When most people hear the words “streaming service,” they immediately tend to think of Netflix, Hulu, Max, or Paramount+. As great as each of those respective platforms are, though, viewers shouldn’t look past the esteem of Amazon’s Prime Video, a first-rate service that’s delivered countless worthwhile TV shows since late 2006.
From hyper-violent superhero series to visionary video game adaptations, here are some of the finest shows we’ve seen on Prime Video yet, ranked in order from worst to best.
Among the finest comedy series to ever air on Prime Video, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel also doubles as an engrossing breakdown of 1950s American culture (I.E., one of the most racist, antisemitic, and sexist periods in U.S. history). Ceaselessly funny one moment yet overwhelmingly emotional in the next, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel remains eminently enjoyable from its opening episode onwards.
One of the earliest Prime Video series that helped solidify the platform as a viable alternative to Netflix or Hulu, Bosch also added a fresh spin on the cliched police procedural drama, likening itself more to The Shield or Dexter than CSI or Criminal Minds. Providing a meticulous snapshot of its lead character’s career and ever eventful personal life, Bosch’s grittier presentation and hard-boiled aesthetic only helped the show grow better over time, as evidenced by its acclaimed second, third, and fourth seasons.
What do you get when you toss together a devilish David Tennant, an angelic Martin Freeman, and the masterful imagination of Neil Gaiman? Simple – you get the absurdly enjoyable comedic fantasy series, Good Omens. Among the more popular new additions to Prime Video’s digital library, Good Omens’ humorous portrayal of Christian antiquity allows for a more light-hearted exploration of the Armageddon, the Antichrist, and the ongoing war between angels and demons.
When Amazon announced they were adapting Bethesda’s popular Fallout series into a live-action TV show, most diehard fans of the franchise held their breath with anticipation. Fortunately, the finished series wound up being every bit as memorable as its source material, living up to the hype set by millions of avid video game fans across the globe. Extensively drawing on the Fallout’s larger canonical universe, Fallout directly appeals to both gamers and casual viewers alike, establishing itself as one of the best video game adaptations we’ve seen yet.
In an era marked by a proliferation of superhero movies and TV shows, Invincible bills itself as an entirely different kind of superhero narrative. Based on Robert Kirkman’s popular comic series of the same name, Invincible’s bloody visuals and shocking levels of gore might cause the more faint-hearted viewers to quickly change the channel. But for most, this adult animated TV show achieves an emotional depth most modern superhero stories can only dream of, including a meticulous exploration of family, heroism, and the true cost that comes with superpowers.
Like the aforementioned Invincible, The Boys has done a fantastic job subverting the genre tropes of the conventional superhero premise. Opting for a more realistic portrayal of the genre, this unforgettable dark comedy somehow finds a way to make some profound social statements around timely societal issues, from audiences’ overwhelming obsession with Marvel and DC to more serious subjects like the MeToo Movement. Throughout it all, The Boys never fails to leave a Hulk-sized impression on viewers, holding our attention throughout each of its four (soon to be five) seasons.
The series that propelled creator and star Phoebe Waller-Bridge to mainstream attention, Fleabag proves that sometimes less is better when it comes to darkly comic drama series. Though a mere two seasons long, Fleabag’s emotionally gripping main storyline packs a wallop of a punch, tackling such genuinely cathartic issues as depression, mental health, addiction, trauma, familial estrangement, and personal redemption in every episode. What we’re left with is a bittersweet tragicomedy of the highest caliber, one that leaves viewers a sobbing mess even as we look ahead to the bright possibilities of the future.
