3 Binge-Worthy Netflix Miniseries You Won’t Want to Miss This Weekend

While summer is generally the time for outside activities, I always find myself spending a lot of time streaming movies and TV as well. It’s a great way to recharge the battery after time in the sun and socializing. Movies are my go-to, but during these months, I find myself wanting to catch up with some miniseries. They’re self-contained, easy to plow through, and you get the benefit of watching pristine TV you can recommend to others, like I’m doing here.

Netflix has a phenomenal selection of miniseries, and I still find myself discovering new ones to binge on the platform. Last weekend, I got through Straight To Hell, which is based on the true story of Japan’s infamous fortune-teller, Kazuko Hosoki, from her modest beginnings to her personal struggles. While that series is a bit niche, it was an interesting insight into a fascinating life, which you should check out after you get through my picks listed below. I wanted to share some of my favorites — series you won’t want to miss this weekend.

‘Lord of the Flies’ (2026)

If you read William Golding’s 1954 novel in school, as many have, you likely already know the story beats of this one and how tragic yet compelling Lord of the Flies is. For a refresher, the story centers on a group of English schoolboys stranded on a deserted island who come into conflict with one another, which reflects the innate faults in broader social structures. The story is so familiar that it may surprise you to learn that the series is the first TV adaptation of the book. It also comes from Jack Thorne, the Emmy-winning co-creator of Adolescence (one of the most exciting and talked about shows Netflix has ever released).

For the TV adaptation of Lord of the Flies, authenticity was key, and the series uses the rainforests of Malaysia to deliver stunning visuals while capturing that sense of isolation. The cast is made up of unknown actors, which makes you feel as if you’re being introduced to the boys and their perilous situation for the first time. The performances feel raw and credible in a way that experienced child actors rarely achieve with such challenging material. In particular, David McKenna’s turn as Piggy is the tragic and emotional heart of the series. At four episodes, this faithful adaptation is the best way to experience the classic story (besides reading the book again).

‘Toxic Town’ (2025)

While it may seem redundant to pick another Jack Thorne-penned miniseries, this one hits differently and will tap into your moral outrage in a way that makes for addictive binge-watching. Toxic Town is the kind of drama inspired by a true story that will have you riled up, as the four-episode series dramatizes the Corby toxic waste case. For those unfamiliar, the series follows a group of mothers in a small English steel town who rise up against big corporations after discovering industrial pollution was responsible for their children being born with severe disabilities.

Jodie Whittaker is phenomenal here in the lead role as Susan McIntyre, the mother at the center of the fight. The supporting cast is also great, including Aimee Lou Wood, Robert Carlyle, and Rory Kinnear. While the four-episode series will certainly have viewers up in arms over the injustice, its focus on resilience and community ensures it doesn’t wallow in despair. Of my three picks for this weekend, I would argue that Toxic Town is the most emotionally rewarding and a story that needs to be heard by more people.

‘Godless’ (2017)

Let’s go a little deeper for the last pick. If you’re a fan of revisionist Westerns like I am, this one is worth checking out, as it is often overlooked among earlier Netflix original series. Godless delivers a pretty classic genre setup: a young outlaw named Roy Goode (Jack O’Connell) goes on the run from his vengeful former mentor, the terrifying Frank Griffin (Jeff Daniels), and searches for a haven. He believes he finds it in the town of La Belle, New Mexico, a former mining town now mostly populated by women after a cave-in. But as it usually goes, there is no easy escape from the past, and Roy and the townsfolk are dragged into a vendetta.

Where Godless thrives is in hitting that sweet spot of paying homage to familiar tropes, robberies, showdowns, chases, and plenty of violence, while also quietly upending them. Jeff Daniels and Merritt Wever both picked up Emmys for their roles in the miniseries as the cold killer Griffin and Mary Agnes, the town’s tough, take-charge leader. The score is phenomenal (also earning an Emmy), and the backdrop of the New Mexico desert fully immerses viewers in this hidden gem of a Western. At seven episodes, this one is a bit longer than previous entries.

Of course, if you want to check out what is trending on Netflix, as of June 11, 2026, these are the top series: Berlin and The Lady with an Ermine, Michael Jackson: The Verdict, and The Witness.

Let us know which of these Netflix miniseries you plan to watch this weekend, and what other miniseries you would recommend to fellow Netflix fans.