3 short series you can watch this weekend (and that you will love forever)

In the last two decades, we have gone from having to settle for television programming, where we had no choice, to being able to choose from thousands and thousands of options from an infinite catalog of streaming platforms. This is why the choice of what to watch is becoming increasingly complex. We almost spend more time deciding than actually watching something we like.

That is why we propose three short series to watch over a weekend. If you find it tedious to watch shows with multiple seasons, here are some short-duration options that you will undoubtedly love. Moreover, all of them are available on the main streaming platforms, so you have no excuse!

Chernobyl: a very tough story told masterfully

Few miniseries have impacted as much as Chernobyl has. This HBO production premiered in 2019 and left an indelible mark forever. Chernobyl recreates with chilling detail the nuclear disaster that occurred in 1986 at the Soviet plant, and how the secrecy, negligence, and political pride of an entire country transformed a technical failure into an unprecedented tragedy.

Beyond the reconstruction of the event, Chernobyl works as a gripping thriller and as a fierce critique of systems that prioritize power over truth. The script by Craig Mazin (who is now working on The Last of Us) and the direction by Johan Renck leave you breathless at all times. Additionally, it features masterful performances (Jared Harris and Stellan Skarsgård) that stick in your memory.

If you can only watch one series this weekend, make sure it’s this one. It grabs you from the very first minute; it’s one of those that you can’t help but keep watching episode after episode. And when it ends, it leaves you thinking for days. Just be sure to prepare your brain and your heart before you take a look.

Available on Max.

Unorthodox: a coming of age of escape and overcoming

If you’re looking for something more inspiring yet equally heartbreaking, Unorthodox might be your favorite choice. This series tells the story of Esty, a young woman raised in an ultra-Orthodox Hasidic community in New York who decides to escape to Berlin in search of a new life. Quickly, the plot turns into a story of personal growth, discovery, and confronting a truth she believed to be unassailable.

The series has a stunning production. It is filmed in English, German, and Yiddish, a language spoken by various Jewish communities. Additionally, it serves as a reflection on a religion anchored in the past and wrapped in a deep hatred towards everything foreign.

A great virtue of Unorthodox is undoubtedly its protagonist. Shira Haas has a blend of fragility and strength that combines in a protagonist who is as vulnerable as she is determined. Furthermore, the series contrasts two worlds: the closed religious universe from which Esty comes and the freedom (also chaotic) that she discovers on the other side.

Available on Netflix.

The Night Manager: a classic spy thriller

If you want something fresher but with the same sublime quality, The Night Manager could be your perfect series for the weekend. Based on the novel by John le Carré, this British miniseries follows Jonathan Pine (Tom Hiddleston), a former soldier who infiltrates the network of an arms dealer (Hugh Laurie) from his job as a night manager at a hotel.

Just for the actors, the series is worth it. Two of the best British artists of the last decades, hand in hand in a suffocating thriller that leaves you speechless for six episodes. Their chemistry is magnetic, and the script maintains a pace that makes it impossible to stop watching at any moment.

Soon, what seems like a classic thriller turns into an elegant and dangerous espionage chess game, filmed against spectacular landscapes and well-measured tension scenes. It is pure British cinema, but in series format and with unexpected twists.

Available on Prime Video.