Amazon Prime Video has revolutionized streaming with incredible original content. Join us as we count down the most compelling, groundbreaking, and must-watch series that have defined the platform's incredible lineup of entertainment across multiple genres!
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Could you give me a heads up what it's about? Thank you, detective. We'll see you then.
00:04Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most riveting shows distributed by Amazon's video streaming platform.
00:12That's excluding shows that were picked up from another distributor, whether they debuted on a different platform
00:17or were produced by Prime Video in later seasons. If you don't have a Prime or Prime Video subscription,
00:23now's the time to click the link below for a free 30-day trial for qualifying customers.
00:28Prime Video offers a great selection of content for the whole family to enjoy, including Amazon Originals,
00:34popular movies, hit TV shows, live sports, all available with your Prime Video membership.
00:40Epic entertainment. Click the link to stream now.
00:58The height of both brawn and brain, Lee Child's Jack Reacher is unlike any figure in action literature.
01:04The iconic but miscast Tom Cruise introduced the military police major-turned-private investigator to the big screen.
01:11But everything is bigger and better on Amazon's Reacher.
01:14If you boys knew what's about to happen to you, you'd leave now.
01:19So I give you to the count of three.
01:22One.
01:24Two.
01:27Alan Richson embodies the hulking hero with both towering and snappy wit.
01:32As he drifts into a series of high-stakes conspiracies, the elaborate procedural is matched by extravagant and gritty action.
01:46No less important is the ensemble of memorable supporting characters who evolve the plot alongside Reacher himself.
01:52This airtight storytelling has everything to keep audiences hooked.
01:56Thus, Reacher is one of the most popular shows on Amazon and one of the most talked-about action thrillers in streaming.
02:09One of the fantasy genre's defining titles and its equally celebrated film adaptations merely scratch the surface of J.R.R. Tolkien's epic.
02:17The prequel series, The Rings of Power, extensively draws on his book's lore and original material to chronicle Middle-Earth's Second Age.
02:24It also boasts the biggest budget in television history.
02:37The result is a sweeping, whimsical adventure to outdo any tentpole movie.
02:42Underscoring that, of course, is world-building and morally ambiguous politics to give Game of Thrones some serious competition.
03:01It's hard to imagine The Lord of the Rings as a dark, ensemble-driven slow burner after Peter Jackson's blockbusters.
03:07But The Rings of Power ultimately stands on its own as a dramatically sound and technically fantastic feat.
03:22Matthew Mercer's Dungeons and Dragons campaign is so compelling that Critical One built a franchise on voice actors playing the game on camera.
03:30Never mind a fanbase strong enough to fund an animated series via Kickstarter.
03:38The Legend of Vox Machina is the quintessential saga of misfit mercenaries becoming unlikely heroes when the realm of Exandria is threatened.
03:45What sets this adventure apart, besides the surprising edginess, is the quality of its humor, emotion, and animation.
04:07The journey has grown incredibly rich over time.
04:10Still, Critical Role Productions is dedicated to realizing fans' vision with the same talented voice cast they fell in love with.
04:17With The Legend of Vox Machina winning many more fans, Amazon has scored a hit.
04:37No more stalling. Time's up.
04:42It took 22 years and more than a dozen books for Michael Connelly's most iconic character to hit the screen.
04:48The brooding, jazz-loving Hollywood detective Harry Bosch sounds like your typical TV cop.
04:53In fact, one of Amazon's first shows established the platform's knack for pushing genres.
04:58That's Marx's crew.
04:59How do they know about this?
05:01Same way we did. Call backup.
05:04Developed by Eric Overmeyer of The Wire, Bosch is distinguished by impeccable dialogue and thorough police procedurals.
05:11Such sprawling storytelling still leaves plenty of room for hair-raising action.
05:24All the while, veteran character actor Titus Welliver effortlessly carries the layered lead across seven seasons.
05:30This continues on Freevi's sequel series Bosch Legacy.
05:34With more spinoffs in the works, one of Prime Video's flagship brands has become its most enduring.
05:53For all the dramatic retooling of superheroes lately, it's rare in animation.
05:58An acclaimed noir-like Batman-caped crusader couldn't have happened without Amazon's earlier success with a heavy super-tune.
06:04Developed by Robert Kirkman from his own comics, Invincible follows the teenage son of a gallant alien as he comes into his own as a hero.
06:12This burden is complicated by his father's plot to conquer Earth.
06:16Soon our empire encompassed thousands of planets.
06:19But as our territory grew, our forces were stretched thin and our expansion stopped.
06:24There are many super-powered adventures from there, with the usual lively humor in action.
06:29That just makes the brutal violence, elaborate storytelling, and morally ambiguous characters even more impactful.
06:35Are you sure you're Nolan's son?
06:40I'm not an insect like these creatures.
06:46Invincible pulls no punches with ultimate power.
06:49And with stunning and self-aware entertainment, backed by an all-star voice cast, it is a genuine gem of the superhero age.
07:10At a time when television is doing video game adaptations right, Fallout stands out.
07:15The spectacular production is true to Bethesda Softwork's iconic aesthetic and lore built around the aftermath of nuclear Armageddon.
07:22Ah, you're getting it.
07:31How does that golden rule drive what's going through your head right now?
07:35It also nails the bleak satire of the broken systems that humanity can't part with even at this point.
07:41At the same time, the many liberties and original storylines are nuanced enough to fit into this world.
07:47You don't have to be a gamer to get swept up in the epic drama, much less the gruesome action-adventure.
08:00Amazon's Fallout was a blockbuster project that more than paid off.
08:04Besides the critical acclaim and record viewership, it is considered a game-changer for video game adaptations.
08:10There was only one problem with it.
08:13There was a flaw in the welding just below the chest plate.
08:20I wonder if they fixed that in this new model.
08:27Prime Video's first adult animated series follows a young woman who gains the ability to navigate time after a car accident.
08:33This allows her to undo her father's death while exploring other anxieties and family secrets.
08:39With your ability to see what's really real, we can change what happened.
08:44But I need you to say yes. I need you to agree.
08:48Undone deals with some profoundly human concepts within the frame of an experimental animated fantasy.
08:54And yet it feels organic for the rotoscope style that balances gorgeous imagery with the cast's emotional expression.
09:00We need to carefully develop your potential.
09:04Or I'll be put out on the street? I don't know, Dad.
09:08Okay. Again.
09:14Dutch artist Hisco Hulsing directs the whole series with respect to its sharp humor and thoughtfully developed drama.
09:20Unfortunately, it was hard to market the series' avant-garde nature across two tightly plotted seasons.
09:26Nonetheless, Undone has earned a devoted following as one of its platform's finest works of art.
09:32Don't you see? I'm not worth saving.
09:36No, Dad.
09:38No, I'm not the good guy I thought I was, who I convinced you I was.
09:42No, I'm not giving up on you. We're going back and we're trying again.
09:48Barry Jenkins is capable of expressing terrible hardship with great beauty.
09:52Both reach sweeping heights in his adaptation of Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize winner, The Underground Railroad.
10:07The miniseries portrays the network to liberate slaves from the American South as an actual train.
10:13This bold magic realism is wisely and tastefully handled to emote history in Jenkins' poetic style.
10:19Got to be 16 to transport human freight. You'll have to wait for them to send one of the other trains.
10:24No, I don't care how old you is, I'm getting on this damn train.
10:29Alright, alright, alright.
10:30At the heart of this artistry and an immense story is a realistic depiction of the horrors of bondage
10:35and the triumph of freedom.
10:37The deeply human saga was showered with accolades, winning the Golden Globe for Best Miniseries.
10:42It even entered the Criterion Collection in 2024.
10:46The Underground Railroad may be difficult viewing, but it is a must-watch masterpiece.
10:51Damn it! When I say I want it done which way, that's the way I want it done.
10:57You two fighting would make that machine get bogged?
11:00You two fighting would make that machine get bogged?
11:03I'm gonna have you kicked back to where the hell you came from.
11:06Number 2. The Boys.
11:08If you think superhero fatigue is a serious issue in real life, based on the diabolical comic series,
11:13The Boys is named for a vigilante group that targets the superhuman celebrities behind a corrupt status quo.
11:19It is a pitch-black satire of everything from the superhero genre to American pop culture and politics.
11:25Gentlemen, seven is a circle of trust.
11:33What we're gonna tell you is extremely sensitive.
11:36Got it?
11:36Oh, Captain, my Captain.
11:39The stellar production values and ridiculously gory action still deliver as much as any blockbuster.
11:45So too does the uncompromising, brilliantly acted character drama.
11:49Stay back!
11:52Let's go!
11:55No, please, no! Please, stay!
11:58The Boys improbably injects intelligent prestige into twistedly funny spectacle.
12:03The award-winning show has inspired its own hit franchise, complete with spin-offs like the acclaimed Gen V.
12:09That doesn't mean the long-running thriller has lost any of its power over superhero fans and more subversive consumers alike.
12:29Before we unveil our top pick, here are some honorable mentions.
12:32Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan.
12:34John Krasinski perfects a literary icon in this complex political thriller.
12:50Mr. and Mrs. Smith.
12:51A marriage between spies finds a darkly funny and dramatic new spark.
12:56They're probably diplomats and there's an ingredient in the cake that they can't get in the States.
13:00Yeah, but then why...
13:07Sneaky Pete.
13:08An imposter navigates the criminal world and family dysfunction in this dynamic cult classic.
13:13Where are the pints?
13:14Hey, man, don't change the subject. When you were under the hood, you said something about...
13:17worried about some guy named Vince.
13:21What kind of trouble you in, man?
13:22Swarm.
13:23Pop music empowerment goes too far in this stylish and bitingly satirical tragedy.
13:39The Man in the High Castle.
13:41Philip K. Dick's harrowing alternate history is expanded into an audacious political epic.
13:46Because I report directly to Obergruppenführer Smith in New York.
13:50Why don't you give him a call?
13:53I'll do that.
13:55Once I'm through talking to the girl, you stay out of my way or I'll kill you.
14:03The title says it all.
14:04Dramatic actor Rachel Brosnahan steps into the spotlight as a 1950s divorcee who pursues a career in stand-up comedy.
14:12Try to put on a brave face and we'd walk past a hot dog cart and he'd fall to pieces.
14:16Cradling the mustard container in his arms, repeating the 1955 World Series lineup over and over again.
14:24Crackling with Amy Sherman Palladino's elaborate writing style,
14:27The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel isn't just hysterical onstage and off.
14:31It also enriches a turbulent underdog story with astonishing period detail and world-building.
14:37The gorgeously designed, ambitiously directed production is no less stunning.
14:41You can't have it all.
14:45You can't run the world and have all the pretty underwear too.
14:51The show has dazzling delivery.
14:53But the storytelling is really what pulls you in.
14:56Brosnahan and Alex Borstein never miss a beat as the headliners of a colorful, deeply layered ensemble.
15:01Mrs. Maisel pushes all the boundaries as a comedy, drama, period piece and feminist expression.
15:07It is undoubtedly prime entertainment and just might be Prime Video's showstopper.
15:13You put down comedy in what I do?
15:15You don't even know what goes on out there.
15:17This guy is the real deal but you just scoff and pretend that he's nothing.
15:22That is ignorant.
15:23What are your favorite shows on Amazon Prime Video?
15:26Share the hype in the comments.
15:27If you leave without hurting her or anyone else, I'll meet you above us in the sky.
15:36Be quick.
15:37Did you enjoy this video?
15:39Check out these other clips from WatchMojo.
15:41And be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.
15:51WatchMojo.com