- “Vladimir” stars Rachel Weisz in a comedy about a middle-aged professor’s crush on a young colleague, while “Man vs Bee” features Rowan Atkinson in a physical comedy about a man battling a bee.
- “I Will Find You” is a dark crime thriller starring Sam Worthington as a man seeking to prove his innocence in his son’s murder, and “The Residence” is a slapstick mystery series with Uzo Aduba investigating a murder in the White House.
You’re showered, shaved, and dressed to impress. The Uber is two minutes out when your group chat starts pinging like Christmas bells—”Not feeling great, have to bail. Sry.” “Something came up. Rain check?” Ugh, there goes your night.
That truly sucks, but before you mope on the couch and start doomscrolling, have a look below. Your flaky friends might have bailed, but a good miniseries on Netflix will never let you down—it shows up, tells a complete story, and never leaves you hanging on the cliff for a second season. Heck, a couple of these miniseries (all streaming on Netflix in the U.S.) are short enough to finish before midnight, and the others could easily stretch into the weekend. You might even be glad they canceled.
Vladimir
Finished before midnight
Your friends might not want to hang out tonight, but you know who’s better than your friends? Rachel Weisz, who spends much of this steamy eight-part comedy talking straight to you, Fleabag style. Vladimir,an adaptation of the Julia May Jonas novel of the same name, stars Weisz as M (yes, just “M”), a middle-aged English professor who’s having a bit of a midlife crisis—her marriage to fellow smartypants John (Mad Men‘s John Slattery) is strained, and her students aren’t finding her as compelling as they once did.
But when a hot, young new colleague, Vladimir (Leo Woodall, Tuner), shows up, her crush (mostly contained in her own, often-hilarious imagination) borders on obsession. Vladimir sits at 74% on Rotten Tomatoes and is tight enough to be done before you turn into a pumpkin.
Man vs Bee
Something silly for a few laughs before bed
Crack up and release some endorphins for a few hours while watching Mr. Bean go to war with a … bee. OK, so this is not a Mr. Bean show, but the Netflix comedy limited series Man vs Beedoes star the man himself, Rowan Atkinson, as Trevor Bingley, a recent divorcé whose clumsy bad luck has cost him more than a few jobs. Needing money to take his daughter on a vacation, Trevor finally lands a job house-sitting for a wealthy couple in their super-modern mansion.
It all seems normal enough until a harmless little bee gets inside and Trevor loses his absolute mind trying to get rid of it. If you’re a fan of physical comedy and sight gags, few do it better than Atkinson. And in Man vs Bee, he goes all out, employing hammers, tennis rackets, flamethrowers, and all manner of other objects to smoosh, fry, and even explode the little bee while nearly destroying the house, and everything else, in his way. Nine 10 to 20-minute episodes make for at least a couple of hours of laughs before bedtime.
I Will Find You
If one night becomes the weekend
If you’re going to sink your teeth into any of Harlan Coben’s various Netflix series (this is his 13th) right now, your best bet, hands down, is his most recent, the dark and twisty crime thriller I Will Find You. One of the streamer’s biggest hits of the year so far, the eight-part limited series stars Avatar‘s Sam Worthington as David Burroughs, a man five years into a life sentence for killing his young son, Matthew. Only he didn’t do it.
When his ex-wife’s sister, a feisty reporter named Rachel Mills (Severance‘s Britt Lower), shows up with a photo of what appears to be a slightly older Matthew, David breaks out of prison and gets to work digging through the lies and conspiracies to find his son. Milo Ventimiglia co-stars as an old flame of Rachel’s who may not be what he seems. If you don’t get to the bottom of the series in one sitting, it’s OK—there’s bound to be another night your friends “aren’t feeling great.”
The Residence
A little mystery, lots of laughs
Orange Is the New Black‘s enigmatic Uzo Aduba was easily my favorite part of that groundbreaking Netflix series—her character, Crazy Eyes, was gloriously off the rails, and I loved it. In the Netflix series The Residence, however, Aduba is a little less crazy but still a lot of eyes as Cordelia Cupp, a hot-shot detective who’s been brought into the White House to investigate the murder of staffer A.B. Wynter (Breaking Bad‘s Giancarlo Esposito).
In this slapstick whodunnit, no one can leave the White House until Cupps interrogates everyone, but with a wily cast of troublesome characters getting in the way—including the president’s dismissive chief advisor (Ken Marino), the president’s brother (Jason Lee), and … Kylie Minogue—Cupp has her work cut out for her. Randall Park co-stars as an FBI agent sent to help. Aduba earned an Emmy nomination for the role, and the series is currently at 85% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
Their loss is your cozy night in
You’ve got four new friends to hang out with tonight. Sure, one of them is a delusional English professor with the hots for her young colleague, one’s a recently sprung convicted killer, and one is a … bee, but at least they’re here for you in your time of need. Take your pick and enjoy some “you” time. And when you’re finished, keep it locked on How-To Geek’s streaming section for our expert picks on the best movies and shows to stream.
