Mar 11, 2023
By: Srishti Magan
Credit: Pexels
Many of us have wrecked sleep cycles to binge-watch shows and avoided social media to escape spoilers in case of series that release one episode every week. But not every series or missed spoiler is worth the time spent agonising over them. This is where mini web series come to the rescue.
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Mini web series are limited episode series that take less time, and often deliver better content. Here are some mini web series that you can easily binge-watch in a day, or over a weekend:
Credit: YouTube
Based on the book Trial by Fire: The Tragic Tale of the Uphaar Fire Tragedy by Neelam and Shekhar Krishnamoorthy, the critically-acclaimed crime drama showcases the decades-long struggle of families whose loved ones perished in the tragic cinema hall fire at Uphaar cinema in 1997. It stars Abhay Deol and Rajshri Deshpande.
Credit: Netflix
Patrick Graham’s Ghoul is a horror thriller that combines expert storytelling with artful direction. It deals with the concepts of hypernationalism and racial profiling and is one of the few series where the female protagonist (Radhika Apte) is not stereotyped.
Credit: Netflix
An unusually honest, relatable, and hilarious take on grief, tragedy and romance, Emmy and BAFTA award-winning series Fleabag is a must-watch for lovers of British comedies and great performances. Writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge plays the protagonist of the show.
Credit: Prime Video
Chernobyl is a five-part historical drama based on the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. The winner of the Golden Globe for Best Miniseries, Chernobyl was hailed for its intelligent and historically accurate dramatisation of a tragedy.
Credit: Disney+Hotstar
Based on the weekly column of the same name published by The New York Times, the original Modern Love version has two independent seasons. It also has three Indian versions (Hindi, Tamil and Telugu), one Dutch and one Japanese version. If you’re looking for delightful slice-of-life stories, Modern Love is a great pick.
Credit: Prime Video
Maid is a limited drama series inspired by Stephanie Land's memoir Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive. It chronicles the struggles of a young mother, who escapes an abusive relationship for her child but struggles to make ends meet.
Credit: Netflix
Ray is an Indian anthology drama based on stories by acclaimed writer and filmmaker Satyajit Ray. Two of the four stories are directed by Srijit Mukherji, and the other two are by Vasan Bala and Abhishek Chaubey. While they don’t match Ray’s original charm, it’s still worth a watch.
Credit: Wikipedia
A stellar starcast (Pavan Malhotra and Supriya Pathak) and brilliant, original storytelling allow Tabbar to carve a place even in the choked category of Indian crime dramas. Directed by Ajitpal Singh, the 8-episode-long Hindi-Punjabi series follows a family’s descent into crime to save their child and how the members deal with the consequent guilt.
Credit: SonyLiv