Since the Emmy-winning series Transparent, Amazon Prime Video has been a major player in the original TV space. With genre-bending hits like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Fleabag, to more traditional serials like Bosch, Amazon Prime Video has something for everyone in its impressive lineup of original series. While they lack the sheer output of other streaming services, they make up for in quality. If you’re looking for your next TV binge, our list of the best Prime Video original series will set you on your path.
We’ve also rounded up the best Netflix original series and the best Hulu original series if Prime Video doesn’t have the originals you’re looking for.
Panic
Panic is the new YA drama series on Amazon Prime Video that has some similarities with The Hunger Games. Instead of taking place in a dystopian future, it takes place in a bleak present. In the small town of Carp, Texas, an annual competition called Panic gives high school graduates the chance to take part in an intense contest. The prize is $50,000 and the opportunity to leave Carp forever. But when Heather Nill (Olivia Welch) and her friends take part in Panic, the danger is amplified to an extreme degree. And there can only be one winner.
Rotten Tomatoes: 50%
Genre: Drama
Stars: Olivia Welch, Mike Faist, Jessica Sula, Ray Nicholson, Camron Jones, Enrique Murciano
Creator: Lauren Oliver
Seasons: 1
Solos
No one could ask for a better cast than the one lined up for Solos, Amazon Prime Video’s new sci-fi anthology series. Morgan Freeman, Anne Hathaway, Anthony Mackie, Helen Mirren, Constance Wu, and more take the spotlight in stories that stand alone. And yet, there are links between their characters that slowly unfold across seven episodes. The answers will emerge and hearts will break as the truth comes out. Being human is hard, but shared experiences define everyone in this series — for better or worse.
Rotten Tomatoes: 44%
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi
Stars: Morgan Freeman, Anne Hathaway, Anthony Mackie, Helen Mirren, Uzo Aduba
Creator: David Weil
Seasons: 1
The Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad may not be the series that you expect. It is a story about slavery in the pre-Civil War United States, but not the way that it actually happened. In this reality, the underground railroad is literally a railroad built underground to help escaped slaves find freedom outside of the southern states. Thuso Mbedu stars as Cora Randall, a woman who flees from slavery while trying to stay one step ahead of a slave catcher named Arnold Ridgeway (Joel Edgerton). Cora has to fight for both her life and her freedom, even though her triumph is far from certain.
Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
Genre: Drama, Fantasy
Stars: Thuso Mbedu, Chase W. Dillon, Joel Edgerton, Fred Hechinger, Peter Mullan
Creator: Barry Jenkins
Seasons: 1
Bosch
Bosch has the distinction of being the very first Amazon Prime Video original series. Now, the seventh season is wrapping up the story of Detective Hieronymus “Harry” Bosch (Titus Welliver). The series adapted Michael Connelly’s novels out of order, but the core of the show was loyal to the source material. Harry isn’t a dirty cop, but he has been known to bend the rules on occasion, as long as it leads to a just outcome. Regardless, even Harry’s best intentions can come back to haunt him. And he’s got plenty of enemies both within the police force and among Los Angeles’ criminal underworld.
Rotten Tomatoes: 83%
Genre: Drama
Stars: Titus Welliver, Jamie Hector, Amy Aquino
Creator: Michael Connelly
Seasons: 7
Them
No, it’s not a sequel to Jordan Peele’s Us, but this limited series does play with some similar themes. The anthology series explores terror in America, beginning in the first season in the 1950s. The story centers on a Black family who moves from North Carolina to an all-white Los Angeles neighborhood during The Great Migration. Believing they’ve left much of the racist terror behind them in the South, the family soon sees its idyllic home become ground zero for terror, both from the neighbors and from otherworldly forces.
Rotten Tomatoes: 63%
Genre: Horror
Stars: Ashley Thomas, Shahadi Wright Joseph, Alison Pill
Creator: Little Marvin
Seasons: 1
Invincible
From The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman, Invincible is the second Kirkman comic to get the TV treatment. The animated series centers on 17-year-old Mark Grayson, an ordinary high school guy except for the fact that his father is the most powerful superhero on the planet, Omni-Man. Like his father, Mark expects to develop his own powers, but they’re not quite coming in as seamlessly as he expected. But as he slowly comes to grip with what he can do, he embarks on his own journey, in which he discovers his father’s legacy is more complicated than it appears.
Rotten Tomatoes: 96%
Genre: Comedy
Stars: Steven Yeun, J.K. Simmons, Sandra Oh
Creator: Robert Kirkman
Seasons: 1
Small Axe
Small Axe isn’t your standard television fare. The series is actually a collection of films from Oscar-winning director Steve McQueen. The anthology series includes five original films set from the late 1960s to the mid-1980s, telling personal stories from London’s West Indian community. These peoples’ lives have been forcefully shaped despite rampant racism and discrimination in their community, giving weight to the proverb that inspired the title: “If you are the big tree, we are the small axe.”
Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
Genre: Drama
Stars: Letitia Wright, John Boyega, Shaun Parkes
Creator: Steve McQueen
Seasons: 1
Flack
Celebrity scandals are a way of life. But in Flack, they’re just another day at the office for Anna Paquin’s Robyn. She’s an American PR executive working in London. But if she thought that Hollywood scandals were out of control, then she hasn’t seen anything yet. While Robyn is exceptionally talented at getting her clients out of trouble, her personal life could use some serious help.
Rotten Tomatoes: 68%
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Stars: Anna Paquin, Sophie Okonedo, Genevieve Angelson
Creator: Oliver Lansley
Seasons: 1
Tell Me Your Secrets
TNT’s loss is Amazon’s gain. While Tell Me Your Secrets was originally produced for cable, Amazon Prime has snagged the thrilling drama starring American Horror Story‘s fab Lily Rabe. This series explores the dangerous and enigmatic stories of three people. Rabe stars as Emma Hall, a woman who survived an encounter with a murderer. Hamish Linklater’s John Tyler may have once been a killer himself, but he’s trying to reclaim his soul. Finally, Amy Brenneman’s Mary Barlow is desperately searching for her missing daughter. How will their stories intersect? Watch to find out.
Rotten Tomatoes: N/A
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Stars: Lily Rabe, Amy Brenneman, Hamish Linklater, Enrique Murciano
Creator: Harriet Warner
Seasons: 1
Tales From the Loop
Simon Stålenhag’s Tales From the Loop narrative artbook was brought to television as a sci-fi anthology series that tells the stories of the people who live in Mercer, Ohio. Rebecca Hall stars as Loretta, a physicist who works at the Mercer Center for Experimental Physics, aka The Loop. It’s Loretta’s job to find ways to “make the impossible possible.” This affects the town above The Loop in profound and surprising ways as they rewrite the rules of reality as we know them.
Rotten Tomatoes: 85%
Genre: Drama, Sci-fi
Stars: Rebecca Hall, Jonathan Pryce
Creator: Nathaniel Halpern
Seasons: 1
The Wilds
The Wilds is almost like a Lord of the Flies for Gen Z. It follows a group of teen girls who must fight for survival after a plane crash strands them on a deserted island. The castaways begin maneuvering both with and against one another in a sort of sick recreation of existential high school. The young women learn more about one another and create bonds through the traumas they’ve endured and the secrets they hold. But there’s one common denominator that binds them above all: They’re not on this island by accident.
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
Genre: Drama
Stars: Sophia Ali, Shannon Berry, Jenna Clause
Creator: Sarah Streicher
Seasons: 1
Truth Seekers
This eight-part supernatural comedy series is another feather in the cap for genre comedy specialists Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead, The World’s End). The series follows a team of part-time paranormal investigators who work to uncover and film ghost sightings across the U.K., chronicling their adventures on a web channel. But as they stake out haunted churches and underground bunkers, what was once a hobby becomes increasingly haunting, terrifying, and even deadly as they stumble into a deep conspiracy.
Rotten Tomatoes: 76%
Genre: Comedy, Sci-Fi
Stars: Emma D’Arcy, Nick Frost, Samson Kayo
Creators: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost
Seasons: 1
The Expanse
The eagerly-awaited fifth season premiered on Prime Video on December 16, with all four previous seasons also available to stream. Although The Expanse began as a Syfy original series, Amazon saved the show and renewed it for two additional seasons. That’s a tremendous gift for genre fans, because The Expanse has emerged as one of the best shows on TV. The series adapts the sci-fi novels of James S. A. Corey, which take place in the far future after humanity has colonized the solar system. Steven Strait’s James Holden and his fellow survivors stumble onto a conspiracy to use an alien Protomolecule to transform humanity into something new. Thomas Jane co-stars as Josephus Miller, a detective chasing the plot from another angle. But it’s often Shohreh Aghdashloo who steals the show as Chrisjen Avasarala, the only woman in Earth’s government who recognizes that the real threat may come from within.
Rotten Tomatoes: 77%
Genre: Sci-Fi, Drama
Stars: Steven Strait, Cas Anvar, Dominique Tipper
Creator: Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby
Seasons: 5
Utopia
While Utopia isn’t Gillian Flynn’s (Gone Girl, Sharp Objects) best work, it is a strangely compelling series for the pandemic-ridden world of 2020. The series follows a group of comic fans who bond online over their obsession with a fictional comic book called Utopia. But as the kids begin unearthing hidden meanings within the comic’s pages, they realize that the strange predictions of threats against humanity are actually coming true. As they work to uncover a massive conspiracy, they meet the comic’s central character, Jessica Hyde (Sasha Lane), who, it turns out, is very real. Like it or not, the crew is embroiled in Jessica’s quest to save the world from the comic’s dark intentions.
Rotten Tomatoes: 51%
Genre: Mystery & Suspense
Stars: Sasha Lane, Rainn Wilson, John Cusack
Creator: Gillian Flynn
Seasons: 1
The Boys
There are plenty of superhero movies and TV shows out there, but none of them are quite like The Boys, which might offer the darkest, most depraved, and dysfunctional view of super-powered heroes and villains we’ve seen so far. Based on Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson’s comic book series of the same name, The Boys follows a group of non-powered vigilantes who take it upon themselves to mete out justice to super-powered heroes who abuse their abilities and take advantage of the trust the public has placed in them. As grim and shockingly violent as it is clever, the series also offers a powerful deconstruction of traditional superhero stories and presents a world in which superpowers, corporate greed, and media consolidation have bled together to create a particularly frightening form of corruption. The audience sees it all through the eyes of Hughie, an average guy who is brutally changed by a chance encounter with a superhero.
Rotten Tomatoes: 84%
Genre: Superhero, Thriller, Drama, Comedy
Stars: Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr
Creator: Eric Kripke
Seasons: 2
Catastrophe
Amazon has the exclusive American streaming rights to this British sitcom starring Rob Delaney and Sharon Horgan as a mismatched couple who meet in London and, after a windswept week of passion, experience the ultimate catastrophe: Pregnancy. Catastrophe reverse engineers the rom-com, forcing an ad exec from Boston and an Irish teacher living in London to become parents very shortly after they ceased being strangers. Delaney and Horan have outstanding chemistry as the constantly-bickering, culture-clashed couple who are nonetheless committed to making it work for the baby. It’s a refreshingly honest, funny look at relationships, marriage, and parenthood focusing on two very flawed, yet strangely compatible, soon-to-be parents.
Rotten Tomatoes: 98%
Genre: Comedy
Stars: Sharon Horgan, Rob Delaney
Creator: Rob Delaney, Sharon Horgan
Seasons: 4
Comrade Detective
Easily the most absurd entry on our list, Comrade Detective is like a buddy-cop movie, except those buddies are Romanian and set during the late Cold War. The entire show is filmed in Romanian (with Romanian actors) before being dubbed over in English by big-name stars including Channing Tatum, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Nick Offerman, and more. Most of the gags in Comrade Detective are typical jokes about communism and the USSR, except they’re reverse-engineered to be “about” the capitalist pigs of America. Sometimes, it’s difficult to tell when the show is being serious and when it’s trying to make you laugh, and those end up being the best (and most thought-provoking) parts.
Rotten Tomatoes: 82%
Genre: Comedy
Stars: Florin Piersic Jr., Corneliu Ulici, Adrian Paduraru
Creator: Brian Gatewood, Alex Tanaka
Seasons: 1
Fleabag
This British sitcom is created and written by star Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who plays a young London woman who hurtles through life fueled by sex, jokes, awkward moments, and plenty of drama. The series was adapted from Waller-Bridge’s one-woman stage show and concluded its second and final season on Amazon in May of 2019. The winner of multiple TV awards and nominations over the course of its run, including a pair of Primetime Emmy Awards for Waller-Bridge and the series itself, Fleabag managed to top its widely praised first season with an even more critically acclaimed sophomore season that put it among the best-reviewed TV series of all time.
Rotten Tomatoes: 100%
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Stars: Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Sian Clifford, Olivia Colman
Creator: Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Seasons: 2
Goliath
Billy Bob Thornton portrays hard-luck lawyer Billy McBride in this series that follows his path to redemption after leaving the powerful law firm he co-founded with a reclusive partner and hitting rock-bottom. Although it features an impressive supporting cast that includes William Hurt, Maria Bello, Olivia Thirlby, Molly Parker, and Mark Duplass, the series is led by Thornton’s performance as the former hotshot attorney who now struggles against a legal system weighted against his clients instead of favoring them. The role won Thornton a Golden Globe Award as the year’s best actor in a drama series at the 2017 ceremony.
Rotten Tomatoes: 78%
Genre: Drama
Stars: Billy Bob Thornton, William Hurt, Maria Bello
Creator: David E. Kelley, Jonathan Shapiro
Seasons: 3
Good Omens
Amazon Studios co-produced this six-part miniseries, based on the fantasy novel of the same name by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, along with BBC Studios. The series follows an angel and a demon played by Michael Sheen (Masters of Sex) and David Tennant (Doctor Who), respectively, whose comfortable lives on Earth are threatened by the impending apocalypse. The pair must team up to prevent the ascension of the Antichrist and a war between heaven and hell. The show’s impressive cast is filled out by Jon Hamm, Michael McKean, Miranda Richardson, Adria Arjona, Nick Offerman, and Jack Whitehall. Like the book that inspired it, the series is packed with quirky, irreverent humor that filters both human history and biblical mythology through its clever lens.
Rotten Tomatoes: 84%
Genre: Comedy
Stars: Michael Sheen, David Tennant, Daniel Mays
Creator: Neil Gaiman
Seasons: 1
The Grand Tour
If you liked Top Gear and you’ve never seen The Grand Tour … oh boy. The full crew — Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May, and executive producer Andy Wilman — migrated to Amazon after Clarkson was booted from the BBC show following some untoward allegations, and it feels like they never left. The Grand Tour actually takes Top Gear to another level, with more extravagant production value and more ridiculous vehicles than ever before. As with its predecessor, Grand Tour expertly blends legitimate auto journalism with general buffoonery, as the hosts regularly take gleeful potshots at one another. The show travels across the world for numerous specialty episodes, including one involving charitable efforts in Mozambique and one in Dubai featuring sand buggies. The latest episode of season 4, The Grand Tour Presents … A Massive Hunt, premiered on November 26, and sends them to Madagascar to take on the world’s toughest road. The show is basically just Top Gear 2.0 — but if you like cars, you need to watch.
Rotten Tomatoes: 86%
Genre: Automotive
Stars: Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May
Creator: Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May, Andy Wilman
Seasons: 4
Hanna
Just over a decade ago, Hanna was a feature film that came and went. However, David Farr reinvented Hanna for Amazon Prime as a TV series starring Esme Creed-Miles in the title role. Young Hanna was the product of a CIA experiment to create super-soldiers by splicing her DNA with genetic material from wolves. That made her everything the CIA hoped for and more. The Killing’s co-stars Joel Kinnaman and Mireille Enos were reunited in Hanna, but on opposite sides. Kinnaman plays Hannah’s adoptive father, Erik Heller, who went to great lengths to hide Hannah and raise her as his own. Enos portrays Marissa Wiegler, a CIA agent with an unhealthy obsession with Hannah herself. The second season premiered in the summer of 2020, and Hannah reached a new high mark ahead of its third season renewal.
Rotten Tomatoes: 67%
Genre: Action, Drama
Stars: Esme Creed-Miles, Mireille Enos, Joel Kinnaman
Creator: David Farr
Seasons: 2
Homecoming
Based on the podcast of the same name created by Eli Horowitz and Micah Bloomberg, Homecoming is a psychological thriller about a secret government program called Homecoming, a facility that helps soldiers transition back to civilian life. In season one, Julia Roberts stars as Heidi Bergman, a caseworker who left Homecoming to take care of her mother in the small town where she grew up. However, when the Department of Defense starts asking why she left, Heidi begins to realize the story she has been telling herself is completely different from what actually happened. As Homecoming bounces between timelines, we see just how deep the conspiracy between private enterprise and government brainwashing goes. Season two premiered in May of last year with a new cast centered around Janelle Monáe.
Rotten Tomatoes: 98%
Genre: Thriller, Drama
Stars: Julia Roberts, Bobby Cannavale, Stephan James
Creator: Eli Horowitz, Micah Bloomberg
Seasons: 2
Hunters
Al Pacino hunting Nazis? What’s not to love?! Hunters is inspired by real-life groups of American Nazi hunters who have tracked down defected Nazis over the decades. The story itself is set in 1977 New York City as Meyer Offerman (Pacino) builds a ragtag team designed to derail a brewing plot to create a Fourth Reich in the United States. As the team discovers hundreds of high-ranking Nazi officials who have assimilated into American life, they take drastic, gory measures to thwart the Nazis’ new genocidal plans. Hunters has drawn criticism for its occasionally tone-deaf writing and misrepresentation of some historical details but if you’re in for some campy action, you could do a lot worse.
Rotten Tomatoes: 64%
Genre: Thriller, Drama
Stars: Al Pacino, Logan Lerman, Jerrika Hinton, Lena Olin
Creator: David Weil
Seasons: 2
Jack Ryan
Tom Clancy’s fan-favorite hero, Jack Ryan, has the distinction of being played on the big screen by Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck, and Chris Pine. However, it was John Krasinski’s take on the character that made Amazon’s Jack Ryan such a compelling show. Think of it as Jack Ryan Begins. This series follows Jack early in his career when he was simply an analyst for the CIA. Regardless, Jack’s ability to make connections and follow the money convinced the CIA to put him into the field long before he was truly ready for it. Regardless of his lack of field experience, Jack grew into the role and personally took down a terrorist plot. Unfortunately, Jack’s personal life has suffered along the way. Thankfully, the series never disappoints when it comes to thrilling action scenes. Amazon has confirmed that a third season is on the way, which means Jack Ryan will be back in the near future.
Rotten Tomatoes: 75%
Genre: Action, Thriller, Drama
Stars: John Krasinski, Wendell Pierce, Abbie Cornish
Creator: Carlton Cuse, Graham Roland
Seasons: 2
The Man in the High Castle
What would have happened if the Axis powers emerged victorious from World War II? That’s the question posed by The Man In The High Castle, a dramatic, highly stylized adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s 1962 novel of the same name. Set in the early 1960s (novelly, it’s a dystopian past this time around), the Third Reich and the Japanese empire hold split control over the continental United States. When a dangerous propaganda film makes its way into the hands of revolutionary groups, a clandestine conflict begins over the truth of the war as an aging Adolf Hitler prepares to relinquish control of the Reich and several prominent party members vie for a chance at the throne. The pace is slow, but the acting, especially from Rufus Sewell (Victoria) as the icy Obergruppenführer John Smith, is worth your patience.
Rotten Tomatoes: 95%
Genre: Thriller, Drama, Sci-Fi
Stars: Alexa Davalos, Rupert Evans, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
Creator: Frank Spotnitz
Seasons: 4
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
In 1958 New York City, Jewish housewife Midge Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan) finds out her husband — a businessman who does stand-up comedy on the side — is stealing his jokes from big-time comic Bob Newhart and, worse, having an affair. To cope with the upheaval, Midge begins to tell jokes of her own, and finds she has something of a knack for it. In the vein of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is a comedy that doesn’t allow itself to be weighed down by its more serious moments, resulting in a joyous, fun tone. Similarly, the series tactfully handles issues of gender and religion in a period when people weren’t quite as enlightened or politically correct as (most people) are today. Brosnahan’s character work is outstanding, painting a picture of a woman who uses her pain to strengthen her resolve and bolster her act.
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Stars: Rachel Brosnahan, Alex Borstein, Michael Zegen
Creator: Amy Sherman-Palladino
Seasons: 3
Mozart in the Jungle
Gael García Bernal stars as an eccentric, wunderkind orchestra conductor in one of Amazon’s first originals, created by Roman Coppola, Jason Schwartzman, and Paul Weitz. Lola Kirke stars as an oboist and the conductor’s protégé. It’s neither a steamy, passionate drama nor a high-stakes thriller. Instead, Mozart in the Jungle is just a fun, low-key show about being human. There’s ambition, triumph, failure, connection, disconnection, and a slew of ordinary things, played out in the world of extraordinary musicians. Plus, Malcolm McDowell and Bernadette Peters are in it, so you know it’s fun.
Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Stars: Lola Kirke, Gael García Bernal, Saffron Burrows
Creator: Roman Coppola, Jason Schwartzman, Alex Timbers, Paul Weitz
Seasons: 4
The New Yorker Presents
You don’t need a subscription to The New Yorker — just watch this short anthology series on Amazon. The New Yorker Presents is an odd collection of interviews, news investigations, and scripted comedy shorts that hold little relation to one another but are all worth watching in their own way. Want to learn about the effects of pesticides on amphibian ecosystems? You came to the right place. Each episode is host to several different segments, which vary wildly in tone and subject matter. That said, you never feel as though you’re wasting time or watching something uninteresting. And don’t worry: There are no political cartoons.
Rotten Tomatoes: 86%
Genre: Documentary
Stars: N/A
Creator: Alex Gibney
Seasons: 1
One Mississippi
One Mississippi might be the most melancholy comedy series ever made. When L.A. radio host Tig Bavaro (Tig Notaro) returns to her Mississippi hometown after her elderly mother is taken off life support, she moves back in with her brother and stepfather to try and sort everything out. What follows is a bittersweet culture clash, as progressive, big-city Tig struggles to adapt to the antiquated traditions in Bay St. Lucille. Notaro is wonderful, the kind of comic whose jokes come simply via observation. Despite Amazon’s cancellation of the series after two seasons (apparently as part of a move toward “bigger, wider-audience series“), critics heaped praise on One Mississippi for its authentic tone and unique brand of humor. The semi-autobiographical show is one of the most genuine you’ll find, depicting its characters with both comedy and care.
Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Stars: Tig Notaro, Noah Harpster, John Rothman
Creator: Tig Notaro, Diablo Cody
Seasons: 2
Patriot
A blend of dark comedy and drama, this series from writer, director, and executive producer Steven Conrad follows a reluctant spy who’s forced to take a position as a mid-level employee at an industrial piping manufacturer to gather intelligence on Iran’s nuclear program. As he gets drawn deeper into the dangerous assignment, he finds himself taking greater risks to protect his secret. Michael Dorman stars in the series as intelligence officer John Tavner, with Terry O’Quinn portraying his esteemed father and senior officer. The impressive cast is filled out by Kurtwood Smith, Michael Chernus, Kathleen Munroe, Aliette Opheim, Chris Conrad, and Debra Winger. While the first season received generally positive reviews and a nomination as the year’s best comedy series from Critics Choice Television Awards voters, the second season raised the bar, earning widespread acclaim after its November 2018 debut.
Rotten Tomatoes: 82%
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Stars: Michael Dorman, Kurtwood Smith, Michael Chernus
Creator: Steven Conrad
Seasons: 2
Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams
An anthology sci-fi series akin to Netflix’s Black Mirror, the first 10-episode season of Electric Dreams offers a set of stand-alone stories that filter humanity’s technological future through a dark, often unsettling lens. Each of the episodes is inspired by the works of prolific sci-fi author Philip K. Dick, whose stories previously served as source material for Blade Runner and Minority Report, among other acclaimed films. Although the series isn’t a fully original Amazon Studios production, Amazon Prime Video owns the U.S. rights to the series, which has a surprisingly well-known cast of familiar faces in front of the camera, and an equally impressive team behind it. Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) is one of several high-profile cast members to appear in episodes, along with Hidden Figures actress Janelle Monáe, Terrence Howard, Steve Buscemi, and Anna Paquin.
Rotten Tomatoes: 73%
Genre: Sci-Fi, Thriller
Stars: Terrence HowardBryan CranstonAnna Paquin
Creator: Ronald D. Moore, Michael Dinner
Seasons: 1
Red Oaks
Red Oaks is a surprisingly fun ode to classic 1980s coming-of-age comedies that doesn’t lean on lazy callbacks or costume gags, instead crafting a genuinely affecting tale of love, loss, and growth. College kid David Myers (Craig Roberts) signs on to work at an upstate New York country club in the summer, where he works as a tennis instructor under the charming Nash (Ennis Esmer, always stealing scenes). David inconveniently finds himself falling for the beautiful daughter of the club president (Paul Reiser, of course) while navigating his parents’ messy relationship, and a relationship of his own. The series doles out hilarity and wholesomeness in equal measure, with excellent comic acting by both known commodities (Richard Kind, ’80s icon Jennifer Grey as the parents) and diamonds in the rough (Oliver Cooper). The first season is the best, but it’s all worth your time.
Rotten Tomatoes: 81%
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Stars: Craig Roberts, Jennifer Grey, Richard Kind
Creator: Gregory Jacobs, Joe Gangemi
Seasons: 3
Sneaky Pete
Sneaky Pete is one of Amazon Studios’ lesser-known productions, but the three seasons released so far have all earned tremendously positive reviews. The premise is classic Hollywood, as con artist Marius (Giovanni Ribisi) gets out of prison and adopts his late cellmate’s identity to escape from a terrifying gangster (Bryan Cranston). Predictably, Marius finds himself in over his head trying to navigate the life that Pete left behind years ago, including an overbearing grandmother (Margo Martindale) and a crotchety grandfather (Peter Gerety). Ribisi’s roles are typically smaller parts, but he nails the lead here, and overall the show takes a fun tone without dipping too far into “comedy” territory.
Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Stars: Giovanni Ribisi, Marin Ireland, Shane McRae
Creator: David Shore. Bryan Cranston
Seasons: 3
The Tick
The Tick began his (fictional) existence as a sort of tongue-in-cheek superhero and mascot for a New England chain of comic book stores. Amazon’s take (the third Tick TV series, but who’s counting?) follows lowly Arthur, a typical office worker with little ambition and few goals. Suddenly, Arthur meets The Tick — perhaps a real superhero, perhaps a figment of his imagination — who begins to uncover the hero hidden within Arthur. The show is quite funny, powered largely by Peter Serafinowicz’s dopey performance as the title character.
Rotten Tomatoes: 90%
Genre: Superhero, Action, Adventure, Comedy
Stars: Peter Serafinowicz, Griffin Newman, Valorie Curry
Creator: Ben Edlund
Seasons: 2
Transparent
Not only is Transparent an incredible show, but it is also perhaps the best double entendre in TV history (trans-parent … get it?). In a widely acclaimed turn, Jeffrey Tambor (Arrested Development) portrays Morton Pfefferman, a retired college professor who opts to live his truth as a transgender woman — Maura — thus forcing Maura’s family to adapt to their father’s newly revealed identity. The series is an honest, emotional look at the difficulties that plague transgender people as they attempt to justify their identities to both close friends and complete strangers. Creator Jill Soloway found inspiration for Transparent after her own father came out as transgender, lending the show a feeling of authenticity you can’t help but appreciate. Just after being renewed for a fifth season, the series fell into limbo due to multiple sexual harassment allegations levied against Tambor, who was subsequently fired from the show. The first four seasons are available on Amazon, along with the show’s feature-length musical finale.
Rotten Tomatoes: 98%
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Stars: Jeffrey Tambor, Gaby Hoffmann, Jay Duplass
Creator: Joey Soloway
Seasons: 5
Undone
Undone is a rarity among adult-oriented animated series, because it’s more of a drama and a thriller than a comedy. It also utilizes Rotoscoping animation to provide the series’ mind-bending visuals. Rosa Salazar stars in the series as Alma, a directionless young woman who almost loses her life in a car crash. However, Alma soon discovers that the crash seemingly unlocked her ability to see her dead father, Jacob (Bob Odenkirk). According to Jacob, Alma has the ability to bend time and space to her will, and he wants her to go back in time to prevent his murder. While Alma can seemingly do everything that Jacob promised, the truth about her abilities and her sanity is still tantalizingly ambiguous. But there’s a second season on the horizon with more answers.
Rotten Tomatoes: 98%
Genre: Sci-Fi, Comedy, Drama, Thriller
Stars: Rosa Salazar, Angelique Cabral, Constance Marie
Creator: Raphael Bob-Waksberg, Kate Purdy
Seasons: 1
Upload
In a not-so-distant future, humans near death have the option to upload their consciousness to luxurious virtual reality afterlives. When Nathan (Robbie Amell) is in a car accident, he can choose to undergo a risky operation and risk real death or go to the Lakeview digital afterlife instead. He chooses the latter, where he meets Nora (Andy Allo), his still-alive customer service representative. As Nathan becomes acclimated to a personalized, customizable afterlife (loaded with ads and in-app purchases), Nora navigates the personal and financial struggles of her real world. The boundaries blur as the two characters build a relationship that spans planes.
Rotten Tomatoes: 87%
Genre: Sci-Fi, Comedy, Drama,
Stars: Robbie Amell. Andy Allo, Allegra Edwards
Creator: Greg Daniels
Seasons: 1
ZeroZeroZero
ZeroZeroZero might be the most ambitious TV series you’ve never heard of. This massive eight-episode miniseries was shot on three continents, even more countries, and encapsulates three fairly distinct stories. Why? Because this is the story of the world’s cocaine supply chain, from manufacturers in Italy to sellers in Mexico to the brokers and buyers around the world. It’s reminiscent of Netflix’s Narcos but far broader in scope, attempting to tell a technical, yet still dramatic, tale about how enormous the world’s drug machine truly is. It makes the War on Drugs seem positively stupid. With great performances from the likes of Gabriel Byrne, Andrea Riseborough, and Dane DeHaan, it’s surprising how under the radar ZeroZeroZero is.
Rotten Tomatoes: 88%
Genre: Drama,
Stars: Andrea Riseborough, Dane DeHaan, Giuseppe De
Creators: Stefano Sollima, Leonardo Fasoli. Mauricio Katz
Seasons: 1
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