Plenty of miniseries out there are great, but how many can we call masterpieces? This is often subjective and sometimes people might disagree, but if you had to choose ten, it would be shows that critics and wider audiences agreed on. What really hits the spot, though, is an exciting, gut-wrenching thriller miniseries, because you know the excitement and atmosphere are tightly packed and ready to impress.
The ten thriller miniseries that can be called masterpieces have one or all of these: a great premise, a tightly written script, unparalleled tension, and a human story that punches you in the gut at the very end. These ten have most of those elements and can be called perfect if you give them a chance.
10
‘Nine Puzzles’ (2025)
Starring Kim Da-mi and Son Suk-ku
If you’re scrolling through Disney these days but have a hard time picking something to watch, search for Nine Puzzles, a South Korean mystery thriller. The show consists of 11 exciting episodes and weaves dark, psychological topics, focusing in particular on memories and how the mind can erase them amid trauma. You’ll get attached to the actors, especially the brilliant Son Suk-ku, who plays brooding detectives better than anyone; Kim Da-mi‘s Ena will also charm you with her great profiling skills and quirky personality. The rest of the cast is also quite famous (Squid Game‘s Park Gyu-young and Roh Jae-won are just two), and they’re all great.
Nine Puzzles follows criminal profiler Yoon Ena, whose uncle was killed in their family home when she was a high schooler. At the crime scene, she found a puzzle piece and held onto it; a decade later, another crime with a puzzle piece that goes with the first one happens, and Ena believes they’re connected. Ena and Detective Kim (Son) join forces to find the elusive killer and bond while trying to figure out the case. The plot twist is awesome and unexpected, and the production value of the series is high; a very good show overall, with a great murder mystery at its core.
9
‘Ripley’ (2024)
Starring Andrew Scott and Dakota Fanning
Ripley was based on Patricia Highsmith‘s The Talented Mr. Ripley, the first of a series of novels about conman Tom Ripley. The showrunners were innovative in their creation, using black-and-white cinematography to evoke a Hitchcockian feel and an artful and methodical pace. This visually stunning show is more than that, though; Andrew Scott stars as the titular Ripley and performs beautifully. He’s captivating and charming, so we completely understand how he’s a successful con artist. Next to him, Dakota Fanning stuns as Marge Sherwood.
Ripley follows Tom Ripley, a charming conman who sneaks his way into the lives of the wealthy and manipulates his way to power. When his task becomes to convince a wealthy man’s son to return home, Ripley gets dragged into his lavish lifestyle, and things take a bad turn. The show encapsulates a neo-noir feel with psychological thriller vibes, and it’s just plain good; don’t be deterred by the black-and-white—enjoy and embrace it, as it contributes to the thriller vibe perfectly.
Ripley
- Release Date
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2024 – 2023
- Showrunner
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Steven Zaillian
8
‘Bodies’ (2023)
Starring Stephen Graham and Jacob Fortune-Lloyd
Bodies is an underrated thriller that deserves several rewatches due to its complex time-travel premise and attention to detail. This miniseries was adapted from a DC Vertigo graphic novel of the same name, and it’s one of those adaptations that deserves recognition for honoring the source material well. Bodies, in essence, is a genre-bending crime/sci-fi thriller with strong performances, ambitious storytelling, and layered timelines, keeping viewers guessing while connecting (with) its protagonists.
Bodies follows four detectives across different time periods—1890, 1941, 2023, and 2053—who discover the same body in Longharvest Lane in Whitechapel, London. This event triggers a vast conspiracy that spans centuries, showing us who the body is and how the four detectives are connected. Actors include Stephen Graham, Jacob Fortune-Lloyd, Kyle Soller, and Shira Haas, and they’re all amazing; you may even find yourself picking favorites among the detectives, like some of us have picked Fortune-Lloyd’s relentless and charming Charles.
Bodies
- Release Date
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2023 – 2022
- Showrunner
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Paul Tomalin
7
‘American Primeval’ (2025)
Starring Betty Gilpin and Taylor Kitsch
If The Revenant met Deadwood, and they had a child, it would look like Peter Berg‘s American Primeval. The show was highly anticipated, but somehow the hype ended with a fizzle rather than a bang, which is disappointing, considering the show is pretty great, though gritty, and often very dark, moody, and raw. Can’t imagine life in the Wild West being any more glamorous and exciting than that, so it, most of all, feels realistic, even if we weren’t there. The Western aesthetics meeting existential themes make American Primeval a unique thriller.
American Primeval is a gritty exploration of early American frontier life, centering on several characters who meet along the way, from widow Sarah Holloway (Betty Gilpin), on the run with her son and founder of a trading post, Jim Bridger (Shea Wigham), to a loner mountain man, Isaac Reed (Taylor Kitsch) and a religious leader, Brigham Young (Kim Coates). The main themes are survival and redemption, showing people willing to go to great lengths to keep going. Kitsch shines in a role that feels brutal and intimate, and it’s one of his best performances thus far.
6
‘Mare of Easttown’ (2021)
Starring Kate Winslet and Jean Smart
Mare of Easttown is a slow-burning series with more dramatic elements and the effect of a crime procedural, but it’s a hidden thriller, too. There’s a sense of unease and strain throughout the seven-episode run, seeing people face their demons and fears almost head-on, but not before they run away from the truth like sprinters. Everyone’s a suspect and everything feels off, but we persevere. The haunting story of Mare’s hometown is like any other small-town drama—filled with dirty laundry and terrifying secrets.
Mare of Easttown follows Detective Mare Sheehan (Kate Winslet), who has been a big deal in her town since high school, when she scored a defining basketball point. Mare tries to live up to the expectations of her former success as a detective while looking for the killer of a 17-year-old local girl. The county sends her backup in the form of joyful Colin Zabel (Evan Peters), her opposite, and the two become friends during the case. This gripping whodunit will make you gasp several times throughout; there are surprises and brilliant plot twists, and not a second or a line in the entire series was wasted or said for nothing.
5
‘The Night Of’ (2016)
Starring Riz Ahmed and John Turturro
The Night Of mustn’t be forgotten, since it’s one of HBO’s best-acted miniseries out there. John Turturro delivers an incredible portrait of a relatable and relentless lawyer grappling with the reality of his current case, fighting for justice, and seeking answers. Next to him, Riz Ahmed portrays a Pakistani-American student accused of murder, with his race and heritage inevitably being played against him as the legal system grinds him down. It’s not a happy show, and you’ll probably feel bad afterward, but it’s a reality many people face daily. The morally complex story tracks the effects on everyone involved.
The Night Of follows Naz (Ahmed), who borrows his dad’s cab to go to a party but meets a woman named Andrea along the way. Naz and Andrea have a drug-fueled one-night stand and Naz wakes up in the morning next to Andrea, who is dead. He maintains his innocence and soon starts working with defense attorney John Stone (Turturro). The beautiful performances by both leads are pretty haunting, though Ahmed, very subtly and yet with a certain loudness, depicts Naz as a flawed but wrongfully accused man in this crime procedural/slow-burn thriller.
4
‘Sharp Objects’ (2018)
Starring Amy Adams and Patricia Clarkson
Mothers, daughters, their broken relationships, and the birth of a psychopath are the central themes of Sharp Objects, based on Gillian Flynn‘s debut novel of the same name. This dark psychological thriller peels away the layers and explores mental illness, memory, pain, and generational trauma. Sharp Objects was praised for its chilling tone that blends a Southern Gothic style into the mix, creating an ominous atmosphere throughout. Both Amy Adams and Patricia Clarkson received praise for their performances, and the show’s finale is still very frequently talked about.
Sharp Objects follows troubled journalist Camille (Adams), who was recently released from a psychiatric hospital. She returns to her hometown, a small town by the name of Wind Gap, where she begins investigating the murders of two teen girls. When she returns home to her mother, Adora (Clarkson) and half-sister, Amma (Eliza Scanlen), she starts experiencing memory loss, traumatic flashbacks, and frequent sick days. It’s a bit stomach-turning, but it is a thrilling ride from beginning to end; not a show you’ll easily watch again, but worth a rewatch for the details regardless.
3
‘Say Nothing’ (2024)
Starring Maxine Peake and Lola Petticrew
Say Nothing is a historical drama/thriller based on the book of the same name by Patrick Radden Keefe. It documents the four decades of The Troubles in Northern Ireland, which lasted from the 1960s until 1998. The show (and the book) depicts some real-life personalities, like sisters Dolours and Marian Price, who were Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) volunteers; Brendan Hughes, the Officer Command of the IRA Belfast branch; and Gerry Adams, a former Irish Republican politician. Other historical events are covered, too, like the case of the 17 individuals who disappeared during the Troubles, focusing on the kidnapping and murder of Jean McConville.
Say Nothing follows Maxine Peake as the older Dolours Price, narrating the story of her and her sister Marian’s experiences when they first joined the IRA as volunteers. The show blends thriller with tragedy, showing a politically charged story with chilling intrigue; it mostly takes researched facts into account—like the book—and the viewers’ own feelings towards it will definitely play a part in the impressions of Say Nothing. The show has some superb Northern Irish talents, from Lola Petticrew to Anthony Boyle, though Peake often dominates as a charismatic lead, too.
Say Nothing
- Release Date
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2024 – 2023
- Network
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Hulu
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Lola Petticrew
Dolours Price
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Maxine Peake
Older Dolours Price
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-
2
‘Black Bird’ (2022)
Starring Taron Egerton and Paul Walter Hauser
Black Bird was based on a true story when James Keene, a former football prodigy, was offered freedom from prison if he could elicit a confession from a suspected serial killer in a maximum security prison. Black Bird brought attention to Paul Walter Hauser, whose performance was widely praised; Hauser won a Golden Globe, an Emmy, and a Critics’ Choice Award for his portrayal of the dark and terrifying Larry Hall. It’s a real psychological chess match, nerve-wracking, calculated, and more than anything, intense. The atmosphere is palpable, and Taron Egerton does an amazing job at showing fear through subtle acting.
Black Bird follows James “Jimmy” Keene, who was sentenced to ten years after getting caught in elaborate drug deals across Chicago. Expecting a much lower sentence, Keene becomes desperate to find a way to reduce his sentence; FBI agent Lauren McCauley (Sepideh Moafi) approaches Jimmy with the request to elicit a confession from a convict, Larry Hall, who is in a facility for the criminally insane. In turn, his sentence would be omitted. This incredible show is thrilling from start to end and one of the best series of the past decade.
Black Bird
- Release Date
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2022 – 2021
- Showrunner
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Dennis Lehane
1
‘Chernobyl’ (2019)
Starring Jared Harris and Emily Watson
As devastating as it is, Chernobyl is also a thriller, showing many moments when people nearly lost their lives attempting to limit the damage of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster. The depiction of the disaster itself is gut-wrenching as we watch these experts experience the unthinkable. The entire show is a harrowing dramatization of the moment the disaster took place, but it also focuses on the cover-up, the human toll, and the courage of those who worked in the fields, hospitals, and offices. The tension-building is a masterclass here, often cut through with some devastating realism.
Chernobyl mainly follows Valery Legasov (Jared Harris), the deputy director of the Kurchatov Institute, who is brought in to help the post-disaster cleanup efforts. Legasov is shown with some of the heroes that were rarely talked about, such as the firefighters who were the first responders. Besides him, a character representing various scientists appears in the form of Ulana Khomyuk (Emily Watson), a nuclear physicist from Minsk who investigates the events. If you’ve ever believed in the terror of bureaucracy, this show really hits the mark on how much scarier the loss of human life can be when the victims are only observed as numbers or collateral. Difficult, yes, but also a brilliant thriller.
Chernobyl
- Release Date
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2019 – 2019
- Network
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HBO