In the era of streaming and binge-watching, it should be no surprise that many miniseries have been big hits. What is a miniseries exactly? It’s a TV show that has a small number of episodes; think a dozen or fewer. Here are some that are worth bingeing and based on real-life stories.
The Dropout
The Dropout chronicles the rise and fall of Theranos, a health technology company launched by Elizabeth Holmes, and is based on the ABC podcast that has the same name. Amanda Seyfried stars as Holmes, with Naveen Andrews playing Sunny Balwani, Theranos’s CEO. The company claimed it could carry out blood tests using only a small amount of blood, though these claims were proven false and it was also accused of falsifying documents and faking blood test results. The Dropout was released in 2022 and has eight episodes.
Unorthodox
Released in 2019, Unorthodox is a German drama miniseries consisting of four episodes. Shira Hass stars as Esty, a Jewish woman living in Manhattan. She’s part of an ultra-Orthodox community stuck in an unhappy arranged marriage. Determined to be happy again, she moves to Berlin to reunite with her estranged mother, though her husband follows, trying to find her.
Inventing Anna
This nine-part miniseries was released in 2022 and starred Julia Garner as Anna Sorokin, the titular character. It’s about Russian-born Anna Sorokin and how she deceived many of New York’s elite into thinking she’s a wealthy German heiress. She amassed riches and built connections, only to get arrested on charges related to fraud and theft. The show was one of Netflix‘s biggest hits of 2022.
Chernobyl
This critically acclaimed miniseries is about the Chernobyl nuclear disaster and its aftermath. It has an ensemble cast featuring Jared Harris, Stellan Skarsgård, Emily Watson and Paul Ritter. There are five episodes in total, and they were released simultaneously in 2019. Though it sticks closely to facts, the creators sometimes diverge from what happened. A podcast accompanies each episode; in it, the creators discuss the changes they made and the reasons behind them.
The Spy
Starring Sacha Baron Cohen, The Spy is a French espionage miniseries about Eli Cohen, Israel’s top spy. The focus is on the years leading up to the Six Day War fought between Syria and Israel in 1967.
The show was released in 2019 and has six episodes in total and it follows Cohen’s attempts to infiltrate high society. It’s a thrilling and suspenseful show, like the journey to find the Lost City of Gold depicted in the Gonzo’s Quest Megaways slot, featuring a quest to find El Dorado. Will Cohen be successful? There’s only one way to find out.
Conclusion
If any of these shows sound appealing, go ahead and binge-watch them. Remember that not all shows based on true events are 100% accurate. Writers often add new elements to the story and change things to make the show more engaging. Even so, you should still find these miniseries worth watching.
