Now an extensive assortment of drama, comedy, and genres aplenty, Prime Video’s original shows have garnered significant critical acclaim for years, and of late, the streaming giant has started investing in tentpole projects.
In an exhaustive effort that entails the examination of all big and small shows offered by the streaming media provider, our editors sat down and ranked the best 50 Prime Video Originals.
The ranking process is informed by the aggregated reviews and ratings, as well as the opinions of The Envoy Web team.
Here’s our list of the 50 best Prime Video shows:
(Co-authors: Rishabh Chauhan, Anweshak Tejendra, Muskan Chhatwani, Rahul Shinde, Nadeem Abdul, and Prabal Sharma)
Editor’s note: This article was last updated in March 2024
50. The Wheel of Time (2021 – Present)
Cast: Rosamund Pike, Daniel Henney, Zoë Robins, Madeleine Madden, Josha Stradowski, Marcus Rutherford
Seasons: 1
A high-fantasy series based on the novel series of the same name by Robert Jordan with Brandon Sanderson, The Wheel of Time is set in a mystical world where only limited women are allowed to access magic.
The plot follows Moiraine, a member of the all-female organization called the Aes Sedai, who can wield the One Power.
She arrives in the small town of Two Rivers and seeks out five youngsters. From there, they embark on a dangerous, world-spanning quest as one of the five is prophesized to be The Dragon Reborn, who has the power to either save or annihilate the world.
Before The Wheel of Time premiered, it was renewed for a second season, which is currently in the works. Furthermore, in July 2022, the show was renewed for a third season.
49. Modern Love (2019 – 2021)
Cast: Cristin Milioti, Dev Patel, Andrew Scott, Anne Hathaway, Tina Fey, Zoë Chao, Kit Harington, Anna Paquin
Seasons: 2
Developed by John Carney and based on the weekly column of the same name published by The New York Times, this is a romantic anthology series focusing on love in all its forms.
It explores the concepts of self-love, platonic love, sexual love, romantic love, familial love, and more. The two seasons feature eight unique stories each, set across New York.
Also, Amazon released various international versions of the show in 2022. The Indian version featured three titles in three cities; Modern Love Mumbai, Modern Love Hyderabad and Modern Love Chennai.
The other two international editions featured Modern Love Tokyo and Modern Love Amsterdam.
48. Blade of the Immortal (2019)
Cast: Kenjirô Tsuda, Ayane Sakura, Tatsuhisa Suzuki, Jôji Nakata, Nozomu Sasaki
Seasons: 1
Adapted from the eponymous manga by Hiroaki Samura, Blade of the Immortal follows the tale of a young girl, Rin Asano. She is determined to avenge her parents who were ruthlessly slaughtered by a group of skilled swordsmen.
Rin seeks the help of the samurai Manji who is apparently immortal. Unfortunately, his ability is a curse which he aims to break. To gain his mortality back, Manji must kill 1000 evil men.
The story is set in Japan during the mid-Tokugawa Shogunate period. The anime consists of 24 episodes, and first aired on October 10, 2019. The final episode premiered on March 25, 2020.
47. The Terminal List (2022 – Present)
Cast: Chris Pratt, Constance Wu, Taylor Kitsch, Riley Keough, Arlo Mertz, Jeanne Tripplehorn
Seasons: 1
Based on Jack Carr’s 2018 novel of the same name, The Terminal List features Chris Pratt as a US Navy SEAL, Lieutenant Commander James Reece.
After his platoon is ambushed and brutally killed in the field, he returns home as the only survivor. He tries to analyze conflicting memories of the fateful event and is questioned about his potential involvement in it.
Having had enough of the mystery, Reece begins his own investigation and comes across shocking evidence of powerful people working against him, threatening him and his loved ones.
The show was renewed for a second season in February 2023. Furthermore, a prequel series focusing on Ben Edwards has been greenlit by Amazon and will see Taylor Kitsch reprise his role.
46. The Romanoffs (2018)
Cast: John Slattery, JJ Feild, Louise Bourgoin, Aaron Eckhart, Diane Lane
Seasons: 1
A contemporary anthology, The Romanoffs is an 8-episode show set across three continents. It highlights separate stories about people who believe themselves to be descendants of the Russian royal family.
Even though each episode features a brand-new cast ensemble, the actors mentioned above appear in multiple episodes. The show has been created by Emmy-winning producer Matthew Weiner, who has also written and directed every episode.
After its premiere in October 2018, there was no news of a potential second season. Amazon revealed in 2019 that a sequel was not on the cards.
45. The Rig (2023 – Present)
Cast: Emily Hampshire, Iain Glen, Martin Compston, Mark Bonnar, Rochenda Sandall, Owen Teale
Seasons: 1
The crew of the Kinloch Bravo oil rig in the North Sea faces its worst nightmare when a mysterious fog disables all connection with the mainland.
With limited supplies and no oncoming rescue, tensions begin to rise among the ranks. To make matters worse, spores are discovered within the fog that causes people to experience negative behavioural shifts.
As alliances are formed and broken in the name of survival, the crew realizes they face a potentially ancient parasitic threat, awakened from the ocean floor.
The series has been directed by John Strickland and is the first Amazon Original to be filmed entirely in Scotland. It was renewed for a second season a month after its release.
44. Truth Seekers (2020)
Cast: Nick Frost, Emma D’Arcy, Samson Kayo, Malcolm McDowell, Simon Pegg, Susie Wokoma
Seasons: 1
A horror-comedy at heart, Truth Seekers introduces Gus, a skilled engineer at the broadband company Smyle who is also a part-time paranormal investigator.
When he is paired up with Elton John, a new Smyle recruit, the duo eventually become friends and explore the paranormal together across the UK.
They are later joined by Astrid, a young woman who is haunted by multiple ghosts. They film their hunts and post them online and things take a turn for the worse.
As they stake out haunted churches, underground bunkers and abandoned hospitals, the supernatural experiences start intensifying. The team soon discovers a conspiracy that could potentially destroy humanity.
Despite being lauded for balancing comedy and spooks well, Frost confirmed in 2021 that the show had been cancelled after just one season.
43. Patriot (2015 – 2018)
Cast: Michael Dorman, Kurtwood Smith, Michael Chernus, Kathleen Munroe, Terry O’Quinn, Debra Winger
Seasons: 2
This comedy-drama follows an intelligence officer named John Tavner who must influence Iran’s presidential election to prevent the country from going nuclear.
To go through with the mission, he must bypass all protocols and take a non-official cover as a mid-level employee at a Milwaukee industrial piping firm.
As the plan progresses, season 2 focuses on John overseeing the planned assassination of a pro-nuclear candidate in Paris.
Both seasons were received positively by the audience and critics alike. However, in July 2019, Amazon Studios confirmed there were no plans for a third instalment.
42. The Peripheral (2022 – Present)
Cast: Chloë Grace Moretz, Gary Carr, Jack Reynor, JJ Feild, T’Nia Miller
Seasons: 1
Flynne Fisher lives in Clanton, USA in 2032 along with her brother and sickly mother as she spends her days playing games in VR. When she and her brother are tasked with trying out a brand new VR system, they’re pulled into an entirely new world.
They slowly realize that the world they are taken to is the future in an alternate reality, with so many different things going on.
The series is based on a sci-fi novel of the same name written by William Gibson. It was renewed for a second season in February 2023.
41. One Mississippi (2015 – 2017)
Cast: Tig Notaro, Noah Harpster, John Rothman, Rya Kihlstedt, Casey Wilson
Seasons: 2
Tig Bavaro is a radio host who is recovering from a double mastectomy and a C. difficile infection when she has to go back home after getting the news that her mother will be taken off life support following a sudden fall.
Tig decides to spend some time there with her brother and stepfather and deal with their quirks as she helps out with the family affairs once her mother has passed.
Along the way, she learns more about her mother’s past and gets a different perspective of her than the one she had all this while.
In doing so, she begins to appreciate life back at home a little more than when she first moved back there.
40. The Outlaws (2021 – Present)
Cast: Christopher Walken, Stephen Merchant, Rhianne Barreto, Gamba Cole, Darren Boyd
Seasons: 2
The Outlaws revolves around seven individuals from different socioeconomic backgrounds who come together to carry out their community service sentences.
There is conflict, romance, awkwardness, and much more as these participants work in close proximity and get to know each other before their lives are turned upside down.
They discover a bag filled with money and contemplate keeping it as the very dangerous owners of the money do everything in their power to find it.
The filming of the series was pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic and series 1 and 2 were filmed back to back in 2021.
39. As We See It (2022)
Cast: Rick Glassman, Albert Rutecki, Sue Ann Pien, Sosie Bacon, Chris Pang
Seasons: 1
Jack, Harrison, and Violet are three people on the autism spectrum who move in together and aim to build independent lives for themselves.
To help them on their journey is Mandy, an aide who is questioning her own life choices and going through a crisis of confidence.
Jack is learning to be more compassionate and later dealing with the news that his father has cancer, Harrison makes a new friend in the building and gains the confidence to go out more often, and Violet learns the harsh truth about relationships.
As We See It is based on an Israeli series called On the Spectrum. The series was canceled following one season despite receiving mostly favorable reviews.
38. I Love Dick (2017)
Cast: Kathryn Hahn, Kevin Bacon, Griffin Dunne, Roberta Colindrez, Lily Mojekwu
Seasons: 1
Chris Kraus is an unsuccessful artist and filmmaker in New York who moves to Texas when her husband Sylvère takes up a research fellowship.
Chris meets Sylvère’s fellowship sponsor and immediately becomes infatuated with him. She takes these newfound feelings for him and begins writing out letters with her deepest sexual fantasies.
She never delivers them, but the more she works on the letters, the more it affects her personal and professional life.
She has frustrating interactions with Dick in real life but she does not let that get her down as she continues to use the letters as an emotional release.
The series was canceled after one season.
37. The Consultant (2023)
Cast: Christoph Waltz, Nat Wolff, Brittany O’Grady, Aimee Carrero
Seasons: 1
Craig and Elaine work for a mobile gaming company called CompWare under its young and innovative boss, Sang. When Sang is suddenly and shockingly murdered, a stranger named Regus Patoff comes in to steady the ship.
Regus claims to be a consultant hired by Sang but Craig and Elaine are highly suspicious of him.
They act on their suspicions and eventually discover Regus’ dark past but by the end, Regus has accomplished what he set out to do and disappears from their lives just as mysteriously as he came in.
36. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022 – Present)
Cast: Morfydd Clark, Markella Kavenagh, Robert Aramayo, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Daniel Weyman
Seasons: 1
The series is based on J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and its appendices and is primarily set in the Second Age of Middle Earth, thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit.
The series chronicles a time of peace as the alliance between men and elves is tested and the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron takes place.
The island kingdom of Númenor plays an important part in the series and the setting for its eventual fall is also established.
The second season is set to release sometime in 2024.
35. The English (2022)
Cast: Emily Blunt, Chaske Spencer, Rafe Spall, Tom Hughes, Stephen Rea, Toby Jones
Seasons: 1
An Englishwoman named Cornelia travels to the United States in 1890 looking for revenge on a specific man when she meets a Native American named Eli heading back home to claim the land that is rightfully his.
They decide to travel together and gradually discover that their pasts are linked. They develop a close bond as Eli teaches Cornelia how to fend for herself in the Wild West.
Eli himself faces people of his tribe who accuse him of betraying his people by fighting alongside the white men but Eli is steadfast in his beliefs.
There is a lot of death, compassion, deception, and ultimately redemption in their arduous journey.
34. Lore (2017 – 2018)
Cast: Robert Patrick, Holland Roden, and Colm Feore
Seasons: 2
Lore is an American horror anthology series created by Aaron Mahnke, who is known for the podcast of the same name.
The show adapts the stories told in the podcast and presents them in an engaging way through re-enactments, real-life pictures, and footage.
All the episodes are based on true stories and are quite unique. They talk about popular monsters and creatures the world knows about in-depth and put them in a different light.
Aaron Mahnke’s decent narration and the stories presented promise a comfortable watch for horror fans and even regular viewers who are looking for something spooky.
33. The Family Man (2019 – Present)
Cast: Manoj Bajpayee, Priyamani, Sharib Hashmi
Seasons: 2
The Family Man is an Indian spy thriller that follows the life of Srikant Tiwari, a middle-class man who is secretly working as a senior officer at the Threat Analysis and Surveillance Cell, a fictitious branch of the National Investigation Agency.
The show overall chronicles how Srikant’s secret life heavily affects his personal life in many ways while he attempts to save his country from terrorist attacks on a large scale.
The very first season sees Srikant’s team stopping Mission Zulfiqar, while in the second season, they battle Tamil military resistance from Sri Lanka.
The Family Man is an all-out mainstream spy thriller that manages to touch several emotions and give audiences of all tastes something to binge-watch on the weekend.
32. Three Pines (2022 – Present)
Cast: Alfred Molina, Rossif Sutherland, Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, Tantoo Cardinal
Seasons: 1
Three Pines is a mystery drama that follows Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec police force, who investigates a murder in the strange village of Three Pines.
Gamache’s team of officers is not welcomed by the villagers, but Gamache is oddly drawn towards them. Soon, the murders taking place in the village start exposing the secrets these common people, who have almost cut themselves off from the world, are hiding.
Amidst the drama, Gamache also works on the case of a missing indigenous girl named Blue Two-Rivers.
Three Pines features four murder mysteries, each told within two episodes. The show’s short, cinematic, and intriguing affair makes it an avid watch for fans of Agatha Christie.
31. Comrade Detective (2017)
Cast: Florin Piersic Jr., Channing Tatum, Corneliu Ulici, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Adrian Paduraru, Nick Offerman
Seasons: 1
Comrade Detective is presented by Channing Tatum and Jon Ronson as an actual Romanian cop-buddy show from the 1980s that promoted a communist worldview. The producers of the show rediscover the copies of the episodes, restore them, and dub them into English.
The show featured follows Bucharest police detective Gregor Anghel, who loses his partner during a drug bust. Paired up with a new partner, Anghel vows to find his former partner’s murderer, who wears a Ronald Reagan mask.
The show was originally filmed with Romanian actors speaking Romanian and was later overdubbed into English.
Comrade Detective is pretty unique and clever in nature. It is basically a parody of 1980s buddy cop shows but is set on the other side of the world, where Americans are the villains.
30. Upload (2020 – Present)
Cast: Robbie Amell, Andy Allo, Allegra Edwards, Zainab Johnson, Kevin Bigley
Seasons: 2
Created by the Emmy-Award-winning writer Greg Daniels, Upload takes place in the world of 2033, where humans can now upload themselves into a virtual afterlife of their choosing after their deaths.
A young app developer, Nathan Brown, ends up in a car accident and is rushed to choose the afterlife he prefers with the help of his girlfriend, Ingrid.
Their decision lands Nathan in Ingrid’s family’s luxurious afterlife, ‘Lakeview’. During his time there, Nathan befriends his customer service ‘Angel’, Nora, who slowly learns that someone has murdered Nathan.
Though Upload has received mixed reviews from critics, the fans have loved the show and the idea that it presents. Apart from having an intriguing plot, Upload, as a show, retains the comfort and cheerful nature one finds in the shows created by Greg Daniels.
29. Utopia (2020)
Cast: John Cusack, Ashleigh LaThrop, Dan Byrd, Desmin Borges, Jessica Rothe, Christopher Denham, Javon Walton, Farrah Mackenzie, Cory Michael Smith, Jeanine Serralles, Rainn Wilson, Sasha Lane
Seasons: 1
Utopia is a science fiction conspiracy thriller that follows a group of young adults who meet online and bond over their love for a fictional comic called ‘Utopia’.
Together, they attempt to solve the hidden meanings and conspiracies inside the comic and predict the threats to humans. Eventually, they realize that these conspiracies are real dangers taking place in the world right now.
The revelation then leads them to join forces on an adventure to prevent these catastrophic events and save the very world they live in.
Adapted from the 2013 British original series of the same name, Utopia isn’t on par with the original but is still praised for its pace and twists and turns.
28. Tales from the Loop (2020)
Cast: Rebecca Hall, Paul Schneider, Duncan Joiner, Daniel Zolghadri, Jonathan Pryce
Seasons: 1
Inspired by the paintings of Simon Stålenhag, Tales from the Loop takes place in the fictional town of Mercer, Ohio, where an underground facility known as the Loop resides.
The mission of the facility is to make the impossible possible. The artifacts from the experiments are littered around the town and are discovered by the residents.
Unlike other sci-fi shows, Tales from the Loop focuses more on the lives of the residents who come in contact with these artifacts rather than the origins and goals of the Loop.
Tales from the Loop gives a glimpse into what humanity could look like in the future. The kind of emotions the show evokes may vary from person to person. It may inspire you, scare you, or do both at the same time.
27. Them (2021)
Cast: Deborah Ayorinde, Ashley Thomas, Alison Pill, and Ryan Kwanten
Seasons: 1
Them takes place in 1953 and follows a Black family that moves from North Carolina to an all-white Los Angeles neighborhood during the Second Great Migration.
They fail to achieve the quiet, nice life they dream of as threats from the otherworld and right from next door haunt them and aim to destroy them while they vow that this is their home.
Them was praised heavily because of the gripping performances of Deborah Ayorinde and Ashley Thomas, who manage to depict the horrors of a hostile world.
26. Goliath (2016 – 2021)
Cast: Billy Bob Thornton, Nina Arianda, Tania Raymonde, Diana Hopper, William Hurt
Seasons: 4
Goliath follows the story of a disgraced lawyer turned ambulance chaser, Billy McBride, who is going through a rough patch and spends his days drinking away and making plea deals for petty criminals.
McBride receives another shot to change his life when a lady approaches him with a case involving her brother that only looks like a suicide.
It turns out that the lady’s brother worked for the company that is a client of the very firm that Billy built and got kicked out of. The case takes McBride on a ride to remember and makes his already troubled life a living hell.
On the surface, Goliath looks like another legal crime drama that is fit to air on TV, but the compelling performances by the cast, the way episodes are structured, and the mysteries and twists involved make the show a worthy watch.
25. Red Oaks (2014 – 2017)
Cast: Craig Roberts, Ennis Esmer, Oliver Cooper, Gage Golightly, Alexandra Socha, Paul Reiser, Jennifer Grey, Richard Kind, Josh Meyers
Seasons: 3
Red Oaks is a coming-of-age comedy revolving around a college student named David, who dreams of becoming a filmmaker. In the summer of 1985, David gets a job as a tennis instructor at Red Oaks, a Jewish country club.
At the club, David, who is still finding himself, comes in contact with various people who all have some kind of advice for him. While David is the protagonist, the show’s subplots focus on David’s friends, family, and the people at the club.
There are doubts about the future, there are new romances, there is a need to pursue happiness, and there are decisions to be made, but all of this is depicted in a light-hearted manner.
Created by Joe Gangemi and Gregory Jacobs and set in New Jersey in the ‘80s, younger audiences will find this show relatable due to the themes of adolescence, and it will invoke nostalgia in the adult audience.
24. Carnival Row (2019 – 2023)
Cast: Orlando Bloom, Cara Delevingne, David Gyasi, Karla Crome, Indira Varma
Seasons: 2
Carnival Row is a fantasy drama that takes place in Burgue, a Victorian-era city that is home to humans as well as mythical creatures called the fae, who have fled from their war-torn homeland and settled here.
When someone starts murdering the fae, a police inspector, Philo, tries to find the killer. He sympathizes with the fae who are treated as second-class citizens, but he has secrets of his own.
While the government does not care about the murders, Philo is determined to stop the murderer to prevent more deaths and maintain peace between the two species.
Furthermore, Vignette, Philo’s former fae lover, who believes him to be dead, comes to Burgue. Their reunion complicates matters for both of them and forces them to confront their past.
The show primarily deals with issues like xenophobia, social injustice, racism, classism, and the refugee crisis. The setting of the show allows it to discuss real-life socio-political issues freely in a beautiful fantasy world.
23. Hunters (2020 – 2023)
Cast: Al Pacino, Logan Lerman, Lena Olin, Saul Rubinek, Carol Kane
Seasons: 2
Created by David Weil, the show follows a group of Nazi hunters known as the Hunters in 1977 in New York. The Hunters find out that several Nazi officers, who managed to escape, are planning to create the Fourth Reich in the US.
Meyer Offerman, a Holocaust survivor, is the leader of the Hunters. He recruits the members of the group because he has been a victim of one of the worst historical crimes, and he must prevent it from happening again.
The characters in the show have been inspired by real Nazi hunters without specifically representing any of them. It is a story meant to depict Jewish people as superheroes, reclaiming their power and getting justice for their ancestors.
The thriller marks actor Al Pacino’s debut in a TV series lead role. While the show received mixed reviews due to historical inaccuracies, among other things, the performances by the cast were widely praised by the critics.
22. Mozart in the Jungle (2014 – 2018)
Cast: Lola Kirke, Gael García Bernal, Bernadette Peters, Malcolm McDowell, Saffron Burrows, Hannah Dunne, Peter Vack
Seasons: 4
Based on Blair Tindall’s 2005 memoir Mozart in the Jungle: Sex, Drugs, and Classical Music, which follows her career as an oboist in New York, the show depicts the fictional New York Symphony.
When the New York Symphony gets a new conductor named Rodrigo, nothing remains as it was; Rodrigo brings in a set of changes along with him, displeasing the outgoing maestro, Thomas Pembridge.
Hailey Rutledge, an oboist with dreams of making it big, auditions for Rodrigo and ends up forming a bond with him. The story then becomes an interaction between her passion for music, ambition, and even love.
The show takes the audience to the world of classical music but in a way that the world does not seem unfamiliar. The show was praised for its writing, its quirky characters, and for focusing on female figures who have been left out of the history of classical music.
21. Homecoming (2018 – 2020)
Cast: Julia Roberts, Janelle Monáe
Seasons: 2
Based on a podcast of the same name, Homecoming is a psychological thriller that revolves around the life of Heidi Bergman. The second season of the show is not based on the podcast and follows a different story with new characters.
Heidi used to work as a social worker at a live-in facility called the Homecoming Transitional Support Center. Homecoming is run by the Geist Group and helps soldiers adapt to civilian life.
It has been four years since then, and Heidi is now working as a waitress. However, she cannot remember her time at Homecoming, and she soon realizes that all this time, she had not been aware of the actual work of the facility.
The show successfully captures mysteries that keep the audience on the edge of their seats. Owing to the cast’s performances, the show leaves a long-lasting impact on the audience.
20. Hannah (2019 – 2021)
Cast: Esme Creed-Miles, Mireille Enos, Joel Kinnaman, Noah Taylor, Dermot Mulroney, Ray Liotta
Seasons: 3
Created and written by David Farr, Hannah is an action drama based on a film of the same name. The show follows the titular character, a 15-year-old girl, who lives in a forest in Poland.
Hannah lives with her father, Erik, but he is not actually her father. He used to be a CIA operative who worked for a CIA project code-named UTRAX that aimed to create super soldiers by changing children’s DNA.
Erik’s job required him to recruit pregnant women for the program. However, he ended up falling in love with Hannah’s mother. Due to this, he rescued Hannah and is protecting her to this day.
The CIA decides to shut down the project and eliminate all the subjects, including Hannah. With an operative named Marissa chasing them, Erik must do everything in his power to keep Hannah safe.
While the premise of the show is not unique, the complex characters make it stand out. It is the story of an extraordinary girl, who is living a life full of danger and forming genuine bonds while trying to survive.
19. Pataal Lok (2020 – Present)
Cast: Jaideep Ahlawat, Gul Panag, Neeraj Kabi, Abhishek Banerjee, Jagjeet Sandhu, Aasif Khan
Season: 1
Based on Tarun Tejpal’s novel The Story of My Assassins, the show follows the story of a disillusioned police officer, Hathiram Chowdhary. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity presents itself when he gets to work on a high-profile case.
Four men are suspected of attempting an assassination of a journalist. While investigating the case and the past of these four men, Chowdhary finds himself dragged into a metaphorical hell.
The show makes use of Indian mythology to depict the distinction between the upper and lower classes of India. It also depicts various other problems that are embedded in the social fabric of the country through the characters.
Pataal Lok is considered to be one of the best Indian shows of 2020 because of its exceptional plot that paints a grim but realistic picture of society. The performances and the direction do justice to the writing and make it a gripping thriller.
18. Sneaky Pete (2015 – 2019)
Cast: Giovanni Ribisi, Marin Ireland, Shane McRae, Libe Barer, Michael Drayer, Peter Gerety, Margo Martindale, Jane Adams
Seasons: 3
Sneaky Pete is a crime drama that follows a convict named Marius Josipović. Marius gets released from prison but discovers that he is not safe, as a dangerous gangster, Vince, is hunting him because Marius stole from him.
To protect himself, Marius assumes the identity of his cellmate, Pete, and ends up living with Pete’s family, who believe Marius to be Pete. While keeping up the charade, Marius must also find a way to pay Vince back.
It is one con after another and one lie after another as the protagonist tries to get out of several tricky situations. However, he ends up facing danger no matter how hard he tries to escape it.
All three seasons of the show have mostly received positive reviews. While the events depicted in the show are not very realistic, it still manages to entertain the audience with its smart writing and strong performances by the cast.
17. Electric Dreams (2017 – 2018)
Cast: Bryan Cranston, Richard Madden, Steve Buscemi, Timothy Spall
Seasons: 1
Electric Dreams is an anthology series that has been inspired by the works of sci-fi writer Philip Kindred Dick, who wrote 44 novels and 121 short stories during the time he was alive.
The show consists of ten episodes, with each being based on one of Dick’s short stories. The narratives are unique, ranging from discrimination against telepaths to space travel.
Electric Dreams has fantastic production value and although it comes under the sci-fi genre, it captures the human aspect and would appeal to non-sci fans as well.
It received nominations for Best New Media Television Series at the 44th Saturn Awards and Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special at the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards.
16. The Wilds (2020 – 2022)
Cast: Sophia Ali, Shannon Berry, Jenna Clause, Reign Edwards, Mia Healey, Helena Howard
Seasons: 2
In this series, a group of young girls from diverse backgrounds survive an airplane crash en route to a women empowerment retreat.
Stranded on an island, they must learn to live with each other and understand different perspectives. What they do not realise is that they are part of a social experiment conducted by the head of the empowerment retreat.
The second season similarly follows a group of young boys who are part of a second experiment by the same head. Both seasons constantly switch between past, present and the future.
The Wilds is an extremely engaging thriller that will keep you glued to your screens. It also received praise for its inclusion of characters that are indigenous and queer as well as for depicting same-sex relationships without holding anything back.
It was cancelled after its second season due as it wasn’t as well received as the first.
15. Outer Range (2022 – Present)
Cast: Josh Brolin, Imogen Poots, Lili Taylor, Tom Pelphrey, Tamara Podemski
Seasons: 1
Royal Abbott, a rancher in Wyoming, USA, comes across a mysterious void in the pasture of Abbot’s ranch, which coincides with the arrival of Autumn, a drifter who has a supernatural connection to the ranch itself.
Amidst this mystery, the Abbot Family must also cope with the disappearance of the daughter along with attempting to protect the ranch from the Tillersons, a rival family.
The series subverts expectations and delivers an engaging narrative. It is well-written and the cinematography is exquisite.
Outer Range is Brolin’s first TV show in almost 20 years. The actor is known for playing Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame.
14. Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan (2019 – Present)
Cast: John Krasinski, Wendell Pierce, Abbie Cornish, Ali Suliman,
Seasons: 3
Adapted from Tom Clancy’s series of novels, Jack Ryan is based on the titular character, who is part of the CIA.
In the first season, he is a CIA analyst after serving as a former Marine Officer and Afghanistan veteran. He is thrust onto the field after a series of fraudulent bank transfers.
The second season follows him in Venezuela amidst political warfare, while he investigates a plan to detonate a bomb in a former Soviet Country.
The series has been lauded for its blending of character-based drama and action. Krasinski is a natural at playing this relatable version of the character that has had various iterations in the past.
It has received nominations at the Saturn Awards for Best Streaming Science Fiction, Action & Fantasy Series (2019) and Best Action/Thriller Television Series (2021).
13. The Man in the High Castle (2015 – 2019)
Cast: Alexa Davalos, Rupert Evans, Luke Kleintank, DJ Qualls, Joel de la Fuente
Seasons: 4
Set in a parallel universe, the US has been divided into two parts: Germany’s Greater Nazi Reich with New York City as the capital and Japan’s Japanese Pacific States with San Fransisco as the capital.
It takes place in 1962 with the Axis Powers gaining victory during World War II. The series follows the character who come across news reels and home videos that show Germany and Japan losing the war instead.
The title of the series comes from a mysterious figure that is thought to be the orchestrator behind the footage surfacing.
Unlike anything else on streaming, The Man in the High Castle is a breath of fresh air that reimagines the planet as a WWII dystopia. The narrative is equal parts engaging and fascinating.
12. Invincible (2021 – Present)
Cast: Steven Yeun, Sandra Oh, J. K. Simmons
Seasons: 1
Mark Grayson, son of Earth’s greatest superhero Omni-Man, feels the pressure when he exhibits none of his father’s abilities. One day, he finally comes of age and becomes ‘Invincible’.
Earth’s authorities become concerned when the planet’s most prominent league of superheroes, the Guardians of the Globe, gets slaughtered in its entirety and Omni-Man falls unconscious.
Omni-Man comes from a race of super-powered aliens called Viltrumites. Mark must now learn to control the massive power he has inherited and save the Earth, while the death of the Guardians is investigated.
Crisply animated and captivating, Invincible does not hold back any punches just like its central characters. It is extremely gory and different from mainstream animated shows.
11. The Legend of Vox Machina (2022 – Present)
Cast: Laura Bailey, Taliesin Jaffe, Ashley Johnson, Matthew Mercer
Seasons: 2
The Legend of Vox Machina is an adaptation of a Dungeons & Dragons campaign web series called ‘Critical Role’, which has numerous episodes on YouTube.
The first season of the series consists of 12 episodes, out of which 10 were funded by a Kickstarter campaign. The voice actors reprise their roles for the Prime Video series.
It is set in the fictional world of Exandria and adapts different arcs of the original web series that take the characters to various locations.
This unique series is a treat for long-time Dungeons & Dragons fans. The animation is crisp and has an anime-esque vibe.
10. The Devil’s Hour (2022 – Present)
Cast: Jessica Raine, Peter Capaldi, Nikesh Patel, Alex Ferns, Meera Syal
Seasons: 1
Lucy, a social worker, is dealing with personal turmoil. Each night at 3:33 AM, she wakes up after experiencing terrifying visions during ‘the Devil’s Hour’: 3:00 AM to 4:00 AM.
When her name is inexplicably connected to a series of killings, she is dragged into the hunt for the murderer. Lucy’s eight-year-old son is strangely detached and lacks emotions.
The Devil’s Hour keeps you on the edge of your seats and manages to coherently piece together all the various pieces of its narrative. Raine and Capaldi impress as the two main characters.
9. Reacher (2021 – Present)
Cast: Alan Ritchson, Willa Fitzgerald, Malcolm Goodwin, Maria Sten, Bruce McGill, Lara Jean Chorostecki, Harvey Guillén, Martin Roach
Seasons: 1
Reacher follows the titular man, a former U.S. military policeman, who visits the fictional rural town of Margrave, Georgia. His arrival causes instant upheaval as he’s arrested for murder. Following his release, he works with two people to investigate the local web of conspiracies involving businessmen, corrupt police officers, and politicians.
In the periphery are serial killings that leave many dead in the most gut-wrenching ways. Reacher’s arrival and intervention in this large conspiracy initially seem random but soon turn out to be way more personal, as it’s revealed that his brother was the victim of the aggressors that operate in the shadows.
Causing a whole lot of stir, Reacher soon befriends Oscar Finlay, the Margrave PD Police Captain and chief detective. Another person of note to start working alongside Reacher is Margrave PD Police officer Roscoe Conklin, who eventually becomes the central love interest as well.
Carrying dexterity and a great pace, this series serves as one of the most faithful adaptations of the Jack Reacher book series by Alan Child, and the daunting portrayal of the titular character by Alan Ritchson informs most of the appeal the show has with its fanbase.
8. Too Old to Die Young (2019)
Cast: Miles Teller, Augusto Aguilera, Cristina Rodlo, Nell Tiger Free, John Hawkes, Jena Malone
Seasons: 1
LA County Sheriff’s deputy Martin Jones is a police officer in grieving. His life is obliterated apart in one night of tragedy. Soon, he finds himself forced into the perilous underground of killers that hail from all across the topographies.
He, along with the man who shot his partner, navigates the underbelly of crime and killing, of Yakuza soldiers, cartel members, mysterious assassins, Russian mafia, and teenage killers.
Moody, surreal, slow, and fantastical, Too Old to Die Young uses Refn’s trademark style to evoke the macabre and also the absurd while telling the story with a great amount of panache.
7. Undone (2019 – Present)
Cast: Rosa Salazar, Angelique Cabral, Constance Marie, Siddharth Dhananjay, Daveed Diggs, Bob Odenkirk
Seasons: 2
Prime Video’s first adult animated original, Undone follows Alma, a woman in distress, getting into a near-fatal car accident that leaves her with a strange relationship with time, where now she can use her newfound ability to traverse through time and find the truth about her father’s death.
In a genre-bending affair, the series explores the elastic nature of reality and delves into the themes of grief, familial strife, and death. Before nearly succumbing to the car crash, Alma’s life is in tatters and she’s going through an emotional wringer.
She has painful memories related to her father’s inexplicable death, a strenuous relationship with her sister after a fight, and a relationship with her boyfriend that she decides to break up.
When she finds the new abilities she has, she uses them to investigate the reason behind her father’s death — something that the dead father requests for himself.
6. Good Omens (2019 – 2023)
Cast: Michael Sheen, David Tenant, Daniel Mays, Sian Brooke, Ned Dennehy, Ariyon Bakare, Nick Offerman, Anna Maxwell Martin, Doon Mackichan, Jon Hamm, Frances McDormand, Adria Arjona, Miranda Richardson, Jack Whitehall, Mireille Enos, Mireille Enos, Bill Paterson, Yusuf Gatewood, Lourdes Faberes, Brian Cox
Seasons: 1
The diabolical demon Crowley and the angel Aziraphel are long-time acquaintances and have grown rather accustomed to living on Earth. However, their continued stay is confronted by the impending doom that will burn it all down.
They must now join hands, once again, to prevent the impending destruction and prolong their pleasant lives on Earth.
Based on the book of the same name by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, this comedy series sees an ensemble of veteran onscreen talents portray the fantastical characters picked from myths and scriptures and thrown into a story of utmost hilarity and wholesomeness.
The show’s central pair of Aziraphel and Crowley, turn the affair into one of the best buddy comedies as their contrasting aesthetics gel together perfectly while they try to do everything they can to prevent the coming of Antichrist and the Armageddon that stands to destroy everything, but above all, their pleasant lives on Earth that they just can’t let go of.
5. Transparent (2014 – 2019)
Cast: Jeffrey Tambor, Amy Landecker, Jay Duplass, Gaby Hoffmann, Judith Light, Kathryn Hahn
Seasons: 5
This Prime Video dramedy follows Maura, who has a secret that they haven’t told their children for quite some time now, mostly because the children, all grown adults, are some of the most self-absorbed humans out there.
However, the secret soon comes out, but it does under circumstances most awkward and fragile, and now the family must contend with secrets of one another one by one, as themes of family and identity are dealt with cringeworthy and endearing moments, surrounded by heartwarming and heart-wrenching ones.
This multiple awards-winning series deals with coming out, trans identities and the taboo attached to said identities, and the difficulties in accepting said identities. It also deals with the familial dynamics of a unit rife with estranged or strenuous relationships, idiosyncratic characters, and a great deal of chaos.
4. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017 – 2023)
Cast: Rachel Brosnahan, Alex Borstein, Michael Zegen, Marin Hinkle, Tony Shalhoub, Kevin Pollak, Caroline Aaron, Jane Lynch, Luke Kirby, Reid Scott, Jason Ralph, Alfie Fuller
Seasons: 5
Miriam “Midge” Maisel is a housewife and a mother who’s cheated on by her husband, who’s an untalented comic, and runs away with his secretary.
The frustrated and angry Maisel’s venting at the cafe that follows leads to an arrest, and in the cop car, she meets Lenny Bruce, who’s also booked for obscenity. She is eventually bailed out and soon finds her flair for standup comedy and starts performing at clubs throughout New York.
She then has to contend with the family and having to hide her career from them, while she continues to achieve more and more success. Meanwhile, her marriage with Joel has to end even as they remain friends.
The later seasons see the hitches that Midge tackles in her career as personal and professional problems plague her efforts at a career revival. She also makes some enemies along the way and finds herself struggling with handling them while also focusing on her standup.
3. Fleabag (2016 – 2019)
Cast: Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Sian Clifford, Andrew Scott, Olivia Colman, Bill Paterson, Brett Gelman, Hugh Skinner, Hugh Dennis, Ben Aldridge, Jenny Rainsford
Seasons: 2
This widely-acclaimed show follows the titular protagonist who frequently breaks the fourth wall as she navigates life and love in London, while also dealing with a tragedy.
She wishes to heal but her constantly flippant attitude entails her rejecting any help that may come her way, and her constant method to cope with her problems is to indulge in internal monologues and acknowledge the audience.
Fleabag has no filter and is a dry-witted woman harboring a lot of rage and resentment. At heart, Fleabag is very kind and cares a lot about her sister Claire, who she has a fight with and stops talking to for an entire year.
Later on, she meets a priest and after a lot of flirtatious encounters, the two find that the scope of their relationship is limited. The show is based on the award-winning play of the same name by Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
2. The Underground Railroad (2021)
Cast: Thuso Mbedu, Chase W. Dillon, Joel Edgerton, Fred Hechinger, Peter Mullan, Mychal-Bella Bowman, Sheila Atim
Seasons: 1
Based on the novel of the same name by Colson Whitehead, the miniseries follows a fictional group of people escaping slavery in the southern United States of the 1800s.
At the center of this fictional story inspired by real-world events of the past, is Cora, who flees from a Georgia plantation and boards a train. As she embarks on a journey of true freedom, she has to evade a ruthless and notorious slave catcher.
Incorporating magical realism into its storytelling, this Barry Jenkins directorial weaves pain and hope to tell a story of the lengths that the enslaved African-American people go to seek true freedom via a railroad that goes from the southern states to the free states in North and Canada.
1. The Boys (2019 – Present)
Cast: Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Dominique McElligott, Jessie T. Usher, Laz Alonso, Chace Crawford, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara, Nathan Mitchell, Elisabeth Shue, Colby Minifie, Aya Cash, Claudia Doumit, Jensen Ackles
Seasons: 3
Prime Video’s most popular entry, The Boys is an atypical superhero genre affair. There’s blood, there’s gore, and there’s graphic imagery diabolical enough to curl any toe and upset any stomach.
The premise involves a regular guy losing his girlfriend to a drugged-up speedster superhero in a manner most absurdly traumatic. He then meets Butcher, a crazed anti-hero with no powers but a lot of extraordinary resentment for the superheroes, and together, they embark on a mission to exact their vengeance upon all the supes.
The “superheroes” in The Boys are anything but heroic, with most of them essentially being the product of a cynical approach to superhero realism. Rife with fantasy elements, the show is also rooted in contemporary real-world events and socio-political discourse.
Through the Hitler-like villainous superhumans and the broken, traumatized, and resentful protagonists, The Boys comments on an array of topics concerning the aforementioned discourse, as well as delivering an unadulterated, explicit mayhem that the show’s premise allows the creators to indulge in.
Also Read: 50 best Apple TV+ shows – Ranked (Updated March 2024)