Unorthodox to WandaVision
These nine mini-series offer huge entertainment
"Unorthodox" star Shira Haas (r.) Is nominated for a Golden Globe.
© Anika Molnar / Netflix
Miniseries have blossomed into the perfect balance between films and lengthy series. Nobody should miss these nine.
Narrative not as limited as a film, but also not as wretchedly lengthy as some series: This is how the great advantage of so-called mini-series can be described in a nutshell. Sometimes they only consist of a handful of episodes and can concentrate fully on the story they want to tell. Characters are drawn in much more detail than in a film, at the same time you can (yes, even have to) do without gap filler episodes. And even outrageous cliffhangers to somehow stretch the story over several seasons are no longer necessary.
In short: The miniseries is the best of the film and TV world. It ends at a time when the viewers are longing for more – and don't literally run to death like the zombies from "The Walking Dead" or the weekly monsters from "The X-Files" do or have done. If this is new territory for you, you should start with these nine miniseries.
"WandaVision"
The miniseries "WandaVision" from the Marvel Universe is the most recent addition to this list. The unusual story of the tragically enamored Avengers Vision and Scarlet Witch, played by Paul Bettany (49) and Elizabeth Olsen (31), comprises nine episodes. The miniseries on Disney + is both an homage to the sitcoms of the 50s and an important piece of the puzzle in the MCU – if you think Thanos is a Greek island, you have to catch up on some Marvel films before "WandaVision" …
"Watchmen"
We stay in the superhero cosmos, but in a much darker part of it. With "Watchmen", fans of the HBO miniseries with Oscar winner Regina King (50) agree, creator Damon Lindelof (47) has created a masterpiece. In nine episodes, the comic adaptation tells the story of the policewoman Angela Abar (King) and mixes real history of racism in the USA with unique fiction. Even the most absurd things at the beginning of "Watchmen" somehow make sense in the end – even the attack of a giant squid.
"Unorthodox"
"Unorthodox" by Maria Schrader (55) has been nominated for two Golden Globes. On the one hand as the best miniseries and the leading actress Shira Haas (25) as the best actress in a miniseries. In it she embodies the 19-year-old Jewess Esther "Esty" Shapiro, who flees to Germany from New York and an arranged, unhappy marriage. There she meets her mother, who once also escaped from the ultra-orthodox Jewish religious community and now lives as a self-determined, lesbian woman in Berlin.
"The Queen's Gambit"
"The Queen's Gambit" recently accompanied Elizabeth "Beth" Harmon and her transition from orphan to chess master for seven episodes. Anya Taylor-Joy (24) and Isla Johnston (14) embody heroine Beth in their impressive career, but also masterfully portray their inner conflict and drug addiction. The Netflix production is not only worth a look for grandmasters – the entertainment is not in any Checkmate of the seven episodes.
"The Undoing"
The mini-series "The Undoing" is also brand new. With Nicole Kidman (53) and Hugh Grant (60), she not only has an absolute top cast, but also offers haunting thriller food in six wholesome episode bites. You play Grace (Kidman) and Jonathan Fraser (Grant), whose family idyll is suddenly destroyed. The mother of a classmate of her son Henry is brutally murdered, almost at the same time there is no trace of Jonathan – and then Grace moves into the center of the investigating officers.
"The Night Manager"
As with "The Undoing", the Danish Oscar winner Susanne Bier (60, "In a Better World") directed "The Night Manager" with Tom Hiddleston (39) and Hugh Laurie (61). For eight episodes, Hiddleston was allowed to prove his qualities as an MI6 agent against his will and was even named a "Bond" candidate by fans and critics for the quality of his acting. As the night manager of a hotel in Cairo, Jonathan Pine (Hiddleston) discovers arms dealer Richard Onslow Roper (Laurie) and is then recruited by the British secret service.
"Bodyguard"
With his role in "Bodyguard", "Game of Thrones" star Richard Madden (34) was so convincing that he was promptly traded as the "Bond" successor to Daniel Craig (52) after the UK premiere in 2018. The story of the six episodes: War veteran David Budd (Madden) is assigned to Interior Secretary Julia Montague (Keeley Hawes, 44) by the Metropolitan Police as a bodyguard. The fact that he does not share her political views at all is not only making his job increasingly difficult. Will he pose a threat to the ambitious politician?
"Maniac"
Speaking of "Bond": Before Cary Joji Fukunaga (43) was appointed director of "No Time to Die", he directed the wacky miniseries "Maniac". The mixture of science fiction, comedy and tragedy takes place in a not too distant future and follows the two protagonists Anja Stadlober (Emma Stone, 32) and Tobias Müller (Jonah Hill, 37). Both are subjects of a mysterious pharmaceutical study that throws them into ten episodes in completely different scenarios – from 1940 to a would-be Middle-earth.
"Chernobyl"
How did the terrible accident in 1986 at the nuclear power plant near the city of Chernobyl come about? The award-winning miniseries "Chernobyl" examines this question in a masterly and ruthless manner in five episodes. Jared Harris (59) and Stellan Skarsgård (69) play the real Valery Legasov and Boris Shcherbina, who try to contain the consequences of the worst-case scenario while also exposing the circumstances of the disaster. More than one episode at a time is difficult to digest, but for historical reasons alone it is definitely worth it.