Amazon Prime Video is at the top of the list of ‘streaming services people seem to love’, along with Netflix, Hulu and HBO Max. The platform was one of the first to not only host popular cable programs for cable cutters at a solid subscription price, but it also became a leading producer of its own content, such as Transparent or Mozart in the Jungle. Still, Amazon Prime Video is often known more for non-original content than what it actually makes at home. But just because the company has agreements with just about everyone for distribution rights, does not mean you should just watch these programs.
It’s time to dump Amazon Prime Originals. You’ve probably heard of some of their prominent shows already (The Boys, The Man in the High Castle), but we can guarantee that there are a number of hidden gems in the Amazon Prime Video catalog, including faithful adaptations of popular books and podcasts ( such as Good Omens), emotional anthology series (Modern Love) and more.
Even as you begin to venture into Amazon Prime Video’s vast library, be warned: as with other streaming services, many shows are often canceled after a season, so you may fall in love with one or two shows on our list just to be disappointed. But this is where the upside of power services comes in; for every show that gets the ax, a similar one is probably waiting for you to binge. This list will help you find your next obsession.
Marvel superheroes (usually) show the more hopeful, optimistic idea of super-powerful people influencing the world. The Boys (based on a cartoon of the same), instead has a more satirical view, and shows what happens when morally bankrupt superheroes have all the power. It’s vulgar, dark and dirty, and it’s one of the best shows Amazon Prime Video has in the catalog.
Amazon’s most popular adult animated show to date, Invincible (based on comics of the same name) follows Mark Grayson, son of Omni-Man, a famous superhero. While Mark struggles with his own strengths, he must also cope with the challenges it brings to his personal life.
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The boys present: Diabolical
A spin-off of Amazon Prime’s live-action TV series, The Boys: Diabolical is an anthology series consisting of eight episodes with side stories in the larger The Boys world. If you’re a super fan of the ongoing superhero show, you’ll love it too.
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The man in the high castle
What if the Allied Powers did not win World War II? That is the premise of the dystopian series The Man in the High Castle. Despite the unfortunate outcome of the war, mysterious videos show other, more hopeful versions of the earth from an unknown “Man in the High Castle”.
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The wonderful Mrs. Maisel
This Emmy-winning drama starring Rachel Brosnahan as Midge Maisel, a housewife who discovers that she has a talent for stand-up comedy and promises to make it big, no matter who tries to stand in her way.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Breakout Role (which she also wrote and created) Fleabag is a fourth wall-breaking drama about a woman who navigates through the often confusing and frustrating challenges of her personal life and dating.
In addition to creating its own content, Amazon Prime Video also stores programs after they are canceled on the original network. Syfy abolished The Expanse after 3 seasons, but Amazon Prime decided to give the green light for another 3 seasons. Based on a popular book series, The Expanse is set in a future where humans have colonized the entire solar system, the show immerses itself in political intrigue and, of course, aliens.
Fans of classical music, this is for you. Mozart in the Jungle, based on a memoir from 2005, tells about the lives of various members of the New York Symphony.
Tales From the Loop follows the various inhabitants of a small town in Ohio, plus an underground experimental facility known as “The Loop”.
After a six-day outing, an Irish schoolteacher discovers she is pregnant. Despite the fact that they barely know each other, she and an American businessman decide to get the baby together.
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The underground railway
A scammer takes on the identity of his cellmate and immerses himself in the man’s alienated family to escape his past. When he’s not trying to hide his past, “Pete” helps the family’s difficult bail business.
An animated drama series created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg (also the creator of Bojack Horseman), Undone follows a woman who discovers that she can manipulate time after an almost fatal car accident.
When David, a college student, starts a summer job at Red Oaks Country Club, he must not only manage the club’s various members, but also deal with his own personal dilemmas. This comedy will give you 80’s New York nostalgia and a lot of laughter. If you watched The Boys and Stranger Things in 2022, you will also enjoy seeing a star from both shows: 80s legend Paul Reiser, who plays a key (and funny) role.
Based on a popular podcast of the same name, Homecoming follows a therapist and her patient, a soldier preparing to return to civilian life. After working with the plant, the therapist realizes that she has a hole in her memory and never knew what the real purpose of the plant was.
This anthology series explores love in all its forms, and plays a number of notable actors. Dev Patel, Anne Hathaway, Tina Fey and more make up the fantastic cast of this popular feel good show.
One of Amazon Prime Video’s most successful programs, Bosch follows a Los Angeles Police Department detective dedicated to justice. This show was so popular that it lasted for 7 seasons and even has a spin-off show.
This comedy-drama follows three roommates, Jack, Harrison and Violent, who are all on the autism spectrum. During the show, they look for work, friendship, romance and more.
J.K. Simmons and Sissy Spacek star in this sci-fi story about an elderly couple who discover a portal to another world. When others discover the portal, the couple finds that their quiet life has changed forever. There’s only one season of the show, but the eight episodes are still worth watching for Simmons and Spacek’s dedicated performances.
Starring Josh Brolin and Imogen Poots, Outer Range is a Western sci-fi about a farmer and his family who have to deal with a rival farm, their missing daughter and a disturbing black hole in the pasture.
Orlando Bloom and Cara Delevigne star in this fantasy noir series about mythological creatures working together to solve crimes. Although the first season received mixed reviews, the show has already been renewed for a second season, so there is a chance that it can be improved with another chance.
A group of teenage girls are on a plane on their way to Hawaii when it crashes and leaves them stranded. But as they try to survive, the girls realize that their crash may not have been an accident at all.
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The summer I was pretty
Based on the Jenny Han book of the same name (the author has also written To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before), The Summer I Turned Pretty follows Isabel, a teenager who returns to a family friend’s beach house, only to discover her two childhood friends have both feelings for her.
Fans of HBO’s Insecure can also enjoy Harlem, a drama series about four thirty-somethings who navigate work, life and romance together.
Christopher Walken and Stephen Merchant play the lead roles in this crime comedy about a group of people who have been sentenced to community service who stumble across a bag of money without having a clue who owns it.
More than thirty years after the comedy show’s first season premiered, the comedy troupe Kids in the Hall returned with a second season of their sketch show, now on Amazon Prime Video.
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A very British scandal
Starring Claire Foy and Paul Bettany, this Amazon Prime Video miniseries follows the true media frenzy of an influential British couple’s messy divorce.
Billy Bob Thorton stars as Billy McBride, a lawyer who left the profession after a costly mistake. Now he is back to redeem himself. The late actor William Hurt also plays the lead role in one of his latest roles.
Fred Armisen and Maya Rudolph play the main roles in this one-season comedy about a bored couple who try to shake up, but end up … dead.
Based on a 2011 film starring Saoirse Ronan, Hanna follows a young woman trained as a super-soldier, who now has to protect herself when the CIA tries to shut down the program.
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