Even if you’ve picked a streaming service, it can be impossible to narrow down what you’re really looking for. If you’ve run out of the best Netflix movies and Netflix Original series to watch, you’ll need to find somewhere else to turn. Fortunately, Netflix is far from the only game in town. Anyone who uses Amazon Prime to get packages delivered to them quickly also has access to a library of fairly impressive shows and movies.
Amazon is a mega corporation, and you and I both know that it might not care that much about its streaming offerings. It’s not it makes its money, or at least most of it. Even still, I was shocked at how many great shows you can watch on Prime, including some you might not expect.
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If you’re looking for your next series to binge and you already have Amazon anyway, then we’ve got a list of the best shows on Amazon Prime well worth your time. We’ve broken down the best Amazon Prime shows to start with below, with entries that range from sprawling sci-fi shows to touching, grounded comedies.
We’ve also found the best Amazon Prime movies, the best Hulu shows, and the best Disney+ shows to watch if you’ve seen all of these.
Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan (2018)
4 Seasons
Genre
Action & Adventure, Drama, War & Politics
Stars
John Krasinski, Wendell Pierce, Abbie Cornish
Created by
Carlton Cuse, Graham Roland
Watch on Amazon
Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan has been adapted to the big screen countless times, but Amazon’s choice to move him to the small screen turns out to have been a shrewd one. Starring John Krasinski as the titular analyst who always finds himself doing agent-y things, the show has been thrilling since the beginning, even if its politics have not always been totally uncontroversial. Thanks to solid production values and a built-in audience, Jack Ryan has become one of the most successful shows on Amazon.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022)
2 Seasons
Genre
Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Drama
Stars
Morfydd Clark, Robert Aramayo, Charlie Vickers
Created by
John D. Payne, Patrick McKay
Watch on Amazon
Amazon has rarely made a bigger bet than the one it made on The Rings of Power. The show, which only has a single season at the moment, has more than lived up to all that hype. Set in a Middle Earth that has not yet been scarred by the creation of Mordor, Rings of Power follows Galadriel and a roster of other characters as they begin to uncover the evils lurking just beneath the surface of their world. Thanks to its enormous budget, Rings of Power looks incredible and has the kind of epic scope we haven’t seen since the Lord of the Rings movies were in theaters.
Reacher (2022)
1 Season
Genre
Action & Adventure, Crime, Drama
Stars
Alan Ritchson, Malcolm Goodwin, Willa Fitzgerald
Created by
Nick Santora
Watch on Amazon
Jack Reacher has already been adapted to the big screen, but Reacher is the first attempt to turn this popular character from the written world to the small screen. Following Reacher as he attempts to integrate into civilian life after a career as a military investigator, he’s soon accused of murder and is forced to prove his own innocence. That hook proves plenty compelling in its own right, but the series only heightens the stakes from there. There’s corruption, plenty of action, and everything else you would likely want from a show about Jack Reacher.
The Terminal List (2022)
1 Season
Genre
Action & Adventure, Drama
Stars
Chris Pratt, Taylor Kitsch, Constance Wu
Watch on Amazon
Chris Pratt’s latest foray into the world of action filmmaking tells the story of a Navy SEAL who returns home from a mission in which his entire platoon was ambushed to discover that his life is no quieter at home. It’s an action-forward shown in a good way, featuring some solid set pieces that elevate it above much of what Netflix puts out. Thanks to a supporting cast that includes Constance Wu, Taylor Kitsch, and Riley Keough, it’s also a well-acted show, which further solidifies it as one of the best series and what to watch on Amazon Prime.
A Very English Scandal (2018)
84%
7.7/10
1 Season
Genre
Biography, Comedy, Crime
Stars
Hugh Grant, Ben Whishaw, Alex Jennings
Watch on amazon
From the BBC comes a very British miniseries: A Very English Scandal, which tells the story of a shocking, vile political event from the 1970s that is equal parts hilarious and cringeworthy. Surprisingly based on a true story, the series follows Jeremy Thorpe (Hugh Grant) as his political career is threatened by blackmail from his gay ex-lover, which he responds to with a combination of sloppy threats and violence. It’s dark, but it also an excellent show to stream on Amazon Prime.
The Expanse (2015)
72%
8.5/10
6 Seasons
Genre
Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Stars
Wes Chatham, Dominique Tipper, Steven Strait
Created by
Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, Daniel Abraham
Watch on amazon
A sci-fi series based on the books of the same name, The Expanse is the perfect combination of contemplative and eye-popping. Set in a future where humanity has spread out and colonized the solar system, the show follows a series of factions inhabiting different planets that set themselves apart from each other and find new reasons for intra-species conflict.
The Boys (2019)
77%
8.7/10
4 Seasons
Genre
Action, Crime, Drama
Stars
Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr
Created by
Eric Kripke
Watch on amazon
What happens when superheroes are actually just overpowered corporate villains in disguise? Amazon’s original series The Boys dives into just that. After losing his girlfriend to a drugged-out superhero accident, a young man named Hughie Campbell (Jack Quaid) ends up on the wrong side of these powerful “heroes” with a group that is trying to take down the corrupt system they inhabit once and for all.
The Underground Railroad (2021)
1 Season
Genre
Drama
Stars
Thuso Mbedu, Chase W. Dillon, Joel Edgerton
Created by
Barry Jenkins
Watch on Amazon
Barry Jenkins is one of the greatest directors working today, and his adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s novel of the same name really cemented that legacy. Following a young female slave as she escapes from the South, the show’s central premise imagines that the railroad was a literal one built underground, and includes a number of other fantastical elements on top of that. In spite of those less realistic elements, though, The Underground Railroad is really a reflection on the pain and promise of being Black in America, and it’s incredible.
Daisy Jones & the Six (2023)
1 Season
Genre
Drama
Stars
Riley Keough, Sam Claflin, Camila Morrone
Created by
Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber
Watch on Amazon
Adapted from a best-seller of the same name, Daisy Jones & the Six tells the very Fleetwood Mac-adjacent story of a band that broke big in the 1970s. The story’s timeline is split between interviews that occur 20 years in the future and the actual events of the 1970s, and it’s a compelling, soapy wonder to watch these band members fall into and out of love with one another. On top of all that, the songs are actually pretty good, and the leads Sam Claflin and Riley Keough, prove they could be rock stars in their own right.
Good Omens (2019)
66%
8.1/10
2 Seasons
Genre
Comedy, Fantasy
Stars
Michael Sheen, David Tennant, John Hamm
Created by
Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett
Watch on amazon
If you’re looking for a bit of comedy, a bit of fantasy, and a bit of heaven and hell, then Good Omens is perfect for you. This miniseries follows the tale of a bungled Armageddon from the perspectives of angels and demons — particularly one angel and one demon who find that despite their differences, they are actually great friends.
Electric Dreams (2017)
68%
7.3/10
1 Season
Genre
Sci-Fi
Stars
Richard Madden, Bryan Cranston, Steve Buscemi
Created by
Philip K. Dick
Watch on amazon
This anthology sci-fi series is very similar to Netflix’s Black Mirror. The first season of Electric Dreams offers a set of stand-alone stories that filter humanity’s technological future through a dark, often very uncomfortable lens. Each episode is inspired by the renowned sci-fi author Philip K. Dick, whose stories previously served as source material for Blade Runner and Minority Report, two of the best sci-fi movies ever made.
Red Oaks (2014)
70%
7.9/10
3 Seasons
Genre
Comedy, Drama, Sport
Stars
Craig Roberts, Ennis Esmer, Oliver Cooper
Created by
Joe Gangemi, Gregory Jacobs
Watch on amazon
While it may at first feel like an attempt to target our nostalgia for Caddyshack, Red Oaks is actually a wonderful ode to classic 1980s coming-of-age comedies that doesn’t lean on lazy callbacks or costume gags. When college kid David Myers (Craig Roberts) signs up to work at a New York country club as a tennis instructor, Myers, of course, ends up falling for the club president’s daughter.
Upload (2020)
67%
8.0/10
3 Seasons
Genre
Comedy, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Stars
Robbie Amell, Andy Allo, Allegra Edwards
Created by
Greg Daniels
Watch on amazon
In what seems like a not-so-distant future, death is no longer the end of life for humanity. When Nathan Brown meets an untimely death, he gets to choose which afterlife he wants to exist in. But this virtual world has its downsides, and as he tries to get used to it, he begins to realize that maybe his death wasn’t an accident.
Sneaky Pete (2015)
76%
8.1/10
3 Seasons
Genre
Crime
Stars
Giovanni Ribisi, Marin Ireland, Shane McRae
Created by
Bryan Cranston, David Shore
Watch on amazon
One of Amazon’s lesser-known series, Sneaky Pete is the kind of low-key thriller that’s perfect for a binge. Con artist Marius gets out of prison and adopts his late cellmate Pete’s identity to escape from a terrifying gangster. Marius finds himself completely in over his head trying to navigate the life that Pete left behind years ago, including an overbearing grandmother and a crotchety grandfather who think they know him already.
Fleabag (2016)
92%
8.7/10
2 Seasons
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Stars
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Sian Clifford, Olivia Colman
Created by
Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Watch on Amazon
Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s comedy series only lasted for two six-episode seasons, but few runs of television in the 21st century have been better. Fleabag follows its titular character as she deals with lingering guilt and trauma, and ultimately tries to move forward by finding new love. It’s a searing, brilliant series filled with pain and heartbreak, and it’s one of the smartest show that Amazon has ever had the good sense to finance.
I'm a Virgo (2023)
1 Season
Genre
Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama
Stars
Jharrel Jerome, Brett Gray, Kara Young
Created by
Tze Chun, Boots Riley
Watch on Amazon
A surreal, mind-bending comedy from Boots Riley, the director of Sorry to Bother You, I’m a Virgo follows a 19-year-old who, for reasons largely unexplained, is 13 feet tall. After living a sheltered life largely within a world his parents created for him, he ventures outside for the first time, and he is eventually shot into the limelight because of his massive size. Because Boots Riley is unafraid of being overtly political, there are plenty of thought-provoking ideas about race, capitalism, and celebrity in this series, but the thing that will keep you watching is just trying to figure out where the show is headed next.
Schitt's Creek (2015)
6 Seasons
Genre
Comedy
Stars
Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Dan Levy
Created by
Eugene Levy, Dan Levy
Watch on Amazon
Telling the story of a rich family who finds themselves suddenly without all the money they’ve grown so accustomed to, Schitt’s Creek is a charming, winsome comedy that captivated many over the course of its six seasons. It takes a minute for the series’ sense of humor to really kick in to full gear, but once it does, you’ll find yourself going back for more and more until you’re done. Schitt’s Creek is winning and wholesome in a way that the best TV can be, and you can watch it from front to back anytime you want.
Gen V (2023)
1 Season
Genre
Action & Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Stars
Jaz Sinclair, Chance Perdomo, Lizze Broadway
Created by
Evan Goldberg, Eric Kripke, Craig Rosenberg
Watch on Amazon
This spin-off of The Boys tells the story of a bunch of superhero teens as they discover what they’re capable of and push their powers to the limits. The series manages to get the balance exactly right between the harsh world of The Boys and the hormones and turmoil that come with being a teenager of any kind. Like The Boys, it has a dark, dry wit, but Gen V has its own flavor that makes it feel like a welcome addition to an already pretty compelling universe.
Class of '07 (2023)
1 Season
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Stars
Emily Browning, Caitlin Stasey, Megan Smart
Created by
Kacie Anning
Watch on Amazon
A smart survival series about the bonds we make when we’re young, Class of ’07 tells the story of a group of women who come together for their 10-year high school reunion, only for a tidal wave to hit during the festivities. Now forced to survive together on the island part of their campus, the girls will relive the past and build a community the likes of which they could never sustain in high school. Featuring some sharp performances, some brilliant insights about what it feels like to be in high school, and a great cast, Class of ’07 is a compelling thrill ride from beginning to end.
Bosch (2015)
7 Seasons
Genre
Mystery, Drama, Crime
Stars
Titus Welliver, Jamie Hector, Amy Aquino
Created by
Eric Overmyer
Watch on Amazon
Adapted from a long-running series of books, Bosch tells the story of a former special forces operative who now works as a homicide detective with the LAPD. Essentially, the show is just a variation of your standard cop drama, but it’s excellent at delivering the kind of dad TV that many people long for. Titus Welliver delivers in the central role, and Bosch has been so wildly successful that it even prompted Prime Video to launch a spinoff. It may be just another show about cops, but Bosch is one of the very best of those.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2024)
1 Season
Genre
Action & Adventure, Comedy, Drama
Stars
Donald Glover, Maya Erskine
Created by
Donald Glover, Francesca Sloane
Watch on Amazon
Loosely adapted from the film of the same name, Mr. and Mrs. Smith follows two spies working for a private agency who are meant to pretend that they’re married. As the pair develop real feelings for one another, we come to understand the way they navigate their high-pressure job and their issues with one another. Thanks to hugely compelling performances from Maya Erskine and Donald Glover, the show makes its mission of the week premise work, and that helps us to fall in love with the relationship between the two along the way.
Fallout (2024)
1 Season
Genre
Action & Adventure, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Mystery
Stars
Ella Purnell, Aaron Moten, Moisés Arias
Created by
Geneva Robertson-Dworet, Graham Wagner
Watch on Amazon
Adapted from the legendary video game series of the same name, Fallout is set in a post-apocalyptic Los Angeles that has been decimated by nuclear war. Although the show’s characters were invented for the show, the world will be familiar to anyone who played the games. The show’s story follows a young woman who finds herself on a mission to the surface of her world to find her missing father. Fallout was a major investment for Prime Video, and it almost immediately become one of the most popular shows on the service.
The Rig (2023)
1 Season
Genre
Drama, Mystery
Stars
Emily Hampshire, Iain Glen, Martin Compston
Created by
David Macpherson
Watch on Amazon
The premise of The Rig is remarkably straightforward: You can’t expect to dig into the earth forever without any consequences. The show follows a group of oil riggers who become isolated by a mysterious fog that also starts to kill off members of the crew. Thanks to some beautiful cinematography and a consistent ratcheting up of the tension, The Rig is a blunt ecological metaphor that is thrilling in spite of its bluntness. Add in an excellent cast, and some solid world-building, and you have a show well worth watching.
Them (2021)
2 Seasons
Genre
Drama, Mystery
Stars
Deborah Ayorinde, Pam Grier, Luke James
Created by
Little Marvin
Watch on Amazon
An anthology series focused on race in America, Them‘s first season follows a Black family who moves into an all-white neighborhood in 1950s Los Angeles. The show, which layers the racial dynamics of the time with supernatural threats, is tense throughout, and it’s made all the more compelling by its two lead performers. Above all else, though, Them is a reminder of all the ways discrimination can infect our lives and of how recently this kind of discrimination was commonplace in parts of America that are now supposed bastions of diversity.
My Lady Jane (2024)
1 Season
Genre
Drama, Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Stars
Emily Bader, Edward Bluemel, Anna Chancellor
Created by
Gemma Burgess
Watch on Amazon
A bold, bawdy, funny period comedy, My Lady Jane tells the story Lady Jane Grey as she finds herself catapulted into the role of queen overnight, and finds that she’s being conspired against as a result. A magical, strange series that combines political plotting with big bold comedy and some talking animals, My Lady Jane manages its various tones brilliantly. It’s a reminder that shows set hundreds of years ago don’t have to be stuffy or pretentious. My Lady Jane is an exciting series that could get even better in a second season.
The Devil's Hour (2022)
2 Seasons
Genre
Mystery, Crime, Drama
Stars
Jessica Raine, Peter Capaldi, Nikesh Patel
Created by
Tom Moran
Watch on Amazon
A British thriller, The Devil’s Hour tells the story of a woman who wakes up every night at exactly 3:33 a.m. during what is known as the devil’s hour. As her life unravels around her, she is slowly drawn into the hunt for a serial killer. As the series unfolds, we get two marvelous central performances from Peter Capaldi and Jessica Raine, and the show’s many mysteries become clearer and clearer. Few shows understand how to manage their dark, sinister tones as well as this one does, and that’s part of why The Devil’s Hour feels like a success.
The Night Manager (2016)
1 Season
Genre
Drama, Mystery, Crime
Stars
Tom Hiddleston, Hugh Laurie, Olivia Colman
Created by
David Farr
Watch on Amazon
A great limited series that perfectly adapts the spy novel on which it’s based, The Night Manager follows a former British soldier who is recruited to spy on a wealthy businessman. The brilliance of The Night Manager is that every scene is rife with double meanings and shifting allegiances. Anchored by great central performances from Tom Hiddleston and Hugh Laurie, the series is intriguing at its worst and downright riveting at its best.
Expats (2024)
1 Season
Genre
Drama
Stars
Nicole Kidman, Sarayu Blue, Ji-young Yoo
Created by
Lulu Wang
Watch on Amazon
An underrated and underseen series from the first half of 2024, Expats follows a group of tight-knit American expatriates who have all relocated to Hong Kong for one reason or another. The unique premise of the series and its emphasis on what it’s like to live as a foreigner by choice, the series chronicles the drama of these people’s lives with care and intimacy. Featuring a ferocious central performance from Nicole Kidman and subtle, beautiful direction from Lulu Wang, Expats is the kind of series that will sneak up on you.
Jury Duty (2023)
1 Season
Genre
Comedy
Stars
Ronald Gladden, James Marsden, Alan Barinholtz
Created by
Gene Stupnitsky, Lee Eisenberg
Watch on Amazon
One of the most unexpected hits in recent memory, Jury Duty tells the story of a regular guy who gets empaneled to be on a jury filled with actors. He’s the only person who doesn’t know that the case he’s on isn’treal, and he’s forced to deal with a variety of strange and outlandish circumstances. The show, which is mostly a farce, is also about the decency of its central character, who handles the bizarre situations he finds himself in with an abiding sense of kindness and grace. It’s a lovely, often hilarious show.
The Good Wife (2009)
7 Seasons
Genre
Drama
Stars
Julianna Margulies, Christine Baranski, Matt Czuchry
Created by
Michelle King, Robert King
Watch on Amazon
One of the last great network dramas, The Good Wife follows a woman who discovers that her powerful husband cheated on her, and decides to resume her career as a defense attorney in the wake of her life blowing up. As she navigates her return to the world of law, she takes on cases, has an affair, and learns plenty from the brilliant lawyers she works alongside. The Good Wife was almost always good, and sometimes, it was one of the best shows on television thanks in part to its brilliant, sprawling supporting cast.
House (2004)
8 Seasons
Genre
Drama, Mystery, Comedy
Stars
Hugh Laurie, Robert Sean Leonard, Omar Epps
Created by
David Shore
Watch on Amazon
If you imagine Sherlock Holmes in a hospital, what you get is basically House. The series follows Gregory House, a curmudgeonly who specializes in diagnosing cases that other doctors can’t figure out. An opiate addict who walks with a limp, House is angry at the world, cynical, and still trying his best to treat the patients that come into the care of him and his team. Anchored by the defining performance of Hugh Laurie’s career, House was riveting TV when it was firing on all cylinders, and it was doing that far more often than not over the course of its run.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017)
5 Seasons
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Stars
Rachel Brosnahan, Alex Borstein, Michael Zegen
Created by
Amy Sherman-Palladino
Watch on Amazon
One of the best comedies of the past 10 years, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel was beautifully made and featured the kind of rat-tat-tat dialogue that’s increasingly rare on modern TV. The show follows a housewife at the dawn of the 1960s living in New York City who begins a career in standup comedy after discovering that her husband is leaving her. Anchored by a brilliant and star-making turn from Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel had its ups and downs over the course of its run, but was usually better than almost anything else on TV.
Freaks and Geeks (1999)
1 Season
Genre
Drama, Comedy
Stars
John Francis Daley, Linda Cardellini, James Franco
Created by
Paul Feig
Watch on Amazon
One of the great one-season comedies in history, Freaks and Geeks follows a group of high school students as they navigate the pressures of school in the 1980s. Featuring a lineup of actors who would go on to become major stars including Jason Segel, James Franco, Linda Cardellini, and Seth Rogen, the show would be remarkable for that alone even if it wasn’t all that good. Thankfully, Freaks and Geeks is also a remarkably touching show about what it means to be a teenager, and how hard it can be even when nothing all that important is happening.
What shows are coming to Amazon Prime in May?
May 6
- David Spade: Dandelion
May 9
- Molly-Mae: Behind It All
May 15
- Overcompensating
May 20
- Motorheads
May 23
- Clarkson’s Farm
May 27
- The Second Best Hospital in The Galaxy
May 29
- The Better Sister
