Miniseries, also called limited series, have been some of the hottest, most acclaimed shows of the last decade. The Emmys category is downright bloody every year, as heavyweights like Mare of Easttown and The Dropout contend for the same trophies.
With the holidays packing all of our schedules, you probably have less time than usual for entertainment. Fortunately, Paramount Plus has some great miniseries that don't require weeks of investment. You can easily get through these Paramount Plus miniseries in just one weekend. Here are our picks.
Plus, here's a real holiday treat: For Cyber Monday, get Paramount Plus for just $1.99 per month for three months!
1883
Yellowstone went from being one show to an entire televisual universe with the debut of this spinoff prequel set during the Western expansion. Married country singers Tim McGraw and Faith Hill star as James and Margaret Dutton, who go on to found Yellowstone Ranch that Kevin Costner’s John Dutton will eventually inherit and run.
But before they can stake a claim in Montana, the Duttons and their daughter Elsa (Isabel May) have to get there first. For help, they turn to Shea Brennan (Sam Elliott), a cowboy who guides settlers along the dusty, dangerous route out West. And if you think the modern-day drama of the current Yellowstone season 4 is cutthroat, 1883 might be even more treacherous. There will be blood. - KW
Genre: Western
Episodes: 10
Rotten Tomatoes score: 89%
Watch now on Paramount Plus
Fellow Travelers
The challenges and complexities of living as a gay man in mid-century America are explored with nuance in this miniseries based on the novel by Thomas Mallon. The chemistry between leads Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey is palpable as their very different characters begin a secret romance that begins in the 1950s and spans decades.
Hawkins Fuller (Bomer) is a charismatic rising political star in Washington, D.C. Tim Laughlin (Bailey) is an idealistic former seminary student who becomes Hawk’s protege. They fall in love just as Joseph McCarthy and Roy Cohn declare war on “subversives and sexual deviants.” That’s not their only obstacle, as their relationship is tested by the Vietnam War protests of the ‘60s, the drug-fueled disco hedonism of the ‘70s and the AIDS crisis of the ‘80s. - KW
Genre: Historical political thriller
Episodes: 8
Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%
Watch now on Paramount Plus With Showtime
The Offer
The Offer is an intriguing exploration of the process of producing Francis Ford Coppola’s 1972 masterpiece The Godfather. Based on the real-life experiences of producer Albert S. Ruddy, it explores the many challenges the cast and crew faced throughout the process of bringing the original novel to life. From navigating the outrage of the Italian American community to dodging threats from the Mafia depicted in the story, The Offer scrutinizes the high stakes and intense pressure behind the scenes as well as the tactics that were finally implemented to bring the movie to the big screen. - BV
Genre: Biographical drama
Episodes: 10
Rotten Tomatoes score: 57%
Watch now on Paramount Plus
Escape at Dannemora
Based on the stranger-than-fiction actual prison break in upstate New York in the summer of 2015, this slow-paced but intense miniseries features a cast of talented actors led by Benicio del Toro, Patricia Arquette and Paul Dano.
Convicted murderer Richard Matt (del Toro) is an artistic yet intimidating presence who masterminds the escape. He gets help from Tilly Mitchell (Arquette), the supervisor of the prison tailor shop who ends up getting romantically involved with both Richard and his co-conspirator, cop killer David Sweat (Dano). - KW
Genre: Crime drama
Episodes: 7
Rotten Tomatoes score: 88%
Watch now on Paramount Plus With Showtime
The Stand
This adaptation of the Stephen King novel explores the everlasting battle between good and evil. Set against the backdrop of a society in ruins, The Stand follows a group of post-apocalyptic survivors divided into groups following either a terrifying but charming tyrant or a kind but older prophet. The 108-year-old Mother Abagail (Whoopi Goldberg) becomes a beacon of hope for the survivors. Opposing them is Randall Flagg (Alexander Skarsgård), otherwise known as the eerily powerful Dark Man, whose abilities remain obscured, but it soon becomes clear how dangerous he actually is. This miniseries, while a bit of a departure from the original, is still as gripping as King's written version. - BV
Genre: Fantasy drama
Episodes: 9
Rotten Tomatoes score: 57%
Watch now on Paramount Plus
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