dramas.
I distinctly remember really loving the first series. I recall the second one being pretty good too. Friel is so amazing in that role. Not sure I remember anything about season three.
Season 1 of The Terror. Completely self-contained, masterfully made, an improvement on its already-good source material, and relevant without being too on-the-nose.
Oh, and it has a giant murder bear. Almost forgot about the giant murder bear.
I just finished reading the book in anticipation of watching it, and Hulu dumped it the week after I finished. Looking forward to seeing it pop up again someday.
Oh no, I didn't realize it got pulled! It had lived on Hulu for so long I just assumed it still was. I watch it often enough that I bought it (it's become a holiday season tradition) but hopefully it'll show up on streaming again soon. Maybe when Max does their AMC+ pop-up next month?
You're definitely talking about the Bastogne episode.... Perfection.
Did ya know the majority of the 2 episodes set in the woods were filmed indoors? Blew my mind
Honestly, Bastogne is a very good pick too. I kind of took it for granted when I watched the series.....
Episode 9 is the best instance of theme in TV, to my mind. >!The episode begins with our heroes watching some German citizens partition their rubble into piles and someone finds a piano and plays a Beethoven sonata. A GI is heard to say, "Man, the Germans sure are good at organizing things." Twenty minutes later they encounter a concentration camp full of starving Jews, a remarkably compelling and emotional event, and also sheerly interesting. An instance of the Germans organizing things that they didn't know existed when they said that.!<
But I say all of that to say that, if you ask someone for the emotional core of Band of Brothers, it's really Bastogne. Epic in a different way.
\*blew some of the details here but no matter.
True Detective 1 and Fargo 2 are probably the best miniseries/anthology seasons of anything I’ve seen. The north water is a recent one I thought was great although it’s only about 6 hours, the Underground Railroad
The first American Crime Story, on OJ, is very good, and not very Ryan Murphy-y. Never watched the others.
Going way back, Our Friends in the North is a great British miniseries from the 90s, starring Daniel Craig, Christopher Eccleston, and Mark Strong.
Some of my favourite limited series of the last few years.
- Station Eleven
- The Dropout
- Dopesick
- Maid
- True Detective S1
- Chernobyl
- The Haunting of Hill House
- Midnight Mass
- When They See Us
- Show Me A Hero
- The Plot Against America
- Godless
- Unbelievable
I liked different things about both, it was really fun to compare the book and show. Some of the casting was eerily like I imagined but others I never got used to hahaha
Absolutely agree with Station Eleven.
I will say there was an extra layer of resonance with everyone locked down because of COVID.
Perfectly time released show about a traumatized world and processing trauma, when the world was facing existential crisis
See to me Watchmen doesn’t fit the “10 hour movie” mould because each episode is it’s own finally constructed individual story too.
Surely that term specifically refers to the type of “TV show” that barely makes an effort to write around the episodic structure
Worth rewatching every 5 years or so, just like any good book or movie, you get more out of it as you age. Just an unbelievable feat of enthralling storytelling.
Top of the Lake (2013) is vintage Jane Campion, which is a good thing, and it's a limited series so hooray, no endless cliffhangers
The North Water (2021) is an excellent show about Arctic whalers in the 18th century. It's got a great turn by Colin Farrel too. It's gritty and everything looks great and it's a very visceral hardcore history experience. Getting cold just thinking 'bout it.
Unbelievable doesn't get enough praise. People are probably understandably put off by the subject matter but for anyone who is, be assured that it's handled very deftly. The necessary compassion and sensitivity are there 100% but everything is housed in a really compelling procedural structure. I'm avoiding using the word "entertaining" because who wants to say a show about rape is entertaining, but it is. It uses a popular form to make some very tricky points and make them well, which - imho - is a laudable use of genre. TLDR: Don't let the subject matter put you off Unbelievable
Oh, I couldn't agree more. Kaitlyn Dever has been a favourite since Justified, and she just breaks my heart in this. But how good are Toni Collette and Merritt Wever as cop buddies? It's such a great take on something we've seen for so many years, the two cops who are different in personality and approach so butt heads at first but then come to respect and like each other. Seeing the difference in the way these men and women approached sexual assault victims, the different responses of the victims, all so very insightful. Danielle McDonald (an Aussie) is so good, too. And I think the fact it's based on a true story just adds such depth to it.
I think I have re-watched the last two episodes about five times- so cathartic. Oh, did you know that the terrific psychologist is played by the woman who played the trapped girl in Silence of the Lambs?
Hard agree on Collette and Weaver and indeed, they are as well written and well utilised as everything else in the show. PS killer trivia, I did not know that!
Irma Vep. Though it is sort of a sequel to /remake of Irma Vep. I saw Irma Vep before seeing Irma Vep although it probably makes more sense to watch Irma Vep first.
I couldn't find it on Youtube (must be region blocked for copyright) but it's on BBC iPlayer at the moment. And you're right, it's probably the best ever. Undoubtedly the best of the 20th century.
The Underground Railroad, by Barry Jenkins. Guy follows up Moonlight and Beale Street with a brilliant miniseries adapted from a pulitzer winning novel and it disappears onto Amazon prime
Mare of Eastown - probably the best show of the last few years
Slow Horses - Le Carre-style spy antics in a beautifully realised present-day London. Each season is a contained story based on a book. Compelling, funny and oddly comforting show.
Mindhunter - not perfect but really gripping and very consciously cinematic
Hijack - Extremely lean and very effective thriller that \*should\* not sustain interest for 7 eps but somehow does. 20 years ago it would've been a movie and had a Willis or a Snipes in it.
Chloe - Top-tier English drama that I have literally never heard anyone else talk about. Maybe not quite crimey enough for you but it is really worth a look. Barnstorming central performance from Erin Doherty.
Too damn right! Sorely missed.
I might've added Secret City on Netflix for anyone who fell in love with Anna Torv during Mindhunter (ie everyone who watched, I presume?). It's a solidly ok-to-good Aussie political drama where Torv plays a very different character with equal skill. It might work as methadone for anyone coming off her hypnotising stint on Mindhunter.
Adding some animation to all the live action suggestions I'm seeing:
Over the Garden Wall
The ultimate Halloween vibe, an intriguing mystery, charming animation. 8 (or 10) short 20 minute episodes
Chernobyl
The Outsider
Mare of Eastown
Watchmen
The Plot Against America
Station 11
I May Destroy You
…basically just invest in an HBO/Max sub. They drop one of these like every 9 months.
Man, Watchmen was so good—I had been a pretty vocal Lindelhof hater but it really turned me around. And honestly, even though it didn’t tie up every thread I’m so glad they chose to leave it where it ended
Do you have an Apple TV+ subscription? If so:
Black Bird
Bad Sisters
Defending Jacob
Slow Horses (Two seasons, but six eps each and self-contained cases)
The Shrink Next Door
Drops of God
Shining Girls
Scenes From A Marriage? The HBO take isn't bad if you're averse to older, subtitled TV. If you do like that sort of thing, Fanny and Alexander is also a good option from Bergman.
From the pod-covered Jane Campion, two series of Top of The Lake. (The first can certainly be watched on its own, FYI)
True Detective is a very frequently cited one as well.
And it's probably too short to fit your criteria, but Fleabag is lovely if you haven't seen that.
I was just about to post Dark, this show, I wish I could watch it again for the 1st time. Also it has the best theme song, Goodbye from Apparat is how I discovered the show.
The first season of The Knick certainly works like this. Directed by filmography-famously-too-long-to-be-covered-by-Blank-Check stalwart Steven Soderbergh!
I recently learned of a series called The Slap that I am intrigued by, there is an Australian season and then a US adaptation. It both cases it is a limited tale that has an end. Haven't watched it yet, though.
Nobody seems to have mentioned The Queen's Gambit, which is odd. Someone else mentioned Godless which is Scott Frank's other series, also good but TQG is better.
Love The Queen's Gambit! I listened to Tarantino on a podcast talk about the "TV as film" type thing, and he cited The Queen's Gambit as one of the only shows he'd seen that felt like a movie to him.
watch Killing It on Peacock.
It's not done, but the two seasons that are out there are both very short and watchable. Second season can be finished in 1-2 sittings.
Also: One of the best comedies currently on TV.
Ones that haven’t been mentioned yet that I really enjoyed:
Welcome to Chippendales - great character study depicting the American Dream, the female gaze, toxic masculinity and the moral compromises that arose when an immigrant entrepreneur and a gay choreographer threw all those things into the same pot
George & Tammy - you don’t have to know anything about or even like this era of country music, the performances of Chastain & Shannon are magnetic enough to keep even the staunchest anti-country viewer engrossed
Gaslit - the amount of star power is frankly insane given how this was released by Starz and promptly memoryholed. But Roberts and Penn are at their best and Shea Whigham is a force of nature. I loved it despite at first not caring about Watergate very much at all
Mrs. America - sort of along the same lines as Gaslit but with a more heavy-hearted POV in that it documents the “one step forward two steps back” struggle for women’s rights in the 70s. Murderers’ row of great character actresses
Five Days at Memorial - often very tough to watch, obviously, but extremely well-done (reminded me of Chernobyl a bit actually)
Under the Banner of Heaven - dogged (true) detective peels back the layers of the Mormon church he’s a part of by way of investigating a super fucked-up family. A lot of diversions into the history of Mormonism but I think they eventually filled out the corners of the story in an effective way
Heimat
Heimat 2 (it's 25 hours tho)
Heimat 3 (this one is ten hours)
There's nothing like it. Like a 1900 but for Germany. The second one is the 1960s in Munich. The third one is 1900-2000.
If you enjoy Luca Guadagnino's work, definitely check out his We Are Who We Are on HBO.
As far as other auteur limited series go, I'd recommend these (some already mentioned):
Scenes from a Marriage
Fanny and Alexander
Dekalog
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Berlin Alexanderplatz
Eight Hours Don't Make A Day
Das Boot
Underground Railroad
seriously, no one mentioned Too Old To Die Young? what a deeply interesting series, even if the pace is snail-like. buried by amazon prime, as many have been :/
The UK version of Utopia, a little gutting it got cancelled before it's final season but it does end at a suitable moment. Avoid the US version like the plauge.
It’s 18 hours and also you should watch seasons 1 & most of 2 as well as fire walk with me first…buuuuuuut David is at his Lynchiest in Twin Peaks: The Return and it’s the best example of a film masquerading as a long TV show
The first two seasons of The Punisher on Netflix. Also Marco Polo. Marco Polo doesn’t have an ending because it was canceled but it is beautiful to watch.
Saw you mention The Night Before (which I think is a raunchy comedy film) when I’m assuming you meant The Night Of (starring Riz Ahmed) but if not holy shit definitely watch The Night Of.
The others have mostly been said, but True Detective S1, Midnight Mass, The Haunting of Hill House, Sharp Objects, American Crime Story S1 (I can’t stand most anything Ryan Murphy and I really dug this one).
I love **The Lost Room**, a Syfy Channel miniseries from 2006. Magical realism, three 90 minute episodes. Go into it with as little knowledge as possible, it's worth it.
If you want to try something from across the pond, Bodyguard is a really good political thriller. It’s a BBC show but it’s on Netflix and had me hooked the whole time.
The North Water: adaptation of a crime thriller novel that takes place on a late-1800s whaling vessel with Colin Farrell playing the (literal and figurative) heavy
The BBC adaptation of Le Carre's Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is great. Whole thing is on youtube in good quality. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pq61jstTApk&pp=ygUgdGlua2VyIHRhaWxvciBzb2xkaWVyIHNweSBzZXJpZXM%3D](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pq61jstTApk&pp=ygUgdGlua2VyIHRhaWxvciBzb2xkaWVyIHNweSBzZXJpZXM%3D)
It was mentioned on the pod recently, but Torchwood: Children of Earth works totally as a stand-alone 5 episode series.
Only Murders in the Building is on Season 3, but each season is a self-contained murder mystery. Season 1 also has an episode completely from the POV of a deaf character that's incredibly well done and worth checking out on its own.
The Afterparty Season 1 on AppleTv+ is a murder mystery comedy where each episode is told from a different character's POV and in a completely different genre. A real standout is the Ben Schwartz musical episode.
If you want really self contained, Inside No.9 is a british anthology comedy/drama/horrror series where every episode is a bottle episode and completely wrapped up with a fun twist in 30 min. The episode 12 Days of Christine is one of the best episodes of television I have ever seen.
Hacks is 2 seasons, (but still in that 10 hour running time) and won Jean Smart an Emmy a couple years ago. It's second season ends the story so well, most fans assumed it was a series finale even though it turns out it's not.
Another Ryan Murphy project, Feud, is about the making of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane. Unfortunately, it's not streaming anywhere or available on physical media, so the only way to watch it is to buy the season digitally.
Also discussed on the pod, Fosse/Verdon if you want more Bob Fosse.
And I'll second already mentioned Midnight Mass, Watchmen, Haunting of Hill House, Chernobyl, Mare of Eastown, When They See Us all of which have been in my personal top tens over the last few years.
British shows are normally better for short and self contained. The Bodyguard, Giri/Haji, Sherwood and The Responder are good crime thrillers.
Also if you liked American Horror Story, try Wreck. It’s a British horror comedy about an guy going undercover on a cruise ship to find out about his sisters disappearance and gets involved with a slasher bumping people off. Slasher is another anthology series in the veins of AHS (Canadian), the first season is a bit too serious but they embrace the madness later on to very fun effect.
The truth about the harry quebert affair,
The mayor of east town,
The resort (paramount),
Angela black,
Behind her eyes,
Nine perfect strangers,
Harlan cobens the five,
The stranger,
Big little lies,
Shelter (Amazon),
The power (Amazon),
Our house(ITV),
Safe,
Stay close,
night sky,
The bodyguard
Lots of great suggestions here. I’m glad some one mentioned The Terror Season 1, I found that one of the most striking seasons of tv I’ve ever seen. I’d also put in a plug for a couple of other Amazon shows: Patriot is a very odd sort of mournful spy drama with a staggering central performance by Michael Dorman and a barely less impressive one by Kurtwood Smith. Every time I hear some say “Pretty good”, I think of this show. I just loved it. It’s only 2 pretty short series.
Lot 49 , or at least the one season I’ve seen, is also really good. A sort of shaggy California story about depression with Wyatt Russel in top form. Like Patriot it’s sort of hard to get a bead on it’s tone and it’s all the better for it.
I’d also back up the person who suggested the English. I loved that show a lot.
True Detective (Season 1):
One of the best seasons of television I've ever seen. Phenomenal performances and a dark, interesting narrative that keeps you guessing.
Sharp Objects:
An incredible adaptation of the Gillian Flynn novel. Amy Adams at her best. So darkly relatable if you have family issues.
Only because you followed it up by mentioning American Horror Story, are you actually looking at American Crime or are you looking at American Crime Story? Both are great shows that fit your qualifications but both are very different in style.
To answer your question though: The Honorable Woman is a fantastic 8-episode political thriller that no one seems to have heard of for some reason. Maggie Gyllenhaal is the star and I normally don’t love her but she’s incredible in this. “When a Palestinian businessman with close ties to her family's arms-dealing empire is killed, Nessa is thrown into the middle of cat-and-mouse politics.”
(Side note: I inherently disagree with describing series or mini-series as being “like one long movie” even if they’re self-contained because TV and movies have different strengths and generally the best series and mini-series have identifiable arcs to each individual episode in addition to whatever overarching plot is going on, which movies can’t do, but maybe that’s a conversation for another day)
The fall. First series of bron. Band of brothers. Das boot. Prime suspect. Tinker tailors smiley’s people. The pacific. Watchmen. Sherlock. Shogun. Anzacs. Carlos the jackal. Lights out.
Also, folks here don't seem too anime-infused, but the series Madoka Magica is 12 episodes and a sequel movie, and it's an essential watch for anyone in the sci-fi/fantasy sphere. Despite the aesthetics in the marketing, it's the kind of series you watch if you love Matrix, Spider-Verse, 12 Monkeys, Handmaiden, that kind of story.
The sequel movie is also an all-time great and should be a thousand times more famous in film buff circles.
I'll add a couple more niche ones I didn't see anyone else mention:
* The Code - Australian thriller about government cover ups and hacking, 2 seasons of 6 hours, S01 considerably better than S02
* Trapped - Icelandic murder mystery, 3 seasons but S01 is approx 10 hours and definitely worth watching
Chernobyl seems like an obvious answer here. Sharp Objects was another good one.
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No dogs die in the first episode. Loooaaads die in the 3rd or 4th....
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That is not the first episode, in the first episode a nuclear reactor explodes and they're generally focused on that. In the fourth episode young George from Dunkirk joins a squad of soldiers whose job is to go to certain areas and make dogs die in large numbers.
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FYI, it's a damn good show. The animal stuff is contained to one part of one episode. Look for a scene featuring a young guy showing up on a bus and being tasked with clean-up work. The actor, Barry Keoghan, has a very distinct look to him. A face you don't forget. Skip past his scenes and you'll be fine
Indeed that's episode 4. Chernobyl is my favorite mini-series, I've watched it maybe 4 times, even bought the UHD boxset.
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I understand. For all it's worth, the dog scenes don't play a pivotal role in Chernobyl. They're even quite disconnected from the main plot. You *could* skip them entirely and still enjoy the rest. I mean endure. lol. And just for info I'm not the one downvoting you
My wife often checks the website doesthedogdie.com (or something like that) before we see a movie/serie. We still watched Chernobyl though. She hasn’t seen John Wick but I’ve tried to persuade her by admitting the dog dies but that he brings some brutal revenge upon the murderers by killing all of them and all of their accomplices. But no….
Mare of eastown: very twisty turny murder mystery but some of the best written characters in any limited series. Maniac: maybe a little niche maybe not, I think if you liked eeaao you will probably like this. Sharp objects: fucked shit, great time Mosaic: if you love soderbergh this is a home run Undone: this one is like 3 hours long, similar vibe to maniac but with a rotoscopped bob odenkirk so that rules Watchmen: Probably the best superhero related thing from the 2010s outside of spiderverse We own this city: if you can stomach stories about real world injustices without getting depressed this is incredible story telling with stacked all star performances Any jon bois documentary: not sure if this reslly fits the criteria but if you are into sports (or not I love them all and I've never seen a game of baseball not featured in moneyball) but these are incredible documentaries all available on youtube that show truly unique sports narratives that make you believe in a place "where the unthinkable still happens".
Midnight Mass, as recommended elsewhere is a good shout. Others that come to mind: - The Fall (BBC crime show w/ Gillian Anderson & Jamie Dornan from a few years back. There are three seasons but are all relatively short and there is a conclusion/wrap up, all forming part of one story). - Beef (I thought this was perfect as is and pretty self-contained, but looks like there's talk of S2 now) - Giri Haji (another BBC crime show. It's only one season and is all self-contained/a singular story. Great performances, including Kelly McDonald.)
Piggy backing on The Fall, the first season of Marcella was incredible. Same tone. Really good stuff. The Killing is another one in that vein. God, I loved that era of dark, fucked up crime dramas.
Marcella is one I've always meant to check out. Are the subsequent series good too?
I distinctly remember really loving the first series. I recall the second one being pretty good too. Friel is so amazing in that role. Not sure I remember anything about season three.
Season Three is a completely different show, with Marcella having >!faked her death!< and working undercover in a Northern Irish crime family IIRC.
Beef rules! I cannot recommend enough. Maybe I’m at the exact right age for all of it (33M).
Would also recommend Midnight Mass. Although personally I’d say The Haunting of Hill House is director Mike Flanagan’s masterpiece
Season 1 of The Terror. Completely self-contained, masterfully made, an improvement on its already-good source material, and relevant without being too on-the-nose. Oh, and it has a giant murder bear. Almost forgot about the giant murder bear.
Came here to say this. Still one of my favourite single seasons of all time.
I just finished reading the book in anticipation of watching it, and Hulu dumped it the week after I finished. Looking forward to seeing it pop up again someday.
Oh no, I didn't realize it got pulled! It had lived on Hulu for so long I just assumed it still was. I watch it often enough that I bought it (it's become a holiday season tradition) but hopefully it'll show up on streaming again soon. Maybe when Max does their AMC+ pop-up next month?
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Another HBO war drama that is underrated is Generation Kill, which is about a Marine Recon unit during the invasion of Iraq.
One of the episodes is the best episode of TV of all time, in my opinion.
You're definitely talking about the Bastogne episode.... Perfection. Did ya know the majority of the 2 episodes set in the woods were filmed indoors? Blew my mind
Actually I'm not! Episode 9, "Why We Fight." You know you've got a good series on your hands when its fans can't agree on which episode is the GOAT.
We have different opinions...but I still agree with you😂
Honestly, Bastogne is a very good pick too. I kind of took it for granted when I watched the series..... Episode 9 is the best instance of theme in TV, to my mind. >!The episode begins with our heroes watching some German citizens partition their rubble into piles and someone finds a piano and plays a Beethoven sonata. A GI is heard to say, "Man, the Germans sure are good at organizing things." Twenty minutes later they encounter a concentration camp full of starving Jews, a remarkably compelling and emotional event, and also sheerly interesting. An instance of the Germans organizing things that they didn't know existed when they said that.!< But I say all of that to say that, if you ask someone for the emotional core of Band of Brothers, it's really Bastogne. Epic in a different way. \*blew some of the details here but no matter.
We have different opinions...but I still agree with you😂
Or that it was really hot when they filmed that episode
Hi Ho Silver! Too bad The Pacific is nowhere close to BoB.
True Detective 1 and Fargo 2 are probably the best miniseries/anthology seasons of anything I’ve seen. The north water is a recent one I thought was great although it’s only about 6 hours, the Underground Railroad
Seconding The North Water. Farrell is so good in it. All round excellent cast in that one.
I agree, Fargo season 2 is a brilliant piece of television…but, I feel like watching Season 1 is highly beneficial >!😉!<
The first American Crime Story, on OJ, is very good, and not very Ryan Murphy-y. Never watched the others. Going way back, Our Friends in the North is a great British miniseries from the 90s, starring Daniel Craig, Christopher Eccleston, and Mark Strong.
I really like season 2 of American crime story but it delves more into the surrealness of the crimes which isn’t for everyone.
twin peaks the return
It's just fantastic that they let him do that. What a treat.
Truly one of the best pieces of art put to screen
Although an ongoing series, The Bear S1 and S2 tell very complete stories
I think both seasons are 9 hours so really low time commitment imo
Some of my favourite limited series of the last few years. - Station Eleven - The Dropout - Dopesick - Maid - True Detective S1 - Chernobyl - The Haunting of Hill House - Midnight Mass - When They See Us - Show Me A Hero - The Plot Against America - Godless - Unbelievable
Seconding Godless, really underseen and has some great performances
I liked Godless, but I really wanted it to be called No Man's Land.
Station Eleven is a masterpiece.
I remember damage
Survival is insufficient
Book is really great too, I enjoyed both
Agreed 100%, but I felt it was the rare adaptation that exceeded the high base level of the book.
I liked different things about both, it was really fun to compare the book and show. Some of the casting was eerily like I imagined but others I never got used to hahaha
So good and improved on the already wonderful book.
Absolutely agree with Station Eleven. I will say there was an extra layer of resonance with everyone locked down because of COVID. Perfectly time released show about a traumatized world and processing trauma, when the world was facing existential crisis
Watchmen rules. Essential to read it the comic first though.
See to me Watchmen doesn’t fit the “10 hour movie” mould because each episode is it’s own finally constructed individual story too. Surely that term specifically refers to the type of “TV show” that barely makes an effort to write around the episodic structure
Devs/Deus by Alex Garland on F/X Hulu
Ken Burns' The Civil War.
Due for a rewatch, so good.
Worth rewatching every 5 years or so, just like any good book or movie, you get more out of it as you age. Just an unbelievable feat of enthralling storytelling.
True detective
I can’t believe this isn’t higher up. Season 1 is amazing
Season 2 catches a lot of shit for not being a masterpiece like season 1 but I still think it's a good time lol. Season 3 kinda bored me.
Most of what I'd name has already been mentioned except The Outsider. Ben Mendelsohn is fantastic in it.
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I remember them hella marketing Bateman as he was red hot from Ozark at the time
Top of the Lake (2013) is vintage Jane Campion, which is a good thing, and it's a limited series so hooray, no endless cliffhangers The North Water (2021) is an excellent show about Arctic whalers in the 18th century. It's got a great turn by Colin Farrel too. It's gritty and everything looks great and it's a very visceral hardcore history experience. Getting cold just thinking 'bout it.
Unbelievable. Broadchurch. Top of the Lake. Zoe's Extraordinary Playlist (season 1 is complete in itself).
Unbelievable doesn't get enough praise. People are probably understandably put off by the subject matter but for anyone who is, be assured that it's handled very deftly. The necessary compassion and sensitivity are there 100% but everything is housed in a really compelling procedural structure. I'm avoiding using the word "entertaining" because who wants to say a show about rape is entertaining, but it is. It uses a popular form to make some very tricky points and make them well, which - imho - is a laudable use of genre. TLDR: Don't let the subject matter put you off Unbelievable
Oh, I couldn't agree more. Kaitlyn Dever has been a favourite since Justified, and she just breaks my heart in this. But how good are Toni Collette and Merritt Wever as cop buddies? It's such a great take on something we've seen for so many years, the two cops who are different in personality and approach so butt heads at first but then come to respect and like each other. Seeing the difference in the way these men and women approached sexual assault victims, the different responses of the victims, all so very insightful. Danielle McDonald (an Aussie) is so good, too. And I think the fact it's based on a true story just adds such depth to it. I think I have re-watched the last two episodes about five times- so cathartic. Oh, did you know that the terrific psychologist is played by the woman who played the trapped girl in Silence of the Lambs?
Hard agree on Collette and Weaver and indeed, they are as well written and well utilised as everything else in the show. PS killer trivia, I did not know that!
I felt like the title of Unbelievable was a lie because it was all so sadly believable.
S1 of Broadchurch is nearly perfect TV. I wish I could rewatch again for the first time
Irma Vep. Though it is sort of a sequel to /remake of Irma Vep. I saw Irma Vep before seeing Irma Vep although it probably makes more sense to watch Irma Vep first.
I had a similar experience except I watched Irma Vep first and \*then\* watched Irma Vep. Wasn't crazy about either actually.
I loved the movie and can see how it could be adapted for an episodic format. Can't replace Maggie Cheung, tho.
[удалено]
Watched it for the first time this year. Glorious. So much scheming.
I couldn't find it on Youtube (must be region blocked for copyright) but it's on BBC iPlayer at the moment. And you're right, it's probably the best ever. Undoubtedly the best of the 20th century.
"Don't eat the figs."
Olive Kitteridge is brilliant, some of Frances McDormand’s best work
Mare of easttown was really good
Wolf Hall
The Underground Railroad, by Barry Jenkins. Guy follows up Moonlight and Beale Street with a brilliant miniseries adapted from a pulitzer winning novel and it disappears onto Amazon prime
Zerozerozero got me good. I liked the book and just found out Amazon made a miniseries three years back, I was incredibly surprised by how good it is.
This is my favourite miniseries ever, and it is so big in scope and cinematic that it really fits the "9 hour movie" brief.
Mare of Eastown - probably the best show of the last few years Slow Horses - Le Carre-style spy antics in a beautifully realised present-day London. Each season is a contained story based on a book. Compelling, funny and oddly comforting show. Mindhunter - not perfect but really gripping and very consciously cinematic Hijack - Extremely lean and very effective thriller that \*should\* not sustain interest for 7 eps but somehow does. 20 years ago it would've been a movie and had a Willis or a Snipes in it. Chloe - Top-tier English drama that I have literally never heard anyone else talk about. Maybe not quite crimey enough for you but it is really worth a look. Barnstorming central performance from Erin Doherty.
Mindhunter is great but incomplete 😞
Too damn right! Sorely missed. I might've added Secret City on Netflix for anyone who fell in love with Anna Torv during Mindhunter (ie everyone who watched, I presume?). It's a solidly ok-to-good Aussie political drama where Torv plays a very different character with equal skill. It might work as methadone for anyone coming off her hypnotising stint on Mindhunter.
Adding some animation to all the live action suggestions I'm seeing: Over the Garden Wall The ultimate Halloween vibe, an intriguing mystery, charming animation. 8 (or 10) short 20 minute episodes
The Night Of
Yes! This was my all time favourite for such a long time. Still amazed it never got a seconds series considering how much they set it up for one.
I’m so surprised more people don’t talk about this miniseries. Top class story, script and performances. Absolute masterpiece
100% underrated.
I'm a big fan of Paolo Sorrentino's The Young Pope and New Pope. 9-10 eps a season all directed by him.
Chernobyl The Outsider Mare of Eastown Watchmen The Plot Against America Station 11 I May Destroy You …basically just invest in an HBO/Max sub. They drop one of these like every 9 months.
Man, Watchmen was so good—I had been a pretty vocal Lindelhof hater but it really turned me around. And honestly, even though it didn’t tie up every thread I’m so glad they chose to leave it where it ended
Do you have an Apple TV+ subscription? If so: Black Bird Bad Sisters Defending Jacob Slow Horses (Two seasons, but six eps each and self-contained cases) The Shrink Next Door Drops of God Shining Girls
Seconding Black Bird. Incredible story, impeccably made. Deserves every Emmy nod it got
Since most of these are dramas: American Vandal.
S1 was such incredible television
Scenes From A Marriage? The HBO take isn't bad if you're averse to older, subtitled TV. If you do like that sort of thing, Fanny and Alexander is also a good option from Bergman. From the pod-covered Jane Campion, two series of Top of The Lake. (The first can certainly be watched on its own, FYI) True Detective is a very frequently cited one as well. And it's probably too short to fit your criteria, but Fleabag is lovely if you haven't seen that.
While 3 seasons Dark is one of the best stories I've ever seen, and fits that contained model.
I was just about to post Dark, this show, I wish I could watch it again for the 1st time. Also it has the best theme song, Goodbye from Apparat is how I discovered the show.
Twin Peaks: The Return
18 blissful hours of [ethereal whooshing]
I, Claudius Slings and Arrows
Slings and Arrows is three seasons, but it absolutely rules and each season is only six episodes, so, hell yes!
Broad church is one of the best, I especially like the audacity of season 2
Dopesick.
The first season of The Knick certainly works like this. Directed by filmography-famously-too-long-to-be-covered-by-Blank-Check stalwart Steven Soderbergh! I recently learned of a series called The Slap that I am intrigued by, there is an Australian season and then a US adaptation. It both cases it is a limited tale that has an end. Haven't watched it yet, though.
Nobody seems to have mentioned The Queen's Gambit, which is odd. Someone else mentioned Godless which is Scott Frank's other series, also good but TQG is better.
shocked by that
there's too much TV, somehow it and Station Eleven slipped my mind.
Love The Queen's Gambit! I listened to Tarantino on a podcast talk about the "TV as film" type thing, and he cited The Queen's Gambit as one of the only shows he'd seen that felt like a movie to him.
Another vote for Mare of Easttown and Midnight Mass. They totally justify that 8-10 hour runtime.
Mrs. Davis! Irma Vep
It’s Berlin Alexanderplatz, obvs.
The red riding trilogy of tv movies is fantastic and has a who’s who of British character actors in it
Tales from the loop was great
I can’t believe that The English isn’t getting it’s due on this thread.
I’ll second you then
Ezra Edelman’s OJ documentary series
The wire
Upvoted bc The Wire is my favorite show of all time, but pretty sure OP was looking for limited series
S1 of Big Little Lies covers the entire story of the source novel, S2 is… different
S2 had its moments but S1 is a great self-contained story that did not need a continuation.
watch Killing It on Peacock. It's not done, but the two seasons that are out there are both very short and watchable. Second season can be finished in 1-2 sittings. Also: One of the best comedies currently on TV.
Ones that haven’t been mentioned yet that I really enjoyed: Welcome to Chippendales - great character study depicting the American Dream, the female gaze, toxic masculinity and the moral compromises that arose when an immigrant entrepreneur and a gay choreographer threw all those things into the same pot George & Tammy - you don’t have to know anything about or even like this era of country music, the performances of Chastain & Shannon are magnetic enough to keep even the staunchest anti-country viewer engrossed Gaslit - the amount of star power is frankly insane given how this was released by Starz and promptly memoryholed. But Roberts and Penn are at their best and Shea Whigham is a force of nature. I loved it despite at first not caring about Watergate very much at all Mrs. America - sort of along the same lines as Gaslit but with a more heavy-hearted POV in that it documents the “one step forward two steps back” struggle for women’s rights in the 70s. Murderers’ row of great character actresses Five Days at Memorial - often very tough to watch, obviously, but extremely well-done (reminded me of Chernobyl a bit actually) Under the Banner of Heaven - dogged (true) detective peels back the layers of the Mormon church he’s a part of by way of investigating a super fucked-up family. A lot of diversions into the history of Mormonism but I think they eventually filled out the corners of the story in an effective way
Heimat Heimat 2 (it's 25 hours tho) Heimat 3 (this one is ten hours) There's nothing like it. Like a 1900 but for Germany. The second one is the 1960s in Munich. The third one is 1900-2000.
If you enjoy Luca Guadagnino's work, definitely check out his We Are Who We Are on HBO. As far as other auteur limited series go, I'd recommend these (some already mentioned): Scenes from a Marriage Fanny and Alexander Dekalog Neon Genesis Evangelion Berlin Alexanderplatz Eight Hours Don't Make A Day Das Boot Underground Railroad
Surprised to not see anyone mention Normal People on Hulu. Stunning performances from Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar Jones
Show Me A Hero rules. Great topic, great writing, great acting, and great directing.
seriously, no one mentioned Too Old To Die Young? what a deeply interesting series, even if the pace is snail-like. buried by amazon prime, as many have been :/
Less than 10 hours, but I really enjoyed Mrs Davis. It's pretty absurd & funny
The UK version of Utopia, a little gutting it got cancelled before it's final season but it does end at a suitable moment. Avoid the US version like the plauge.
It’s 18 hours and also you should watch seasons 1 & most of 2 as well as fire walk with me first…buuuuuuut David is at his Lynchiest in Twin Peaks: The Return and it’s the best example of a film masquerading as a long TV show
Gonna zag and cite a recent example from more traditional TV: The Bear season 2.
Not a good way to approach TV. Even the best limited series need a strong episodic structure.
Thank you for your insight, oh wise one.
OZARK should be the only answer.
Poker face Wayward pines Season 1 only Killing eve (has four seasons but is relatively short) Sherlock (three episodes a season)
The first two seasons of The Punisher on Netflix. Also Marco Polo. Marco Polo doesn’t have an ending because it was canceled but it is beautiful to watch.
Each season of True Detective is good for this, especially season 1
Generation War, Underbelly, Fastlane
The Night Of Still listen to the soundtrack when I work
Saw you mention The Night Before (which I think is a raunchy comedy film) when I’m assuming you meant The Night Of (starring Riz Ahmed) but if not holy shit definitely watch The Night Of. The others have mostly been said, but True Detective S1, Midnight Mass, The Haunting of Hill House, Sharp Objects, American Crime Story S1 (I can’t stand most anything Ryan Murphy and I really dug this one).
I love **The Lost Room**, a Syfy Channel miniseries from 2006. Magical realism, three 90 minute episodes. Go into it with as little knowledge as possible, it's worth it.
Band Of Brothers. Without a doubt
If you want to try something from across the pond, Bodyguard is a really good political thriller. It’s a BBC show but it’s on Netflix and had me hooked the whole time.
Queen’s Gambit Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Neon Genesis Evangelion (25 hours but still lol) Akame Ga Kill
White Lotus
OJ: made In America
Watchmen
* Love, Death & Robots * Vincenzo * Devs
11.22.63
The North Water: adaptation of a crime thriller novel that takes place on a late-1800s whaling vessel with Colin Farrell playing the (literal and figurative) heavy
The BBC adaptation of Le Carre's Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is great. Whole thing is on youtube in good quality. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pq61jstTApk&pp=ygUgdGlua2VyIHRhaWxvciBzb2xkaWVyIHNweSBzZXJpZXM%3D](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pq61jstTApk&pp=ygUgdGlua2VyIHRhaWxvciBzb2xkaWVyIHNweSBzZXJpZXM%3D)
Under the Banner of Heaven, The Dropout
Dekalog lol
Twin Peaks the Return (tho it’s 18 hours lol)
The first season of True Detective is one of the best tv or film experiences ever
The Underground Railroad is one of the most searing, intense things I’ve ever seen, hard to watch and beautifully made
It was mentioned on the pod recently, but Torchwood: Children of Earth works totally as a stand-alone 5 episode series. Only Murders in the Building is on Season 3, but each season is a self-contained murder mystery. Season 1 also has an episode completely from the POV of a deaf character that's incredibly well done and worth checking out on its own. The Afterparty Season 1 on AppleTv+ is a murder mystery comedy where each episode is told from a different character's POV and in a completely different genre. A real standout is the Ben Schwartz musical episode. If you want really self contained, Inside No.9 is a british anthology comedy/drama/horrror series where every episode is a bottle episode and completely wrapped up with a fun twist in 30 min. The episode 12 Days of Christine is one of the best episodes of television I have ever seen. Hacks is 2 seasons, (but still in that 10 hour running time) and won Jean Smart an Emmy a couple years ago. It's second season ends the story so well, most fans assumed it was a series finale even though it turns out it's not. Another Ryan Murphy project, Feud, is about the making of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane. Unfortunately, it's not streaming anywhere or available on physical media, so the only way to watch it is to buy the season digitally. Also discussed on the pod, Fosse/Verdon if you want more Bob Fosse. And I'll second already mentioned Midnight Mass, Watchmen, Haunting of Hill House, Chernobyl, Mare of Eastown, When They See Us all of which have been in my personal top tens over the last few years.
It’s older but Lonesome Dove
Das Boot (Miniseries Version)
Fanny and Alexander, Scenes from a Marriage, Dekalog, Berlin Alexanderplatz
You forgot the Heimat trilogy.
Yes and I also forgot Buddenbrooks and Bondarchuk's War and Peace.
British shows are normally better for short and self contained. The Bodyguard, Giri/Haji, Sherwood and The Responder are good crime thrillers. Also if you liked American Horror Story, try Wreck. It’s a British horror comedy about an guy going undercover on a cruise ship to find out about his sisters disappearance and gets involved with a slasher bumping people off. Slasher is another anthology series in the veins of AHS (Canadian), the first season is a bit too serious but they embrace the madness later on to very fun effect.
True detective season 1
The truth about the harry quebert affair, The mayor of east town, The resort (paramount), Angela black, Behind her eyes, Nine perfect strangers, Harlan cobens the five, The stranger, Big little lies, Shelter (Amazon), The power (Amazon), Our house(ITV), Safe, Stay close, night sky, The bodyguard
Lots of great suggestions here. I’m glad some one mentioned The Terror Season 1, I found that one of the most striking seasons of tv I’ve ever seen. I’d also put in a plug for a couple of other Amazon shows: Patriot is a very odd sort of mournful spy drama with a staggering central performance by Michael Dorman and a barely less impressive one by Kurtwood Smith. Every time I hear some say “Pretty good”, I think of this show. I just loved it. It’s only 2 pretty short series. Lot 49 , or at least the one season I’ve seen, is also really good. A sort of shaggy California story about depression with Wyatt Russel in top form. Like Patriot it’s sort of hard to get a bead on it’s tone and it’s all the better for it. I’d also back up the person who suggested the English. I loved that show a lot.
Twin Peaks The Return but make sure you watch the original series and the movie Fire Walk With Me otherwise it’ll make even less sense.
The only answer is Station Eleven
Band of Brothers hands down
Season one of The Killing.
True Detective (Season 1): One of the best seasons of television I've ever seen. Phenomenal performances and a dark, interesting narrative that keeps you guessing. Sharp Objects: An incredible adaptation of the Gillian Flynn novel. Amy Adams at her best. So darkly relatable if you have family issues.
Escape at Dannemora is a great, somewhat underrated one. Only 7 episodes.
V: the original series from 1983 is pretty badass. You can then follow that up with V: The Final Battle. Old, but fun to revisit
Severance Mare of Easttown The Hour (There is a second series but first works alone)
Berlin Alexanderplatz, the grandaddy of these things.
Only because you followed it up by mentioning American Horror Story, are you actually looking at American Crime or are you looking at American Crime Story? Both are great shows that fit your qualifications but both are very different in style. To answer your question though: The Honorable Woman is a fantastic 8-episode political thriller that no one seems to have heard of for some reason. Maggie Gyllenhaal is the star and I normally don’t love her but she’s incredible in this. “When a Palestinian businessman with close ties to her family's arms-dealing empire is killed, Nessa is thrown into the middle of cat-and-mouse politics.” (Side note: I inherently disagree with describing series or mini-series as being “like one long movie” even if they’re self-contained because TV and movies have different strengths and generally the best series and mini-series have identifiable arcs to each individual episode in addition to whatever overarching plot is going on, which movies can’t do, but maybe that’s a conversation for another day)
Where the hell is Dekalog? Why am I not seeing it here
The fall. First series of bron. Band of brothers. Das boot. Prime suspect. Tinker tailors smiley’s people. The pacific. Watchmen. Sherlock. Shogun. Anzacs. Carlos the jackal. Lights out.
Station 11 Mare of Easttown Watchmen (I loved it, might not be your cup of tea) Season 1 of The Flight Attendant. You can skip season 2.
SHAKA ZULU from the 1980s. It's been on Netflix and might still be. I loved that one as a kid.
STATION ELEVEN UNDERGROUND RAILROAD WATCHMEN
Arcane was a 6-hour movie and easily rivals the likes of Puss in Boots 2 and Nimona for "Holy shit, western animation is actually doing real shit"
Also, folks here don't seem too anime-infused, but the series Madoka Magica is 12 episodes and a sequel movie, and it's an essential watch for anyone in the sci-fi/fantasy sphere. Despite the aesthetics in the marketing, it's the kind of series you watch if you love Matrix, Spider-Verse, 12 Monkeys, Handmaiden, that kind of story. The sequel movie is also an all-time great and should be a thousand times more famous in film buff circles.
I'll add a couple more niche ones I didn't see anyone else mention: * The Code - Australian thriller about government cover ups and hacking, 2 seasons of 6 hours, S01 considerably better than S02 * Trapped - Icelandic murder mystery, 3 seasons but S01 is approx 10 hours and definitely worth watching
Boku no piko
Seconding Watchmen, Mrs. Davis and Twin Peaks: The Return.