The best miniseries on Netflix offer viewers something unique — gripping and bingeworthy stories subscribers can finish in one afternoon. One of the most interesting developments of the streaming era is the rise in prominence of miniseries, especially on Netflix. In the days of cable and network TV, shows would last the better part of the year, with 24 episodes standard. With streaming, audiences have less patience. Releasing the entire series in one go is a result of this; when a show was week-to-week, the drawn-out plot threads were less notable.