(Credits: Netflix)

Most people scroll straight past the best shows on Netflix, the limited ones especially. However, the times have changed, and people are bingeing these limited series left, right and centre, yet every day there is so much new content coming on Netflix; some good ones slip quite easily.

But what are we here for? This time, we have got you the series that never trends, barely gets promoted, yet somehow stays with you long after you finish them. These are the stories that do not drag things out and hence wrap up in one season.

Most of us love how limited series build entire worlds inside seven or eight episodes, sometimes even four. Of course, Netflix has to keep in mind the limited attention of the doomscrolling generation. These series give you closure without spoon-feeding it, and you don’t have to wait for three years to get another season (no offence, Stranger Things).

Some of these shows deserved far more credit when they came out. Maybe they got lost under the noise of bigger titles or were too smart for easy marketing. But they are the ones that remind you how good television can get when it is written to end well, not just go on.

So if your watchlist needs fresh energy, these five limited series are a good place to start.

Five underrated limited series to binge on Netflix

True Story (2021)

Kevin Hart totally surprised me here, and he will do the same to you. We have all seen him as the stereotypical funny-guy act, but this time, he plays a version of himself where he is a famous comedian who is exhausted, paranoid, and far too used to getting away with things. He comes home to Philadelphia for a show, meets his older brother, and by morning, everything has gone off the rails. One lie becomes ten, and everything seems “unfixable” and ends up being in a much deeper hole.

In a nutshell, this show is about how fame makes people believe they’re untouchable. Watching Hart’s character try his best to hold his life together is like watching someone balance glass on a shaking table where you know it’s going to fall; you just do not know when. Wesley Snipes plays the brother, and he is so messy and dangerous that he keeps you guessing whose mess it really is.

Bodies (2023)

Imagine one murder, four detectives, and four timelines, and all of them meet at one end: the same corpse. Bodies starts in 1890 and somehow ends up in 2053, but it never loses the thread. It has four eras, and each era has its own detective and its own set of secrets, and a version of the same body shows up, like history is playing a prank.

Well, we are sure this crazy plotline has convinced you to watch Bodies. But if it hasn’t, you can think of it like a puzzle you have to solve. A puzzle that keeps revealing smaller puzzles inside. The show doesn’t care if you’re one step behind; it just keeps going while it dares you to keep up. And when everything finally connects, it feels earned. Easily one of the smartest things Netflix has made in years, and yet barely anyone talks about it.

Echoes (2022)

This one is pure madness, but don’t worry, in a good way. It starts with one twin disappearing, and we are like, Okay, missing-person mystery, got it. But then you realise both sisters have been secretly swapping lives for years, pretending to be each other without anyone noticing, and your mind is blown away. Suddenly, you are questioning everything like you’re the first cousin of Sherlock Holmes.

Michelle Monaghan plays both twins, and she nails it so well that you forget it is the same person (which is also the point). She plays both the calm person and the one losing her mind with such brilliance that you can’t tell which version is real. The show keeps twisting until you start laughing at how insane it’s gotten, but you still can’t stop watching.

Godless (2017)

Ugh, finally a western that is not about cowboys swaggering around. We can collectively agree that Westerns getting associated with cowboys was enough. And in case you aren’t familiar with this, the show is about a mining town run entirely by women after a tragic accident wipes out most of the men. The setup sounds simple enough, but what happens further is raw storytelling, which is also nail-biting.

Jeff Daniels plays the outlaw you’re not sure you should hate, and Michelle Dockery (yep, Lady Mary from Downton Abbey) turns into this steely, furious ranch owner who can shoot straight and stare harder. The show looks gorgeous, though we have to admit that. The best part is that it is not here to impress; it’s here to depress (just kidding).

From Scratch (2022)

Not technically as underrated as the previous shows, but From Scratch will always be one of the most underappreciated dramas of our time. At first glance, it looks like another romantic drama where an American girl meets an Italian boy and they have an instant spark, blah blah. But the real twist happens when it takes a totally different turn when their families are involved. Zoe Saldaña plays Amy, an art student who falls in love with Lino, a Sicilian chef, and together they build a life that’s warm but also painful.

Even though it is an American romantic drama, this show is much less dramatic and leans towards the ordinary happenings of life. Instead of steamy scenes, this show displays love through everyday moments like cooking and caregiving. And if that’s not enough to hit play immediately, then you need to rethink your choices. From Scratch.