Given how ubiquitous some Netflix series are, we often forget that the sheer breadth of the streaming service's offerings can mean that some truly high-quality shows can get buried under that avalanche of choice.
That's where Tom's Guide comes in. We regularly sift through that sprawling selection to give you curated mini-guides of worth-a-watch TV series and films across a wide array of genres. And if you're a fan of the thriller genre — with all its suspense, surprises and spine-tingling moments — I've picked a trio of great Netflix thrillers to recommend next.
And handily, they're all in the miniseries format, which is perfect for binge-watching in one weekend, with neatly contained stories spread out across a handful of episodes. That means the tensions remain high, the pace nicely chugging along, and there's no waiting years between seasons to see how all those twists and turns shake out. If you’re after something engrossing without the long-term commitment, here are three Netflix thriller miniseries you might not have heard of but should definitely check out next.
‘Katla’
Created by Baltasar Kormákur and Sigurjón Kjartansson, this Icelandic mystery-drama finds its thrills in both the natural and supernatural worlds: A year after a catastrophic volcanic eruption shakes up the small, southernmost village of Vik, former townsfolk thought to be lost in the natural disaster start reappearing in the village, caked in ash but otherwise unharmed. More and more residents, all previously presumed to be dead, begin mysteriously emerging from the glacial ice, bringing up questions of lingering grief and long-running folklore for the residents who were left behind.
Starring Guðrún Ýr Eyfjörð, Íris Tanja Flygenring and Ingvar Sigurðsson, the eight-episode thriller is a haunting slow-burn watch, one that earned a coveted 100% critical approval rating over on Rotten Tomatoes. For New Scientist, Robyn Chowdhury praised Katla as "a thriller with such depth that some episodes, particularly the fast-paced season finale, can leave you feeling genuinely emotionally raw. It is a story about grief with unpredictably dark twists and turns, worthy of multiple watches."
Stream "Katla" on Netflix now
'Bodkin'
If you want your thriller miniseries with some "Only Murders in the Building"-style comedy, you should seek out "Bodkin," which, funnily enough, also centers on a ragtag trio investigating a cold-case mystery to make a true-crime podcast. This time, those wannabe detectives are American podcaster Gilbert Power (Will Forte), his British assistant Emmy Sizergh (Robyn Cara) and Irish reporter Dove Maloney (Siobhán Cullen), who set out to uncover the mysterious disappearance of three strangers in a remote coastal town in Ireland.
Created by British writer Jez Scharf, the seven-part series doesn't just play into our collective obsession with all things true crime but also satirizes that very genre; "'Bodkin's' satire of true crime investigation could use a more compelling mystery to hang its quips on, but the series' sheer eccentricity makes for an intriguing enough tale from the old sod," reads the critical consensus over on Rotten Tomatoes.
Stream "Bodkin" on Netflix now
'Cassandra'
From "Ex Machina" to "Transcendence" to this year's "Mercy," artificial intelligence has proven a fruitful subject for sci-fi thrillers, and this futuristic German miniseries is no exception. It centers on the Prill family — mom Samira (Mina Tander), dad David (Michael Klammer), and their children Fynn (Joshua Kantara) and Juno (Mary Tölle) — who move into a long-empty 1970s smart house that's equipped with an AI operating system named Cassandra (voiced by Lavinia Wilson) and screens in every room.
Determined never to be abandoned again, however, the virtual assistant soon turns rogue and ruthless, manipulating the Prills against each other and fundamentally holding them hostage in their own home. You'll never look at your Alexa the same way again.
Stream "Cassandra" on Netflix now
More from Tom's Guide
- 3 new to Netflix thriller movies to stream this week — including a tense biopic about one of the 21st century’s most infamous whistleblowers
- Denzel Washington and Eva Mendes team up for a ho t crime thriller movie that you can stream for free right now
- Netflix just added one of the most gripping mystery thriller movies I've ever seen — and it’s like a digital jigsaw puzzle
