{"id":813126,"date":"2026-10-25T05:18:33","date_gmt":"2026-10-25T05:18:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/813126\/"},"modified":"2026-10-25T05:18:33","modified_gmt":"2026-10-25T05:18:33","slug":"3-near-flawless-hbo-max-miniseries-you-can-easily-finish-in-a-weekend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/813126\/","title":{"rendered":"3 near-flawless HBO Max miniseries you can easily finish in a weekend"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a class=\"google-follow-us-button hidden opacity-0 transition-opacity duration-300 no-underline hover:no-underline anchor relative text-inherit leading-none text-xs flex items-center gap-1 font-ui-heading\" data-component-name=\"UtilityBar:Google:Button\" href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=tomsguide.com\" aria-label=\"Add us as a preferred source on Google\" data-google-preferred-source-trigger=\"\" id=\"utility-bar__google-button\" data-analytics-id=\"article-social\" analytics-label=\"utility-bar-preferred-source\" analytics-name=\"utility-bar\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-social\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><\/p>\n<p>Follow us<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\nAdd us as a preferred source on Google\n<\/p>\n<p>Newsletter<\/p>\n<p>\nSubscribe to our newsletter\n<\/p>\n<p id=\"elk-280300aa-cfdf-11f1-a3c9-a3e3f8671e62\">Between school getting back into full swing and the holiday season on the horizon, fall can be hectic. Which makes fitting time in to watch new shows or revisit old favorites on the <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tomsguide.com\/us\/best-streaming-video-services,review-2625.html\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.tomsguide.com\/us\/best-streaming-video-services,review-2625.html\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-article-category=\"entertainment\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.tomsguide.com\/us\/best-streaming-video-services,review-2625.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">best streaming services<\/a> into your schedule a bit trickier.<\/p>\n<p>Fortunately, Max has you covered with a bunch of great (but relatively short) miniseries that you can easily watch from start to finish in just a couple of days. If you\u2019re looking to lose yourself in a top-tier show that doesn&#8217;t eat up a lot of time or leave you waiting for the next season, here are three highly rated Max miniseries you can comfortably finish by Sunday night. So without further ado, here are the best miniseries on Max to binge this weekend.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"elk-280301c2-cfdf-11f1-a705-4d5e6928fe1b\"\/>&#8216;Chernobyl&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>Chernobyl (2019) | Official Trailer | HBO &#8211; YouTube<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792905512_619_maxresdefault.jpg\" alt=\"Chernobyl (2019) | Official Trailer | HBO - YouTube\" data-aspect-ratio=\"16\/9\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"watch-on-youtube-s9APLXM9Ei8\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/s9APLXM9Ei8\" target=\"_blank\" data-url=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/s9APLXM9Ei8\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-article-category=\"entertainment\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Watch On <\/a><br \/>\n<a id=\"elk-seasonal\"\/><\/p>\n<p id=\"elk-280302ee-cfdf-11f1-9844-8b082b88a763-0\">When brainstorming contenders for this list, &#8220;Chernobyl&#8221; immediately come to mind. Before Craig Mazin led Ellie and Joel&#8217;s television debut in &#8220;<a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tomsguide.com\/reviews\/the-last-of-us-review-hbo-series-is-great-because-its-different\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.tomsguide.com\/reviews\/the-last-of-us-review-hbo-series-is-great-because-its-different\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-article-category=\"entertainment\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.tomsguide.com\/reviews\/the-last-of-us-review-hbo-series-is-great-because-its-different\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">The Last of Us<\/a>,&#8221; he cut his teeth at Max as executive producer on &#8220;Chernobyl,&#8221; one of the <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tomsguide.com\/best-picks\/best-hbo-max-shows\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.tomsguide.com\/best-picks\/best-hbo-max-shows\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-article-category=\"entertainment\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.tomsguide.com\/best-picks\/best-hbo-max-shows\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">best HBO Max shows<\/a> to date. It&#8217;s a bleak but powerful story about the people whose lives were forever altered by the 1986 disaster at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, and how the entities meant to keep them safe tried to bury the truth.<\/p>\n<p>Latest Videos FromTom&#8217;s Guide<\/p>\n<p>Jared Harris stars as Valery Legasov, a nuclear physicist brought in to deal with the unfolding nightmare, alongside politician Boris Shcherbina (Stellan Skarsg\u00e5rd) \u2014 two real people who worked to help the cleanup efforts. Their investigation uncovers the rotting stench of negligence, and while everyone else is busy pointing fingers, authorities continue to throw bodies at Chernobyl without understanding the full scope. Explaining nuclear physics in a way that makes sense to an audience who probably hasn&#8217;t thought about neutrons and atoms since high school science class is no small task. Making great television out of it is even harder, but &#8220;Chernobyl&#8221; manages just that.<\/p>\n<p>Episodes: 5<br \/>Genre: Historical drama<br \/>Rotten Tomatoes score: 95%<br \/>Watch now on <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.max.com\/shows\/chernobyl\/396999a6-3fff-4af3-802b-10c46d10deff\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.max.com\/shows\/chernobyl\/396999a6-3fff-4af3-802b-10c46d10deff\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-article-category=\"entertainment\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\">HBO Max<\/a><\/p>\n<p>            You may like<\/p>\n<p>    <a id=\"elk-2803035c-cfdf-11f1-a756-473e6b235989\"\/>&#8216;Watchmen&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>Watchmen | Official Tease | HBO &#8211; YouTube<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792905513_390_maxresdefault.jpg\" alt=\"Watchmen | Official Tease | HBO - YouTube\" data-aspect-ratio=\"16\/9\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"watch-on-youtube-zymgtV99Rko\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/zymgtV99Rko\" target=\"_blank\" data-url=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/zymgtV99Rko\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-article-category=\"entertainment\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Watch On <\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"elk-28030438-cfdf-11f1-a30f-810161a3a643\">Director Damon Lindelof\u2019s &#8220;Watchmen&#8221; pulls off what was thought impossible for decades: a direct sequel that stays true to Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons&#8217; iconic graphic novel while pushing the story further. Set three decades after the original events in an alternate Tulsa, Oklahoma, it follows Angela Abar (Regina King), a detective moonlighting as masked vigilante Sister Night who fights the Seventh Kavalry \u2014 a white supremacist terror cell that has co-opted Rorschach\u2019s ravings to launch a war on minorities and the police.<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy Irons does a phenomenal job as a disillusioned Adrian Veidt, now struggling to find meaning after completing his master plan to avert World War 3 at the end of the original comic. The god-like Doctor Manhattan also features prominently, as several groups compete to use his namesake to further their own causes. Best of all, since Lindelof treated it as a definitive one-and-done, the limited series ends in such a way that it&#8217;s a satisfying and complete story in its own right \u2014 no season 2 needed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"newsletter-form__strapline\">Sign up to the weekly Tom&#8217;s Streaming Guide to stay in the loop with the latest releases and top recommendations across your favorite streaming services. We\u2019ve got you covered with a complete guide on what\u2019s worth watching.<\/p>\n<p>Episodes: 9 <br \/>Genre: Drama\/action<br \/>Rotten Tomatoes score: 96% <br \/>Watch on <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.max.com\/shows\/watchmen\/f3a51e09-2662-40e0-a96b-4a571f149da4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.max.com\/shows\/watchmen\/f3a51e09-2662-40e0-a96b-4a571f149da4\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-article-category=\"entertainment\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\">Max<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a id=\"elk-28030744-cfdf-11f1-b817-a9cca4bba219\"\/>&#8216;I May Destroy You&#8217;\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I May Destroy You | Official Trailer | HBO &#8211; YouTube<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792905513_438_maxresdefault.jpg\" alt=\"I May Destroy You | Official Trailer | HBO - YouTube\" data-aspect-ratio=\"16\/9\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"watch-on-youtube-DTjlurdbNnw\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/DTjlurdbNnw\" target=\"_blank\" data-url=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/DTjlurdbNnw\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-article-category=\"entertainment\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Watch On <\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"elk-28030820-cfdf-11f1-b19d-9d506c3d012b\">Rarely do I find a series so gut-wrenchingly honest and funny at the same time, but Michaela Coel, the creator and star behind &#8220;Chewing Gum,&#8221; manages to pull it off with confidence. Inspired by her own experience of sexual assault while writing the award-winning sitcom, &#8220;I May Destroy You&#8221; sees her star as Arabella, a London author hitting a wall of writer&#8217;s block after her debut novel blew up.<\/p>\n<p>After returning from an Italian sojourn, she goes out for a night on the town to unwind and someone spikes her drink. The next morning, she vaguely remembers being assaulted, but the exact details are a hazy fog. As Arabella begins to piece together what happened to her, she leans on friends Terry (Weruche Opia) and Kwame (Paapa Essiedu) to help her process her trauma and seek justice. Coel doesn&#8217;t pull any punches, and &#8220;I May Destroy You&#8221; is structured with the kind of electric, bite-sized momentum that makes it impossible to stop watching once you start.<\/p>\n<p>Episodes: 12<br \/>Genre: Drama<br \/>Rotten Tomatoes score: 98%<br \/>Watch it on <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.max.com\/shows\/i-may-destroy-you\/a15b4064-4899-4381-bdf1-676986137ee1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.max.com\/shows\/i-may-destroy-you\/a15b4064-4899-4381-bdf1-676986137ee1\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-article-category=\"entertainment\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\">Max<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a id=\"elk-more-from-tom-s-guide\"\/>More from Tom&#8217;s Guide<a id=\"elk-2803096a-cfdf-11f1-8016-319c7e071581\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Today&#8217;s best streaming device deals<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Between school getting&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":813127,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[96,391,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-813126","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-entertainment","tag-tv","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/813126","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=813126"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/813126\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/813127"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=813126"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=813126"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=813126"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}