8 Miniseries That Should Have Been Full Shows
Miniseries have been a core staple of the television landscape for decades. In the past, this genre, which aimed to tell its story in only one season and, at a minimum, under 10 episodes, was reserved for special programs that didn’t require multiple seasons. That is this genre’s bread-and-butter. Viewers can be in and out of a series, while still being thoroughly satisfied with the story that was told.
But, one can’t help to think about those great miniseries and what it would be like if they had multiple seasons. The story could be expanded, and new characters could be introduced. There is just so much that could be unlocked by extending the following miniseries to full-blown shows, and we’re going to take a look at some of the best that could be just as great as regular, multi-season shows.
8
‘The Pacific’ (2010)
Following on the heels of the iconic Band of Brothers, The Pacific was the second of three miniseries that took a broad look at the fighting in World War II. This series, premiering almost ten years after Band of Brothers, focused on the U.S. Marine Corps and their battle in the Pacific Theater of the war.
Like its sibling, The Pacific is widely recognized as one of the best miniseries ever made. Its deep character work, intense battle sequences, and emotional weight gave viewers a raw, honest look at the horrors of war in the Pacific. But with so many untold battles and soldier stories left on the table, the miniseries felt like just the beginning of something larger. Having said that, with so many stories of war in the Pacific Theater of WWII, The Pacific could have very well benefited from at least two more seasons to fully flesh out the horror of the war. It could have done this without sacrificing the quality of the series.
7
‘The Queen’s Gambit’ (2020)
Period dramas are tailor-made for the miniseries format, with one of the best being 2020’s The Queen’s Gambit. Based on the 1983 novel by Walter Tevis, the Netflix Original miniseries follows Beth Harmon (Anya Taylor-Joy), a chess extraordinaire who becomes the best chess player in the world. However, on her way to the top, she’s dealing with issues with drugs and alcohol.
The Queen’s Gambit is a wonderfully made miniseries that tells a compelling story of fighting off your inner demons while rising to the top. Its writing, performances, and stylish direction earned massive acclaim and helped bring chess back into the cultural spotlight. It would have been nice, though, if the series creators pushed The Queen’s Gambit to a second season to look at how Harmon deals with the fallout of Chess fame. There’s plenty of room to explore the pressures of global attention, new challengers, and whether Beth’s personal struggles truly stay in check.
6
‘Angels in America’ (2003)
In some ways, HBO’s Angels in America has become a forgotten relic that’s been left in the 2000s. That’s a shame, because this miniseries told some very heavy stories, exploring the grittiness of life, and how American society and politics were changing rapidly, especially in the Reagan era. Based on Tony Kushner‘s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, the story weaves together the lives of several New Yorkers during the height of the AIDS crisis, including Prior Walter (Justin Kirk), who is abandoned by his partner after a devastating diagnosis, and Roy Cohn (Al Pacino), a ruthless lawyer battling the disease in secret while clinging to his political power.
Technically, Angels in America is actually a movie, but was broken up by HBO into two three-hour episodes that qualified it as a compelling miniseries. While it was just fine in this format, Angels in America was a miniseries that was ripped for it to become a full-fledged show, going deeper into many social issues that were plaguing America in the ‘80s and ‘90s. There are so many stories that could be told here, and I think the series’ creators missed out on a golden opportunity to do just that.
5
‘Sharp Objects’ (2018)
There’s something about Sharp Objects that grabs your attention and never lets go. The series, which aired on HBO in 2018, is an adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s 2006 novel and makes great use of the Southern Gothic ethos that abounds in this thrilling series, making it one of the unique miniseries of our time.
Sharp Objects focuses on Camille Preaker (Amy Adams), an emotionally troubled reporter who returns to her hometown to cover the murder of two young girls. Being back in her hometown, however, stirs up her personal demons that she has to deal with. Sharp Objects was great as a miniseries, giving the psychological thriller a southern flavor; but this is a story that can be fleshed out in two or three more seasons without altering the dynamics that make Sharp Objects so special.
4
‘V’ (1983)
The 1980s had some great miniseries, and one of the best and most well-known was V, a sci-fi show that is still thrilling over 40 years after it aired its final episode. Created, written, and directed by Kenneth Johnson, V tells the story of the human resistance of the “Visitors,” reptilian humanoids who are disguised as humans who try to take over the world.
While this miniseries technically did have a show that lasted only one season, it would have been very beneficial to continue the story of V right after the initial miniseries ended. The characters, the mythology, and the resistance arc had enough depth to sustain several seasons, especially with its mix of action, sci-fi, and social commentary. V could have been tweaked to be a full-on show from the beginning instead of a miniseries, and it was a missed opportunity here.
3
‘Little Fires Everywhere’ (2020)
If you haven’t read Celeste Ng’s emotional novel, Little Fires Everywhere, then you’re missing out on a truly great read. It was only a matter of time until Ng’s novel would be adapted into a movie or TV series, and, thankfully, it went the former route. Little Fires Everywhere, starring Kerry Washington and Reese Witherspoon in spectacular performances, follows the two women from different worlds whose fates are intertwined.
The miniseries was a great and emotional watch, and it’s a story that was also primed to be turned into an actual series with multiple seasons. There was plenty of room to explore the aftermath of the final fire, the evolving relationships between the teenagers, and the consequences of the choices made by each mother. The story of Elena Richardson (Witherspoon) and Mia Warren (Washington) could have been explored a bit further instead of being confined within an 8-episode miniseries.
2
‘WandaVision’ (2021)
There are some mixed feelings when it comes to Marvel’s Disney+ series. There have been some misfires, but WandaVision certainly was not a misfire. In fact, it’s one of the best MCU shows ever, and one of the best miniseries of the 2020s. WandaVision picks up after the events of the massive Avengers: Endgame, and follows Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) as their idyllic suburban lifestyle is turned upside down through different sitcom decades and tropes.
Using common sitcom tropes to tell the story in WandaVision was a stroke of genius by creator Jac Schaeffer, and the ending was a satisfying payoff. That ending, however, left viewers wanting a little bit more, and WandaVision could have easily benefited from at least one more season to see where this story would go after that electrifying ending. Sadly, we will never know.
1
‘Watchmen’ (2019)
While the superhero mania that overtook both movies and TV was just starting to cool off by 2019, creators Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons took a big gamble with adapting the DC Comics series Watchmen to the small screen. Thankfully, Moore and Gibbons had a pitch-perfect plan, not to adapt it page by page, but to put their own, darker spin on the comic.
Watchmen follows the heroes as they battle racist violence in an alternate present-day Tulsa, Oklahoma, and it’s a truly terrifying watch. The storyline is compelling, provocative, and it works like a charm. And it should be explored and expanded in another series. There was talk of a Season 2, but that talk died out, which is heartbreaking, as Watchmen could have been one of the best superhero TV shows of our time and continued a very compelling storyline. If there is any limited series that should be transformed into a full TV show, it should be Watchmen.
