Posted: 2023-09-30 15:00:09

Trying to pick out a show to watch on Prime Video?

You can opt for a new series or start a highly rated show you've had on the back burner. Amazon's streamer has some truly great titles you don't want to miss. 

Read moreEverything You Need to Know to Sign Up for Prime Video

What's new on Prime Video in October

Note: These descriptions are taken from Prime Video press releases and lightly edited for style.

Oct. 6

  • Desperately Seeking Soulmate: Escaping Twin Flames Universe, premiere (2023): Three-part docuseries. It unveils the dark truth behind the Twin Flames Universe, an alleged online love cult.

Oct. 13

  • Everybody Loves Diamonds, season 1 premiere (2023- ): Italian heist series. A team of small-time Italian thieves manages to deceive top-level security and steal millions of dollars' worth of precious stones from the Antwerp Diamond Centre.

Oct. 20

  • Upload, season 3 premiere (2020- ): Sci-fi series. It's set in a technologically advanced future where humans can choose to be "uploaded" into a virtual afterlife.
  • Bosch: Legacy, season 2 premiere (2022- ): Spinoff of crime series Bosch. An Amazon Freevee original (free with ads), it follows Harry Bosch, a retired homicide detective turned private investigator, as he embarks on the next chapter of his career.

Read more: The Best Movies to Watch on Prime Video

Best Amazon Prime Video original TV shows

At time of writing, these TV shows all score at least 70 on Metacritic.

Drama

riches prime video
David Hindley/Prime Video

A soapy drama about a family after the death of their wealthy patriarch sits tantalizingly on Prime Video. In Riches, the will reading goes an unexpected direction, leading Stephen Richard's two sets of children to vie for control of his business. You'll glide through the stylish first season, which includes Ted Lasso Emmy nominee Sarah Niles.

Chaske Spencer as Eli, wearing a sergeant's uniform, standing against a blue sky backdrop
Amazon Studios

Gripping Western drama series The English stars Emily Blunt and Chaske Spencer as an unlikely duo traveling across a treacherous landscape. The first episode of the miniseries presents some terrible characters and reveals a bit of what motivates both protagonists -- Blunt's aristocratic Englishwoman and Spencer's Pawnee ex-cavalry scout -- to continue in the face of danger. Gorgeous visuals and superb acting make the English worth a binge. 

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A Very British Scandal (2022)

Unfurling over three hour-long episodes, A Very British Scandal dramatizes the highly publicized, real-life divorce between the Duke and Duchess of Argyll in the 1960s. Claire Foy, of Netflix's The Crown, and WandaVision's Paul Bettany star.

A newer entry to Prime Video, As We See It earns a spot among its best shows. Starring three actors who identify as autistic, this sincere series follows young adults on the autism spectrum as they navigate jobs, making friends and finding love. Neurotypical actors usually play autistic characters on screen, so the casting sets this one apart. It's also heartfelt, funny and poignant, with well-rounded characters you'll want to root for. I could let the show's glowing Metacritic score speak for itself -- but whatever convinces you, this needs to be your next watch.

Amazon Prime Video

The Underground Railroad (2021)

Sublime filmmaker Barry Jenkins (Moonlight) takes on adapting Colson Whitehead's novel The Underground Railroad into a powerful 10-episode series. Set in the southern US during the 1800s, the fictional story follows Blacks attempting to escape from slavery via a network of hidden tracks and tunnels. Tapping magical realism and a superb cast including Thuso Mbedu and William Jackson Harper, The Underground Railroad is an emotional and chilling triumph.

Amazon Studios

Con man Marius walks free from jail, only to be hunted by the gangster he once robbed. So, he assumes the identity of his cell mate Pete and walks back into the lives of Pete's estranged family, who are none the wiser. Bryan Cranston brings all the gravitas to gangster Vince in this part-drama, party-comedy. The twists and dicey situations will carry you through the addictive episodes as quickly as Pete pulls his cons.

Amazon Studios

This gripping British series is about, yes, an informer and the murky territory involved in coercing someone to take on the dangerous gig. Paddy Considine (who now has a gig on the Game of Thrones prequel) stars as DS Gabe Waters, a counterterrorism officer tasked with infiltrating a far-right movement in West Yorkshire. Partnered with an excellent Bel Powley (The Morning Show, The King of Staten Island) as the young and inquisitive DC Holly Morten, he attempts to bring British Pakistani Raza (Nabhaan Rizwan) on board to uncover information about a possible terrorist attack. A provocative thriller that will keep you on your toes.

Thriller

Dead Ringers
Niko Tavernise/Prime Video

Oscar winner Rachel Weisz plays not one, but two main characters in Dead Ringers, Prime Video's version of David Cronenberg's 1988 psychological thriller. The dark and compelling series follows identical twin doctors pursuing their goal of opening a birthing and research center. Spend some time with these unconventional sisters, you'll want to see the whole thing through.

Led by a stellar Erin Doherty, this British thriller will swallow your attention. It centers on Becky, a temp with an unusual pastime: assuming different identities to sneak into fancy art galleries and yoga classes. When a woman she follows obsessively on Instagram suddenly dies, she attempts to uncover more details, once again posing as someone else. Tear away from your timeline and check out this six-episode limited series.

Amazon Studios

While season 2 of Homecoming didn't quite find its feet, season 1 hit the ground running. Julia Roberts stars in this psychological thriller about an army rehabilitation facility run by questionable owners. Using an effective, mystery-building narrative that covers two timelines, Homecoming is high on tension and paranoia as it reveals what the facility's true purpose is. Fun fact: The series uses the actual scores of movies from Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick and more.

Amazon Studios

The Man in the High Castle (2015-2019)

The Man in the High Castle imagines an alternate history where the Axis powers (Rome-Berlin-Tokyo) win World War II. Based on a Philip K. Dick novel, the series follows characters in the '60s who live in a parallel universe, where Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan control the US. But there's impossible newsreel footage surfacing of a world where Germany and Japan lose the war, causing some to rebel. To really hammer home its dystopia credentials, The Man in the High Castle is steered by producer Ridley Scott. Fully realized and with a focused plot, this is gripping TV.

Fantasy

The Legend of Vox Machina (2022—)

Buckle up for a new animated series that centers on a group of boisterous, belching misfits called Vox Machina. Based on Dungeons & Dragons web series Critical Role (you don't have to be familiar with that to enjoy this show), The Legend of Vox Machina sees its protagonists go from being broke bar-hoppers to accepting a mission to stop evil brewing in Exandria. We're further introduced to the characters in a musical number that occurs about halfway through the first episode. That's right, I said musical number. But you'll be down for every element this show throws at you. Why would anyone choose these misfits to fight for the kingdom? "Well... they do have a bear," one royal decision-maker concedes.

Ben Rothstein/Prime Video

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022—)

Haven't watched Prime Video's buzzy, wildly expensive fantasy series yet? The Rings of Power brings incredible visuals, a sprawling cast and sense of adventure to the streaming service. It's set thousands of years before The Lord of the Rings, and in part follows a young version of the character Galadriel, who's played by Morfydd Clark. 

Amazon Studios

If you're in a particularly meditative mood, reflecting on life, relationships and the big choices we make in life, Forever will gently set your world on fire. June (Maya Rudolph) and Oscar (Fred Armisen) are a married couple cruising through their suburban life until vastly unexpected turns take them into otherworldly territory. Stick through the slow-burning first episode and you'll be rewarded with an exceptionally crafted eight-episode series, gently wrapping you in its visually beautiful and meaningful dream.

Sci-fi

Amazon Prime Video

The first episode of Paper Girls, a sci-fi TV series based on popular comics by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang, brings together four kids riding bikes on their paper delivery routes in 1988. While that may sound like a sci-fier you've binged already, (yup, Netflix's hit Stranger Things), Prime Video's show stands on its own. Follow along as the girls travel through time, navigate powerful adversaries and learn more about themselves. Another reason to watch? Comedian Ali Wong is in the cast.

Amazon Studios

Amazon rescued The Expanse from the realm of canceled TV, bringing us up to six seasons. Thank goodness it did, because The Expanse is smart sci-fi with realistic characters, high production values and a dash of detective noir. Set in a future where humanity has colonized the Solar System, a conspiracy threatens to start a cold war between the largest powers. A band of antiheroes find themselves at the center. Look forward to more space western themes in the consistently excellent later seasons.

Romance

The Summer I Turned Pretty (2022—)

If a coming-of-age tale with a peak summer setting, teenage love triangle and soundtrack stocked with Taylor Swift songs sounds appealing to you, keep reading. The show centers on Belly (breakout actor Lola Tung), who makes a much-anticipated annual commute to a beach house with her mom and brother. But she looks a bit different than she did the last time she set foot on Cousin's Beach and spent time with her mom's best friend's sons, Conrad and Jeremiah. Young-adult author Jenny Han wrote the book on which the TV series is based and serves as one of the showrunners.

Prime Video

Looking for love? With Love might be the perfect feel-good rom-com. The charming premise sees the Diaz siblings, Lily and Jorge, navigate major holidays across the year, from Halloween to Christmas -- major holidays that put pressure on singletons in search of romantic relationships. Follow the Diaz's on their journey, along with their delightful and sometimes delightfully awkward extended family. An earnest, enjoyable breeze.

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