Credit: Netflix

How often does it happen when you finish a really good show on Netflix, and afterwards, nothing else looks worth starting? You scroll about a bit, read a few descriptions, maybe try the first ten minutes of something else, and it just doesn’t work. Happens more often than it should, to be fair.

That’s usually when people start asking the universal question of what’s actually worth watching. They want something that won’t waste a few hours and has a proper ending. Not the big or obvious titles either, but the ones that tend to come up in conversation later. Something that leaves the feeling that you did watch something good and conclusive.

Netflix has quite a few of those in its latest catalogue. Not always trending, but they stick with people for a reason. Different tones and settings, but all of them with one thing in common: they don’t leave things unfinished.

So if you’re in that spot where you want something reliable without wasting your whole weekend, here are a few limited series you should hop on to right now.

Five limited series to watch on Netflix this weekend

Safe (2018)

Starting with a strong recommendation from the box of Harlan Coben, Safe starts with Michael C. Hall as Tom Delaney, who is a widowed surgeon living in what looks like a perfectly secure gated community. You know those sorts of places where nothing much is meant to go wrong, but then his teenage daughter disappears after a party, and that whole facade of “safety” starts to fall apart.

So instead of waiting around, Tom decides to look into it himself, and as he starts asking questions, it becomes clear too soon that the people around him aren’t being honest, which is where he starts questioning everything. It’s so interesting because each episode adds something new, and you are constantly second-guessing who is telling the truth. So if you want something that keeps you hooked and actually gives you answers by the end, this is an easy one to get into.

Collateral (2018)

If you are in the mood for something a bit more serious, give Collateral a go. It starts with a pizza delivery driver being shot in London, which looks random at first. Something that could be brushed off without much digging. But DI Kip Glaspie (Carey Mulligan) doesn’t take it easy and keeps asking questions others would rather avoid.

As she keeps looking into it, more details start coming out, and the case connects to bigger issues, with different people involved who all seem to know more than they are saying. So you are gradually piecing things together as she does, rather than being told outright. It also moves between a few perspectives, and if you like to play that game, you are in for a treat.

Ratched (2020)

You’ve probably heard the name before: Nurse Ratched from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. This Netflix show takes that character and goes back to the start. Sarah Paulson plays her here, working at a psychiatric hospital in the late 1940s, and from the beginning, she looks extremely suspicious. This woman is one of those employees who don’t want to finish work and go home.

Initially, she seems sweet, but she has clearly got her own reasons for being there, and as things move along, you start seeing how she manipulates situations and people to get what she wants. The hospital itself isn’t exactly stable either. If you look at the treatments, they are very questionable, along with patients who aren’t what they seem. The series was meant as a limited run telling Ratched’s backstory, even though it left room for more. And if you have been curious about how that character became what she is, it’s worth a watch.

Hollywood (2020)

An underrated gem, Hollywood is set in post–World War II Hollywood and follows a group of people trying to break into the film industry. Be it actors, writers or directors, each of them is dealing with how hard it actually was to get a foot in the door, especially if you didn’t fit the mould at the time. You’ve got Jack Castello, played by David Corenswet, trying to make it as an actor while juggling odd jobs, and Camille Washington, played by Laura Harrier, pushing for roles that weren’t usually given to Black actresses back then.

This Netflix show took a bold step and reworked the history of Hollywood, showing what might’ve happened if opportunities had opened up earlier for people who were usually shut out. And it could be anything from race, gender, or sexuality. Fictional characters are so well blended with the real figures from the industry that you can hardly tell the difference. So if you are interested in how Hollywood worked behind the scenes, with a different take on who got to succeed, it’s worth your time.

The Playlist (2022)

You’ve used Spotify, right? This goes back to how it even started. It follows Edvin Endre as Daniel Ek, the guy behind it, and he’s trying to build a music platform at a time when piracy was everywhere, and the industry was struggling to keep control of its own content. What’s interesting is how the story is told. Each episode looks at the same story from a different person’s point of view. Daniel, a programmer, a lawyer, or even someone from the music industry.

So you’re not just getting one version of events. You see how the idea grows and the pushback from artists who weren’t exactly thrilled about streaming in the beginning. It’s based on real events, though it takes a few liberties here and there. Still, it gives a decent look at how Spotify came together and amd what made it what it is today. If you’re curious about how something that big got off the ground, this Netflix show is a must-watch.