Bed Bath and beyond Category24 of the Best Amazon Prime Series Right Now
The Wheel of Time
Based on Robert Jordan’s sprawling novel series—one so vast it makes Game of Thrones look concise—this is one of Amazon’s most ambitious, and expensive, series to date. The eight-episode first season follows Moiraine (Rosamund Pike), a powerful weaver of an ancient form of magic, as she gathers five unassuming young people, one of whom is destined to either save the world—or destroy it. The only problem is, no one knows which one it is, or which way their loyalties will sway should their powers awaken. A visually stunning series that blends sumptuous location shoots with cinematic effects work, this is sure to fill the epic fantasy void left by that other show.
Invincible
When Mark Grayson inherits the incredible powers and abilities of his father, Omni-Man, he sets out to follow in his footsteps as the costumed superhero Invincible. Unfortunately, his coming-of-age is marred by a shocking twist that shakes his entire world—both personally and on the global political stage. A brilliantly animated adaptation of the hit Image comic book by writer Robert Kirkman and artists Cory Walker and Ryan Ottley, Invincible offers a more mature look at the impact superpowered beings would have on society. And while it starts as an homage to classic teen superhero tropes, it goes on to do something Marvel and DC characters rarely do: grow up.
Travel Man
Richard Ayoade, polymath comedian and iconic introvert, visits a city with a celebrity. It’s a simple premise held up by the quality of the guests and Ayoade’s great rapport with them. Highlights include Ayoade and Bob Mortimer in Hamburg, and the particularly charming bromance Ayoade strikes up with Mad Men’s Jon Hamm, a surprisingly great foil for Ayoade’s nihilistic banter. “Do you see what I see?” Hamm asks when he sees Ayoade’s new tailored suit. “No,” he responds. “That’s the prison of consciousness.” Seasons 1 to 8 are on Prime in the US, and 1 to 6 in the UK.
Truth Seekers
One for the Doctor Who crowd, Truth Seekers is a gentle, silly season of paranormal hijinks. A Simon Pegg/Nick Frost project that’s heavier on Frost, as gruff broadband engineer and ghost hunter Gus, and lighter on Pegg, more of a fun cameo throughout as Gus’ boss. Stacked with genre references to chew on, it’s a family-friendly option with Samson Kayo, Susan Wokoma, and Malcolm McDowell rounding out the crew.
Clarkson's Farm
We know, we know. But hear us out. This series sees Jeremy Clarkson—the broadcaster famous for the BBC’s Top Gear, whose emotional range usually occupies a narrow wedge between obnoxious lad and old bore—demonstrating a touching rawness and humility. It follows Clarkson’s decision to purchase a 1,000-acre farm in the English countryside, and to run it himself despite a lack of farming knowledge, through extreme weather, limp crops, and Covid-19. Clarkson quickly realizes that he’s in the debt of experts, and he’s eager to learn and turn things around.
The Underground Railroad
Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Colson Whitehead, this limited series from Moonlight director Barry Jenkins sticks pretty closely to the premise of the book. It’s a work of historical fiction that takes the idea of the underground railroad—the network of smugglers who helped escaped slaves flee the South—and reimagines it as an actual subway system with trains and secretive station agents.
Fleabag
You’re not meant to like Fleabag. She’s maniacal, selfish, self-destructive, and morally bankrupt. Her family is loathsome, her lifestyle is ridiculous, and her job is a joke. Yet after watching this 12-episode series we defy you to not love her a little. This magnificent sitcom about a Londoner (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) grappling with the death of her best friend has no filter: You’ll hear her thoughts on feminism, familial tension, love, and sodomy. The first time Waller-Bridge interrupts her own dialog to shoot a disarming, conspiratorial glance to the screen, you’re hooked. Season 1 is a smutty yet wonderful crescendo of self-destruction driven by a cast of characters including Fleabag’s intensely awkward sister Claire (Sian Clifford), her selfish and pretentious stepmother (Olivia Colman), and clueless father (Bill Paterson). The second season cheerfully bounds into blasphemy as she grapples with inappropriate (and reciprocated) feelings for a Catholic priest (Andrew Scott). It’s shocking, and immensely watchable. One of the rare cases where a series truly is as good as people say.
The Man in the High Castle
This adaptation of sci-fi master Philip K. Dick’s novel about a world in which the Nazis won the Second World War was one of Amazon’s first forays into producing its own content. The world-building is stunningly done—a divided, alternate-reality 1960s America never seemed so plausible—but be warned: There might be just a touch too much present-day resonance for some viewers.
There’s no shortage of iconic medical dramas, which makes the huge success of House all the more remarkable. Indeed, the show was the most-watched show in the world in 2008. What makes it great? Hugh Laurie’s performance as the fascinating and flawed Dr. Gregory House is key, but above all the writing is superb. House is miles away from the soap opera stylings of Grey’s Anatomy and lacks the pulsating action of ER, but its small-scale mysteries rarely fail to entertain, and it’s endlessly funny without undercutting its serious side. Every episode is on Amazon Prime, and they’re absolutely worth revisiting, or enjoying for the first time.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
What can a New York lady do when she finds out her husband is having an affair with his dim-witted secretary? If Mrs. Maisel is anything to go by, the answer is to head to a grotty watering hole in your nightgown, do a bit of standup comedy, and get hauled away by the police after flashing the entire audience. Set in the 1950s, this fast-talking fashionista hides her new life as a comedian from her family and ex while battling sexism, bad crowds, and big competition. Rachel Brosnahan stars as Midge Maisel in this subtle nod to Joan Rivers’ career. With four seasons and a host of awards and nominations to its name, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is one of Amazon’s sharpest
The Expanse
Humanity now lives among the stars—well, the rest of the solar system, at least. A group of antiheroes are linked by the disappearance of a wealthy political activist, and between them they must unravel what happened to her. Adding to the complexity are the political tensions between Earth, Mars, and the Belt, a group of loosely affiliated colonies between the two planets. That’s just season 1—there are six available on Prime, and each is packed with enough daring missions, space fights, and Martian politics to keep fans of hard science fiction hooked.
If you’re a big fan of BoJack Horseman, you are going to love Undone, a similarly acerbic animated series following familiar themes of mental illness from the same creators of the Netflix show. Undone follows 28-year-old Alma (played by Rosa Salazar), a woman stuck in the monotonous rhythm of life who feels utterly unfulfilled in her relationship with her boyfriend Sam (Siddharth Dhananjay). But after a near-fatal car crash, Alma’s life physically begins to change—time is now nonlinear, and Alma has the uncontrollable ability to travel back and forth. While it’s a fun genre-bending romp, what’s even more special about Undone is that it’s one of the first TV series to use an animation style called rotoscoping for every single episode. With splendid writing, acting, and gorgeous visuals, Undone is well worth every second of your time.
The Boys
In the world of The Boys, superheroes are big business. Venerated by the public and managed by a shady corporation who ensures they’re properly marketed and monetized, the “supes” are more like Instagram influencers on steroids than traditional caped crusaders. The Boys form to uncover and punish their corruption, led by the fanatical Bill Butcher—played brilliantly by Karl Urban—who holds a serious grudge against the most powerful and unstable of all the heroes, Homelander. Based on the comic by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, The Boys is a darkly satirical take on the cape-and-cowl genre, with three seasons and an animated spin-off (The Boys Presents: Diabolical, also on Prime) under its belt, making it one of Prime Video’s most successful exclusive shows.
Good Omens
Feeling battered and emotionally bruised by bleak TV dystopias and even bleaker world news? Good Omens is your shelter in the storm, and inside it’s warm, cozy, camp, and kind. Neil Gaiman has adapted his own 1990 book, cowritten with Terry Pratchett, which follows an angel (Michael Sheen) and a demon (David Tennant) trying to stop Armageddon. The six-part event series gives fans exactly what they dreamed of from such a fusion of cast and crew. Silly stuff with Cold War overtones, extreme whimsy, and gruff British wit.
Catastrophe
Filthy, foul, and full of heart, this modern romance is less about love than it is the moments that test it. While on a business trip to London, American alcoholic Rob Norris (Rob Delaney) knocks up Irish school teacher Sharon Morris (Sharon Horgan). He moves to the UK, and they attempt life together—something they fail at often across four seasons. Catastrophe veers between hilarious and painful, with Delaney’s gruff anger and Horgan’s brilliant viciousness tripping up their personal and professional lives. Prepare to envy Horgan’s brutal one-liners as much as her wardrobe. Costars often steal the show, notably broken couple Ashley Jensen and Mark Bonnar, as well as Carrie Fisher in her last television role.
The Night Manager
This six-part drama based on a novel by John Le Carre earns the accolade “all-star cast.” Tom Hiddleston is in James Bond audition mode as a hotel manager who volunteers to take down Hugh Laurie’s scheming arms dealer, Richard “Dickie” Roper, while Olivia Colman plays Hiddleston’s security service handler, Angela Burr, the moral center of the story.
Forever
You’ll know within the first episode if you’re into this slow, stylized miniseries from Parks & Recreation/Master of None alums Alan Yang and Matt Hubbard. It’s part high-concept TV, part uncomfortable marriage drama with a side helping of shtick from the two outrageously talented leads, Maya Rudolph and Fred Armisen. It might make you impatient at times, but Forever will stick with you once you’ve watched the finale.
Sneaky Pete
Just released from prison, Marius (Giovanni Ribisi) steals the identity of his former cellmate Pete Murphy in order to hide from the dangers of his old life. On the run from a vicious debtor played by Bryan Cranston (who also jointly created the show), Marius nestles into Pete’s motley crew of estranged family, who are delighted to be reunited with their long-lost relative–and enters waters just as shark-infested as those from which he’s come. Over the course of three seasons, Sneaky Pete proves itself one of the finest dramas Amazon has produced yet.
Mr. Robot
This Emmy-award-winning thriller starts out strong, and it just keeps getting better over the course of its four seasons. Rami Malek’s turn as Elliot Alderson, an isolationist cyber-security expert turned vigilante hacktivist, provides a vulnerable face to a subject that’s largely impenetrable to many viewers, while the corrupt organizations and faceless corporations his hacker collective targets make for relevant contemporary villains. Not just one of the most accurate hacking shows ever, but an exceptional television series in all senses.
Mozart in the Jungle
A comedy-drama documenting the world of professional orchestra musicians in New York, Mozart in the Jungle is a strange beast. The series follows Hailey Rutledge (Lola Kirke), an aspiring oboist trying to build a career with the New York Symphony, and her conflicted relationship with eccentric conductor Rodrigo De Souza (Gael GarcĂa Bernal). With a strong creative team and real-world source material in the form of professional oboist Blair Tindall’s memoir Sex, Drugs, and Classical Music, the compelling and frequently hilarious show has picked up Golden Globes and Emmy awards, and proven itself one of Amazon’s best exclusives.
Red Oaks
In the mid ’80s, college student and struggling filmmaker David Myers (Craig Roberts) wants one last, great summer before adulthood beckons. Unfortunately, he’s stuck working at a pretentious country club and struggling to gain momentum in his life. Big dreams of making it in the film industry meet crushing reality as David navigates the club’s eccentric guests and their demands—from awkward wedding shoots to filming sex tapes for swingers clubs—while also struggling to maintain his relationship with girlfriend Skye. All three seasons of this delightful period comedy are available now.
Vikings
Inspired by the real-life Viking hero and ruler Ragnar Lodbrok, Vikings is a family saga exploring the lives, epic adventures, and cultural politics of the raiders and explorers of the Dark Ages. Six seasons of the historically inspired action series are available on Amazon Prime Video, with WWE wrestler Adam “Edge” Copeland joining the cast in season 5 as the story expands to a civil war in Norway, battles in England against the Nordic invaders, and exploration of northern Africa.
Entertaining well past Halloween, this anthology series presents “the frightening and often disturbing tales based on real people and events that have led to our modern-day myths and legends.” Based on the award-winning podcast of the same name, there are two six-episode seasons exploring real-world horror stories available to chill your bones now.
The Tick
One of the world’s strangest superheroes, Ben Edlund’s Tick debuted in indie comics form in 1986, before gaining wider popularity thanks to a 1994 animated series. Now due for his second live-action adaptation (the first aired for one season in 2001), this take sees Peter Serafinowicz as the big, blue lover of justice—who may just be an escaped psychiatric patient with unusual durability. A graduate of Amazon’s pilot season program, the full show is a delightful two-season tonic of superheroic whimsy.