4 Netflix miniseries to watch when your friends cancel at the last minute

Credit: Lucas Gouveia/How-To Geek Published Sep 26, 2026, 2:30 PM EDT Derek Malcolm has been covering the worlds of tech and entertainment for more than two decades. Before coming to How-To Geek in 2025, Derek was a contributing editor and writer for the A/V and Home Theater section at Digital Trends, where he wrangled and wrote everything from what to watch on Netflix to reviews, explainers, and guides on the latest Bluetooth speakers, turntables, projectors, and other A/V gear. Based in Toronto, Derek graduated from Humber College's Journalism program in 1999, after which he started covering the worlds of music, movies, TV, and celebrity for publications such as TV Guide, Hello! magazine, and Inside Entertainment. He then got the bug for covering tech and gadgets in 2006, when he served as editor-in-chief of Canadian tech magazine Connected for more than a decade. An avid skier, when all the snow's gone Derek can be found at home spinning vinyl with his daughter or cheering on his favorite F1 team, McLaren. Sign in to your How-To Geek account 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. 4 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. Vladimir Release Date 2026 - 2026-00-00 Network Netflix Cast Rachel Weisz, Kayli Carter, Elisa Moolecherry, Leo Woodall, John Slattery, Jessica Henwick, Matt Walsh, Miriam Silverman, Tattiawna Jones, Ellen Robertson Writers Julia May Jonas Main Genre Drama Creator(s) Julia May Jonas Producers Sharon Horgan, Chris Pavoni Seasons 1 Executive Producer(s) Jason Winer, Jon Radler, Julia May Jonas, Kira Carstensen, Rachel Weisz, Robert Pulcini, Shari Springer Berman, Stacy Greenberg 3 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 Bee does 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. 2 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." I Will Find You Release Date 2026 - 2026-00-00 Network Netflix Cast Sam Worthington, Britt Lower, Chi McBride, Logan Browning, Erin Richards, Jonathan Tucker, Milo Ventimiglia, Kate Vernon, Peter Outerbridge, Aaron Ashmore, Greg Bryk, Vas Saranga, Madeleine Stowe, Nicola Correia Damude, Hugh Thompson, Darrin Baker, Jefferson Brown, Ashton Cressman, Gregory Waters, Rainn Lawrence, Billy MacLellan, Tara Rosling, Tom Morton, Danielle Graham, Christopher Redman Showrunner Robert Hull Directors Adam Davidson, Brad Anderson, Maggie Kiley, Maja Vrvilo Writers Heather Mitchell, Bryan Wynbrandt, Robert Hull, Steven Lilien Main Genre Drama Creator(s) Robert Hull Producers Zoe Cheng, Desmond Paes Seasons 1 Executive Producer(s) Brad Anderson, Bryan Wynbrandt, Harlan Coben, John Weber, Robert Hull, Steven Lilien 1 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. The Residence Release Date 2025 - 2025-00-00 Network Netflix Cast Uzo Aduba, Giancarlo Esposito, Susan Kelechi Watson, Jason Lee, Ken Marino, Edwina Findley, Randall Park, Al Mitchell, Dan Perrault, Spencer Garrett, Bronson Pinchot, Molly Griggs Directors Liza Johnson Writers Paul William Davies Main Genre Mystery Creator(s) Paul William Davies Producers Betsy Beers, Shonda Rhimes Seasons 1 Where To Watch Netflix 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. Subscription with ads Yes, $8/month Simultaneous streams Two or four Live TV No Price Starting at $8/month Stream licensed and original programming with a monthly Netflix subscription.