Need plans? Three Netflix shows to binge this weekend

Most of us would agree that an ideal Friday night involves the sofa, greasy takeaway, and a ruthless attack on your ever-growing Netflix watchlist. I can't decide whether you should go for curry, pizza, or just crisps for dinner—though in my book, the weekend bans green veg. I can, however, save you from the scourge of endless scrolling by simply telling you what’s actually worth binging between now and Monday morning.

I’ve willingly sacrificed countless weekends to the Netflix gods watching some of their best—and, I admit, worst— original series. I powered through Midnight Mass when it hit back in 2021 and recently found myself irrationally invested in whether anyone would survive I Will Find You, that twisty Harlan Coben business. Since we all deserve a good story to sink into on a lazy weekend, I’ve narrowed it down to three of my personal favourite Netflix shows—covering comedy, the odd thriller, and a dose of horror—each clocking in at no more than eight episodes. That means there’s no risk of still being stuck with twenty episodes left come Sunday night, when the dread of another busy week comes crashing back in.

Why should you listen to me? Simple enough: I cover new and old streaming series for MovieWeb, so keeping tabs on genuinely binge-worthy releases is basically my superpower (if a useless one outside of social circles obsessed with Netflix). Which means: the three picks below aren’t random. I’ve watched the lot, probably twice, and ruined a perfectly good sleep schedule on their behalf.

Three Proper Binge Options

1. Big Mistakes (2026)

   Eight episodes. A comedy that actually makes you want to hit “next episode” instead of doom-scrolling or texting. The set-up: Morgan (Taylor Ortega) and Nicky (Dan Levy) are siblings who couldn’t care less for each other but are suddenly forced to team up after a necklace is nicked. Add Laurie Metcalf as their frankly brilliant mum, Linda, who’s forever plotting something and currently considering a run for mayor. Frankly, I’d watch Metcalf read the local council tax letter, so this is already fantastic telly.

   The action somehow speeds along like a thriller (necklaces do fly about) but it’s the family chaos that makes it sing. Episode lengths hover at the half-hour mark—moreish. There’s a funeral, an argument in the rain, and Linda exclaiming, ’The cheese is sweating.’ Which is…debatably the most relatable thing I’ve heard on telly this year. Yes, it’s all very American but if you’ve got a mother or aunt with a PhD in melodrama, it’ll hit home.

2. Marianne (2019)

   A French horror mini-series with teeth—and not just because of the demon grinning at you from across the room. Eight episodes. The main character is Emma, a frazzled author played by Victoire Du Bois, career slowly evaporating as she’s haunted by her own literary creation—Marianne, a witch with the sort of skin-texture that makes you swear off hand cream and a terrifying smile you’ll see when you blink. It’s paced to keep you glued, moving from fully normal book signings to 'is my nightmare real?' territory very quickly. Rotten Tomatoes love it, but more important: I inhaled it in a day and genuinely regretted turning off the bedside lamp. Each episode’s closer is designed to unsettle, so rationing it out over too many nights is a proper mistake.

3. Midnight Mass (2021)

   If you’ve not consumed all of Mike Flanagan's Netflix output, hold on. Midnight Mass is a seven-episode sledgehammer of a limited series — slow-building, dark, and much weirder than most horror outings. Starts with Riley (Zach Gilford) returning to a crumbling island alongside a too-smiley priest, and only gets stranger from there. There's talk of religion, death, and the small matter of whether you’d survive a supernatural brush with evil if left alone in a vicarage overnight. Unlike generic whodunits, you stick with this one not simply to unravel a single secret but because everyone gets a proper character arc — even the wheelchair-bound Leeza (Annarah Cymone) isn’t short-changed.

   The structure is tight. If you bail after Episode 1’s cliff-hanger, you’re made of sterner stuff than me. The final two episodes land with a proper wallop and an ending that'll stew in your brain for months, which is exactly what you want from the bloke who made The Haunting of Hill House.

All three series — Big Mistakes, Marianne, and Midnight Mass — can be finished in a single weekend, with no season two cliffhangers looming over your Monday regret.