Diwali couldn’t have come at a better time this year. It’s already been shit so far. So maybe this festival will be a slight change of scene. It also falls on the weekend, so it’s going to be a long holiday, in spirit of which, we decided to compile a list of mini-series you can binge. You still can’t really go out anyway. So…
1. Evil Genius
A pizza delivery guy walks into a bank with a bomb tied to his vest and tries to loot it. Every episode of this true-crime series forces you to question if he’s a robber or a hostage. This high-profile 2003 incident is often referred to as the ‘collar bomb’ or ‘pizza bomber’ case in the USA.
You can watch this on Netflix.
2. The Devil Next Door
This is the true story of the life of John Demjanjuk, an Ukrainian native living in Cleveland as an autoworker. However, he is taken into custody and put on trial in Israel after the survivors of the Treblinka extermination camp identify him as none other than the infamous Nazi concentration camp guard, Ivan The Terrible.
You can watch this on Netflix.
3. I Know This Much Is True
Based on the book by Wally Lamb, the show chronicles the life of Dominick Birdsey as he tries to care for his twin brother, Thomas Birdsey while discovering the truth about their family history. The show is an all-you-can-eat buffet for people who love dramas.
You can watch this on Disney+Hotstar.
4. The Night Of
The 8-part series staring Riz Ahmed is one of those shows that truly get on your nerve. Nasir Khan, played by Ahmed gives a lift to a woman and takes her to a party hosted by his friend. However, next morning, she is found dead and he is charged with murder and now must prove his innocence.
You can watch this on Disney+Hotstar.
5. Unbelievable (TW: Rape)
While a young woman is accused of lying about being raped as a teenager in 2008, two detectives manage to re-open a case about a series of rapes. This heart-breaking true-crime series not only follows the story to its end but also takes us through the consequences of victim shaming and blaming.
You can watch this on Netflix.
6. The English Game
Footballers are some of the highest paid athletes in the world. But did you know back in the day of Old Etonian England, getting paid for Football wasn’t only frowned upon, it was also banned? The aristocrats or the amateurs, thus, were the only ones playing the game. This show follows that history and how two working class men moved past the class divide and changed the game for better.
You can watch this on Netflix.
7. Dead Set
Written by Black Mirror‘s Charlie Brooker, this five-episode series chronicles a nightmare scenario in which Britain is taken over by zombies. No one is spared the wrath of the undead, well, except the participants and the production crew of Big Brother (The English Big Boss). They are all protected but then the show comes to an end and they are suddenly thrown into the zombie apocalypse!
You can watch this on Netflix.
8. A Very English Scandal
Hugh Grant, stars as Jeremy Thorpe, a politician, who tries to get his former lover, Norman, murdered for fear he may end his political career. However, Thorpe faces trial when Norman gets out alive and reports the crime. This show is as British as is gets.
You can watch it on Amazon Prime Video.
9. Hello Ladies
Stephen Merchant plays Stuart Pritchard, an Englishman, who arrives in Los Angeles to find the ‘girl of his dreams’. He routines falls into awkward situations with women, presumably because he’s like, 8 ft tall. The show is hilarious and if you want to watch something light during this Diwali weekend, this is highly suggested.
You can watch this on Disney+Hotstar.
10. The Pacific
While war movies are dime a dozen, good shows about war are rare to find. But we have found one for you. The Pacific is the story of three Marines from different regiments face difficult situations and must struggle to survive during America’s battle with the Japanese in the Pacific during World War II.
You can watch this on Disney+Hotstar.
11. Good Omens
This mini-series based on the novel of the same name by Neil Gaimnan sees the angel Aziraphale, played by Michael Sheen and demon Crowley, played by David Tenant team up to save the world. The show is goofy, makes pokes at the itself constantly and has some great music!
You can watch this on Amazon Prime Video.
12. The Spy
Anyone who hasn’t associated Sasha Baron Cohen with serious roles yet, definitely needs to watch The Spy, among other things, of course. The series takes place during the years leading to the 1967 Six-Day War between Israel and Syria and follows the journey of Eli Cohen, a Mossad spy as he infiltrates the Syrian Ministry of Defence.
You can watch this on Netflix.
13. Watchmen
This version of the Watchmen follows in the aftermath of Ozymandias killing millions and Dr Manhattan abandoning the the people of Earth. The show is an astoundingly grounded commentary of race relations in the USA and shows us a glimpse of the history of racial violence through the lens of the superhero genre.
You can watch this on Disney+Hotstar.
14. The Night Manager
Jonathan Pine, a luxury hotel night manager and former British soldier, is recruited by Angela Burr, the manager of an FCO task force investigating illegal arms sales, to infiltrate the inner circle of arms dealer Richard Roper. Consider this to be Tom Hiddleston’s audition for James Bond.
You can watch it on Amazon Prime Video.
15. The Queen’s Gambit
Everyone is talking about it and the internet somehow hasn’t trolled it yet, despite it being about a woman. So it goes without saying, this is a brilliant show. It follows the life of Beth Harmon, played by Anya Taylor-Joy, during her quest to become the world’s greatest chess player as she struggles with drug and alcohol dependency.
You can watch it on Netflix.
16. Godless
A traditional Western, but with all the men in the town being dead. Sure, a stranger comes along, there are cowboys and ‘Indians’, lots of shootouts but the show is unequivocally badass and feminist for the time it is set in. Give it a go, if you will. It will probably the best decision you’ll make this week.
You can watch this on Netflix.
17. Generation Kill
The seven-part television miniseries is based on Evan Wright’s 2004 book about his experience as an embedded reporter with the US Marine Corps’ 1st Reconnaissance Battalion during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The show is written by David Simon, Ed Burns and Evan Wright of The Wire and boy, they haven’t missed a beat!
You can watch this on Disney+Hotstar.
18. Don’t F**k With Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer
The docuseries trails a amateur internet sleuths launching a manhunt for Luka Magnotta after he shared a graphic video online of himself killing two kittens in 2010. Magnotta was later convicted for murdering a Chinese international student, Jun Lin in grisly circumstances in 2012.
You can watch this on Netflix.
19. When They See Us
The docudrama follows the story of the Central Park 5 – 5 underage African American kids who had been falsely accused, and sentenced to prison in a rape case. The show focusses on the holes in America’s race relations and its deeply flawed criminal justice system. Mind you, this isn’t a light watch so if you do decide to go for it, be prepared for some anger and heartbreak.
You can watch this on Netflix.
20. Crashing
Written by and featuring Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the mini-series follows a motley crew becoming housemates in a disused hospital during a time where property prices are high. The show is vintage Waller-Bridge and is definitely the most underrated series mentioned on this list.
You can watch this on Disney+Hotstar.
21. Chernobyl
Arguably one the most popular mini-series to have come out in recent years, Chernobyl captures the otherwise unknown events on the nuclear disaster that shaped the USSR and the world for decades to come. The show documents the human toll of the disaster and the drastic efforts the Russian scientific community had to take to stop it from being a global catastrophe. If you’ve already watched it, you can still have another go at it. It’s just that good.
You can watch it on Disney+Hotstar.
There we go. So instead of bursting crackers and killing your lungs in the process, binge watch these and ruin your eyes. Happy Diwali.