The 25 Best Prime Video Original Series, Ranked

Sam Esmail’s complex and dark series may have only delivered two seasons, but they’re both jam-packed with amazingly twisted thrills and chills as Season 1 establishes the titular project, which is set around soldiers. Julia Roberts led Season 1 as a caseworker operating under the Homecoming project, but as the story unfolds, she uncovers a larger conspiracy at play within the Geist Group that links her with Walter Cruz (Stephan James), a soldier who helps open her eyes to the realities of her work. In addition to Roberts and James, the series features all-star cast members such as Janelle Monae, Hong Chau, Chris Cooper, Jeremy Allen White, Bobby Cannavale, Shea Whigham, and Alex Karpovsky. — Meaghan Darwish

For fans of legal shows that aren’t just straightforward courtroom dramas and prefer a little (or a lot of a) mess for a main character, look no further than Billy Bob Thornton‘s Billy McBride. There’s a lot more going on than meets the eye with each case throughout the four seasons, the rest of the cast—such as Maria Bello, William Hurt, Nina Arianda, and Tania Raymonde—is great, and it’s a David E. Kelley show. What more could you want? —Meredith Jacobs

Robert Kirkman brought his own comic book story to screen life with this adult animated original. It tells the unusual story of Mark Grayson (voiced by Steven Yeun), a 17-year-old boy who develops superpowers and learns that his father is not the benevolent hero he thought he was and has passed that rage onto him along with his newfangled powers. Critics were almost universal in their praise of both the animation and heart of the all-star voice cast. —Amanda Bell

My Lady Jane is every romantasy lovers’ dream, with enemies to lovers, arranged marriage, and plenty of other beloved genre tropes. Though it does tell the tale of the real-life noblewoman-turned-Queen Jane Grey (a spunky Emily Bader), it doesn’t take place in a normal 16th-century England. This is a world where people can shapeshift into animals, including the man she has to marry, Lord Guildford Dudley (Edward Bluemel). Guildford is cursed to spend his days in the form of a horse and only turns human at night. As Jane has to navigate threat after threat, Guildford goes from a thorn in her side to her unflinching ally. The world is rich, the humor is top-tier, and Bader and Bluemel are electric together. One of its very, very few shortcomings is that it was canceled after a single season. — Morgan Pryor

Robert Jordan’s fantasy epic gets a long-awaited screen treatment in this sweeping series, which premiered to much fanfare in 2021. The story centers on Moiraine Damodred’s (Rosamund Pike) quest to find the Dragon Reborn among a group of young people to either save the world or break it anew. The slow-burn series was praised for its sublime visuals. —Amanda Bell

Prime Video has established itself as the home for high-stakes, covert operative-type shows (based on books), and this one (based on Jack Carr’s novel), starring Chris Pratt, is no different. James Reece is introduced as a Navy SEAL whose platoon is ambushed and returns home only to find himself in the middle of a conspiracy. It’s action-packed, boasts an incredible cast around Pratt—including Constance Wu, Taylor Kitsch, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Riley Keough, Jai Courtney, JD Pardo, Patrick Schwarzenegger, and LaMonica Garrett—and not only is it coming back for more, but there will also be a prequel. —Meredith Jacobs

Taylor Jenkins Reid’s bestseller was made for television. Rockstar royalty Riley Keough was born to play Daisy Jones, the troubled but wildly talented singer who helps catapult The Six to the next level. Keough and Sam Claflin‘s sizzling chemistry as Daisy and Billy (clearly inspired by Fleetwood Mac‘s Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham) created the ultimate slow burn and even more incredible music. Camila Morrone, Suki Waterhouse, Nabiyah Bee, and Will Harrison shined in supporting roles. On top of a soapy drama filled with yearning, tears, and rock and roll, the cast elevated the show to new heights by releasing an entire album full of the songs the band performed in the show. —Avery Thompson

What’s better than one love story you can fall for? A different one each episode! This series based on the New York Times column boasted quite the cast—including Anne Hathaway, Tina Fey, John Slattery, Andrew Scott, Kit Harington, Anna Paquin, Tobias Menzies, and Minnie Driver—and doesn’t feature the easy journeys, only romantic connections, or even ones with happy endings, but they do suggest that it’s better to have love and lost and have us eager to hop on each ride. —Meredith Jacobs

Based on Jenny Han‘s best-selling trilogy of books, The Summer I Turned Pretty follows the story of Belly Conklin (Lola Tung) who travels to the fictional beach town known as Cousins to spend every summer with her mother Laurel (Jackie Chung), brother Steven (Sean Kaufman), and mom’s best friend Susannah (Rachel Blanchard) and her sons Conrad (Christopher Briney) and Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno). During a particularly pivotal summer, everything changes between Belly, Conrad, and Jeremiah, leading to one very complicated love triangle that is put under more pressure by circumstances out of everyone’s control. The show delivers notes of adolescent nostalgia and the heart-wrenching realities of what it means to grow up. — Meaghan Darwish

This sci-fi Western series is Amazon’s answer to the Yellowstone hype — with an out-of-this-world twist, of course. The series follows Royal Abbott (Josh Brolin) as a rancher fighting to save his land. He’s got more problems than John Dutton, though; there’s a giant void that pops up right in his pasture and a daughter-in-law who disappeared. Audiences have raved about the cast performances and the supernatural suspense. —Amanda Bell

Aldis Hodge anchors this gritty thriller as the grieving but determined Detective Alex Cross, who finds himself and his children in the crosshairs amid a grisly mass murder investigation. Boldly, the series tells us everything we need to know about the killer he’s playing a cat-and-mouse game with right at the start, which allows the audience to follow his every sickening move — and feel every frustration in Cross’ investigation efforts — along the way. The biggest surprise of the first season is Ryan Eggold‘s hair-raising turn as the Fanboy killer, whose mercilessness is matched only by his meticulousness. The series will be back for a second season, and the cast has teased it’ll be a “bumpy ride” for all the characters involved. — Amanda Bell

And we thought the Supes on The Boys were wild! The spinoff of the hit Prime Video shows takes a look at the universe’s college and the young Superheroes to come, and let’s just say limits to how wild things get? They don’t exist (and that’s part of what makes it so fun!). The younger cast is superb—including Jaz Sinclair, Lizzie Broadway, Asa Germann, the late Chance Perdomo, London Thor, and Derek Luh—and the cameos from the original series (including Karl Urban, Antony Starr, Colby Minifie, and Jensen Ackles) are just icing on the very weird (in the best possible way) cake.—Meredith Jacobs

Tom Clancy‘s most famous literary character got a second chance at screen life with this action-packed drama, following the titular character (portrayed by John Krasinski) as his nascent career as a CIA analyst becomes increasingly dangerous and high-stakes for himself and the rest of the world. Critics and the couch crowd alike love the spy thriller for its modern reimagination and deeper inspection of the well-known character. —Amanda Bell

Fans of the original 2005 film starring Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, this series might be for you. For fans of incredible comedic timing and luxurious undercover lifestyles, then this series is definitely for you. While the original plot of two married spies who fight evil together still applies to this 2024 series adaptation, the similarities stop there. Starring and created by Atlanta’s Donald Glover and co-starring PEN15’s Maya Erskine as the titular Smiths (who have electric chemistry, if you were wondering), Mr. & Mrs. Smith follows two spies who are assigned to be married to each other to carry out a series of high-stakes missions. Subverting the allure of the original now that the two know the other is a spy, the show plays with themes of trust, purpose, and modern dating. If you think about it, the whole premise is almost an allegory for dating apps…plus some luxury vacation trips and stand-out action sequences. Sign me up.—Katie Song

This adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s written material covering the Second Age of Middle-earth is one of the most visually stunning things you’ll see on TV. That’s thanks not only to the show’s hefty budget (at a reported $500 million price tag for Season 1 alone, it’s one of the most expensive TV shows of all time), but also the clear, sunny vision for Tolkien’s world from the show’s creators, J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay — created with as much practical effects as possible like its film predecessors. A deep love of Tolkien runs through each scene of the series as it adapts works from the novelist never-before adapted on-screen, anchoring the tale with a familiar character — Morfydd Clark‘s Galadriel who, while still ethereal like Cate Blanchett‘s counterpart, comes with intentional youthful arrogance. Come for the epic fantasy adventure, stay to see one of the greatest literary villains of all time, Sauron, depicted as a character on-screen for the first time ever. —Kelli Boyle

Titus Welliver plays the titular homicide detective working in the Hollywood Division of Los Angeles. Not only are the seven seasons of this series based on the character from Michael Connelly‘s books a success, but it has also led to a sequel on Freevee, Bosch: Legacy, and there are more spinoffs to come. It’s a show that both book and non-book fans can enjoy. It offers a look at the crime drama genre through a realistic lens, and with a cast that also includes Mimi Rogers, the late Lance Reddick, Amy Aquino, Jamie Hector, and more, how can you go wrong?—Meredith Jacobs

Fallout pulled off the impressive feat of pleasing fans of the popular video game it’s based on and those with zero knowledge of the source material. The series starts off with a literal bang: Walton Goggins’ Cooper Howard, aka the Ghoul, is performing at a birthday party in Los Angeles with his daughter when the city is nuked incessantly. Years and years later, one part of humanity is living in underground bunkers while the rest live in the decimated world above full of radiation-laden mutants and bandits. Lucy (Yellowjackets’ Ella Purnell) bravely ventures upward when her father (Kyle MacLachlan) is kidnapped from their bunker on her wedding day. While viewing numbers don’t always equate to show quality, the proof of Fallout‘s excellence is bolstered by its insane viewership: with 2.9 billion minutes viewed in five days, it made history as Prime Video’s most successful series debut of all time. Of course it’s returning for Season 3. — Kelli Boyle

It only took one season for Reacher, the titular veteran military police investigator who has recently entered civilian life when the series based on Lee Child’s novels begins, to become the role for which Alan Ritchson is now recognized. He inhabits the character who can’t help but find himself in danger, whether it’s being accused of murder or his former U.S. Army unit being brutally murdered. For those looking for action-packed series and compelling storylines, this is a must-watch. —Meredith Jacobs

Co-created by star Abbi Jacobson, this is one of the best depictions of love between women ever shown on TV — and one of the best period dramas ever. For those who question why Penny Marshall‘s beloved 1992 film of the same name needed reinventing, this show is actually the one that told the real story about the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League that emerged during World War II. In real life, the league was full of queer women, many of them in relationships with each other. The movie ignored that, but the show honored the history while simultaneously shining a light on the lives of trans Black people of the era, and it did it all with beautiful scripts, compelling and memorable performances, and a seal of approval from film star Rosie O’Donnell, who appeared in a guest role in an episode we ranked as one of 2022’s best. Its premature cancellation was only made more brutal by the fact that it was renewed for a second (and final) four-episode season only for the renewal to be rescinded. —Kelli Boyle

One day, 1950s stay-at-home mom Midge Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan) has her life flipped upside down when she discovers her husband Joel (Michael Zegen) has cheated on her. The betrayal lights a metaphorical match as Midge blows up her life to pursue stand-up comedy with the help of her rag-tag manager Susie (Alex Borstein) and her comical parents Rose (Marin Hinkle) and Abe (Tony Shalhoub) among others. The Amy Sherman-Palladino creation is showstopping fun for all involved. — Meaghan Darwish

When it comes to superheroes on television, Prime Video’s blockbuster hit puts a compelling twist on the genre through an adaptation of Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson’s comic series. Following the titular vigilante group led by Billy Butcher (Karl Urban), The Boys is set in a world where “Supes” are treated as A-list celebrities, among which the top crime-fighting team The Seven rules supreme. Led by the terrifying Homelander (Antony Starr), the series kicks off with an accidental Supe-on-human killing that leads Hughie Campbell (Jack Quaid) into the arms of Butcher and the rest of the Boys. It’s a bloody good time that also holds a mirror up to the insanity of our own real-world problems.— Meaghan Darwish

Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman’s novel is so beloved that the TV series has a lot to live up to—and it does! The ineffably charming series stars the fantastic Michael Sheen as angel Aziraphale and the phenomenal David Tennant as demon Crowley, whose love story spans from before the beginning to the Garden of Eden to forming the Arrangement over the years (these flashbacks are aesthetically beautiful and creative as well as both fun and bittersweet at the same time) to teaming up to stop the apocalypse together to dealing with an amnesiac archangel leading to a devastatingly heartbreaking separation. (There’s a reason it made our Best Episodes and Performances lists of 2023.) The comedy shines throughout, especially with Jon Hamm as the aforementioned amnesiac Gabriel/Jim in Season 2. The world from the book being expanded is incredibly vibrant, the cast is brilliant, and the wait between seasons is well worth it.—Meredith Jacobs