Corporate Scandal, Supernatural Horror: 6 Best Miniseries Released Between 2020 and Now, Ranked

Why Miniseries Have Flourished

Streaming has changed how audiences watch television, making it easier to view multiple episodes in quick succession. Miniseries suit that pattern with stories designed to reach a clear ending in a limited run.

The decade has produced a range of acclaimed examples, from true-crime-inspired drama to intimate crime stories. The six shows in this ranking reflect that variety, though the supplied text describes only some of them.

The Dropout’s Corporate Scandal

Created by Elizabeth Meriwether, The Dropout follows Elizabeth Holmes, played by Amanda Seyfried, and the rise and collapse of Theranos. Holmes leaves Stanford to build a company promising a new approach to blood testing, but its technology is faulty and her deception puts patients at risk.

The series uses eight episodes to trace different periods in the company’s history. Its darkly comic view of Silicon Valley ambition also develops the troubled relationship between Holmes and Sunny Balwani, played by Naveen Andrews.

Seyfried’s performance tracks Holmes’s changing public manner and growing deception. The drama turns a corporate scandal into a character-focused story of ambition and ruin.

Midnight Mass and Island Faith

Mike Flanagan’s 2021 horror series takes place on Crockett Island, a struggling fishing community. The arrival of priest Father Paul Hill, played by Hamish Linklater, coincides with the return of Riley Flynn, played by Zach Gilford, and a series of events that appear miraculous.

As religious fervor grows, the island’s existing conflicts intensify and a more dangerous reality emerges. The show uses its supernatural story to explore belief, group pressure and the ways people defend fanaticism.

Flanagan drew on his Catholic upbringing and his experience with alcoholism and sobriety. Long speeches and detailed portraits of the islanders build tension, while Samantha Sloyan’s Bev Keane is a particularly unsettling presence.

The Queen’s Gambit Begins

The Queen’s Gambit, based on Walter Tevis’s book, was created by Scott Frank and Allan Scott. Anya Taylor-Joy plays Beth Harmon, an orphan in the mid-1950s who discovers a remarkable gift for chess.

The supplied text ends as Beth begins climbing the chess ranks, so it gives no further details about the series or its place in the ranking. It identifies the show as one of the six titles but does not provide the other entries.