Amazon Prime Video Original Shows – Regarding its original shows, Amazon Prime has chosen a circuitous route. At first, it proposed the somewhat ground-breaking concept of combining a conventional pilot season with fan voting to choose which series would continue. However, practically from the beginning, Amazon kind of just greenlit everything it wanted to, including projects that weren’t part of their system since they never had a pilot.
In the end, it gave up on that notion and adopted the strategy used by Netflix and others, focusing on eccentric original content (mainly comedy) and “rescuing” shows that other networks had eliminated. As a result, there are much fewer series than its streaming rivals and a mishmash of varying quality. Few of Amazon’s original programmes have succeeded in actually breaking out, but at their finest, they are eccentric reviewer darlings. The best ones, though, are indeed the best.
With regard to whether or not Amazon was a partner in the production or merely the sole distributor, we’re using a bit vague terminology below when naming the greatest Amazon original series. Nevertheless, this seems like a reasonable compromise to make given the limited (but increasing) number of originals on the platform.
In upcoming months, we’ll update the list to maybe add fresh releases or series we’re just now getting to. Check out our giant list, starting with our #1 selection, for a rating of the top shows on Amazon right now, original or not.
Amazon Prime Video Original Shows
Patriot
- Created by: Steve Conrad
- Stars: Michael Dorman, Terry O’Quinn, Kurtwood Smith, Michael Chernus, Kathleen Munroe, Aliette Opheim
What if James Bond revealed his deepest inner anguish (and state secrets) during open-mic nights in Amsterdam as a way of coping with his PTSD and the moral dilemmas of being a spy? What if Q found it difficult to commandeer his abode with just a single chair? And M gave him a social security number with an additional digit and sent him to work at a plumbing company in the Midwest?
What if an Americanized Bond movie combined dark comedy from the Coen brothers with side-splitting moments of fun instead of car chases, femme fatales, and flashy gadgets? That’s an overview of Patriot. The stakes are high—preventing an Iranian extreme leader from obtaining nuclear weapons—but all rests on our hero, John Tavner. Prior to entering the mid-level corporate world of industrial plumbing, (Michael Dormer)
The Expanse
- Created by: Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby
- Stars: Thomas Jane, Steven Strait, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Paulo Costanzo
While people who dwell in the Asteroid Belt extract resources for the more fortunate worlds and become more and more susceptible to extremism, Mars and Earth are two superpowers competing to get the technological upper hand in the science fiction novel The Expanse. Sounds recognisable? The show provides a type of narrative that feels important in regard to our current age of authoritarianism:
The complexity of hardboiled detective Joe Miller (Thomas Jane) or U.N. official Chrisjen Avasarala serves as proof that it manages to depict a split cosmos without demonising one side and elevating the other to godlike status (Shohreh Aghdashloo). The Expanse depicts a potential future in which racial disparities between groups can be overcome and women can lead without raising an eyebrow,
but it also serves as a cautionary tale about maintaining the integrity of institutions and recognising inequality wherever it may exist in order to learn from the mistakes of the past. In other words, it represents essential television for the present. This is one of the best Amazon Prime Video Original Shows to watch now.
Mozart in the Jungle
- Created by: Paul Weitz, Roman Coppola, Jason Schwartzman
- Stars: Gael Garcia Bernal, Lola Kirke, Bernadette Peters, Malcolm McDowell
Mozart in the Jungle sounds like a rock-and-roll tell-all where the musicians are armed with violins and woodwinds rather than guitars and drums. It is based on the racy memoir by renowned oboist Blair Tindall about the seedy side of the New York classical music scene. In the months leading up to the season-opening concert, Hailey Rutledge (Lola Kirke), an aspiring but shy oboist, finds herself pushed into the high-stakes, competitive world of a big New York symphony orchestra.
When combined with the show’s more delightfully bizarre characters, which feature appearances from Saffron Burrows, Bernadette Peters, and Malcolm McDowell, Kirke’s endearing and realistic protagonist serves as a good anchor. Gael Garcia Bernal, who plays the ensemble’s quirky and flamboyant new conductor and battles to balance his experimental impulses with the symphony’s more rigorous, conventional framework, is the series’ genuine star.
Mozart in the Jungle is the type of entertaining and exciting experience that one would have no issue bingeing in a day or two, despite the fact that it develops deeper emotional depth and complexity over the course of its brief duration.
The Wheel of Time
- Created by: Rafe Judkins
- Stars: Rosamund Pike, Daniel Henney, Josha Stradowski, Zoë Robins, Madeleine Madden, Marcus Rutherford, Barney Harris, Kate Fleetwood, Priyanka Bose, Sophie Okonedo
The phrase “the wheel weaves what the wheel wills” perfectly describes the new fantasy series on Amazon Prime Video. The Wheel of Time is a quick entrée to Robert Jordan’s vast literary series, which obviously comprises 2782 unique characters and runs an economical eight hourlong episodes. I can honestly tell that as a newcomer to the franchise,
it took me many episodes and several tabs to realise what anyone’s name truly was. Amazon’s version doesn’t have quite that many, not yet. Rafe Judkins created this version, and it makes every effort to be understandable to audiences who are not familiar with the original work.
The fantasy tropes, which include a conflict between light and darkness and a Chosen One (the “Dragon Reborn”) who will either fight to preserve mankind or obliterate it in the process, don’t harm either. There are animals and monsters, magic that can only be used by women, a cult that wants to banish magic usage, as well as pretenders to the throne and an evil army of the night. Four young people (any of whom may be the mythical saviour) are navigating all of this under the guidance of a strong sorceress named Moraine (Rosamund Pike).
The Wheel of Time leaves so many questions unanswered, but it’s unclear whether it will ever do so or whether its superficial presentation of this tale will encourage fans to develop a stronger bond with the show. It’s a fantastic journey right now.
The Underground Railroad
- Created by: Barry Jenkins
- Stars: Thuso Mbedu, Chase W. Dillon, Joel Edgerton, Aaron Pierre, William Jackson Harper
This 10-episode limited series, which is based on Colson Whitehead’s book, tells the fictitious story of Cora (Thuso Mbedu) and Caesar (Aaron Pierre), two fugitive slaves, as they travel the American South using a network of real secret railways. The series is gorgeous and evocative under director Barry Jenkins, but it never backs away from the horrors Cora and Caesar are trying to escape, especially the relentless slave catcher Ridgeway (Joel Edgerton).
Jenkins is careful in his worldbuilding, and each episode functions as a chapter in their journey, one station on the railroad at a time. Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina have various standards regarding how to handle Black people: in one, they are considered slaves, in another, members of society, and in the last, it is against the law to exist in the open. Jenkins injects distinctive tastes at each place. When we first see the train, it’s like a great weight has been lifted off our shoulders—a very brilliant light at the end of the tunnel.
A slave drama may quickly become oppressive or immobilising, and there are several scenes in The Underground Railroad that are intentionally unsettling and still. But Jenkins’ writing also enables us to consider all the angles and viewpoints that are present. Even when the show is moving slowly, it is urgent. The series is about tenacity despite the pain at its core, as seen by the thudding heartbeat at its centre. And it has a story that is ripe for classic status. This show will alwasys be one of the top Amazon Prime Video Original Shows to watch right now.
Bosch
- Created by: Michael Connelly, Eric Overmyer
- Stars: Titus Welliver, Jamie Hector, Amy Aquino, Lance Reddick
Bosch is officially Prime’s longest-running original series to date (and unofficially, your dad’s secret favourite programme). It is adapted non-chronologically from Michael Connelly’s Hieronymus Bosch detective novels and is photographed like a dark, sun-soaked noir. Bosch, a senior Hollywood Homicide investigator who enjoys jazz and is unyielding in his pursuit of justice—both on the streets of Hollywood (the town) and behind the murky walls of the LAPD itself—is portrayed by a stoic, unwavering Titus Welliver.
The show does a decent job of continually challenging the message that all police officers are heroes, which has permeated Hollywood (and the business) since Dragnet’s heyday. Yes, Bosch and his closest allies are portrayed as the Good Guys (Jamie Hector, Amy Aquino, and Lance Reddick to name a few), but at least in their Los Angeles,
if they encounter obstacles in their quest for justice, it’s not because the villains are particularly skilled at being villains. Instead, it’s because they’re a bunch of overworked government employees trapped in a system that was designed to reward privilege and preserve riches, and to snuff out everyone who doesn’t fit either category.
Recognizing a dysfunctional system for what it is doesn’t necessarily lead to finding a solution, but given how popular police dramas have been on other television networks for years, even a small amount of complexity in the myth of American policing isn’t nothing. That Bosch has been searching for complexity since Season 1—and doing so with such a stunningly piercing visual aesthetic and a phenomenally strong ensemble cast? Even better. (And if nothing else, it gave us one of the greatest title sequences in the annals of mystery shows.) This tv show will be the best of Amazon Prime Video Original Shows.
Good Omens
- Created by: Neil Gaiman
- Stars: Michael Sheen, David Tennant
Fans of Neil Gaiman may watch this adaptation of Good Omens with confidence because the author worked as the showrunner and wrote the script himself, thus his original intent is mostly maintained. In the six-part series, the demon Crowley (David Tennant) and the angel Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) work together to save the end of the world.
It contains qualities that harken back to Powell and Pressburger movies and Terry Gilliam’s work. It has a very lovely writing and an excellent cast, featuring Frances McDormand as the voice of God and Benedict Cumberbatch as the voice of Satan. It is humorous, weird (at times downright hammy), and extremely tragic. Despite all of its strengths, Good Omens’ most notable quality is the amazing chemistry between stars Tennant and Sheen, who light up the screen whenever they share a scene. Fortunately, that is the most of the show.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
- Created by: Amy Sherman-Palladino
- Stars: Rachel Brosnahan, Alex Bornstein, Michael Zegen, Marin Heinkle, Tony Shaloub
With the brilliant Rachel Brosnahan as Midge Maisel, Amy Sherman-story Palladino’s of a 1950s housewife who became an aspiring stand-up comedian is a great charmer despite its shortcomings. The series’ high point is Midge’s act, which manager Susie Meyerson (Alex Borstein) helped her develop into a “tight ten,” whether delivered at cocktail parties, in court, or on stage:
Midge’s raw, fast-talking rage turns into a performance as Brosnahan builds momentum, navigating into the emotional slide and catching each laugh before it careens off the cliff. She is a natural at humour because it comes naturally to her, but Sherman-directing Palladino’s keeps the line between reality and art, obliterated as it may be by the limelight, by treating the sets as set pieces.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel seems like a star turn as a comedy and on the subject of comedies. She is simultaneously sensitive and self-aware.
Despite receiving some (perhaps justified) criticism for being a daydream of luxury, Maisel’s fantastical elements are nevertheless a lot of fun. It is sharp, funny, and occasionally quite moving. But for the most part, it really boils down to having plenty of witty lines and gorgeous outfits, with the incredibly endearing Brosnahan holding Maisel back from perhaps going a bit too far in the theatrical direction.
Everyone in this tumultuous, fantastical series, including the aforementioned long-suffering Susie, is superb (especially Susie’s low-key kidnapping and subsequent integration into the affluent Jewish retreat where Midge’s family has taken refuge for the summer in Season 2). The only bit of bite in Maisel is earned and very sometimes present.
Catastrophe
- Created by/Starring: Rob Delaney, Sharon Horgan
Catastrophe is unquestionably one of TV’s greatest shows, and with its recent finale, we’re losing one of the funniest comedies in the medium—one that gets to the heart of daily troubles. Additionally, we’re losing the most brutally honest programme on relationships, parenting, and the everyday struggle of raising a family, especially when the kids are small.
The comedy in the series has always been its greatest gift. Children are frequently shown on television as an extra or a personality quirk rather than as loving little people who have a huge influence on your life. On Catastrophe, that has never taken place.
The show’s examination of marriage (particularly a marriage based on the pregnancy results of a one night stand, now in the thick of raising small children), matched in realism. Catastrophe ran for four seasons and never lost its razor-sharp, cutting, or humour. Rarely do programmes ever keep up such a level of creativity.
Fleabag
- Created by: Phoebe Waller-Bridge
- Stars Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Sian Clifford, Olivia Colman Andrew Scott, Brett Gelman
One of television’s most astounding comedic accomplishments is The Perfectly Crafted Fleabag, which spans two seasons and twelve cost-effective episodes. Sharp, witty, and heartbreakingly dramatic, Phoebe Waller-fourth Bridge’s wall-breaking U.K. series is the brainchild of the show’s creator and star. We take on the role of Fleabag’s curious confidants while she experiences her own struggles since every word is carefully chosen and full of significance.
In Fleabag’s eagerly anticipated second (and last) season, our protagonist is still in shock at the loss of her closest friend and her responsibility for what occurred. She cries out in the fourth episode, “I want someone to teach me how to live my life because I think I’ve been doing it badly.” However, it might be challenging to live your life when your sister holds you responsible for all of her issues (“We’re not friends. We are related.
Claire advises her to make her own pals and to have a father who presents you with a therapy session on your birthday (which leads to a delightful cameo from Fiona Shaw). Fleabag also gets to the heart of what it is to be a woman.
Whether it’s guest star Kristen Scott-Thomas, whose character receives a women in business award in the third episode only to rightly decry it as the “fucking children’s tables of awards,” or Fleabag correctly explaining that the way your hair looks can make the difference between a good day and a bad day, menopause is described as “it’s horrendous and then it’s magnificent.”
The success of the series is attributed to the fact that it never mocks the tragic dysfunction of its characters. Never does it ridicule them. It only exposes them so that everyone may see them. suffocating harshness of Martin. Claire was really unhappy. Dad’s desperate attempt to avoid being alone. The godmother’s extreme uneasiness was concealed by her narcissism.
I don’t want to tell too much about the romance between Fleabag and a particular attractive priest in those last episodes because the way it develops is just so wonderful, unexpected, and ultimately redemptive. But I would add that Andrew Scott, who does a fantastic job of portraying a priest, develops a fully formed character: someone who swears and makes errors but is yet committed to his religion. Their romance is a story of redemption.
These are the top 10 best Amazon Prime Video Original Shows to watch right now!
Watch the shows on Amazon Prime Video Original Shows
Also Read The Top 11 Netflix Miniseries to Watch Now
