These days, it can feel hard to find a show worth bingeing, mostly because either the plot doesn’t grab you or the episodes are released in bits and pieces. But a new Prime Video production manages to break both of those issues, and honestly, once you press play, you won’t be able to stop. You know that “just one more episode” feeling, and suddenly you’ve lost track of time? That’s exactly what this is. And here, the story doesn’t wait for you to catch up either — it throws you back in time, cuts to the present, drops clues, raises suspicions, and just when you think you’ve figured something out, it changes everything. Plus, there’s no expositional dialogue, and you need to pay attention to every scene to pick up on information.
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And it only gets better once you realize the show doesn’t waste a second on filler, which is something that happens a lot in dramas or thrillers trying to be cinematic or deep but ultimately adds nothing to the plot. Here, nothing exists just to impress, because it’s all pure, clever storytelling with zero extra frills. We’re talking about straight-up suspense, almost surgical in its execution. You can’t help but enjoy it, or at least walk away feeling like you had a solid viewing experience you haven’t had in ages.
56 Days Was Made to Be Binge-Watched
56 Days, based on the novel by Catherine Ryan Howard, has been making waves as Prime Video’s new thriller series full of suspense, mystery, and romance.
The story, spread across eight episodes, follows Ciara Wyse (Dove Cameron) and Oliver Kennedy (Avan Jogia), who meet and get involved in an intense relationship wrapped in lies and secrets that only unfold over 56 days. But don’t be fooled into thinking it’s just another dark, complicated romance — the truth is that the relationship is never the main focus of the show. The story alternates between past and present because of a crime involving the couple. Investigators Lee Reardon (Karla Souza) and Karl Connolly (Dorian Missick) step in to uncover what happened, while flashbacks carefully and gradually explain how everything led up to that point. And that dual-timeline setup keeps you glued to the screen, always questioning who’s lying, who’s hiding what, and what the truth really is.
But if you want to know exactly why the series is so addictive and impossible to pause, it’s the perfectly executed cliffhangers at the end of every episode. Each one plants a doubt in your mind that gnaws at you until you can’t put it off. And no, it’s not a generic mystery ending — these are moments designed to make you question everything you’ve just seen. The story manipulates you smartly: one small piece of information in an episode can completely change how you see the characters in the next. It’s a mental and emotional marathon, and the tension doesn’t let up for a single second.
You can’t trust anyone from the start (and that’s not even an exaggeration). The chemistry between Ciara and Oliver grabs your attention right away since it’s a toxic relationship, and they don’t trust each other at all. There’s no cliché and no sugary romance, since they’re using each other constantly. And as time passes, you start imagining that either one could go to extreme lengths. It’s pure emotional manipulation, and considering that both are involved in the crime (and the show takes the entire run to reveal each of their roles), you stay on the edge trying to guess how far each is willing to go. The biggest strength of 56 Days is this moral complexity of the main characters (and even the supporting cast, if you want to know).
The Ending of 56 Days Is Different from the Book But Considered Better
No spoilers here, but one of the most interesting things about 56 Days is how the adaptation takes creative liberties from the source material. The show doesn’t just modernize certain plot points; it also restructures the climax to maintain suspense and tension until the very last minute. How so? For readers of the book, some changes might come as a surprise, but the execution elevates the experience significantly, making the ending feel even better. And sure, some might prefer a 100% faithful adaptation, but in this case, the changes were intentional for one simple reason.
In an interview with Teen Vogue, Cameron explained why the writers decided to go a different route than the book: “(…) They told us from the beginning, like episode one, ‘It’s not going to be like how the book ends, because we don’t want people to read the book and then automatically know what happens in the show’,” the actress shared.
While the book focuses on introspective, darker conclusions, the series chooses an approach that keeps the pace fast and maximizes emotional impact. By the end, it’s clear that the ending makes sense and delivers a sense of completion. So, with that, one thing’s for sure: it’s satisfying either way, even for viewers who might have wanted total fidelity. Plus, it reinforces why 56 Days is so good: you need to see how everything fits together. That keeps even those who haven’t read the novel completely engaged — after all, knowing exactly what’s coming spoils the fun, right?
So, is the show worth it? Absolutely. It’s smart, suspenseful, well-structured, and designed to be devoured in one sitting. Flashbacks, cliffhangers, complex characters, and unpredictable twists make it impossible to put off watching. If your goal is to sit on the couch and dive into something new and gripping, 56 Days is the must-watch series right now.
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