Looking for the best shows to watch on Prime Video? Here’s your list
Looking for the best shows to watch on Prime Video? Here’s your list
From ‘The Boys’ and ‘Fallout’ to ‘Patriot,’ these are the Prime Video series that stand above the rest.
Prime Video keeps giving me more reasons to open it. The service has become a really fun mix of huge action shows, smart comedies, crime dramas, fantasy epics, and some genuinely weird swings you probably wouldn’t get anywhere else. This update adds “Patriot” to the top 10, and honestly, it feels overdue. It’s dry, strange, funny, and one of the most original spy shows Prime Video has ever made. So here’s my refreshed list of the 10 best shows streaming on Prime Video right now.
Top 10 all-time TV shows streaming on Prime Video:
No. 10: ‘Patriot’ (2015) | Spy comedy-drama
“Patriot” is one of those shows I can’t believe more people haven’t seen. On paper, it sounds like a pretty standard spy thriller. An intelligence officer goes undercover to stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons. Except that’s not really what this show is. Instead, it’s about a burned-out operative named John Tavner, played brilliantly by Michael Dorman, who’s forced to pose as an employee at a piping company while every part of his mission slowly falls apart. Every bad decision creates an even bigger problem, and somehow the show turns international espionage, workplace meetings, and crippling depression into one of the funniest, strangest, and most original series Prime Video has ever made.
What really makes “Patriot” special is its tone because I’ve honestly never seen another show quite like it. It’s dry, awkward, surprisingly emotional, and somehow finds room for absurd comedy in the middle of genuinely tense spy missions. Dorman is phenomenal, playing John as a man who’s barely holding himself together while everyone around him keeps asking him to fix impossible situations. The supporting cast is fantastic too, and the show’s deadpan humor only gets better as the mission becomes more and more ridiculous. It never became a huge hit, but it built a cult following for a reason. If you’re looking for something that feels completely different from every other spy series you’ve seen, this one’s absolutely worth your time.
Patriot
To prevent Iran from going nuclear, intelligence officer John Tavner must forgo all safety nets and assume a perilous “non-official cover” — that of a mid-level employee at a Midwestern industrial piping firm.
No. 9: ‘INVINCIBLE’ (2021) | Adult superhero drama
“INVINCIBLE” starts out looking like another teenage superhero story, then almost immediately shows you it has something much darker in mind. Based on the comic by Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker, and Ryan Ottley, the series follows Mark Grayson, voiced by Steven Yeun, as he finally develops powers of his own and starts following in the footsteps of his father, Omni-Man. That would be exciting enough if Omni-Man weren’t also hiding something that completely changes how Mark sees him.
Yes, the fights are wild, and the violence gets extremely graphic, but the family story is what gives the show real weight. Mark is trying to figure out what kind of hero he wants to be. Omni-Man has his own ideas about strength and responsibility. And Debbie, voiced by Sandra Oh, keeps the whole thing grounded when everything around her gets completely insane. With Season 4 now out on Prime Video, “INVINCIBLE” has become one of the streamer’s biggest and most emotional genre shows. It’s funny, brutal, sincere, and way more moving than you might expect from an animated superhero series.
INVINCIBLE
Mark Grayson is a normal teenager except for the fact that his father is the most powerful superhero on the planet. Shortly after his seventeenth birthday, Mark begins to develop powers of his own and enters into his father’s tutelage.
No. 8: ‘The Man in the High Castle’ (2015) | Dystopian drama
“The Man in the High Castle” imagines a version of America where the Axis powers won World War II, and honestly, the setup alone is enough to pull you in. It’s 1962, the country has been divided between Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, and a narrow neutral zone sits between them. Based on Philip K. Dick’s novel, the series follows several people trying to survive inside that system while slowly realizing that keeping your head down only works for so long.
The bigger mystery comes from a collection of secret film reels that appear to show other versions of history, including one where the Allies actually won the war. Naturally, the people in power want those reels destroyed. From there, the show gets into fear, propaganda, resistance, and all the compromises people make when they’re living under authoritarian rule. It’s slow, tense, and very deliberate, but that patience is part of what makes it work. This was also one of the early Prime Video originals that helped prove the streamer could make serious prestige drama.
The Man in the High Castle
Explore what it would be like if the Allied Powers had lost WWII, and Japan and Germany ruled the United States. Based on Philip K. Dick’s award-winning novel.
No. 7: ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ (2024) | Spy action-drama
I love spy thrillers, and I love rom-coms, so this one was always going to work for me. Inspired by the 2005 “film” starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” keeps the married-spies setup but makes the relationship much messier and more interesting. Donald Glover and Maya Erskine play two strangers assigned to pose as husband and wife while carrying out dangerous missions together. Already, great premise.
What really makes the show click is how believable their awkwardness feels. These are two people trying to learn how to trust each other while also lying constantly, getting shot at, and pretending their fake marriage is normal. Each episode moves them into a new stage of the relationship, so you get first dates, vacations, jealousy, intimacy, and all the usual couple problems, except there are assassins mixed in. Tara and I flew through the season, and with Season 2 now officially back in production in Los Angeles, I’m very ready for more.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith
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.
No. 6: ‘Bosch’ (2014) | Crime drama
“Bosch” doesn’t need constant shock twists or giant cliffhangers to keep you watching. It just gives you a strong detective, good cases, and a world that feels lived in. Based on Michael Connelly’s novels (which I just started reading!), the series follows LAPD detective Harry Bosch, played by Titus Welliver, who brings this quiet, steady intensity to everything he does. He doesn’t need to make a big speech to take over a scene. He just looks like a guy who already knows more than everyone else in the room.
The best thing about “Bosch” is how consistent it is. Every season gives you smart investigations, solid character work, and very little nonsense. It knows exactly what kind of show it wants to be, and it keeps delivering that version over and over again. That reliability is a huge reason the story continued with “Bosch: Legacy.” If you want a crime drama that takes its time, trusts its characters, and rarely wastes an episode, this is one of Prime Video’s safest bets.
Bosch
Harry Bosch, an LAPD homicide detective, stands trial for the fatal shooting of a serial murder suspect. A cold case involving the remains of a missing boy forces Bosch to confront his past. As daring recruit Julia Brasher catches his eye and departmental politics heat up, Bosch will pursue justice at all costs.
No. 5: ‘Reacher’ (2022) | Action thriller
“Reacher” opens with “Killing Floor,” the first novel in Lee Child’s Jack Reacher series, and right away it feels like the version book fans had been waiting to see. The 2012 movie “Jack Reacher” is plenty entertaining, and Tom Cruise brings all the usual movie-star confidence, but he never really matches the enormous physical presence of the character on the page.
Alan Ritchson absolutely does. He looks like someone built Jack Reacher in a lab, then sent him into town to solve crimes and punch extremely bad people. But the show is smarter than just letting him smash through every problem. Reacher is observant, patient, and usually several moves ahead of everyone else. The fights are a big part of the fun, but so is watching him notice one tiny detail that everyone around him missed. The show is direct, confident, and exactly as entertaining as it needs to be.
Reacher
Jack Reacher, a veteran military police investigator, has just recently entered civilian life. Reacher is a drifter, carrying no phone and the barest of essentials as he travels the country and explores the nation he once served.
No. 4: ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ (2017) | Comedy drama
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” is the kind of show you put on and immediately want to stay inside for a while. Set in the late 1950s and early 1960s, it follows Midge Maisel after her perfectly organized life falls apart and she discovers she might actually have a future in stand-up comedy. That would be difficult now. At that time, it was basically asking for chaos. Rachel Brosnahan is fantastic, giving Midge this nonstop mix of confidence, charm, panic, and speed.
The show got a ton of attention when it premiered, and you can understand why. The production design is beautiful, the dialogue moves like a machine gun, and the costumes alone are worth staring at. But beneath all that polish, it’s really a story about starting over and finding the nerve to become someone your old life never made room for. I’ve already called it the “first comedy you should watch on Prime Video,” and I still think that’s exactly right.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
It’s 1958 Manhattan and Miriam “Midge” Maisel has everything she’s ever wanted - the perfect husband, kids, and Upper West Side apartment. But when her life suddenly takes a turn and Midge must start over, she discovers a previously unknown talent - one that will take her all the way from the comedy clubs of Greenwich Village to a spot on Johnny Carson’s couch.
No. 3: ‘The Wheel of Time’ (2021) | Fantasy drama
I originally started “The Wheel of Time” because I needed a fantasy fix between seasons of “House of the Dragon.” Then I got much more invested than I expected. The first few episodes feel a little younger and more traditional than I usually go for, but once the show gets moving, the world expands fast, and the story starts building real momentum.
There’s a lot going on here. You’ve got ancient prophecies, dangerous factions, political games, betrayals, magical power, and characters who keep changing as the stakes get bigger. The show works because the people matter just as much as the mythology. You start caring about who they become, not only whether they survive the next battle. It scratches some of that “Game of Thrones” itch without feeling like it’s simply copying the same formula.
The Wheel of Time
The lives of five young villagers change forever when a strange and powerful woman arrives, claiming one of them is the child of an ancient prophecy with the power to tip the balance between Light and Dark forever. They must choose whether to trust this stranger – and each other – with the fate of the world before the Dark One breaks out of His prison, and the Last Battle begins.
No. 2: ‘Fallout’ (2024) | Sci-fi drama
I’ve seen enough bad video game adaptations that I went into “Fallout” with my expectations safely tempered. Thankfully, the show completely proved me wrong. Instead of trying to turn one of the games into a scene-by-scene recreation, it understands the larger world. You get the strange retro-futuristic look, the pitch-black jokes, the ridiculous violence, and that very specific feeling that civilization ended but somehow everyone still found time to be weird.
Ella Purnell is great as Lucy, a sheltered vault dweller who heads into the wasteland with absolutely no idea how cruel the outside world can be. Walton Goggins has a blast as the Ghoul, a gunslinger with a very long memory, while Aaron Moten brings another perspective through Maximus and his fight to survive. There’s a mystery pushing the story forward, but the real attraction is spending time in this bizarre, broken world. You don’t need to know anything about the games. The show gives you everything you need.
Fallout
The story of haves and have-nots in a world in which there’s almost nothing left to have. 200 years after the apocalypse, the gentle denizens of luxury fallout shelters are forced to return to the irradiated hellscape their ancestors left behind — and are shocked to discover an incredibly complex, gleefully weird, and highly violent universe waiting for them.
No. 1: ‘The Boys’ (2019) | Superhero comedy
“The Boys” is basically the superhero show I’d been waiting for. It has no interest in making superpowered people look noble just because they can fly or punch through a building. Instead, it asks what would happen if those people were controlled by corporations, turned into celebrities, protected by politicians, and sold to the public like products. The answer is violent, disgusting, hilarious, and often way smarter than it has any right to be.
There’s no clean line between heroes and villains here. The show is about power, who gets to use it, and what happens when fame and money make accountability disappear. Every season somehow becomes bigger, nastier, and more chaotic while still keeping the satire sharp. Season 5 takes that worship even further, and with the series officially finished, this is the perfect time to go back through the whole thing. I’ve already called it the “first show you should watch when you sign up for Prime Video,” and I’m sticking with it. Even after everything Prime Video has released, “The Boys” still feels like its boldest show. Now say what you will about the series finale (did they run out of money?), I think emotionally it landed the plane in a way very few shows this big do. If you haven’t watched it yet, I’m jealous because you’re in for a treat.
The Boys
A group of vigilantes known informally as “The Boys” set out to take down corrupt superheroes with no more than blue-collar grit and a willingness to fight dirty.
This show is NOT for kids, thanks to the profanity, gore, and sexual content. But it is an antidote for adult fans who might be a little bored with the stereotypical superhero fare. It’s funny, dramatic, exciting, and thought-provoking.