Even so, there are still plenty of good shows that fly under the radar, especially if you aren’t from their country of origin. Numerous British miniseries especially seem to be hard to find, as they air on British TV channels and don’t have much advertising outside the country. Though what counts as a miniseries can vary, it’s typically a single season with only a handful of episodes that tells a complete story.
They’re easy to binge, there’s no worry about whether a second season will come to resolve any cliffhangers, and there are a lot of great ones out there. Most are available to rent, and some can be streamed on various platforms (mostly Amazon Prime Video). Check out some of the best ones now to see if they pique your interest.
15Born to Kill
Born to Killis a British drama with four episodes. The main character, Sam Woodford, hides his psychopathic tendencies under the guise ofbeing a ‘normal’ teenager. The show explores his mind as he is on the verge of possibly leaning into the whims of these tendencies, all because of a new girl moving into his school. He’s fascinated with death, and might even end up taking things a little too far at one point. As the series progresses, the tension grows and Sam must be more and more cautious if he wants to get away with everything he’s been doing and remove any suspicion that may be on him.
14The Living and the Dead
The horror miniseriesThe Living and the Deadhas six episodes set in the 1890s that revolve around the lives of Nathan and Charlotte Appleby, who live on a haunted farm. The Appleby’s move to the farm in the first episode, and from there start having supernatural experiences along with the rest of the nearby town. Each new episode features a different occurrence, but they all work together towards the plot and towards Nathan Appleby slowly losing his sanity. He’s desperate to stop the ghosts from appearing and let himself and the town live in peace.
Related:The Best British Television of the 2010s
13And Then There Were None
Based on the Agatha Christie novelof the same name,And Then There Were Nonetells the mystery thriller story in three tense episodes. Ten strangers are invited to a small island, but upon their arrival, find the manor is only occupied by two servants, and their hosts are absent. After sitting down for dinner, a record put on accuses everyone of being a murderer, and one of the guests dies from poisoning shortly thereafter.
Now, those who remain must hurry to find who is actually the murderer and stop them as they slowly pick the group off, one by one, killing in accordance to a poem displayed around the house. Though the original 1945 film is a classic, this modern miniseries version is a dark, brooding masterpiece.
12Thirteen
The dramaThirteenfocuses on Ivy Moxam, a woman who was kidnapped at 13 and imprisoned for 13 years since but managed to escape. These five episodes cover the aftermath of what happened, starting off with Ivy arriving at the police station, giving a statement on what happened, and reconnecting with her family. However, what the police find at the house and what Ivy said don’t seem to add up, so pressure grows on her to reveal the truth of what actually happened, especially once her kidnapper manages to take another girl hostage after her escape.
11The Irregulars
The Irregularsis a show created by Tom Bidwell drawn around the written works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, that follows a group of poor teenagers from the streets of Victorian London who are recruited by Doctor Watson & the mysterious Sherlock Holmes to solve crimes of supernatural nature.
The show got mixed reviews and has an 80% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, however, it’s a unique extension of the Sherlock Holmes universe and for the masses of teenagers and younger audiences worldwide, it’s a rather appealing short one-season show that depicts a fictitious spin-off of the traditional Sherlock Holmes story while also portraying crime, drama, and the paranormal.
For the purists and older audiences, it could perhaps underwhelm, but if you’re looking for a quick binge and want a show that explores fantasy & fiction based aroundthe Sherlock Holmes novelsthat’s worth a quick watch,The Irregularsmight be just what you need.
10I May Destroy You
With great music,I May Destroy Youtells the story of a young woman living and working as a writer in London who gets sexually abused after a night out with her friends. The plot follows Arabella, the protagonist, who then meets a couple of other people named Terry (Weruche Opia) and Kwame (Paapa Essiedu) who are also dealing with sexual abuse and the miniseries follows their intertwining journeys and how they cope and deal with their past and the terrible experience of sexual assault.
The show is written and directed by Michaela Coel who also stars in the miniseries; it won critical acclaim for its exploration of the rather sensitive topic and also swept home a couple of Emmy Awards at the Emmys that year receiving nine nominations as well. It’s an extremely well-written and shot show and one that is also thought-provoking and revelatory about how victims of sexual abuse cope with life after the horrific experience.
9A Spy Among Friends
Directed by Nick Murphy,A Spy Among Friendsis a secret-agent suspense and drama miniseries based on actual events. The concept of the show is based on a book by Ben McIntyre of the same name.
Set in the 1960s the miniseries follows Kim Philby (Guy Pearce) an intelligence agent who is later found out to actually be a KGB double agent who has ties with the Soviet Union. Nicholas Elliot played by Damian Lewis ofBand Of Brothersacclaim, is working as a SIS intelligence officer when he finds out that his colleague Philby is actually KGB.
The story evolves as the exploration and then eventual disintegration of the relationship between two lifelong friends who share a close bond with each other but in the end are divided by the ideologies, loyalties, and ties they represent. The show is rated 7.3/10 on IMDb and explores espionage in early 1960s Britain dovetailing the context of the Cold War.
Related:The Greatest TV Shows About WWII, Ranked
8The Devil’s Hour
The miniseriesThe Devil’s Hourwritten by Tom Moran explores the story of a woman named Lucy who has recurring dreams and visions and proceeds to keep waking up at 3:33 am, i.e. between 3 am to 4 am, which is the devil’s hour.
Lucy is also battling her failed relationships and her troubled past along with her esoteric and emotionless son Isaac. The plot then explores the connection Lucy (Jessica Raine) and her visions and dreams have in connection with a series of murders in her town.
It’s a psychological thriller and drama, that has generally received positive reviews, like this one byThe Guardian, and is rated 7.6/10 on IMDb. It’s an eerie yet captivating miniseries that explores the suspense and mystery of evil and the myth of the devil’s hour and what it has to do with a set of murders, which is a rather unique concept.
Another crime drama is the miniseriesDes, which elucidates the true story of Scottish serial killer Dennis Nilsen played by David Tennant, who killed 15 people over the span of five years and was arrested in 1983 after human remains were found clogging a drain near his home.
Luke Neal & Kelly Jones’ screenplay and anoutstanding performance by Tennantmake the miniseries come alive, as it unravels the mind of the psychotic and narcissistic killer Des. It’s a short miniseries comprising just three episodes, however, it packs quite a punch in its execution, in terms of screenwriting and overall direction along with what’s regarded as Tennant’s crowning moment as an actor.
David Tennant proceeded to win an International Emmy Award for Best Actor for his acting in Des, and the show has rave reviews, rated 7.6/10 on IMdB and 90% on Rotten Tomatoes.
6Bodyguard
Created and written by Jed Mercurio,Bodyguardis a miniseries that portrays the fictional story of David Budd played by Richard Madden (who also is inthe running for the next James Bondafter Daniel Craig’s tenure as the iconic superspy ended). Madden plays the character Budd who is a war veteran formerly deployed in Afghanistan who then begins working for the Royalty and Specialist Protection Branch of London’s Metropolitan Police Service after he returns to England.
He is primarily tasked with protecting a political figure named Julia Montague (Keeley Hawes), who is the Home Secretary of Britain and who David proceeds to have a fractious relationship with because of her political ideology and agenda which he loathes; David also suffers from PTSD from his time in Afghanistan and is rather brash as he is temperamental.
Montague also is a proponent and advocate of war who supports the wars in Iraq & Afghanistan which further leads to David despising her politics, as the show explores the intersection of their strained relationship given the duties that his job entails and the themes of government propaganda, terrorism, and David’s personal struggle dealing with PTSD.
