It’s hard to find TV shows where every episode is incredible,as even the best shows tend to lose momentum after a few seasons. However, short TV shows are more likely to contain amazing episodes from start to end and avoid the disappointment of bad episodes. Ranging from well-planned andwell-executed miniseriesto TV shows cut down in their prime due to cancelations, short TV shows with consistently great episodes throughout are perfect for binge-watching.
Audiences can breeze throughshort and excellent TV showswith compelling plots and carefully thought-out and endlessly entertaining episodes.These masterpiece TV shows are perfect from start to finish,with no bad episodes dragging down the show. The best short TV shows offer audiences an enjoyable binge-watching experience filled with thrilling plots and hilarious moments.
10Freaks And Geeks
Released In 1999
The one-season wonderFreaks and Geeksis a teen coming-of-age comedy series that follows two different groups of friends, known as “freaks” and “geeks.“The showrevolves around Lindsay Weir (Linda Cardellini), an academically gifted student who begins rebelling and spending time with the “freaks” after her grandmother’s death, and her younger brother Sam Weir (John Francis Daley) and his friends as they navigate high school as one of the geeks.
Freaks and Geeks
Cast
Judd Apatow’s Freaks and Geeks is a comedy-drama series centered around several now-popular stars in their first-ever appearances as outcast teenagers dealing with the “hilarious unfairness of teen life.” The friend groups are split into “freaks” and “geeks,” each with their own quirks that resonate with teens today as they try to find their place in the socially complex world of high school.
was canceled after one seasonand later became a cult classic.With only 18 episodes,Freaks and Geeksis a gripping and heartwarming teen comedy show that is perfect for binge-watching.Freaks and Geeksis an easy and breezy lighthearted watch that is guaranteed to bring a smile to the audience’s face.
9We Are Lady Parts
Released In 2021
We Are Lady Partsis ahilarious British sitcomthat follows an all-female Muslim punk rock band as they navigate life in London and work towards turning their band Lady Parts into a success.Amina (Anjana Vasan), the latest addition to the punk band balances her regular life as a PhD student with her role as the lead guitar player in Lady Parts and bonds with her fellow bandmates.
We Are Lady Parts
We Are Lady Parts is a British comedy series created by Nida Manzoor. The show follows an all-female Muslim punk band’s journey as they seek musical stardom. Central to the narrative is Amina, a microbiology PhD student, who gets roped into joining the group. The show delves into themes of identity, cultural clash, and friendship, featuring Anjana Vasan, Sarah Kameela Impey, and Juliette Motamed in leading roles.
The friendship between Saira (Sarah Kameela Impey), Ayesha (Juliette Motamed), Bisma (Faith Omole), and Momtaz (Lucie Shorthouse) is the highlight of the show, and watching their growing bond with Amina is a delight to witness. With short 25-minute episodes and only 12 episodes over two seasons,We Are Lady Partsis a refreshing musical sitcom filled with incredible punk music and hilarity.
8Mindhunter
Released In 2017
The psychological crime dramaMindhunteris based on the true-crime bookMindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unitby John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker.The thriller is set in the late 1970s and follows two FBI agents, Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and Bill Tench (Holt McCallany), and psychologist Wendy Carr (Anna Torv), as they interview serial killers in hopes of understanding their psychology and using that knowledge to solve cases.
Mindhunter
From executive producers David Fincher and Charlize Theron comes Mindhunter, a series that chronicles the founding of the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit used to track and apprehend serial killers. Mindhunter follows Agent Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and Bill Tench (Holt McCallany) as they work to establish a framework for understanding the minds of some of America’s most dangerous serial killers. Mindhunter adapts a number of true crime stories, including the BTK murders and the notorious Co-Ed Killer, Edmund Kemper.
The thrilling series takes a look into the minds of serial killers and explores the FBI in its early days of criminal psychology and criminal profiling.Thedisturbing TV dramawas canceled after season 2 and the show has 19 incredible episodes filled with high-stakes investigations into the crimes committed by serial killers.
7Spinning Out
Released In 2020
Spinning Outis a sports drama TV show that follows Kat Baker (Kaya Scodelario), a talented ice skater who almost retires after a serious injury, and is able to restart her career by teaming up with Justin Davis (Evan Roderick) and forming an ice skating duo.The show revolves around Kat’s struggles to balance her career,her personal life, romance, and her family while keeping her bipolar disorder under wraps.
Spinning Out
Created by Samantha Stratton, Spinning Out is a Drama series released on Netflix in 2020. The series stars Kaya Scodelario, Evan Roderick, and Willow Shields and follows a young skater that must deal with a serious injury and become a pairs skater to revive her career, while simultaneously dealing with a mental illness that runs in the family.
Spinning Outis a thrilling watch, as Roderick and Scodelario’s chemistry makes Kat and Justin’s reluctant partnership turned budding romance a joy to witness.The visually stunning ice skating sequences mixed with the high-stakes drama of professional sports makesSpinning Outan entertaining watch. Unfortunately,Spinning Outwas canceled after season 1and audiences only got to enjoy ten episodes of the show.
6Everything Sucks!
Released In 2018
Everything Sucks!is ateen coming-of-age comedyseries set in the town of Boring, Oregon, in 1996.The show follows a group of high school misfits after members of the A/V Club and Drama Club are forced to collaborate and make a movie together after A/V Club member Kate Messner (Peyton Kennedy) accidentally destroys the Drama Club’s set, causing the play to be canceled.
Everything Sucks!
Set in the 1990s, Everything Sucks! follows the lives of high school misfits in Boring, Oregon, as they navigate the trials of adolescence, including friendships, budding romances, and the clash between the A/V Club and Drama Club.
Luke O’Neil (Jahi Di’Allo Winston) and Kate’s friendship, Kate’s exploration of her identity and sexuality and her bond with Emaline (Sydney Sweeney), and the teenagers' struggles with surviving high school as outcasts make for an honest, grounded, and relatable portrayal of the hardships of being a misunderstood teen.Everything Sucks!was canceled after season 1 and only has ten episodes filled with teen drama and comedic antics.
5Paper Girls
Released In 2022
Paper Girlsis ascience fiction mystery seriesbased on the comic book series of the same name.The TV adaption follows four young girls whose lives are turned upside down after they’re caught in a conflict between time travelers. The sci-fi show follows the titular paper girls as they traverse through time and meet their future selves while working to save the world.
Paper Girls
Based on the sci-fi comic series, Paper Girls follows four girls with a paper route who find themselves one fateful Halloween smack dab in the middle of an interdimensional conflict that sends them through time and space. The girls discover their future selves and encounter various future-altering events that they must decide to either attempt to intervene or let the scenarios play out as they were intended.
Tiffany (Camryn Jones), Erin (Riley Lai Nelet), Mac (Sofia Rosinsky), and KJ (Fina Strazza)’s friendship growing as they adventure through time is the highlight of the show.The characters' strong characterizations, unique relationship dynamics, and thrilling plot makePaper Girlsa compelling mystery series that didn’t deserve to be canceled after the first season.Paper Girlsis a well-paced show with zero bad episodes that makes for a thrilling and entertaining watch.
4One Day
Released In 2024
One Dayis abeautiful and tragic romantic dramabased on the novel of the same name by David Nicholls and the 2011 film adaption.The limited series follows the relationship between Emma Morley (Ambika Mod) and Dexter Mayhew (Leo Woodall). The critically acclaimed show follows the ups and downs of Emma and Dexter’s relationship over the course of 14 years in 14 episodes.
One Day
Despite their lives drifting apart after high school, Dex and Emma reunite one day every year as their lives run parallel. Love, heartbreak, and the experience of growing apart together lie at the center of this decade-spanning love story.
One Dayallows audiences to witness the complexities and tragic nature of Emma and Dexter’s romance in an easily bingeable short limited series. Each of the 14 episodes gives valuable insight into the lives of Emma and Dexter and their loved ones and the well-planned series tells a complete and concise love story between the leads.
3Over The Garden Wall
Released In 2014
Over the Garden Wallis an animated miniseries with a stellar castrevolving around two half-brothers who find themselves in a mysterious forest and their journey to return home.The fantastical adventure sees the half-brothers Writ (Elijah Wood) and Greg (Collin Dean) struggle to navigate the Unknown forestwith the help of the Woodsman (Christopher Lloyd) and the bluebird Beatrice (Melanie Lynskey).
Over the Garden Wall
Over the Garden Wall is a miniseries that follows brothers Wirt and Greg as they navigate the mysterious Unknown, a timeless and enigmatic forest. Accompanied by a wise Woodsman and a bluebird named Beatrice, they embark on a journey filled with unexpected challenges to find their way home.
The 10-episode miniseries received critical acclaim and won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program.Over the Garden Wallis a visually stunning whimsical adventure with a heartwarming and compelling journey that is a breezy watch. With a short running time and only ten episodes,Over the Garden Wallis perfect for a quick binge-watch.
2Band Of Brothers
Released In 2001
The war dramaBand of Brothersis a critically acclaimed Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning miniseries.Band of Brothersis a dramatization of the Easy Company, a military unit in the United States Army, and its members during World War II. The miniseries depicts a dramatizeddepiction of World War IIand events like Operation Market Garden, the Siege of Bastogne, the Allied invasion of Germany, and the end of the war.
Band of Brothers
Band of Brothers is a 2001 HBO miniseries chronicling Easy Company’s experiences from paratrooper training to World War II’s end. It portrays their participation in pivotal battles such as D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge, based on Stephen E. Ambrose’s book and first-hand accounts from surviving members.
Band of Brothersfollows the Easy Company from their initial training to the end of the war over the course of the ten episodes.The historical war drama miniseries maintains its thrilling pace and high quality throughout the series, making it a masterpiece miniseries that remains electrifying and compelling from start to end.
1Fallout
Falloutis a post-apocalyptic drama series based on the video game franchise of the same name.The series is set in 2296 in a universe where there is a nuclear apocalypse in 2077 which forced survivors to take refuge in fallout bunkers.Falloutrevolves around a young woman, Lucy MacLean (Ella Purnell), after she leaves Vault 33 to search for her abducted father, Hank (Kyle MacLachlan).
Fallout
Set 200 years after an apocalypse, Fallout follows residents of luxury shelters as they re-enter a post-nuclear world. Confronted with a bizarre and violent landscape, the series explores the stark contrasts between their sheltered existence and the harsh realities of the outside universe.
Falloutnailed the video games' humorand cemented its status as one of the best video game adaptions and was nominated for 17 Emmy Awards.Falloutseason 1 consists of eight incredible episodes filled with action and drama that are guaranteed to keep audiences hooked and engaged with the show. The post-apocalyptic show has no bad episodes, and will hopefully continue the trend inFalloutseason 2.
