There are those of us who enjoy the whole movie experience – going to the theater, getting a large popcorn and soda, and reclining in anticipation of watching a film on the big screen. Typically, when the show is over, that’s it; you’ve spent two to three hours engrossed in the fictional, or true lives of others and can return to the real world when the show is over.
But then there are those of us who prefer a different viewing engagement, something that can be enjoyed from the comfort of our homes on the small screen; something with a bit more substance; a program that is drawn out, allowing us to immerse ourselves hour after hour, or week after week, building to the ultimate ending.
When it comes to TV viewing, we all have our particular preferences, and while not everyone enjoys watching a TV series that may take months or years to complete, or even a long documentary, there is almost something for everyone. Enter the miniseries – a perfect way for us to be entertained in a perfect timeframe – not too short and not too long. Most miniseries nowadays are streamed online with subscriptions, so you don’t even have to watch for weekly updates and releases.
A miniseries, also known as a limited series, is a program with a predetermined set of episodes that, unlike a traditional series, won’t leave the viewers on a cliffhanger but will have a definitive ending – a start and an ending. It often seems as though this type of show is strictly historical fiction or crime documentaries, but this genre can run the gamut.
Miniseries aren’t new either, although they are growing in popularity. One of the best is “The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed,” which was released in 1979. It has an IMDb score of 8.7 out of 10 and ran for five episodes. Another example of a popular miniseries, although more modern, is “Adventure Time: Distant Lands.” It has the same score, 8.7, but was released in 2020.
To determine the greatest miniseries in television history, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data on audience reception from IMDb. Miniseries were ranked based on average IMDb user rating as of March 2024. Only miniseries with at least 2,500 user reviews were considered. In the case of a tie, the series with the greater number of reviews was ranked higher. (This is a list of the most popular sports docuseries of all time.)
50. Anne of Green Gables (1985)
Source: Courtesy of Sullivan Entertainment
Source: Courtesy of Sullivan Entertainment
- IMDb user rating: 8.5/10
- IMDb user votes: 22,541
- Total episodes: 2
49. Spartacus: Gods of the Arena (2011)
Source: Courtesy of Starz
Source: Courtesy of Starz
- IMDb user rating: 8.5/10
- IMDb user votes: 144,781
- Total episodes: 6
48. Watchmen (2008)
Source: Courtesy of HBO Max
Source: Courtesy of HBO Max
- IMDb user rating: 8.6/10
- IMDb user votes: 3,429
- Total episodes: 12
47. Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking (2010)
Source: Courtesy of Discovery Channel
Source: Courtesy of Discovery Channel
- IMDb user rating: 8.6/10
- IMDb user votes: 5,531
- Total episodes: 3
46. Brideshead Revisited (1981)
Source: Courtesy of Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)
Source: Courtesy of Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)
- IMDb user rating: 8.6/10
- IMDb user votes: 7,986
- Total episodes: 11
45. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (1994)
Source: Courtesy of Granada Television International
Source: Courtesy of Granada Television International
- IMDb user rating: 8.6/10
- IMDb user votes: 8,292
- Total episodes: 6
44. Mr Bates vs. The Post Office (2024)
Source: Courtesy of PBS Masterpiece
N/A
Source: Courtesy of PBS Masterpiece
- IMDb user rating: 8.6/10
- IMDb user votes: 8,557
- Total episodes: 4
43. Long Way Round (2004)
Source: Courtesy of Goldhil Entertainment
Source: Courtesy of Goldhil Entertainment
- IMDb user rating: 8.6/10
- IMDb user votes: 15,184
- Total episodes: 10
42. North & South (2004)
Source: Courtesy of BBC One
Source: Courtesy of BBC One
- IMDb user rating: 8.6/10
- IMDb user votes: 34,749
- Total episodes: 4
41. The Haunting of Hill House (2018)
Source: Courtesy of Netflix
Source: Courtesy of Netflix
- IMDb user rating: 8.6/10
- IMDb user votes: 285,706
- Total episodes: 10
40. Wild Pacific (2009)
Source: Courtesy of British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
Source: Courtesy of British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
- IMDb user rating: 8.7/10
- IMDb user votes: 2,508
- Total episodes: 7
39. 1 Litre of Tears (2005)
Source: Courtesy of Toei Company
N/A
Source: Courtesy of Toei Company
- IMDb user rating: 8.7/10
- IMDb user votes: 2,851
- Total episodes: 12
38. Light & Magic (2022)
Source: David Livingston / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
Source: David Livingston / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
- IMDb user rating: 8.7/10
- IMDb user votes: 3,173
- Total episodes: 6
37. Heimat: A Chronicle of Germany (1984)
Source: Courtesy of Artificial Eye
Source: Courtesy of Artificial Eye
- IMDb user rating: 8.7/10
- IMDb user votes: 3,320
- Total episodes: 11
36. McCartney 3,2,1 (2021)
Source: Courtesy of Hulu
N/A
Source: Courtesy of Hulu
- IMDb user rating: 8.7/10
- IMDb user votes: 3,512
- Total episodes: 6
35. The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed (1979)
Source: Courtesy of FilmAnnex
Source: Courtesy of FilmAnnex
- IMDb user rating: 8.7/10
- IMDb user votes: 5,023
- Total episodes: 5
34. Adventure Time: Distant Lands (2020)
Source: Courtesy of Studio Distribution Services
Source: Courtesy of Studio Distribution Services
- IMDb user rating: 8.7/10
- IMDb user votes: 7,636
- Total episodes: 4
33. One Strange Rock (2018)
Source: Courtesy of National Geographic Channel
Source: Courtesy of National Geographic Channel
- IMDb user rating: 8.7/10
- IMDb user votes: 8,256
- Total episodes: 10
32. Greatest Events of WWII in Colour (2019)
Source: Courtesy of Discovery
Source: Courtesy of Discovery
- IMDb user rating: 8.7/10
- IMDb user votes: 10,482
- Total episodes: 10
31. Scavengers Reign (2023)
Source: Courtesy of HBO Max
N/A
Source: Courtesy of HBO Max
- IMDb user rating: 8.7/10
- IMDb user votes: 14,148
- Total episodes: 12
30. 1883 (2021)
Source: courtesy of Paramount Network
Source: courtesy of Paramount Network
- IMDb user rating: 8.7/10
- IMDb user votes: 113,393
- Total episodes: 10
29. The New Edition Story (2017)
Source: Courtesy of Black Entertainment Television (BET)
Source: Courtesy of Black Entertainment Television (BET)
- IMDb user rating: 8.8/10
- IMDb user votes: 3,251
- Total episodes: 3
28. Seventeen Moments of Spring (1973)
Source: Courtesy of Central Television USSR
Source: Courtesy of Central Television USSR
- IMDb user rating: 8.8/10
- IMDb user votes: 4,934
- Total episodes: 12
27. Das Boot (1985)
Source: Courtesy of NBC Universal Global Distribution
N/A
Source: Courtesy of NBC Universal Global Distribution
- IMDb user rating: 8.8/10
- IMDb user votes: 33,201
- Total episodes: 3
26. Over the Garden Wall (2014)
Source: Courtesy of Cartoon Network
Source: Courtesy of Cartoon Network
- IMDb user rating: 8.8/10
- IMDb user votes: 69,529
- Total episodes: 10
25. Pride and Prejudice (1995)
Source: Courtesy of A&E Home Video
Source: Courtesy of A&E Home Video
- IMDb user rating: 8.8/10
- IMDb user votes: 91,743
- Total episodes: 6
24. When They See Us (2019)
Source: Courtesy of Netflix
Source: Courtesy of Netflix
- Db user rating: 8.8/10
- IMDb user votes: 136,834
- Total episodes: 4
23. The Life of Birds (1998)
Source: Courtesy of British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
N/A
Source: Courtesy of British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
- IMDb user rating: 8.9/10
- IMDb user votes: 3,028
- Total episodes: 10
22. Nature’s Great Events (2009)
Source: Courtesy of British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
Source: Courtesy of British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
- IMDb user rating: 8.9/10
- IMDb user votes: 3,366
- Total episodes: 6
21. Adventure Time: Fionna & Cake (2023)
Source: Courtesy of Cartoon Network
Source: Courtesy of Cartoon Network
- IMDb user rating: 8.9/10
- IMDb user votes: 6,506
- Total episodes: 10
20. Africa (2013)
Source: Courtesy of Discovery Channel
Source: Courtesy of Discovery Channel
- IMDb user rating: 8.9/10
- IMDb user votes: 17,059
- Total episodes: 7
19. Okupas (2000)
Source: Courtesy of Canal 7
Source: Courtesy of Canal 7
- IMDb user rating: 9.0/10
- IMDb user votes: 2,942
- Total episodes: 11
18. Fanny and Alexander (1983)
Source: Courtesy of The Criterion Channel
N/A
Source: Courtesy of The Criterion Channel
- IMDb user rating: 9.0/10
- IMDb user votes: 4,629
- Total episodes: 5
17. Cosmos: Possible Worlds (2020)
Source: Courtesy of National Geographic Channel
Source: Courtesy of National Geographic Channel
- IMDb user rating: 9.0/10
- IMDb user votes: 7,715
- Total episodes: 13
16. Apocalypse: The Second World War (2009)
Source: Courtesy of France 2
Source: Courtesy of France 2
- IMDb user rating: 9.0/10
- IMDb user votes: 14,154
- Total episodes: 6
15. The Civil War (1990)
Source: Courtesy of Direct Cinema Limited
Source: Courtesy of Direct Cinema Limited
- IMDb user rating: 9.0/10
- IMDb user votes: 18,314
- Total episodes: 9
14. Human Planet (2011)
Source: Courtesy of British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
Source: Courtesy of British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
- IMDb user rating: 9.0/10
- IMDb user votes: 27,696
- Total episodes: 8
13. Frozen Planet (2011)
Source: Courtesy of Discovery Channel
Source: Courtesy of Discovery Channel
- IMDb user rating: 9.0/10
- IMDb user votes: 32,818
- Total episodes: 10
12. The Blue Planet (2001)
Source: Courtesy of BBC Worldwide Americas
Source: Courtesy of BBC Worldwide Americas
- IMDb user rating: 9.0/10
- IMDb user votes: 42,480
- Total episodes: 8
11. Dynasties (2018)
Source: Courtesy of BBC Worldwide
N/A
Source: Courtesy of BBC Worldwide
- IMDb user rating: 9.1/10
- IMDb user votes: 5,090
- Total episodes: 7
10. The Beatles Anthology (1995)
Source: Courtesy of American Broadcasting Company
N/A
Source: Courtesy of American Broadcasting Company
- IMDb user rating: 9.1/10
- IMDb user votes: 9,400
- Total episodes: 9
9. The Vietnam War (2017)
Source: Courtesy of PBS
N/A
Source: Courtesy of PBS
- IMDb user rating: 9.1/10
- IMDb user votes: 27,714
- Total episodes: 10
8. Baseball (1994)
Source: Courtesy of Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)
Source: Courtesy of Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)
- IMDb user rating: 9.2/10
- IMDb user votes: 4,697
- Total episodes: 11
7. A Dog’s Will (1999)
Source: Courtesy of Rede Globo de Televisão
Source: Courtesy of Rede Globo de Televisão
- IMDb user rating: 9.2/10
- IMDb user votes: 5,142
- Total episodes: 4
6. Shōgun (2024)
Source: Courtesy of FX Network
Source: Courtesy of FX Network
- IMDb user rating: 9.2/10
- IMDb user votes: 24,679
- Total episodes: 6
5. Seven Worlds One Planet (2019)
Source: Courtesy of BBC America
Source: Courtesy of BBC America
- IMDb user rating: 9.3/10
- IMDb user votes: 6,001
- Total episodes: 7
4. Cosmos (1980)
Source: Courtesy of Public Broadcasting Service
Source: Courtesy of Public Broadcasting Service
- IMDb user rating: 9.3/10
- IMDb user votes: 43,618
- Total episodes: 13
3. Blue Planet II (2017)
Source: Courtesy of BBC America
Source: Courtesy of BBC America
- IMDb user rating: 9.3/10
- IMDb user votes: 45,893
- Total episodes: 7
2. Band of Brothers (2001)
Source: Courtesy of Home Box Office
Source: Courtesy of Home Box Office
- IMDb user rating: 9.4/10
- IMDb user votes: 520,881
- Total episodes: 10
1. Planet Earth II (2016)
Source: Courtesy of BBC America
Source: Courtesy of BBC America
- IMDb user rating: 9.5/10
- IMDb user votes: 156,635
- Total episodes: 6