Best Prime Video Series
A ranked list of the best series available on Prime Video. Sci-fi, comedy, thriller, horror, and a few classics that landed on the platform over the years.
Prime Video tends to get overlooked next to Netflix and HBO, but the catalog has some solid entries. A mix of originals and older shows that found a home on the platform. Not everything is great, but the good ones are worth your time. Here are the ones we'd recommend, ranked.
#1 PickThe Expanse
2015–2022 · 55 min
Science-FictionThrillerMysteryA thriller set two hundred years in the future, The Expanse follows the case of a missing young woman who brings a hardened detective and a rogue ship's captain together in a race across the solar system to expose the greatest conspiracy in human history.
- 2
The Boys
ActionFantasyAdultIn a world where superheroes embrace the darker side of their massive celebrity and fame, The Boys centres on a group of vigilantes known informally as "The Boys," who set out to take down corrupt superheroes with no more than blue collar grit and a willingness to fight dirty.
- 3
Battlestar Galactica
DramaScience-FictionWarThe world ended with no warning, and all that was left… was hope.A truce between the humans of the Twelve Colonies and the Cylons—intelligent robots designed by humankind—lasts for 40 tense and silent years. Battlestar Galactica picks up just as the Cylons commit mass genocide against humanity. Only the Battlestar Galactica (an old warship about to be decommissioned and turned into a museum) and those souls fortunate enough to be aboard other starships were able to survive the attack. In the aftermath, the Galactica's commanding officer, William Adama, finds himself responsible for safeguarding the last remnants of the human race—fewer than 50,000 desperate survivors. Meanwhile, the annihilation of the Colonial government results in the succession of the Secretary of Education, Laura Roslin, to the presidency. Driven by prophetic visions and political necessity, the Galactica travels through uncharted space in hopes of finding the mythical, lost 13th colony—Earth.
- 4
Tales from the Loop
DramaScience-FictionBased on the acclaimed art of Swedish artist Simon Stålenhag, Tales from the Loop explores the town and people who live above The Loop, a machine built to unlock and explore the mysteries of the universe – making things possible that were previously relegated only to science fiction. In this fantastical, mysterious town, poignant human tales are told that bare universal emotional experiences while drawing on the intrigue of genre storytelling.
- 5
The Terror
DramaHorrorThrillerThe Terror is an American anthology television series exploring historical speculative fiction based on true events.The series is named after Dan Simmons's 2007 novel, which serves as the basis for the first season and is a fictionalized account of Captain Sir John Franklin's lost expedition to the Arctic in 1845–1848.The second season, subtitled Infamy, bears no relation to the book or first season and is mostly set in an American-run Japanese internment camp during World War II.
- 6
Fallout
DramaActionScience-FictionBased on one of the greatest video game series of all time, Fallout is the story of haves and have nots in a world in which there's almost nothing left to have. 200 years after the apocalypse, a peaceful denizen from a cozy fallout shelter is forced to return to the surface and is shocked to discover the wasteland waiting for her.
- 7
Them
HorrorHorror anthology series. The first season titled "Them: Covenant" is set in 1953 and centers around Henry and Lucky Emory, who decide to move their family from North Carolina to an all-white Los Angeles neighborhood. The family's home on a tree lined, seemingly idyllic street becomes ground zero where malevolent forces both real and supernatural threaten to taunt, ravage and destroy them.
- 8
Upload
ComedyScience-FictionMysteryUpload is a sci-fi sitcom that takes place in the near future, where people who are near death can be "uploaded" into a virtual afterlife of their choice. In 2033, secretly romantic Brooklyn-born Nora works customer service for a luxurious virtual reality environment. When handsome L.A. party boy Nathan's self-driving car crashes, his high-maintenance girlfriend uploads him permanently into Nora's VR world. Nora starts as Nathan's customer service "angel", but becomes so much more as she helps him find friendship, love and purpose.
- 9
Community
ComedyCommunity is a smart, exuberant comedy that is consistently ranked as one of the most inventive and original half-hours on television. This ensemble comedy centers around a tight-knit group of friends who all met at what is possibly the world's worst educational institution - Greendale Community College.
- 10
Mr. & Mrs. Smith
DramaComedyAction<p>Meet the Smiths: two lonely strangers, John and Jane, who have given up their lives and identities to be thrown together as partners – both in espionage and in marriage.</p>
- 11
Young Sherlock
ActionCrimeMysteryYoung Sherlock is touted as an irreverent, action-packed origin story of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's beloved detective in an explosive re-imagining of this iconic character. At age 19, Sherlock Holmes is disgraced, raw, unfiltered, and unformed, when he finds himself caught up in a murder mystery at Oxford University which threatens his freedom. Diving into his first-ever case with a wild lack of discipline, Sherlock manages to unravel a globe-trotting conspiracy that will change his life forever.
- 12
Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams
DramaScience-FictionMysteryA diverse anthology of ambitious, moving tales inspired by Philip K. Dick's short stories, featuring an all-star cast and taking a thrilling, audacious journey into the far reaches of the imagination.
- 13
Parks and Recreation
ComedyParks and Recreation is a comedy series based around the main character Leslie Knope (a bureaucrat) in the parks department of Pawnee.
- 14
Dead Set
ComedyFantasyHorrorStarring Jaime Winstone, Dead Set is E4's horror series in which the dead are returning to life and attacking the living. Curiously there are a few people left in Britain who aren't worried about any of this - that's because they're the remaining contestants in Big Brother. Cocooned in the safety of the Big Brother house, they're blissfully unaware of the horrific events unfolding in the outside world. Until an eviction night when all hell breaks loose...Kelly, a production runner working on a fictional series of Big Brother, finds herself trying to fend off the walking dead alongside her producer boss Patrick, boyfriend Riq and the remaining Big Brother housemates. Featuring cameos from Davina McCall and several former housemates, this is a cruel and twisted take on one of TV's biggest game shows.
- 15
Gen V
ComedyActionScience-FictionFrom the world of The Boys comes Gen V, a thrilling new series set at America's only college for superheroes. These gifted students put their moral boundaries to the test, competing for the university's top ranking, and a chance to join The Seven, Vought International's elite superhero team. When the school's dark secrets come to light, they must decide what kind of heroes they want to become.
- 16
Fleabag
DramaComedyMeet Fleabag. She's not talking to all of us - she's talking to you. So why don't you pop your top off and come right in?
On the Radar
These series have been noted as potential candidates for this top. They'll need a proper watch before earning their spot, but early signs are promising.
Patriot
DramaComedyEspionage
Invincible
DramaActionScience-Fiction
Bosch
DramaCrimeMystery
The Night Manager
DramaThrillerEspionage
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best show on Prime Video?
Based on our ranking, The Expanse is the best show on Prime Video right now, followed by The Boys and Battlestar Galactica.
Is Prime Video worth it just for the TV shows?
If you already have Amazon Prime for shipping, Prime Video is a fantastic bonus. The catalog includes some genuinely excellent series like The Expanse, The Boys, Fallout, and Tales from the Loop. You might not subscribe to Prime Video on its own, but as part of the Amazon Prime bundle, the quality of original series makes it one of the best value adds in streaming.