When it comes to streaming platforms, Prime Video is a TV lover’s paradise, with so many great shows that maintain high quality from their pilot episodes to their series finales. However, despite its impressive library, Prime Video is still a reflection of the sometimes-frustrating streaming landscape, whether it’s shows like Fallout taking a long time between seasons, or great series like Étoile getting canceled after just one season.
But despite these issues, Prime Video has its subscribers covered with a myriad of fantastic series. It boasts not one but two multi-award-winning, female-driven comedy series, some of the best contemporary action shows, and one of the most underrated miniseries of all time. These Prime Video originals not only outshine many Netflix shows, but are perfect start to finish.
The Summer I Turned Pretty (2022-2025)
From the brilliant mind of author Jenny Han (To All the Boys), The Summer I Turned Pretty is a swoon-worthy coming-of-age and romance series based on Han’s novel trilogy. Right from the first episode, you’re swept up in the summer vibes of Cousins Beach and the love triangle of teenage protagonist Isabel “Belly” Conklin (Lola Tung) and brothers Conrad (Christopher Briney) and Jeremiah Fisher (Gavin Casalegno).
Maintaining a love triangle throughout an entire series is no easy feat, but The Summer I Turned Pretty pulls it off perfectly. The show doesn’t overstay its welcome, ending at a tidy three seasons, which some believe is actually too short. However, there’s still more story to tell, and The Summer I Turn Pretty is getting a follow-up feature film, though the release date has not yet been announced.
Daisy Jones & The Six (2023)
Based on the popular 2019 novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid, expectations were incredibly high for Daisy Jones & the Six, and it succeeded right out of the gate. Its documentary format arguably works better in the show than it did in the book, and you’re so immersed in the world of 1970s rock that many thought Daisy Jones and the Six was a real band.
As a miniseries, Daisy Jones didn’t have to sustain multiple seasons of good quality like a long-running show, but its phenomenal first episode gave the rest of the series a lot to live up to. Not only did it deliver, but each episode is better than the next, with the mounting tension between the band and Daisy and Billy’s chemistry building to a spectacular finale.
Red Oaks (2014-2017)
Craig Roberts and Gage Golightly in a scene from Red Oaks
Two years before Stranger Things gave us a heaping dose of 1980s nostalgia, Prime Video gave us the hilarious and underrated ’80s-set Red Oaks. Unlike the mega-hit Netflix series, Red Oaks had no supernatural elements and was instead a raunchy, coming-of-age throwback to the decade in which it was set.
Red Oaks established its nostalgic tone right away, with the pilot introducing us to protagonist David Myers (Craig Roberts), a college student working at the titular New Jersey country club during the summer. Not only was the pilot directed by Pineapple Express’s David Gordon Green, but the filmmaker helmed several other episodes. Clueless’ Amy Heckerling also directed multiple installments of the series, ensuring its cinematic feel throughout.
Bosch (2014-2021)
Many police procedurals can start to feel samey early into their runs, but Bosch gave us seven riveting seasons that never grew stale. From the pilot, it’s clear that while Bosch embraces everything people love about the television genre, the show places just as much significance on its complex protagonist, Detective Harry Bosch (Titus Welliver), as it does on his cases.
Even the cases themselves draw more interest than what you normally see in procedurals, as many span an entire season as opposed to a single episode. From its pilot to its series finale, Bosch is a non-stop thrill, and the show was so popular that it spawned two spin-offs, Bosch: Legacy and Ballard.
The Underground Railroad (2021)
Thuso Mbedu as Cora Randall in The Underground Railroad
Created by Moonlight director Barry Jenkins and based on Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, it’s shocking that The Underground Railroad didn’t get more attention than it did, given the star power of the creatives behind it. The pilot introduces us to The Underground Railroad’s main character, Cora Randall (Thuso Mbedu), a Black American woman who flees the Georgia plantation where she’s enslaved.
From there, we follow Cora on her harrowing journey to freedom, and the show never lets up on its intensity or the harsh reality of its subject matter. Jenkins proves that he is just as commanding a director for the small screen as he is for the big, and, based on the sustained excellence of The Underground Railroad, he should be doing more TV.
Jack Ryan (2018-2023)
John Krasinski had big shoes to fill, considering Jack Ryan has been played by several A-list actors, including Harrison Ford and Ben Affleck. However, by playing up Ryan’s relatability and high intelligence, Krasinski proved himself the best of the bunch right from the pilot, and Tom Clancy fans knew they were in for a treat with this enthralling Prime Video show.
The action thriller genre can get repetitive in a hurry, but Jack Ryan kept things fresh throughout all four of its seasons. Each season was unique in tone and story while still keeping the thrills to a maximum. The fact that Jack Ryan is also getting a sequel film speaks to how high the interest in the series still is, two years after its finale.
Transparent (2014-2019)
Maura and her family in Transparent TV show
While there is no family quite like the Pfeffermans of Transparent, their life struggles and explorations of gender and sexuality make them some of the most relatable characters on TV. At the center of it all is Maura (Jeffrey Tambor), who attempts to come out to her adult children as a trans woman in the pilot episode but can’t cut through the noise of their complicated lives.
She is eventually able to share her identity, however, and Transparent takes us on her journey that’s as full of love as it is complexity. While controversies surrounding Tambor resulted in Transparent’s early cancellation, the series itself is a work of art from the pilot to its unconventional feature-length Musicale Finale.
The Boys (2019-Present)
Homelander takes selfies with fans in The Boys pilot episode
With the 2010s’ deluge of Marvel and DC movies, superhero fatigue had officially set in when The Boys premiered in 2019. However, from the very beginning, The Boys proves itself the antithesis of a traditional comic book story, as many of the superheroes, or “Supes,” are the bad guys.
A breath of bloody, violent fresh air, The Boys is as cynical as it is cruel, but for those who can stomach the gore, it’s also a wildly fun show. The series continues to up itself without ever feeling cheap and pandering, with its upcoming season, The Boys season 5, being its most highly anticipated one yet.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017-2023)
We may not be getting a Gilmore Girls season 9 anytime soon, but creator Amy Sherman-Palladino gave us a show just as magical with The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Set in late-1950s New York City, we meet Midge Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan), an affluent housewife who has a meltdown after her husband leaves her and turns it into a comedy career.
Between Midge’s glamorous hats and dresses and the show’s whimsical ’50s aesthetic, Maisel may look like a fairytale, but at its heart, it’s a relatable underdog story. We cheer Midge on every step of the way as she ascends from a dive bar comic to a Joan Rivers-esque legend in an era where there was precious little room for women in comedy.
Fleabag (2016-2019)
Tons of shows are about young people living messy lives in a big city, and tons of shows feature a fourth-wall-breaking protagonist. But when you put them together in a series from Phoebe Waller-Bridge (who also plays the titular anti-heroine), you have sheer brilliance. From the show’s opening scene, you know that many of Fleabag’s decisions are ill-advised and selfish, but you’re rooting for her anyway.
With its rare 100% Rotten Tomatoes score, Fleabag proves its masterpiece status, and between its shocking bombshell in the season 1 finale and the introduction of Andrew Scott’s “Hot Priest” in season 2, you’ll wish the series lasted longer than its short two seasons. However, given Fleabag’s poignant yet tragic ending, it’s appropriate that the Prime Video series leaves the audience wanting more.