Not everyone likes to watch long documentaries and series. Watching TV is all about preference. Miniseries are perfect for viewers who want short entertainment that won’t take months or years to complete. Now, most miniseries are streamed online with subscriptions, so you don’t even have to watch for weekly updates and releases.
While many people assume miniseries are historical fiction or crime/documentary-related, there are miniseries about anything. Some popular miniseries include “One Day,” “Regime,” and “Rich Man, Poor Man.” But what makes a miniseries, mini? Is it the number of episodes, or maybe the duration of each? There isn’t one definition or one magic number. Instead, a miniseries is a series with a defined number of episodes to tell the story from start to end. This is unlike sitcoms and other long shows where the series doesn’t have a concrete end and instead awaits possible renewal.
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.
After this article, if you’re interested in documentaries, check out the 20 best documentary films of all time.
For now, keep reading to discover the best miniseries of all time, including their IMDb scores, episode counts, and main cast.
To determine the best miniseries of all time, 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. The main cast information is also from IMDb. (And this is a list of the most popular sports docuseries of all time.)
50. Anne of Green Gables (1985)
Source: Courtesy of Public Broadcasting Service
- IMDb user rating: 8.5/10
- IMDb user votes: 22,541
- Episode count: 2
- Main cast: Megan Follows, Colleen Dewhurst, Richard Farnsworth, Patricia Hamilton
49. Spartacus: Gods of the Arena (2011)
Source: Courtesy of Starz
- IMDb user rating: 8.5/10
- IMDb user votes: 144,781
- Episode count: 6
- Main cast: John Hannah, Manu Bennett, Peter Mensah, Dustin Clare
48. Watchmen (2008)
Source: Courtesy of HBO Max
- IMDb user rating: 8.6/10
- IMDb user votes: 3,429
- Episode count: 12
- Main cast: Tom Stechschulte
47. Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking (2010)
Source: Courtesy of Discovery Channel
- IMDb user rating: 8.6/10
- IMDb user votes: 5,531
- Episode count: 3
- Main cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Stephen Hawking, Melissa Ricci, Christopher Goh
46. Brideshead Revisited (1981)
Source: Courtesy of Public Broadcasting Service
- IMDb user rating: 8.6/10
- IMDb user votes: 7,986
- Episode count: 11
- Main cast: Jeremy Irons, Diana Quick, Roger Milner, Phoebe Nicholls
45. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (1994)
Source: Courtesy of A+E Networks
N/A
- IMDb user rating: 8.6/10
- IMDb user votes: 8,292
- Episode count: 6
- Main cast: Jeremy Brett, Rosalie Williams, Edward Hardwicke, Charles Gray
44. Mr Bates vs. The Post Office (2024)
Source: Courtesy of PBS Masterpiece
N/A
- IMDb user rating: 8.6/10
- IMDb user votes: 8,557
- Episode count: 4
- Main cast: Toby Jones, Monica Dolan, Julie Hesmondhalgh, Will Mellor
43. Long Way Round (2004)
Source: Courtesy of Goldhil Entertainment
- IMDb user rating: 8.6/10
- IMDb user votes: 15,184
- Episode count: 10
- Main cast: Ewan McGregor, Charley Boorman, David Alexanian, Russ Malkin
42. North & South (2004)
Source: Courtesy of BBC One
N/A
- IMDb user rating: 8.6/10
- IMDb user votes: 34,749
- Episode count: 4
- Main cast: Daniela Denby-Ashe, Richard Armitage, Tim Pigott-Smith, Sinéad Cusack
41. The Haunting of Hill House (2018)
Source: Courtesy of Netflix
N/A
- IMDb user rating: 8.6/10
- IMDb user votes: 285,706
- Episode count: 10
- Main cast: Michiel Huisman, Carla Gugino, Henry Thomas, Elizabeth Reaser
40. Wild Pacific (2009)
Source: Courtesy of British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
N/A
- IMDb user rating: 8.7/10
- IMDb user votes: 2,508
- Episode count: 7
- Main cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Mike Rowe, Richard Wollocombe, Mark Brownlow
39. 1 Litre of Tears (2005)
Source: Courtesy of Toei Company
N/A
- IMDb user rating: 8.7/10
- IMDb user votes: 2,851
- Episode count: 12
- Main cast: Erika Sawajiri, Ryo Nishikido, Hiroko Yakushimaru, Takanori Jinnai
38. Light & Magic (2022)
Source: David Livingston / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
- IMDb user rating: 8.7/10
- IMDb user votes: 3,173
- Episode count: 6
- Main cast: George Lucas, Dennis Muren, Lorne Peterson, Ron Howard
37. Heimat: A Chronicle of Germany (1984)
Source: Courtesy of Artificial Eye
- IMDb user rating: 8.7/10
- IMDb user votes: 3,320
- Episode count: 11
- Main cast: Marita Breuer, Rüdiger Weigang, Kurt Wagner, Gertrud Bredel
36. McCartney 3,2,1 (2021)
Source: Courtesy of Hulu
N/A
- IMDb user rating: 8.7/10
- IMDb user votes: 3,512
- Episode count: 6
- Main cast: Paul McCartney, Rick Rubin
35. The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed (1979)
Source: Courtesy of Odessa Film Studio, Second Creative Association
N/A
- IMDb user rating: 8.7/10
- IMDb user votes: 5,023
- Episode count: 5
- Main cast: Vladimir Vysotskiy, Vladimir Konkin, Sergey Yurskiy, Aleksandr Belyavskiy
34. Adventure Time: Distant Lands (2020)
Source: Courtesy of Studio Distribution Services
- IMDb user rating: 8.7/10
- IMDb user votes: 7,636
- Episode count: 4
- Main cast: Tom Kenny, John DiMaggio, Jeremy Shada, Hynden Walch
33. One Strange Rock (2018)
Source: Courtesy of National Geographic Channel
- IMDb user rating: 8.7/10
- IMDb user votes: 8,256
- Episode count: 10
- Main cast: Will Smith, Chris Hadfield, Jerry Linenger, Mae C. Jemison
32. Greatest Events of WWII in Colour (2019)
Source: Courtesy of Discovery
- IMDb user rating: 8.7/10
- IMDb user votes: 10,482
- Episode count: 10
- Main cast: Derek Jacobi, Geoffrey Wawro, James Holland, Saul David
31. Scavengers Reign (2023)
Source: Courtesy of HBO Max
N/A
- IMDb user rating: 8.7/10
- IMDb user votes: 14,148
- Episode count: 12
- Main cast: Sunita Mani, Wunmi Mosaku, Bob Stephenson, Alia Shawkat
30. 1883 (2021)
Source: Courtesy of Paramount+
- IMDb user rating: 8.7/10
- IMDb user votes: 113,393
- Episode count: 10
- Main cast: Tim McGraw, Sam Elliott, Faith Hill, Isabel May
29. The New Edition Story (2017)
Source: Courtesy of Black Entertainment Television
- IMDb user rating: 8.8/10
- IMDb user votes: 3,251
- Episode count: 3
- Main cast: Bryshere Y. Gray, Elijah Kelley, Luke James, Woody McClain
28. Seventeen Moments of Spring (1973)
Source: Courtesy of Central Television USSR
N/A
- IMDb user rating: 8.8/10
- IMDb user votes: 4,934
- Episode count: 12
- Main cast: Vyacheslav Tikhonov, Yefim Kopelyan, Leonid Bronevoy, Ekaterina Gradova
27. Das Boot (1985)
Source: Courtesy of NBC Universal Global Distribution
N/A
- IMDb user rating: 8.8/10
- IMDb user votes: 33,201
- Episode count: 3
- Main cast: Jürgen Prochnow, Herbert Grönemeyer, Klaus Wennemann, Hubertus Bengsch
26. Over the Garden Wall (2014)
Source: Courtesy of Cartoon Network
- IMDb user rating: 8.8/10
- IMDb user votes: 69,529
- Episode count: 10
- Main cast: Elijah Wood, Collin Dean, Melanie Lynskey, Christopher Lloyd
25. Pride and Prejudice (1995)
Source: Courtesy of A&E Home Video
- IMDb user rating: 8.8/10
- IMDb user votes: 91,743
- Episode count: 6
- Main cast: Colin Firth, Jennifer Ehle, Susannah Harker, Julia Sawalha
24. When They See Us (2019)
Source: Courtesy of Netflix
N/A
- Db user rating: 8.8/10
- IMDb user votes: 136,834
- Episode count: 4
- Main cast: Asante Blackk, Caleel Harris, Ethan Herisse, Marquis Rodriguez
23. The Life of Birds (1998)
Source: Courtesy of British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
N/A
- IMDb user rating: 8.9/10
- IMDb user votes: 3,028
- Episode count: 10
- Main cast: David Attenborough
22. Nature’s Great Events (2009)
Source: Courtesy of British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
N/A
- IMDb user rating: 8.9/10
- IMDb user votes: 3,366
- Episode count: 6
- Main cast: David Attenborough, Joe Stevens, Shane Moore, Owen Newman
21. Adventure Time: Fionna & Cake (2023)
Source: Courtesy of Cartoon Network
- IMDb user rating: 8.9/10
- IMDb user votes: 6,506
- Episode count: 10
- Main cast: Madeleine Martin, Roz Ryan, Tom Kenny, Dee Bradley Baker
20. Africa (2013)
Source: Courtesy of Discovery Channel
- IMDb user rating: 8.9/10
- IMDb user votes: 17,059
- Episode count: 7
- Main cast: David Attenborough, Simon Blakeney, Bill Rudolph, Justine Evans
19. Okupas (2000)
Source: Courtesy of Canal 7
N/A
- IMDb user rating: 9.0/10
- IMDb user votes: 2,942
- Episode count: 11
- Main cast: Rodrigo de la Serna, Diego Alonso Gómez, Ariel Staltari, Franco Tirri
18. Fanny and Alexander (1983)
Source: Courtesy of The Criterion Channel
N/A
- IMDb user rating: 9.0/10
- IMDb user votes: 4,629
- Episode count: 5
- Main cast: Ewa Fröling, Jarl Kulle, Börje Ahlstedt, Gunn Wållgren
17. Cosmos: Possible Worlds (2020)
Source: Courtesy of National Geographic Channel
- IMDb user rating: 9.0/10
- IMDb user votes: 7,715
- Episode count: 13
- Main cast: Neil deGrasse Tyson, Seth MacFarlane, Sasha Sagan, Trang Vo
16. Apocalypse: The Second World War (2009)
Source: Courtesy of France 2
N/A
- IMDb user rating: 9.0/10
- IMDb user votes: 14,154
- Episode count: 6
- Main cast: Mathieu Kassovitz, Martin Sheen, Rudolf Hess
15. The Civil War (1990)
Source: Courtesy of Direct Cinema Limited
- IMDb user rating: 9.0/10
- IMDb user votes: 18,314
- Episode count: 9
- Main cast: David McCullough, Sam Waterston, Julie Harris, Jason Robards
14. Human Planet (2011)
Source: Courtesy of BBC One
N/A
- IMDb user rating: 9.0/10
- IMDb user votes: 27,696
- Episode count: 8
- Main cast: John Hurt, Roger Munns
13. Frozen Planet (2011)
Source: Courtesy of Discovery Channel
N/A
- IMDb user rating: 9.0/10
- IMDb user votes: 32,818
- Episode count: 10
- Main cast: David Attenborough, Alec Baldwin, Chadden Hunter, Michael Kelem
12. The Blue Planet (2001)
Source: Courtesy of BBC Worldwide Americas
- IMDb user rating: 9.0/10
- IMDb user votes: 42,480
- Episode count: 8
- Main cast: David Attenborough, Pierce Brosnan, Peter Scoones
11. Dynasties (2018)
Source: Courtesy of BBC Worldwide
N/A
- IMDb user rating: 9.1/10
- IMDb user votes: 5,090
- Episode count: 7
- Main cast: David Attenborough, John Brown, Mark MacEwen, Sophie Darlington
10. The Beatles Anthology (1995)
Source: Courtesy of American Broadcasting Company
- IMDb user rating: 9.1/10
- IMDb user votes: 9,400
- Episode count: 9
- Main cast: Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, George Martin
9. The Vietnam War (2017)
Source: Courtesy of PBS
N/A
- IMDb user rating: 9.1/10
- IMDb user votes: 27,714
- Episode count: 10
- Main cast: Peter Coyote, Huy Duc, James Willbanks, Duong Van Mai Elliott
8. Baseball (1994)
Source: Courtesy of Public Broadcasting Service
- IMDb user rating: 9.2/10
- IMDb user votes: 4,697
- Episode count: 11
- Main cast: Daniel Okrent, George F. Will, John Chancellor, Doris Kearns Goodwin
7. A Dog’s Will (1999)
Source: Courtesy of Rede Globo de Televisão
N/A
- IMDb user rating: 9.2/10
- IMDb user votes: 5,142
- Episode count: 4
- Main cast: Matheus Nachtergaele, Selton Mello, Virginia Cavendish, Enrique Diaz
6. Shogun (2024)
Source: Courtesy of FX Network
- IMDb user rating: 9.2/10
- IMDb user votes: 24,679
- Episode count: 6
- Main cast: Hiroyuki Sanada, Cosmo Jarvis, Anna Sawai, Tadanobu Asano
5. Seven Worlds One Planet (2019)
Source: Courtesy of BBC America
- IMDb user rating: 9.3/10
- IMDb user votes: 6,001
- Episode count: 7
- Main cast: David Attenborough, Peter Drost, Goetz Bielefeldt, Bertie Gregory
4. Cosmos (1980)
Source: Courtesy of Public Broadcasting Service
- IMDb user rating: 9.3/10
- IMDb user votes: 43,618
- Episode count: 13
- Main cast: Carl Sagan, Jonathan Fahn, Jean Charney
3. Blue Planet II (2017)
Source: Courtesy of BBC America
- IMDb user rating: 9.3/10
- IMDb user votes: 45,893
- Episode count: 7
- Main cast: David Attenborough, Peter Drost, Roger Munns, Roger Horrocks
2. Band of Brothers (2001)
Source: Courtesy of Home Box Office
- IMDb user rating: 9.4/10
- IMDb user votes: 520,881
- Episode count: 10
- Main cast: Scott Grimes, Damian Lewis, Ron Livingston, Shane Taylor
1. Planet Earth II (2016)
Source: Courtesy of BBC America
- IMDb user rating: 9.5/10
- IMDb user votes: 156,635
- Episode count: 6
- Main cast: David Attenborough, Gordon Buchanan, Michael J. Sanderson, Sandesh Kadur