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HBO is home to some of the greatest crime drama series of all time, from The Sopranos to The Wire. However, while these HBO original shows deserve their flowers, at six and five seasons, respectively, they're a massive time commitment, especially for audiences looking for a series they can binge in a weekend.
For as high-quality as they are, neither The Sopranos nor The Wire is an even watch start to finish. When Tony Soprano was in a coma for the first half of season 6, the action ground to a halt, while many still find The Sopranos' polarizing series finale to be a massive disappointment. Meanwhile, The Wire's fifth and final season, which focuses on Baltimore's news media, felt like a step down from the excellence that preceded it, especially with the show's sensationalized fake serial killer storyline.
Those looking for a quick binge-watch that doesn't sacrifice character depth and poignancy should try an HBO miniseries. While they tend to vary in quality, 2021's Mare of Easttownis the absolute best. Created by Brad Ingelsby, the series centers on detective Marianne "Mare" Sheehan (Kate Winslet) investigating the murder of a local teenage single mother while her own family life falls apart and her working-class community is ravaged by the opioid epidemic.
With three Emmy wins for stars Winslet, Evan Peters, and Julianne Nicholson, along with an impressive 95% Rotten Tomatoes score, Mare of Easttown is deserving of its bona fides. It's also a masterclass in rich yet concise television storytelling.
Mare Of Easttown Doesn't Waste A Minute In Its Taut Runtime
At just seven episodes, Mare of Easttown doesn't bother with flashy filler or spoonfeeding the audience with extended flashbacks like in more recent crime-focused miniseries like The Beast in Me or All Her Fault. Even the false leads Mare runs into serve a greater purpose to the HBO show's overall narrative.
There's also a major difference between tight storytelling and moving the plot at a breakneck pace, and Mare of Easttown is very much the former. Not every scene is a "go, go, go" hunt for the killer, and the result is a miniseries that feels richly lived in. Just as important as finding out who killed Erin McMenamin are the members of Mare's fractured family, grieving their own loss and dealing with a stressful custody battle.
Any crime drama can have juicy twists, but in Mare of Easttown, we actually care what happens to everyone after the fallout. It's the type of show that speeds by while making you feel like you've known the characters for a lifetime.
Why Mare Of Easttown Is A Cut Above HBO's Many Crime Dramas
With its gritty, community-focused storytelling, Mare of Easttown was immediately compared to True Detective season 1. However, while its inaugural installment is still considered a TV masterpiece, True Detective's four seasons have been wildly inconsistent, in terms of both tone and quality.
Mare of Easttown doesn't have that problem. Even though the miniseries is expanding with a crossover via Brad Ingelsby's Task— Julianne Nicholson's Lori Ross will appear in Task season 2 — nothing can tarnish the Emmy-winning series.
Like Mare of Easttown, Task was originally billed as a miniseries before becoming a full-fledged TV show when HBO renewed it for a second season.
Like Mare of Easttown, plenty of other HBO crime drama miniseries feature lead performances from some of today's most celebrated A-list actresses. However, while Nicole Kidman's The Undoing broke records when it was released in 2020, audiences and critics alike found the storytelling too far-fetched and sensational. 2018's Sharp Objects, starring Amy Adams, was much more lauded, but its bleak tone can make it a heavy, difficult watch. Mare of Easttown doesn't pull any punches, but its tone is as hopeful as it is raw, and it'll be remembered as one of HBO's best shows for years to come.
