Key Insights
- Miniseries Advantages: Miniseries provide concise storytelling without the risk of abrupt cancellations.
- Focus on Thrillers: The best miniseries maintain high intensity and engagement throughout.
- Ranking Criteria: This list highlights fast-paced miniseries that captivate viewers from the first episode.
- Diverse Genres: The selection includes various genres, ensuring something for every thriller enthusiast.
Miniseries are hands down better than long-running shows. They don’t stretch stories for years, and there’s no risk of a sudden cancellation that will leave fans with a half-finished plot. And when it comes to thrillers, miniseries often outshine multi-season shows because they stay focused and intense from start to finish. There’s no waiting for filler episodes or sitting in confusion for years like with Lost or Severance before you finally get some answers.
In this list, we’re ranking the most thrilling miniseries of the 21st century. While slow-burn gems like Midnight Mass and Sharp Objects have their place, we’re solely focusing on the ones that move fast and don’t waste much time setting the stage. These are the miniseries that will grab you from the very first episode and won’t let go until the credits roll.
10
‘Moon Knight’ (2022)
Moon Knight is a Marvel miniseries, but it stands completely on its own; you don’t need to watch any previous Marvel movie or show to enjoy it. The series stars Oscar Isaac as a man living with dissociative identity disorder, and he delivers an incredible performance. The transitions are so natural that you forget it’s the same actor playing both identities.
The show immediately pulls you in with its clever use of mystery and disorientation. Steven, one of Isaac’s personalities, keeps losing time. He’ll wake up in the middle of a high-speed chase, completely clueless about what’s happening, then black out again and return to find his enemies already dead. And once you start to piece together what’s really going on, the series turns into a supernatural psychological thriller packed with horror undertones, top-tier stunts, and trippy sequences that mess with your head in the best way. If you loved movies like Memento or Split, Moon Knight is a must-watch.
9
‘Black Bird’ (2022)
Image via Apple TV+
Based on a true story, Black Bird follows Jimmy Keene (Taron Egerton), a man sentenced to 10 years in a minimum-security prison. Just when it seems like his life is over, the FBI gives him a deal he can’t refuse: befriend Larry Hall (Paul Walter Hauser), a suspected serial killer locked up in the same facility, and get him to confess. If Jimmy succeeds, he walks free; if he fails, he stays behind bars and possibly doesn’t make it out alive.
Every interaction between Jimmy and Larry is packed with tension. It feels like a dangerous game where one wrong move could cost Jimmy everything. Larry is unpredictable, manipulative, and terrifying in a meek, quiet way, and Jimmy has to play along without letting his real intentions slip. If you loved Mindhunter and want something in the same vein, Black Bird is a perfect follow-up. The series holds a near-perfect 95% audience score and an even higher 98% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
8
‘The Looming Tower’ (2018)
The Looming Tower takes you behind the scenes of one of the most devastating events in history: 9/11. The series focuses on the rivalry between the FBI and CIA’s counterterrorism units, and how their failure to share crucial intelligence with each other played a role in the tragedy. It’s a story that burns with anger and frustration. Watching the politics, egos, and missteps that cost thousands of lives will leave you stunned and furious.
The cast is stacked with talent, including Jeff Daniels, Bill Camp, Michael Stuhlbarg, Peter Sarsgaard, and Tahar Rahim, and every performance feels authentic. But what sets this series apart is how it avoids the tired Islamophobic narrative that most 9/11 stories lean on. Instead, it digs into the real reasons behind radicalization and shows how extremists misuse religious texts to serve their agendas. It’s eye-opening, powerful, and something everyone should watch at least once.
7
‘The Night Of’ (2016)
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