10 Forgettable HBO Miniseries That Are Actually Worth The Binge
Zach Moser has been writing for ScreenRant since 2022, covering movies, classic TV, and streaming TV. His areas of expertise cover a wide range of genres with a particular interest in horror and drama, and the conversations around the TV and film industry. When he's not covering the latest film releases or chronicling the latest season of a new show, he's writing humor pieces for McSweeney's Internet Tendency, Slackjaw, and Points In Case or working on short stories and his second novel.
These 10 HBO miniseries tend to be forgotten about in the glut of amazing limited shows the network has made, but on review, they're much more watchable than they're given credit for. HBO still holds the title as the go-to streamer for prestige television and shows you won't regret watching till the end.
Still, that doesn't mean every HBO show is a hit. Even their vaunted collection of miniseries has many titles that received the critical and audience scores you might associate with other, less rigorous networks and streamers. The difference is that a forgotten, underappreciated miniseries on HBO is still very much worth your time.
Elizabeth I (2005)
Elizabeth I is a two-part co-production between HBO and Channel 4, directed by Tom Hooper of The King's Speech fame, and starring Helen Mirren as the titular Queen Elizabeth I of Britain, who ruled from 1558 to 1603. The series covers the back half of her reign, which is noted in part for her refusal to take a husband and bear any children.
The series focuses first on her relationship with the Earl of Leicester (Jeremy Irons), and the second on her relationship with the Earl of Essex (Hugh Dancy). Elizabeth I is totally Mirren's show. She disappears into the Queen and turns every piece of dialogue or look of melancholy into something amazing and forceful.
House Of Saddam (2008)
House of Saddam is a biographical docudrama that depicts the rise and fall of Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi dictator who was executed for crimes against humanity in 2006. The series begins in 1979, shortly after the Iranian Revolution, and ends with his death by hanging.
The series covers a huge portion of Hussein's life, and at times, it feels like we're only getting a surface-level story. Still, the parts we do get to see are incredible and shocking. Yigal Naor's portrayal of the infamous figure is amazing, but there's nuance to it as well that keeps you engaged with the character.
The Young Pope (2016)
Jude Law stars in The Young Pope, a Sky Atlantic, HBO, and Canal+ production that follows Cardinal Lenny Belardo (Law), a New Yorker, who is suddenly elevated to the position of pope. Now styled as Pope Pius XIII, Lenny starts making drastic changes in the Vatican and within the Catholic Church.
His efforts to change the perception of Catholicism, and possibly reinstitute the Papal States, serve as the backdrop for an overly melodramatic but surprisingly funny series that often has its tongue in its cheek. The production design and costuming alone are reasons to watch the series.
Gunpowder (2017)
Gunpowder is based on the 1605 Gunpowder Plot in London, when English Catholics attempted to assassinate the Protestant King James VI of Scotland and I of England by blowing up the House of Lords. Though Guy Fawkes (Tom Cullen) is most associated with the conspiracy, it was led by Robert Catesby (Kit Harrington).
The series is remembered for some explicit and difficult-to-watch instances of torture. Accurate or not, they suggest a grimmer tone than the series is actually operating in, which is much more of a spy thriller. If you can stomach those scenes, or fast-forward through them, you'll find a compelling and well-acted historical action drama.
Mosaic (2018)
Steven Soderbergh loves to get creative with the film form. In 2024's Presence, he filmed a horror story entirely from the point-of-view of the ghost. In Ocean's Twelve, he had Julia Roberts play Tess Ocean play the real-life Julia Roberts. He's happy to go avant-garde, and in Mosaic, he tries out an interactive dimension in filmmaking.
This six-episode murder mystery was released as a drama series on HBO, and as a mobile app, which allowed viewers to see the same scene from multiple viewpoints, look through clues, and engage with the story in a way more akin to a murder-mystery dinner party than a miniseries.
I Know This Much Is True (2020)
I Know This Much Is True is based on Wally Lamb's 1998 novel of the same name and follows twin brothers, Dominick and Thomas Birdsey, both played by Mark Ruffalo, which required him to film his scenes twice, once as Dominick, and then again six weeks later and 30 pounds heavier as Thomas (via Variety).
In 1990s Connecticut, Thomas Birdsey has paranoid schizophrenia but manages his symptoms with medication. However, occasional episodes result in events like Thomas cutting off his own hand, requiring the intervention of his brother. It's dark and difficult, with not much of a light at the end of the tunnel, but it's powerful for it.
The Plot Against America (2020)
Philip Roth's 2004 novel of the same name serves as the inspiration for another Ed Burns and David Simon HBO TV show. The Plot Against America is set in an alternate history where Charles Lindbergh, a real-life aviator and noted xenophobic populist, is elected president, shaping America.
In this new world, America has pivoted towards fascism in the '40s. The election of the popular celebrity is met with elation by some, and quiet discomfort by others. What begins with a neutral stance on the Nazis ends with rampant antisemitic violence, martial law, and the collapse of the old America. It's a troubling series that hits painfully close to home.
We Are Who We Are (2020)
Luca Guadagnino's We Are Who We Are is a coming-of-age story set on a fictional US military base in Chioggia, Italy, where 14-year-old Fraser Wilson (Jack Dylan Grazer) has just moved to from New York City. There, he meets Caitlin Poythres (Jordan Kristine Seamón), who has been on the base for years and is beginning to question her gender identity.
The picturesque Italian coastline provides the backdrop for an achingly modern series that takes on some of the stickiest modern cultural and political topics. As Guadagnino is wont to do, he never shows his cards all at once, preferring to take on these questions from multiple angles.
White House Plumbers (2023)
Woody Harrelson and Justin Theroux star in White House Plumbers as E. Howard Hunt and G. Gordon Liddy, the two men who organized and directed the break-in at the Watergate building which led to the Watergate scandal, which ended in Richard Nixon's resignation.
The series does its best to stick to the history of what really happened in the events leading up to the break-in and the fallout, and by doing so, White House Plumbers does feel a bit overstuffed. Even so, Theorux and Harrelson's chemistry and careful sense of tone make this a historical drama that's a blast to watch.
The Regime (2024)
Kate Winslet's The Regime is a black comedy set in a fictional, unnamed, Central European country. Chancellor Elena Vernham (Winslet) is the vain and corrupt dictator of the country, but in recent years, her government has begun to crumble thanks to her laws and impositions on the country.
Increasingly paranoid, Elena attempts to expand her power further, only hastening her downfall. The Regime tries for some sharp-tongued satire that doesn't always hit, but is more than made up for with Winslet's performance. Her bold decisions make this an HBO miniseries that feels unique among the ones she usually appears in.
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