10 Best Netflix Miniseries of All Time, Ranked

Miniseries have been a television staple since the 1970s, with early examples like Roots and Scenes from a Marriage. Streaming has helped the format enter a defining golden era by making limited series more commercially viable, and Netflix has released a wide range of such projects—dour dramas, harrowing horrors, sweeping Westerns and genre‑blending tragicomedies—that showcase the form’s artistry and impact.

Maniac (2018) blends surreal sci‑fi, tragicomedy and mind‑bending drama, anchored by Jonah Hill and Emma Stone as two strangers who connect during a pharmaceutical trial; every episode was directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga and the production design ranges from medieval fantasy to 1980s suburbia.

Death by Lightning (2025) dramatizes the 1881 presidential run of James A. Garfield (Michael Shannon) and the delusional Charles Guiteau (Matthew Macfadyen), probing corruption, envy and the fragility of power.

United States

netflix, miniseries, maniac, jonah hill, emma stone, cary fukunaga, james garfield, charles guiteau, michael shannon, limited series