Your Weekend Watchlist Is Sorted
The weekend of October 17 is stacked on Netflix. A chart-topping miniseries led by one of Hollywood’s busiest actors, a beloved adult cartoon finding a new home, a nostalgic teen sitcom revival, and the return of one of television’s sharpest political thrillers — there is something here for every kind of viewer. Here are the shows worth your binge hours.
1. Below — The Miniseries Everyone Is Talking About
Genre: Drama miniseries (6 episodes)
Why binge it: It is currently the biggest show on Netflix in America.
Josh Hartnett is having quite a month. While he stars in Verity, the Colleen Hoover adaptation lighting up the box office, he also headlines Below, the six-episode miniseries that has seized the number one spot on the US Netflix charts — knocking Florence Pugh’s East of Eden off its perch.
The series comes from writer and creator Jesse McKeown, best known for his work on The Umbrella Academy, and surrounds Hartnett with a strong ensemble: Charlie Heaton (Stranger Things), Mackenzie Davis (The Martian), and Ruby Stokes (Rocks).
At just six episodes, this is the definition of a weekend binge — a complete story you can start on Saturday morning and finish by Sunday night, with the satisfaction of knowing you watched the show everyone will be discussing on Monday.
2. Solar Opposites — The Animated Gem That Finally Hit Netflix
Genre: Adult animation, sci-fi comedy
Why binge it: Six seasons of one of the funniest animated shows of the decade, now in one place.
First released in 2020, Solar Opposites quietly became one of the best adult animated series of recent years across six seasons in five years on Hulu. This week, Netflix picked it up — and if you missed it the first time around, this is your moment.
The premise is irresistible: a group of aliens settles in middle America after their home planet is destroyed, and must figure out human life while bickering like the world’s most dysfunctional family. Beneath the sci-fi chaos and sharp jokes, the show is strangely sentimental — the kind of comedy that sneaks up on you emotionally.
The quality has held up remarkably: the sixth season, which premiered on Hulu last year, earned an 83% score on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics singling out the voice performances and calling it a fearless, funny, emotional high point that places the series among the greats of adult animation. Perfect, easy watching for a lazy weekend.
3. Hollywood Arts — Nostalgia for the Whole Family
Genre: Teen sitcom, family comedy
Why binge it: A feel-good throwback — ideal if younger viewers are part of your weekend plans.
Sixteen years after Nickelodeon’s Victorious introduced the world to Tori Vega (Victoria Justice), the franchise returns with Hollywood Arts, a sequel spin-off developed by Jake Farrow and Samantha Martin.
This time the spotlight falls on Trina Vega — Tori’s older sister, played again by Daniella Monet — who heads back to Hollywood’s premier performing arts school, this time as a substitute teacher. She is joined by a new generation of young talent: Alyssa Miles, Erika Swayze, Emmy Liu-Wang, Peyton Jackson, and Martin Kamm.
The show is pitched as having something for everyone, whether you grew up quoting the original or are meeting the Hollywood Arts campus for the first time. If your weekend includes kids or teens, this is the safest — and most fun — pick on the list.
4. The Diplomat (Season 4) — Prestige TV at Its Peak
Genre: Political thriller, drama
Why binge it: One of Netflix’s most acclaimed dramas, back and better than ever.
Emmy nominee Keri Russell returns as Kate Wyler, the American ambassador to the United Kingdom, in the fourth season of The Diplomat — and this may be the show’s most explosive chapter yet. This season, Kate is forced into an uneasy alliance with First Gentleman Todd Penn to stop a dangerous pact forming between President Grace Penn and her own husband, Hal Wyler.
The series, created by Debora Cahn, has grown in confidence with every season. The cast is stacked: Rufus Sewell, David Gyasi, Rory Kinnear, and Allison Janney, whose performance already earned the show an Emmy win for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. Across its run so far, The Diplomat has collected ten Emmy nominations — a track record that speaks for itself.
Gripping, intelligent, and deliciously tense, this is the weekend’s pick for viewers who like their binges with brains.
A Quick Note on Availability
Streaming libraries differ from country to country, so a title topping the charts in the United States may sit in a different spot — or arrive on a different date — on Netflix Pakistan or Netflix UK. If one of these does not appear in your local catalogue yet, add it to your list so you are ready the moment it lands.
The Bottom Line
Four shows, four moods: a buzzy limited series with Below, big laughs with Solar Opposites, family-friendly nostalgia with Hollywood Arts, and high-stakes drama with The Diplomat. Whatever your weekend looks like, your watchlist does not have to be a difficult decision.
Source: Collider’s roundup of Netflix shows to binge this weekend (October 17–18, 2026). Featured image: Netflix via Collider.
