16 Excellent TV Shows That You Can Finish Watching In One Weekend

Looks like your plans for the long weekend are sorted!

1. Only Murders in the Building

Hulu

Charles (Steve Martin), Oliver (Martin Short), and Mabel (Selena Gomez) have two things in common — they live in the same building and have an obsession for true crime podcasts. When they suddenly find themselves embroiled in the murder investigation of a fellow resident, their inner detectives burst out to solve the crime, whilst recording a podcast about the happenings. All of them have a past, and now they have a new purpose. There's an uncanny but natural chemistry among the three, making the show even better. Very exciting, witty, and novel. 

Available on: Disney+ Hotstar 

2. Midnight Mass

Netflix

Mike Flanagan weaves his magic once again with this excellent horror series. While it doesn't contain quintessential horror tropes, Midnight Mass shows you how religious fervour and eerie fanaticism can be extremely terrifying and dangerous. Flanagan has a certain way of fleshing out his characters and making each performance spectacular. Oh and there's an outstanding monologue by Kate Siegel that you absolutely must not miss!

Available on: Netflix

3. Fleabag

Two Brothers Pictures

Spanning only 12 episodes (so well rounded off and just enough), Fleabag is about a woman who tries to navigate through life in her own way — by making humour her saviour in grief, anger, and unpleasant situations. Her jokes take up much of the dialogue, but there's always something beyond those that lingers in the background, helping us sharply realise why Fleabag is the way she is. Life isn't black and white, after all. 

PS: Andrew Scott and Olivia Coleman are *chef's kiss* 😍

Available on: Prime Video

4. A Suitable Boy

Lookout Point

Vikram Seth's characters are brought to life with an old-world charm in this eponymous adaptation of his book. This period drama revolves around life, love, and family whilst being set against the backdrop of a newly independent India and the huge political changes that had been churning for a while. Watch it for Tabu's performance if not anything else!

Available on: Netflix

5. Mare of Easttown

HBO

Mare (Kate Winslet), a detective based in Pennsylvania, investigates the death of a teenager and the investigation and interrogations bring out the dark underbelly of her town. They also uncover the tenacious relationships between police officers and the general population, and how everyone has a veritably different private life from the one they exhibit in public.

Available on: Disney+ Hotstar

6. Ray

Viacom18 Studios

Ray is a celluloid collection of four short stories by Satyajit Ray, all of which are thrilling, satirical, dark, thought-provoking, and basically genius. Watch it for the stellar performances by the leads, especially Manoj Bajpayee and Gajraj Rao in Hungama Hai Kyon Barpa.

Available on: Netflix

7. The Haunting of Bly Manor

Paramount Television Studios

Okay, I have to admit that I am a Mike Flanagan stan when it comes to his TV shows. Each venture of his is hauntingly beautiful and deep, and The Haunting of Bly Manor is no different. It's a slow-burn that showcases grief, guilt, willpower, and sacrifice, and how love heals and harms.

Available on: Netflix

8. The White Lotus

HBO

The White Lotus takes you on an entirely different journey than the one you expect, when you start the show. Set in a gorgeous resort in Maui, we're shown how starkly different real life is, once you see past the frills. It outlines how privilege works, the disparity brought about by the inherent class system in everyone's minds, and how complicated people are. There, technically, are no bad guys. Replete with dark humour and nuanced performances by the cast, this show is a treat to the eyes and a total conversation starter.

Available on: Disney+ Hotstar

9. Chernobyl

HBO

Chernobyl documents one of the worst nuclear disasters in the history of humankind and how it might have just been prevented, were it not for the lack of responsibility and certain bureaucratic decisions. This show is a gripping and tight dramatisation of the horrible incident, the sacrifices that people made, and how the disaster affected the entire world.

Available on: Disney+ Hotstar 

10. Ajeeb Daastaans

Dharma Productions

Ajeeb Daastaans is a compilation of four stories that bring forth how ordinary human relationships might not actually be the way they look. They are windows to how society perceives caste, class, gender, and disabilities, no matter how educated or "woke" one appears to be.

Available on: Netflix

11. Inventing Anna

Shondaland

Inventing Anna is the intriguing true story of Anna Sorokin, a con artist who extracted money by pretending to be a wealthy heiress and deceived banks, financial institutions, and other sources in the process. Julia Garner is absolutely fabulous as Anna.

Available on: Netflix

12. The Queen's Gambit

Flitcraft Ltd

The Queen's Gambit is an electrifying bildungsroman about a fictional chess prodigy, Beth Harmon. The story? 💯 The visuals? 💯 The music score? 💯 Anya Taylor-Joy? 💯💯

Available on: Netflix

13. Modern Love

Amazon Studios

Modern Love is a collection of stories that delve into the concept of love and how it means different things to different people. It also highlights the small moments of tenderness, awkwardness, regret, and joy that come with it. The stories are inspired from the "Modern Love" column in the New York Times.

Available on: Prime Video

14. The Mysterious Benedict Society

Disney+

This enchanting version of the The Mysterious Benedict Society book series is about four gifted orphans with varying personalities, who are brought together to go on a secret mission to save the world.

Available on: Disney+ Hotstar

15. Mrs. Fletcher

HBO

A fun show, starring everyone's fave, Kathryn Hahn, Mrs. Fletcher is about midlife crises, social media, and how tricky it is for everyone to figure life out. It is supremely entertaining and hilarious!

Available on: Disney+ Hotstar

16. Sharp Objects

HBO

Sharp Objects is a thriller about a crime reporter investigating the murder of two young girls and is based on a novel of the same name by Gillian Flynn. It's dark, it's bleak, and it's definitely mysterious, with a lot of twists. 

Available on: Disney+ Hotstar