Movies

15 Miniseries of the Last 5 Years with Near-Perfect Rotten Tomatoes Score

15 Miniseries of the Last 5 Years with Near-Perfect Rotten Tomatoes Score
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Only the greatest hits of prestige TV – and a couple of hidden gems.

If you're looking for something new to watch that's guaranteed to be good because almost everyone who's watched it agrees, this list of miniseries with near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes scores from the past five years is a great place to start; it's your shortcut to finding your next favorite show that's both easy to get into and deeply satisfying.

1. Years and Years (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 89%

The Lyons family, spanning Manchester, navigates societal changes and political turmoil over 15 years, beginning in 2019, as Britain faces economic, technological, and political upheaval, affecting their personal lives, dreams, and fears in a near-futuristic Britain.

2. 1883 (2021)

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Rotten Tomatoes score: 89%

A prequel to "Yellowstone, " this series follows the Dutton family ancestors, led by Shea Brennan, a tough guide, and James Dutton, as they embark on a perilous journey west through the Great Plains toward the last bastion of untamed America, facing harsh conditions and personal tragedies in search of a better future.

3. Dopesick (2021)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 89%

Examining the epicenter of America's struggle with opioid addiction, from the boardrooms of Purdue Pharma, to a distressed Virginia mining community, and into the hallways of the DEA, the series dives deep into the impact of OxyContin and the complex web of responsibility behind the epidemic.

4. The New Pope (2020)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%

After Pope Pius XIII falls into a coma, Sir John Brannox becomes Pope John Paul III, facing the church's financial scandals, internal rivalries, and the return of Pius XIII, leading to a battle of wits and wills within the Vatican's highest office.

5. Normal People (2020)

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Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%

The intricate relationship between Marianne Sheridan and Connell Waldron, from their high school days in a small town in Ireland to their undergraduate years at Trinity College, showcases their complex dynamic as they weave in and out of each other's lives, experiencing love and loss.

6. Looking for Alaska (2019)

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Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%

Miles "Pudge" Halter attends Culver Creek Academy to seek his "Great Perhaps," where he meets Alaska Young, and after a tragic incident, he and his friends must confront the truth about their connections to her and navigate the guilt and grief that follow.

7. Maid (2021)

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Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%

After fleeing an abusive relationship, young mother Alex turns to housecleaning to make ends meet while fighting against poverty, homelessness, and bureaucracy in an effort to provide a better life for her daughter, Maddy, uncovering strength and resilience along her journey.

8. Mare of Easttown (2021)

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Rotten Tomatoes score: 95%

Detective Mare Sheehan investigates a murder in a small Pennsylvania town while grappling with her own life's struggles, including her son's death and her fractured family, as the community's dark secrets surface, intertwining her personal and professional life in unexpected ways.

9. Chernobyl (2019)

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Rotten Tomatoes score: 95%

This harrowing series recounts the story of the 1986 nuclear disaster at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, focusing on the men and women who sacrificed themselves to save Europe from unimaginable disaster, as well as the deceit and negligence that led to the catastrophe.

10. The Queen's Gambit (2020)

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Rotten Tomatoes score: 96%

Orphaned chess prodigy Beth Harmon battles addiction in a quest to become the greatest chess player in the world, overcoming personal demons and societal expectations in the 1950s and 60s, as she faces off against the Soviet chess establishment.

11. Watchmen (2019)

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Rotten Tomatoes score: 96%

In an alternate America where police conceal their identities behind masks to protect themselves from a white supremacist group, Detective Angela Abar investigates the murder of her friend and superior, uncovering a vast and insidious conspiracy tied to the history and impact of superheroes in society.

12. Mrs. America (2020)

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Rotten Tomatoes score: 96%

Phyllis Schlafly leads a conservative backlash against the Equal Rights Amendment movement in the 1970s, clashing with second-wave feminists like Gloria Steinem, Betty Friedan, and Shirley Chisholm, sparking a cultural battle over women's rights in America.

13. When They See Us (2019)

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Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%

The series dramatizes the true story of the "Central Park Five," five black and Latino teenagers who were wrongfully convicted of raping a white woman in Central Park in 1989, focusing on their initial interrogation, incarceration, and eventual exoneration, highlighting the racial injustices of the legal system.

14. Unbelievable (2019)

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Rotten Tomatoes score: 98%

A teen reports and then recants her reported rape, while two female detectives in different states investigate evidence that could reveal the truth; based on real events, the series explores the trauma of sexual assault and the painstaking pursuit of justice.

15. Black Bird ( 2022)

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Rotten Tomatoes score: 98%

To reduce his prison sentence, Jimmy Keene is transferred to a facility for the criminally insane, where he must befriend suspected serial killer Larry Hall to elicit a confession and find the bodies of several young girls, navigating a deadly game of cat and mouse.