Five limited series to watch on Netflix this weekend
Netflix seems to really have cracked the code with limited series because, tell us why, people have suddenly lost all patience for long shows now. Genuinely! The second a series crosses three seasons, everyone starts acting exhausted. And fair enough because who actually has the energy for 30-plus episodes and three filler storylines about somebody’s breakup anymore? Gone are the days!
That’s why these shorter Netflix shows are doing the job now. Six episodes or maybe seven, and the story’s done. Everybody gets attached to fictional people for a week and then moves on with life. Beautiful system.
And the funny thing is, Netflix used to play things so safe with limited series as well. Every other show was either serious or a large-scale murder. Bit miserable after a while, wasn’t it? But now? Completely different story. The platform’s gone from scammer dramas to comedies to coming-of-age stories that people like watching.
Also, can we talk about how aggressive Netflix viewers have become lately? If a show drags even slightly, people bin it off within ten minutes. All you need is one dodgy subplot, and the attention span is gone, poof! Anyway… if the long series of Netflix has bored you, these five limited series are worth getting stuck into.
Five limited series to watch on Netflix this weekend
Apple Cider Vinegar
The mad thing about Apple Cider Vinegar is that the story sounded ridiculous even before Netflix turned it into a series. Wait till you hear it. Here, we have a wellness influencer convincing thousands of people she cured brain cancer through healthy eating! Already sounds dodgy, doesn’t it? Then came the part where everybody found out she never had cancer in the first place.
The series follows Belle Gibson (Kaitlyn Dever), who builds this massive online following after presenting herself as a wellness guru with a miraculous recovery story. Before you know it, this woman is selling cookbooks and getting treated as an inspirational figure while people around her start buying into everything she says. The problem is, the entire thing’s built on lies, and once cracks begin showing, the fallout becomes crazy. But the interesting part about this Netflix show is the believability factor. Belle is so convincing and charming; anyone can fall into a trap. Also, it’s a great jab at the influencer culture we’re living in today.
Boy Swallows Universe
This show is the reason why people get so attached to Australian dramas as well, because they never make life look like a bed of roses. Everybody in Boy Swallows Universe looks exhausted and stressed, and that’s the reason why it was such a big hit on Netflix. It’s the story of Eli Bell, growing up in 1980s Brisbane with his mum, Frankie, who is recovering from addiction, and then there is his stepfather, Lyle. This man constantly ends up getting tangled up with drug dealers and criminals.
It’s a coming-of-age drama where poor Eli gets caught up in drug crime and police corruption. His family gets dragged deeper into Brisbane’s criminal world, and he starts trying to protect the people around him. And the mad part is, even with all the violence and crime in the story, the show still finds room for humour in the middle of everything. Warning: It will finish you, emotionally.
Transatlantic
Be a little careful with Transatlantic because it is stressful television. The reason being that it is built around people trying to escape Nazi-occupied France before everything; they get stuffed into the infamous chambers. And the worst part? Most of it’s inspired by real events, which makes half the close calls in this show even more nerve-racking to watch.
The story follows Varian Fry, played by Cory Michael Smith, an American journalist who arrives in Marseille during World War II to help artists, writers and refugees escape Europe. Alongside him are Mary Jayne Gold and Albert Hirschman, who end up forming this underground rescue network while the authorities keep closing in around them. Every episode is basically an operation involving forged papers and hidden routes, all leading towards a desperate escape plan that could fall apart at any second. But it’s not very smooth like in movies. Here, people argue and make bad decisions. Which, if anything, makes the whole thing more believable.
Berlin and the Lady with an Ermine
If you are someone who enjoys historical dramas but cannot deal with the super-serious ones. Recently released on Netflix, Berlin and the Lady with an Ermine is a spin-off show of Money Heist’s famous character Berlin. It follows Helena, a young Polish art historian who becomes obsessed with protecting Lady with an Ermine, the famous Leonardo da Vinci painting, after Nazi forces begin looting artwork across occupied territories during World War II. Yes, yet another Nazi-associated show.
While travelling through Berlin, she crosses paths with Friedrich Vogel, a German officer whose loyalties are, well, questionable. So now the whole thing turns into this dangerous balancing act involving stolen art and hidden networks. But another thing to pay attention to here is the production design in this series, which is gorgeous. Everything from galleries to their hideout is ridiculously detailed. Make sure to Google the real painting before you press play.
Abraham Lincoln
Ooh, history with drama? Hell yeah! Netflix knew exactly what it was doing with Abraham Lincoln because this is not one of those dry documentary series where a bloke in glasses talks at viewers for five hours while old photos float around the screen, ugh! The show mixes proper dramatic recreations with interviews from historians, and it turns one of America’s most famous presidents into somebody people end up watching the same way they watch political thrillers.
The series follows Abraham Lincoln’s rise from lawyer to president during the American Civil War, with Graham Sibley playing Lincoln in the dramatic scenes. And the show spends a lot of time showing how much pressure he was under rather than treating him as this untouchable historical figure who always knew the right answer. A must-watch for those who love history with a pinch of drama.