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5 great Amazon Prime Video shows to watch on Thanksgiving

A man and a woman sit on a bench with each other.
Giovanni Rufino / Amazon Studios

Amazon Prime Video has an eclectic variety of movies and shows to stream if you need something to watch on Thanksgiving. Because it’s a time for romance, many will be looking for rom-coms, and Prime Video has plenty of those, including The HolidayLove Actually, A Lot Like Love, Stuck in Love, and The Girl Next Door.

While movies don’t require a huge time commitment, some viewers might take these next few days to binge-watch a new show or catch up on something they might have missed. The Prime Video TV selection is just as good, if not better, than the movie choices. Below are five great shows to stream on Prime Video on Thanksgiving. Our recommendations include a new crime thriller, a football documentary, and a lovely anthology series.

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Cross (2024)

Alex Cross sits on a desk interrogating a criminal in a scene from Cross on Amazon Prime Video.
Keri Anderson / Amazon Prime Video

If Thanksgiving allows for some time off from work, spend the free hours catching up on new TV shows you might have missed. The No. 1 show on Amazon Prime Video is Cross, a crime thriller based on novels by renowned author James Patterson. Aldis Hodge stars in the titular role of Alex Cross, a brilliant detective and forensic psychologist with a gift for catching murderers.

Driven by the murder of his wife (Chaunteé Schuler Irving), Cross dives headfirst into a grisly murder case involving a Black Lives Matter activist. The high-profile case pushes Cross to his absolute limit. When a previous threat from his past jeopardizes his future, he must neutralize the situation to keep his broken family together.

Stream Cross on Prime Video.

Modern Love (2019-2021)

Two people clinking elbows in a scene from season 2 of Modern Love.
Amazon Prime Video

Who doesn’t appreciate a good love story around the holidays? What’s great about Modern Love is its anthology format, meaning a new love story takes centerstage every episode. These romantic tales are also based on real stories from The New York Times. While some relationships are fairy-tale-esque, others can be quite messy. Not all love stories are created equal.

Over two seasons, standout episodes include a woman (Anne Hathaway) who keeps her bipolar disorder a secret from her dates and colleagues; a pregnant mother (The Penguin’s Cristin Milioti) who looks to her doorman (Laurentiu Possa) for guidance; and a grieving wife (Minnie) who holds onto an old car as a way to keep the spirit of her dead husband alive.

Stream Modern Love on Prime Video.

It’s in the Game: Madden NFL (2024)

John Madden points to a TV screen.
Amazon MGM Studios

Thanksgiving is a football holiday. Fans can watch football for over 10 hours between college and the NFL on Thanksgiving. If you’re looking to continue your football fix, Prime Video has released an interesting documentary called It’s in the Game: Madden NFL. It tells the story of John Madden and how he became one of the most important figures in video game history.

The series chronicles the early days of EA Sports, the company behind Madden NFL, and how a computer genius and Madden originally linked up. What the developers didn’t realize is how this pairing would change the course of sports video games. The series also spotlights EA Sports’ development of Madden NFL 25 and how it became a tribute to Hawkins and the late Hall of Fame coach.

Stream It’s in the Game: Madden NFL on Prime Video.

Hart of Dixie (2011-2015)

A smiling woman sits down at a table with a man.
The CW

Many of the best holiday rom-coms center around a fish out of water traveling to a small town to learn about the spirit of Christmas. While Hart of Dixie is not a holiday rom-com, it does implement a storyline about a city girl receiving a slice of humble pie in a rural town. After failing to secure a job in New York due to her inconsiderate actions with patients, Zoe Hart (Rachel Bilson) moves to Bluebell, Alabama, to take over half of the practice belonging to her estranged biological father.

Zoe must bring in 30% of the patients to keep her half of the practice. So, she gets to work on improving her communication skills. Luckily for her, small-town life rubs off on her personality as she becomes a more caring and kinder person. Hart of Dixie walked so that Virgin River could run.

Stream Hart of Dixie on Prime Video.

Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity? (2024)

Travis Kelce stands with his hands clasped on a game show set.
Adam Rose / Prime Video

Games are a huge part of Thanksgiving. They bring out the competitive juices, leading to fun times with family and friends. Kansas City Chiefs superstar Travis Kelce is getting in on the friendly competition as the host of his new game show, Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity? The game is a new twist on Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?

Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity? takes the elementary curriculum from the previous show for a new game. Instead of a classroom full of children, it’s filled with celebrities, including Nikki Glaser, Natasha Leggero, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Chad OchoCinco, Sophia Stallone, and Lilly Singh. Contestants must answer 11 questions correctly for a shot to win $100,000. The series is a fun way to see if you still remember lessons learned from elementary school.

Stream Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity? on Prime Video.

Dan Girolamo
Dan is a passionate and multitalented content creator with experience in pop culture, entertainment, and sports. Throughout…
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