Whereas Netflix is busy pumping out extra sequence than anybody individual might watch (in all probability), a number of the finest reveals are on Amazon Prime Video. Bother is, navigating the service’s labyrinthine menus could make discovering the best sequence a ache. We’re right here to assist. Under are our favourite Amazon sequence—all included together with your Prime subscription.
For extra viewing picks, learn WIRED’s information to the best movies on Amazon Prime, the best movies on HBO’s Max, and the best movies on Netflix.
Overcompensating
Benny is so deep within the closet, he is discovered Narnia. And slightly than utilizing his freshman yr of school as an opportunity to search out himself, he is sustaining the phantasm of heterosexuality by throwing himself right into a campus lifetime of partying, ingesting, and chasing ladies. The implications, for Benny and his new finest good friend Carmen (Wally Beram), might be extreme … however hilarious. Created by comic Benito Skinner, who additionally stars as Benny, Overcompensating is a foul-mouthed and ferociously humorous school comedy that is nearly painfully genuine in its depiction of the nice line between self-exploration and weapons-grade cringe.
Cell Swimsuit Gundam GQuuuuuuX
Prime Video would not have a tendency to choose up as a lot anime as rival Netflix does, however when it does, it is usually one thing massive. Cell Swimsuit Gundam GQuuuuuuX (it is pronounced “gee-kwux,” earlier than you ask), takes issues again to the very starting of the enduring mecha franchise and asks a easy query: What if the unhealthy guys, the “area Nazis” of the Principality of Zeon, received a vital battle? Don’t fret if you cannot inform a beam saber from a core fighter although—this alternate actuality focuses on model new character Amate Yuzuriha, a highschool pupil thrust right into a world of mounting navy tensions after an experimental Gundam crashes into the area colony the place she lives. GQuuuuuux additionally marks a inventive excessive for Gundam, with Evangelion studio Khara bringing its dynamic fashion of animation to the sequence, however past the phenomenally flashy visuals, this has some actual emotional depth, utilizing a science fiction lens to discover how folks can discover hope and combat for freedom, even within the darkest of timelines. Weekly episodes drop on Tuesdays.
The Bondsman
Some folks simply do not know when to give up. After assembly the enterprise finish of a fight knife, bounty hunter Hub Halloran (Kevin Bacon, in peak Tremors mode) will get proper again up and continues monitoring down his mark. Rugged dedication? A Wolverine-like therapeutic issue? Not fairly—Halloran received despatched again from Hell to proceed his work, with an added sideline in monitoring down escaped demons. His second shot at life additionally means an opportunity to reconcile with estranged spouse Maryann (Jennifer Nettles). If the upcoming apocalypse would not get in the best way, after all. Schlocky, gory, and darkly comedic, The Bondsman is ideal for followers of Evil Lifeless.
The Wheel of Time
The Wheel of Time has been a little bit of a sluggish burn, however now this fantasy sequence is a raging hearth. The primary season launched magic weaver Moiraine (Rosamund Pike) and her quest to uncover which of 5 unassuming younger folks is destined to save lots of or destroy the world, then the second upped the stakes—returning historic evils whereas scattering the one folks in a position to cease them. The newly dropped third season pays it off in spades, although, opening with a ferocious battle between brutal girl warriors—a style rarity—whereas setting the stage for Rand al’Thor (Josha Stradowski) to grab that harmful future, by hook or by crook. Based mostly on Robert Jordan’s sprawling novel sequence—one so huge it makes Sport of Thrones look concise—this visually beautiful sequence has cemented itself because the best fantasy present round.
Reacher
Amazon has a approach with motion thrillers targeted on navy robust guys who reply to “Jack R.” First there was Jack Ryan, who additionally makes an look on this information. Then there was Reacher, the sharp adaptation of Lee Youngster’s Jack Reacher novels, now in its third season. Alan Ritchson (Titans, Quick X) stars because the bodily imposing Reacher, a former navy policeman now drifting from city to city, making an attempt to reside a quiet life however unable to keep away from battle. Season one discovered him accused of a homicide he did not commit, earlier than season two drew him into an enormous conspiracy. The newly arrived third—primarily based on the seventh novel, Persuader—sees him up in opposition to his greatest menace but: Paulie, an excellent greater hulk of muscle (performed by 7′2″ Olivier Richters). Positive, Reacher can be working undercover for the DEA and monitoring down an previous enemy, however three seasons in, the present is assured sufficient to play to its pulpy strengths, with top-tier combat choreography and surprisingly sharp dialog serving to it punch above its weight.
Invincible
Mark Grayson inherited the unimaginable powers and skills of his father, Omni-Man—solely to be taught pricey previous dad wasn’t a paragon of justice however the vanguard for an alien invasion. The newly dropped third season of Invincible finds Mark not solely nonetheless struggling to flee his father’s shadow, guiding his youthful brother to make use of his personal burgeoning powers responsibly, but additionally drowning in a world of murky politics, pushed towards darker, more durable decisions to maintain Earth protected. A brilliantly animated adaptation of the hit Picture comedian e book by author Robert Kirkman and artists Cory Walker and Ryan Ottley, Invincible’s extra mature tackle superheroes permits it to do one thing Marvel and DC characters not often do: develop up.
The Man within the Excessive Fort
This adaptation of sci-fi grasp Philip Okay. Dick’s novel a couple of world through which the Nazis received the Second World Battle was one in every of Amazon’s first forays into unique content material. The world-building is stunningly carried out—a divided, alternate-reality Nineteen Sixties America by no means appeared so believable—however be warned: There may be only a contact an excessive amount of present-day resonance for some viewers.
The Rig
Again for its second season, sci-fi thriller The Rig finds the surviving crew of remoted North Sea oil rig Kinloch Bravo forcibly relocated to The Stac, an much more distant facility within the Arctic. Whereas most are determined for solutions and a approach dwelling, the staff’s loyalties are examined because the sinister Pictor company seeks to make use of them to unearth one thing historic and highly effective from the ocean ground. Whereas The Rig doesn’t even aspire to subtlety with regards to its ecological metaphors (one character even says, “In case you hold punching holes within the Earth, ultimately the Earth’s going to punch again”), it’s all brilliantly shot to utilize each the claustrophobic settings and the terrifying expanses and underwater pressures of the ocean. With the fabric elevated by an exceptional solid of Sport of Thrones and Line of Obligation veterans, together with Iain Glen and Rochenda Sandall—and bolstered additional by the addition of the always-watchable Alice Krige in season 2—The Rig is way over the responsible pleasure it’d in any other case be.
Cross
Aldis Hodge steps into the sneakers of Washington, DC murder detective Alex Cross in Prime’s new sequence primarily based on James Patterson’s long-running sequence of crime novels. Nonetheless, not like the streamer’s different thrillers Bosch and Reacher, Cross would not straight adapt any of Patterson’s books—a dangerous transfer, however one which largely pays off, permitting this eight-episode first season to chart an unpredictable journey as Cross faces off in opposition to a twisted assassin who fashions every of his kills on one other serial killer. Already renewed for a second season, Cross is a robust addition to Prime’s roster of crime dramas.
Citadel: Diana
Amazon tried to make a splash with its $300 million spy thriller Citadel in 2023, however solely half-succeeded. The Richard Madden- and Priyanka Chopra-starring motion sequence was entertaining sufficient—and rode excessive on Prime Video’s most-watched lists—however didn’t precisely set the world alight. Nonetheless, it did set up a sprawling shared universe, with rival organizations Citadel and Manticore engaged in a globe-spanning chilly battle setting the stage for worldwide spin-offs. Citadel: Diana is the primary, an Italian outing specializing in Diana (Matilda De Angelis), a girl out for revenge after her mother and father are killed, and drawn into the spy-fi underworld with violent outcomes. Beautiful location shoots, bone-crunching combat choreography, and, most significantly, a tighter focus assist Diana enhance on its mum or dad sequence.
The Legend of Vox Machina
Bawdy, gory, and completely not for youths, The Legend of Vox Machina follows the eponymous adventurers’ guild—consisting of gunslingers, druids, and the requisite attractive bard—as they develop from a motley crew of usually-drunk mercenaries into surprising heroes for the realm of Exandria. The newly arrived third season continues the staff’s battle in opposition to the Chroma Conclave, a horrifyingly highly effective collective of dragons. It is a quest that sends them on a small diversion to Hell itself. Adapting the hit Vital Function—the livestreamed Dungeons & Dragons periods of a number of the greatest voice actors in animation and gaming—this exquisitely animated fantasy takes issues in surprising instructions that hold issues recent for brand new or returning viewers alike. A love letter to D&D that is additionally unafraid to poke enjoyable on the traditional RPG, it is one of the crucial unique grownup animated reveals on Prime.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Energy
Tapping into The Lord of the Rings creator J. R. R. Tolkien’s sprawling historical past of Center-earth, The Rings of Energy is ready millennia earlier than the occasions of the core books (or movies, which is actually the place the visible language of this adaptation comes from), detailing the foremost occasions of Tolkien’s Second Age. Whereas the primary season was a sluggish burn, dwelling on the fractious politics of the period, the second ratchets up the tempo significantly. From Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) making an attempt to stop the ascension of Darkish Lord Sauron (Charlie Vickers) to the long-awaited introduction of fan-favorite character Tom Bombadil (Rory Kinnear), the brand new season feels far richer and deeper than earlier than. It stays a feast for the eyes too, with the stratospheric funds obvious in each body, from quiet moments in luxuriant shires to cinematic battles between armies of Orcs and Elves. For sheer excessive fantasy spectacle, there’s little else to rival this streaming proper now.
Batman: Caped Crusader
The primary new solo Batman animated sequence in a decade, Caped Crusader harkens again to Batman: The Animated Sequence from the Nineties, with showrunner Bruce Timm returning to the Darkish Knight and Hamish Linklater voicing Bruce Wayne/Batman in an ode to the late, nice Kevin Conroy. Not like rival ‘90s revival X-Males ’97, although, this is not a continuation however slightly an entirely distinct take permitting for recent interpretations of the enduring hero’s rogues’ gallery and allies—look out for drastically totally different takes on the Penguin and Harley Quinn particularly. Leaning closely right into a Nineteen Thirties aesthetic that evokes Batman’s earliest comedian e book origins, this manages to be nostalgic and provocative directly—a unbelievable outing that takes DC’s unique city vigilante again to his gritty pulp noir roots.
The Boys
Superheroes are supposed to symbolize hope and optimism—one of the best of us, given outsize type. In The Boys, tailored from the darkly satirical comedian by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, they’re a mirrored image of humanity’s worst—greed and unrestrained energy, marketed to a gullible public by vested company pursuits, working with out restraint and leaving a path of our bodies of their wake. Enter Billy Butcher (Karl City) and his associates The Boys, gleefully dispatching “Supes” who’ve gone too far, usually in terribly violent methods. Sadly, the newly dropped fourth season finds the staff in disarray, fractured by Butcher’s personal lies, proper because the world wants them most. Arch-manipulator Victoria Neuman (Claudia Doumit) is near the Oval Workplace, whereas the sadistic, psychotic Homelander (Antony Starr) is planning a superhuman rebellion. In all probability Amazon’s goriest present, The Boys stands as a pertinent examination of the abuses of energy, all wrapped in superhero drag.
Fallout
Perhaps the tip of the world is the key sauce to creating an incredible online game adaptation—between The Last of Us and now this spectacular interpretation of Bethesda’s postapocalyptic RPG sequence, we’re residing in an surprising golden period for the shape. But not like HBO’s bleak however lovely world, Fallout faucets into the supply materials to craft an apocalypse with a really totally different really feel, one dripping in cracked Americana, black comedy, razor-sharp social satire, and just a bit little bit of camp. Its biggest energy, although, lies in the way it doesn’t straight adapt any one of many core Fallout video games. As a substitute, it completely channels their tone and really feel, specializing in a core trio—naive Lucy (Ella Purnell), born and raised in a subterranean vault; pushed Maximus (Aaron Moten), a recruit in a military searching for expertise from the previous world; and the Ghoul (Walton Goggins), a centuries-old bounty hunter mutated right into a nigh-immortal zombie when the bombs fell—to showcase simply how brilliantly twisted this nuclear wasteland actually is.
Three-Physique
No, you are not on the Netflix record—Prime Video has its personal distinct adaptation of Cixin Liu’s The Three-Body Problem. This take, initially launched for Chinese language audiences again in 2023, faithfully adapts Liu’s award-winning novel of humanity’s first contact with an nearly unknowable alien species and the influence that their impending arrival on Earth has on humanity. Hopping between time intervals, a galactic thriller unfurls after nanotech specialist Wang Miao (Luyi Zhang) is known as in by detective Shi Qiang (Hewei Yu) to research a worldwide spate of suicides amongst scientists, with the ominous phrase “Physics would not exist” being the one hyperlink between the deaths. Though Three-Physique is a bit softer than Netflix’s 3 Body Problem when coping with some points of the story—notably something associated to China’s Cultural Revolution—a hearty 30-episode run permits for much extra space to discover Liu’s complicated themes and huge roster of characters. The pacing could take some getting used to for viewers extra accustomed to western TV, and it is subtitled-only, however this C-drama is out of this world.
Mr. and Mrs. Smith
You probably know the idea from the title alone—a married couple function as undercover brokers, blurring the traces between their private {and professional} relationship. Not like the 2005 Brad Pitt/Angelina Jolie film, although, 2024’s Mr. and Mrs. Smith does way more with the idea. Donald Glover (who cocreated this reboot) and Maya Erskine supply rather more developed takes on the mysterious characters of “John” and “Jane” Smith over the course of this eight-episode sequence, exploring their true identities, why they signed up for his or her harmful careers, and whether or not their rising emotions for one another are simply a part of the roles they’re enjoying. It is all backed up with loads of Mission: Unattainable–fashion motion, after all, but it surely’s the glowing chemistry between the present’s leads that may go away you considering, “Brangelina who?”
Gen V
Spinning out of Amazon’s hit The Boys, Gen V follows the subsequent technology of supes, coaching their skills on the Godolkin College College of Crimefighting. In line with its twisted mum or dad present, this academic institution is much less Xavier’s College for Gifted Kids and extra The Starvation Video games with superpowers, as college students battle for glory and an opportunity to affix premier super-team The Seven. Lead Jaz Sinclair (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) impresses as freshman Marie Moreau, a haemokinetic with lofty ambitions who uncovers darkish secrets and techniques on the school that problem her total world view. Think about all of the poor life decisions school college students are famed for and a few extraordinarily inventive (if usually disgusting) superpowers, then enable for The Boys’ trademark ultraviolence, and one factor’s for certain—the youngsters of Gen V are most undoubtedly not alright.
Jack Ryan
There is not any scarcity of display variations of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan books, however John Krasinski’s flip because the CIA desk jockey turned subject agent will get way more room to breathe than its predecessors. The status political thriller charts Ryan’s rise from analyst to operative—and past—over 4 completely crafted seasons. The ultimate season caps Ryan’s profession along with his greatest problem but, investigating the convergence of a drug cartel and a terrorist group set to create an unstoppable prison enterprise, all whereas juggling the CIA’s potential involvement in a political assassination in Nigeria. Whereas the present hasn’t been with out controversies—season two attracted condemnation from Venezuela’s authorities for supposedly condoning a US invasion of the nation; massive yikes there—its sharp writing, unimaginable performances, and cinematic motion make it compelling viewing.
I am a Virgo
A surrealist comedy with the sharp political and social edge viewers have come to count on from creator and director Boots Riley (Sorry to Trouble You), I’m a Virgo follows Cootie (Jharrel Jerome), an everyday 19-year-old who simply occurs to be 13 toes tall. Raised in secrecy by Aunt Lafrancine (Carmen Ejogo) and Uncle Martisse (Mike Epps), Cootie is thrust into the limelight when his larger-than-life existence is inevitably found. Experiencing friendships and the skin world for the primary time, light large Cootie has to navigate every little thing from romance to the general public’s response to a large Black man wandering round Oakland. Oh, and did we point out Cootie’s idol, The Hero, a real-life superhero with an authoritarian streak that may put a number of the worst offenders on The Boys to disgrace? Instructed you this was surreal. Do your self a favor and watch the behind-the-scenes episodes too, tucked beneath Prime Video’s “Discover” tab, for Riley’s perception into every episode.
Tales From the Loop
Regardless of being a few years previous, Tales From the Loop stays one of the crucial mesmerizing reveals on Prime Video. Loosely primarily based on the work of Swedish artist Simon Stålenhag, the sequence blurs the road between ongoing narrative and anthology because it follows the residents of Mercer, Ohio, exploring how their intersecting lives are impacted by “the Loop,” an underground facility exploring experimental physics and making the not possible potential. Count on tales of frozen time, traded lives, and parallel worlds, all delivered to life by a unbelievable solid and administrators—together with Andrew Stanton and Jodie Foster. But it surely’s the visuals that basically elevate this present, which captures the chic aesthetic of Stålenhag’s work and juxtaposes neofuturism and rural communities for a world that appears and seems like nearly nothing else. At solely eight episodes, a go to to Mercer is temporary however unforgettable.
The Satan’s Hour
When Peter Capaldi, right here enjoying mysterious prison Gideon Shepherd, says “my notion of time is best than anybody’s,” it’s clear that The Satan’s Hour creator Tom Moran is having just a little fourth-wall-breaking enjoyable along with his former Time Lord main man. That’s about as shut as this gritty six-part drama will get to Physician Who, although. As a substitute, it is a mixture of homicide thriller and thriller, topped off with a touch of the supernatural. The main target is on Lucy (Jessica Raine), an over-burdened social employee with an more and more distant and troubled younger son. Lucy wakes at precisely 3:33 am each morning, affected by horrific visions, and her nightmares draw her into the orbit of police detective Ravi Dhillon’s (Nikesh Patel) investigations of a bloody homicide and a baby’s abduction. As she tries to determine how the 2 are entangled, Lucy comes head to head with Shepherd. Raine is a phenomenally commanding lead all through, whereas Capaldi’s sinister efficiency is among the most chilling you’ll see on display.
Them
This horror anthology sequence, created by Little Marvin and executive-produced by Queen & Slim’s Lena Waithe, units its first season in Nineteen Fifties Los Angeles and follows the Emory household as they transfer into an all-white neighborhood. All of it goes about in addition to you may count on, with Livia (Deborah Ayorinde) quickly penned into their new dwelling by the Stepford-like housewives of the realm who make her life a residing hell, led by ringleader Betty (Alison Capsule). Outdoors the house, husband Henry (Ashley Thomas) faces bodily assaults and harassment at work. Ayorinde and Thomas are phenomenal all through, brilliantly portraying the psychological, bodily, and emotional turmoil of residing beneath relentless menace. Whereas the present’s portrayal of the interval is tense and horrifying in its personal proper, the layering of some actually unsettling supernatural threats make this a continuously terrifying watch.
The Underground Railroad
Based mostly on the Pulitzer Prize–profitable novel by Colson Whitehead, this restricted sequence from Moonlight director Barry Jenkins sticks fairly intently to the premise of the e book. It’s a piece of historic fiction that takes the thought of the Underground Railroad—the community of smugglers who helped escaped slaves flee the South—and reimagines it as an precise subway system with trains and secretive station brokers.
Fleabag
You’re not supposed to love Fleabag. She’s egocentric, self-destructive, and morally bankrupt. Her household is loathsome, her life-style is ridiculous, and her job is a joke. But after watching this 12-episode sequence, we defy you to not love her just a little. This magnificent sitcom a couple of Londoner (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) grappling with the loss of life of her finest good friend has no filter: You’ll hear her ideas on feminism, familial stress, love, and sodomy. The primary time Waller-Bridge interrupts her personal dialog to shoot a disarming, conspiratorial look to the display, you’re hooked. Season one is a smutty but great crescendo of self-destruction pushed by a solid of characters that features Fleabag’s intensely awkward sister Claire (Sian Clifford), her egocentric and pretentious stepmother (Olivia Colman), and her clueless father (Invoice Paterson). The second season cheerfully bounds into blasphemy as she grapples with inappropriate (and reciprocated) emotions for a Catholic priest (Andrew Scott). It’s stunning and immensely watchable—and one of many uncommon instances when a sequence actually is nearly as good as folks say.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
What’s a New York girl to do when she finds out her husband is having an affair along with his dim-witted secretary? If Mrs. Maisel is something to go by, the reply is to go to a dingy watering gap in your nightgown, perform a little standup comedy, and get hauled away by the police after flashing the complete viewers. Set within the Nineteen Fifties, this fast-talking fashionista hides her new life as a comic from her household and ex whereas battling sexism, unhealthy crowds, and massive competitors. Rachel Brosnahan stars as Midge Maisel on this delicate nod to Joan Rivers’ profession. With 4 seasons and a bunch of awards and nominations to its title, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is one in every of Amazon’s sharpest comedies.
