8 Greatest Series To Stream With 8 Episodes or Less

Whenever people talk about prestige television shows, they usually focus on long-running, network landmarks like Grey’s Anatomy or cultural phenomena like Breaking Bad. What are generally overlooked are the shorter shows that are often better than the multi-season hits that dominate pop culture. Several miniseries of the 21st century have proven that sometimes less is more and redefined how we look at television shows.

In their limited runtime, well-made miniseries work like well-written short stories with tight pacing, assured conclusions (or intriguing cliffhangers), and no filler episodes. From TV classics like Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy to acclaimed modern gems like Ripley, these series are easily some of the greatest television shows of all time, and they’re all utterly satisfying despite being just a few episodes long. With that in mind, here’s our selection of some of the greatest series available to stream with eight episodes or fewer.

1

‘Chernobyl’ (2019)

Image via HBO

Craig Mazin’s critically acclaimed television drama Chernobyl dramatizes the titular nuclear disaster in Ukraine in 1986, which destroyed the entire industrial town and has affected human and natural life in the area for generations. The HBO series focuses on the events leading up to the disaster, the people who were involved, and how the first responders dealt with the aftermath. Jared Harris, Stellan Skarsgård, Emily Watson, Paul Ritter, Jessie Buckley, and Barry Keoghan portray various real-life personalities associated with the incident.

Released in 2019, Chernobyl was a very unique show at the time with its tightly paced five-episode narrative, standing out among multi-season hits. While the lines between facts and fiction often get blurred, the narrative successfully translates scientific realities and brutal tragedy into atmospheric horror and psychological dread. Through its powerful performances, architectural accuracy, and masterful cinematography, the historical miniseries masterpiece captures the intensity and graveness of the decades-old tragedy in its limited runtime like no other.

2

‘Generation Kill’ (2008)

Image via HBO

A classic war TV series created by David Simon and Ed Burns, based on war journalist Evan Wright’s non-fiction book, Generation Kill dramatizes Wright’s experiences as a reporter during the 2003 U.S. Invasion of Iraq. The series sees Wright, portrayed by Lee Tergesen, becoming an embedded reporter in the United States Marine Corps 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, facing various challenges alongside the Marines on their way to Baghdad in the first phase of the war. Other real-life figures are played by Alexander Skarsgård, James Ransone, Jon Huertas, Marc Menchaca, and Stark Sands.

Gripping and tense, Generation Kill is a clever deconstruction of the chaotic reality that unfolded during the invasion and is considered to be one of the most accurate depictions of the war. At the time of its release, the series was one of those rare shows without any genre or TV clichés, lauded for its raw realism, which leaves a lasting impression on the viewer. Generation Kill has since become a genre landmark like Band of Brothers and ranks among the greatest war shows made in the 2000s.

3

‘Pluto’ (2023)

Image via Netflix

Directed by Toshio Kawaguchi, Pluto is an anime series adaptation of Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki’s manga, Pluto: Urasawa X Tezuka, in turn inspired by the legendary manga series, Astro Boy. Set in a neo-futuristic world where humans and robots cohabit on a delicate balance of existence, the show follows a string of gruesome murders, with robot detective Gesicht of Europol investigating and finding himself entangled in a mind-boggling, sinister conspiracy that could forever destroy the world of humans and robots. The Japanese voice cast features Shinshū Fuji, Hiroki Yasumoto, Koichi Yamadera, Yoko Hikasa, and Minori Suzuki as main characters.

The original manga successfully expands the iconic universe of Astro Boy to greater heights, and Netflix’s series adaptation of Pluto breathes life into that masterful world-building. With its complex themes and remarkable character evolution, the anime series raises critical questions about human beings and the unique experience of being human. Exceptionally thoughtful and beautifully designed, Pluto thrills, intrigues, and delights with stunning art and haunting music that captivates you in every minute of its eight episodes.

4

‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’ (1979)

Image via BBC

Among all of John le Carré’s novels adapted for television, the BBC’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy remains one of the finest. Directed by John Irvin, the series follows MI6 spymaster George Smiley, played by Alec Guinness, who is brought back from retirement to run an internal investigation inside the British Secret Service to identify a Russian double agent among the high-ranking senior agents. The series also stars Michael Jayston, Anthony Bate, George Sewell, Ian Bannen, and Patrick Stewart.

While the 2011 film adaptation of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is more popular among modern-day fans, the 1979 miniseries is a masterpiece of spy television. The series has been praised for its utmost faithfulness to the original novel and Guinness’s perfect portrayal of the grizzled British spy. The seven-episode BBC show is also notable for reflecting its contemporary realities and authentic sentiments during the height of the Cold War, bringing more artistic depth and psychological weight to the narrative.

5

‘Devs’ (2020)

Image via FX

In his first television project, Alex Garland brings his sci-fi storytelling mastery to Devs, a thriller miniseries centered on an experimental quantum computing company called Amaya, where Lily, a software engineer, investigates the sudden death of her boyfriend. As Lily dives into the inner workings of the company and its CEO, Forest, she discovers a game-changing technology that raises life-altering questions of morality, ethics, and existentialism. Sonoya Mizuno stars as Lily and Nick Offerman as Forest, with Allison Pill, Zach Greiner, Carl Glusman, Cailee Spaeny, Stephen McKinley Henderson, and more in supporting roles.

An intellectual, ambitious, and visually distinct show, Devs was a stand-out sci-fi show of its time. Though it ran alongside similar high-concept shows like Westworld and Dark, Devs became unique with its niche concept, which brilliantly merges themes of quantum physics, determinism, and tech cultism in a tight narrative without ever missing out on any element. Mind-bending and inventive, Devs moves like a dream, despite its deliberate pace, captivating the audience in its imaginative story and hypnotic visuals.

6

‘Ripley’ (2024)

Image via Netflix

Steven Zaillian’s second-ever television show (after The Night Of), Netflix’s Ripley is a neo-noir psychological thriller miniseries adapted from Patricia Highsmith’s popular crime novel, The Talented Mr. Ripley. It tells the story of the titular conman, Tom Ripley, who travels from New York to Italy to convince wealthy heir Dickie Greenleaf to return home to America. But when Tom meets Dickie, he develops a dangerous psychosexual obsession with him, with deadly consequences. Andrew Scott leads the cast as Tom Ripley, with Johnny Flynn, Dakota Fanning, Eliot Sumner, Margherita Buy, and Maurizio Lombardi playing other main characters.

Presented through rich black-and-white cinematography, with Hitchcockian motifs and elements of Giallo cinema, Ripley is a visual feast that delights in every frame. Zaillian puts a very stylish spin on Highsmith’s popular antagonist and turns the vintage crime fiction into an opulent contemporary masterpiece. Driven by invested performances by its main cast, headlined by Andrew Scott’s chilling antagonist, Ripley is undoubtedly one of the most perfect shows Netflix has ever produced.

7

‘Angels in America’ (2003)

Image via HBO

Created by Mike Nichols and based on Tony Kushner’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes, Angels in America revolves around various characters living in 1985 New York City, whose lives and stories intersect through common themes of mental health, emotional struggles, and AIDs. Featuring a mix of fictional and historical characters and powerful symbolism, the six-episode series centers on Prior Walter (Justin Kirk), a gay man suffering from AIDS who is visited by an angel. The series also stars Meryl Streep, Patrick Wilson, Mary-Louise Parker, Emma Thompson, Jeffrey Wright, and more, with Al Pacino in his first major TV role.

Originally released as a TV movie, Angels in America became the most-watched cable film of its time and has since remained an HBO landmark, every episode of which is masterfully made. Set against the backdrop of the radically changing American social and political landscape of the ’80s, the series explores grave themes in the most artistic and aesthetic way possible, delivered through remarkable A-list performances. The series has since been critically praised for its depiction of AIDS, and it became the first of only three programs in Emmy history to sweep every major eligible category and all four acting categories.

8

‘A Very English Scandal’ (2018)

Created and written by Russell T. Davies and based on John Preston’s non-fiction crime novel, A Very English Scandal is a three-part British historical drama series fictionalizing the infamous Thorpe Affair of 1976-1979, in which Member of Parliament and Leader of the Liberal Party Jeremy Thorpe was accused of conspiring to murder his alleged former lover, Norman Josiffe aka Norman Scott. The BBC series follows 18 years of events leading up to the affair becoming a public scandal. Hugh Grant and Ben Whishaw star as Thorpe and Norman, respectively, with Alex Jennings, Patricia Hodge, Monica Dolan, Paul Hilton, and Jonathan Hyde in notable roles.

A Very English Scandal is a gripping political drama that gives a shocking look into British politics and society of the time and engrosses the audience with its clever writing and cruel humor. Hugh Grant delivers a refreshing performance as the deeply conflicted politician, as does Ben Whishaw as his unstable ex-lover. A sophisticated and stylish satire, the BBC series has earned critical acclaim for revisiting the dark real-life case with sharp writing and masterful acting.