Netflix’s 10-Part Political Thriller Is Quietly One Of Its Best For A Weekend Binge

Netflix‘s 10-part political thriller with a surprisingly stacked cast is quietly one of the streamer’s best series to start and finish in one weekend. Released on New Year’s Day in 2020, this series also became one of Netflix’s most divisive series in recent memory, earning a fan-approved 88% Rotten Tomatoes audience score compared to its much less favorable critic score of 45%.

Despite its strong audience reception, this 10-part Netflix series has been mostly swept under the rug over the years, making it one of the most buried hidden gems available to stream on the platform. With 10 total episodes, each 38 to 55 minutes long, and a total runtime of roughly 7.5 hours, few thriller shows are as perfect to binge over the course of one weekend as this overlooked series from 6 years ago.

Messiah Is A Great Hidden Gem To Binge Now On Netflix

Messiah is one of Netflix’s most acclaimed original thriller series of the 2020s from a collective audience point of view, but surprisingly, not so much from a critical perspective. That said, it’s still one of the most worthwhile and easiest shows to binge-watch on Netflix in just one weekend, and most viewers would agree based on its high RT audience score.

Messiah follows a mysterious man named Al-Masih, played by Mehdi Dehbi, who claims to be a divine prophet and messenger of God. He emerges as such in the Middle East, where word spreads of his apparent miracles, such as manifesting a sandstorm that stops a terrorist attack and leading a mass exodus in the name of God. Al-Masih soon becomes a globally recognized figure, which attracts the attention of the CIA, specifically agent Eva Geller, played by Michelle Monaghan.

Once Eva is on the case, she immediately begins to suspect that Al-Masih is not who he proclaims to be and is, in fact, an elaborate and dangerous con artist who has parts of the world completely fooled. The series unfolds into a hypothetical yet realistic geopolitical dilemma as they try to contain Al-Masih’s apparent mass influence. Because most of his followers only witness Al-Masih through social media and viral videos, the series also acts as a commentary on the dangers of the internet spreading misinformation, which is certainly applicable in this day and age.

Messiah Features A Surprisingly Stacked Ensemble Cast

Messiah has a strong premise and an intriguing story that is full of tension, mystery, and conflict, which is elevated even further due to its quietly star-studded cast. Besides Monaghan, who recently starred in hit series like The White Lotus and Bad Monkey, the series features performances by Beau Bridgers, John Ortiz, Jane Adams, Dermot Mulroney, Emily Kinney, Philip Baker Hall, and more.

Messiah has been viewed as controversial by certain religious groups, which may have contributed to Netflix not moving forward with a second season despite audience demand. All things considered, the series acts as an important exploration of how far one person’s extreme beliefs can go, and how society can best respond to them. Much like the celebrated series Waco, starring Taylor Kitsch and Michael Shannon, Messiah tells a timeless tale of faith versus authority.

Here’s what some critics had to say about Messiah, which contributed to its overall mixed reception. RogerEbert.com writes, “With its melodramatic storytelling and excess of side characters who break the show’s focus, Messiah nearly runs out of ideas once it’s done establishing a zeitgeist none of us have seen before.” In the same vein, The Wall Street Journal writes, “So much is so right about Messiah that it makes the eventual collapse into paranoid politics and alt-right clichés all the more painful.”

While critics were ultimately hit-or-miss on the series, Messiah is an undeniable fan-favorite hidden gem on Netflix that is still worth an easy weekend binge right now.