The best shows on Amazon Prime Video UK you need to watch right now.
UPDATE: We can’t all live like lords and ladies of the manor, but we can peek through the curtains. All seven series of Downton Abbey are available to stream on Amazon Prime Video, making their way onto our best-of list. Binge away!
If you’re going to binge-watch, then make sure you’re doing it properly, and Amazon’s competitive Netflix rival is a good place to start. This is our pick of the best shows on Amazon Prime Video, the TV series that we have been watching and loving on what has become one of the most popular streaming services around. Get your free 30-day Amazon Prime trial Get your free 30-day Amazon Prime trial
Since the launch of Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime has grown into a media powerhouse. Taking, and in some ways surpassing, Netflix’s self-serving model to produce its own content Amazon now has a bevy of television shows that are begging to be watched on its own platform. The choice is expansive and that’s where we come in.
TechRadar has curated a list of the best Amazon Prime shows around. Chosen by the team, these are the shows streamed in the UK that are Instant classics primed to offer up hours of compulsive viewing.
It’s worth noting that these are the best Amazon Prime TV shows that can be watched instantly when you have Amazon Prime access. There are many more shows you can watch through Amazon but these have to be purchased to be viewed. Amazon Prime access
We will keep this list constantly updated if any paid shows become free that we feel need to be included. So, click through the gallery to see our picks. And if you want to know what upcoming shows will be hitting Amazon Prime soon, then keep reading below. Check out our in-depth Amazon Prime Video review Amazon Prime Video review Fancy a film? Then our Best Amazon Prime Movies feature is for you Best Amazon Prime Movies Want to see what the rival is doing? Then check out Best Netflix TV Shows Best Netflix TV Shows These are the best movies on Netflix UK best movies on Netflix UK ETA TBA
Clarkson, Hammond and the other one are back for Grand Tour: Season 2. Well, we kind of knew that they would be as they all have massive contracts that mean we will be seeing quite a few seasons of the Definitely Not Top Gear But Quite A Bit Like Top Gear show. This season we will see Clarkson drive a fast car, Hammond drive a faster car and nearly die, and the other one drive a fast car considerably slower than the rest. It’s not confirmed if they’ve upgraded from the tent that they lived in last season, or if the first episode will just be a crowd cheering and fawning over middle aged men in the middle of the desert, like a scene out of Mad Max: Fury Road, but its probably likely. Out TBC
Jean-Claude Van Damme already sent himself up brilliantly in the movie JCVD — this show goes off on its own riff, though. Van Damme plays, well, Van Damme. An actor cum spy. In the pilot, he comes out of retirement in pursuit of an ex girlfriend. The show is packed with references on JCVD’s movies and is genuinely funny. Out TBC
The Marvelous Mrs Maisel could well be the perfect antidote for those missing Mad Men. Set in the ’50s, it’s about a perfect housewife — in the eyes of what was a sexist era — who just happens to be trying to make it as a cutting-edge stand-up comic. Created by the folks behind The Gilmore Girls and starring House of Cards’ Rachel Brosnahan, this is set to be one ‘marvelous’ show. Out TBC
The works of Michel Faber nearly always translate well to the big and small screen. The Crimson Petal and the White was given a great mini series adaptation by the Beeb in 2001. And Under The Skin is one of the most inventive films ever made. Another one of his works, The Book of Strange Things, has been given the Amazon Originals Pilot treatment. Called Oasis, the show is a twisty opaque look at a priest who is living in a human colony on another planet. Richard Madden, last seen in Game of Thrones, stars.
Anyone who wants something to fill their Friday Nights Lights hole need to look no further. This documentary is a superb look at how gruelling a season of American football is. It gives the viewer unprecedented access to the coaches, the staff and, most importantly, the players and it’s a fantastic watch. Tying the whole thing together is also some superb narration from Mad Men’s John Hamm.
Based on the novel by Neil Gaiman and brought to the screen by the ever-excellent Bryan Fuller, American Gods is a existential look at what would happen if gods were to walk the earth. Starring Ricky Whittle (who has made the transition from Hollyoaks to Hollywood with ease) and Ian McShane, the show is both bizarre and brazen, cultish and controversial. It may take a while to figure out just what the hell is going on, but this is one smart, celestial slice of entertainment that’s already got us hooked.
Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 1 (new episodes each week)
The premise of The 100 is as high concept as you can get. It’s set 97 years after nuclear armageddon has decimated earth, leaving just those who were up in space residing on space stations alive. As supplies are dwindling, 100 ‘prisoners’ are sent back to earth to see if there’s anything left to start a new life back there. As you can guess with the plot, the show is one big psychological thrill — where the means to survive pushes people to extremes. The show’s best when it takes moral issues, not so much when romance is at the forefront.
Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 3
The Americans was cruelly mishandled when it originally came to UK TV, so we are glad it has finally found a decent place to reside. The show is a cracking crime period thriller that follows the exploits of a couple of KGB agents posing as US citizens around the time Ronald Reagan became US president. Get your free 30-day Amazon Prime trial Get your free 30-day Amazon Prime trial
It may occasionally flit between the ridiculous and the sublime but you would expect nothing more from a show that’s main conceit comprises characters dueling with duality. The ’80s setting is fantastic, too, though there aren’t enough shell suits for our liking.
Seasons on Amazon Prime: 3
You’ve seen all the Nolan and Burton Bat flicks, and you’re wisely avoiding the new Batfleck films. If you’re still hankering for a Batman fix, you could do far, far worse than jumping into Batman: The Animated Series. Kicking off back in 1992, it bridges the gap of the Burton aesthetic and the comic book series, and is regarded by Batman fans as having perhaps the definitive onscreen take on the Dark Knight.
It’s ostensibly a kids cartoon, but the ongoing storylines are captivating and stylishly noir-like in delivery. And to cap things off, the voice cast is superb – Kevin Conroy is an assuredly-good Batman (reprising the role for the recent Batman: Arkham games), while Star Wars’ own Mark Hamill is a fantastically unhinged Joker.
Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 4
Johnny Depp may have spent the latter half of his career convincing the world that pirates all look, smell and talk like a Rolling Stone but we prefer Black Sails’ interpretation. Exclusive to Amazon Prime, Black Sails treats the pirate legend with a touch more reality and this is pretty much all down to Shakespearean thesp Toby Stephens. Get your free 30-day Amazon Prime trial Get your free 30-day Amazon Prime trial
His interpretation of Captain Flint, one of the great characters of Treasure Island, is inspired, as is the cinematography in this high seas romp. Set 20 years before Treasure Island, Black Sails is one bit of piracy we fully condone.
Seasons on Amazon Prime: 4 (new episodes weekly)
With 20-something novels to mine for source material, Bosch is a character that was always destined for the small screen. Created by Michael Connelly but brilliantly brought to life by actor Titus Welliver, the series follows the exploits of LA Homicide detective Harry Bosch and features enough grit to pave the longest of driveways.
This is no surprise — the series has been created by Eric Overmyer, who was part of the alumni that created The Wire. Bosch is another show that has been put together by Amazon Studios — proving that streaming services are becoming just as powerful as the HBOs of the world when it comes to producing compelling drama. Get your free 30-day Amazon Prime trial Get your free 30-day Amazon Prime trial
Bosch Season 2 has also landed on Amazon Prime, continuing the saga of Harry Bosch and it comes with a nice uplift in quality too.
Number of seasons on Amazon Prime: 2
From the minds of Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney comes one of the funniest, most well-written sitcom in years. The plot is slight: a one-night stand turns into a relationship once Sharon announces she is pregnant. But the series contains some of the most cut-to-the-bone humour seen on TV. Combine this with a nice slab of pathos — nestled among many a sex joke — and what you have is a modern classic.
The third series, which recently aired on Channel 4, is now available on Amazon Prime Video — it features the last ever performance from the imitable Carrie Fisher.
Seasons on Amazon Prime: 2
We like a dark twist on the superhero genre as much as the next person, and The Tick delivers it: it’s about an accountant with mental health issues, who may or may not be a superhero — it could all be in his head. Peter Serafinowicz is the eponymous Tick, and despite that rather sombre-sounding plot outline, this is a black and surreal comedy worth seeking out.
Seasons on Amazon Prime: 1
Before he was whipping up a storm as Mr Grey, Jamie Dornan played an effortlessly charming and equally chilling serial killer in The Fall, a fantastic Irish drama that deserves all the acclaim it gets. Get your free 30-day Amazon Prime trial Get your free 30-day Amazon Prime trial
Dornan is Paul Spector, a care worker who has a sideline in killing woman. To help track him down, hard-nosed detective Stella Gibson (Gillian Anderson) heads to Belfast to try and capture the murderer. The Fall is a perfect blend of intelligent scripting, nuanced acting and a fantastic premise. Knowing who the killer is from scene one amps up, rather than releases, the show’s tension.
Seasons on Amazon Prime: 2
With Season Six of Walking Dead coming to an end with a thump, you can still get your undead helping with Fear The Walking Dead — a show that tries its hardest to be more than a spin-off. Set in Los Angeles, the show follows high school guidance counselor Madison Clark (a brilliant Kim Dickens fresh from Treme) and English teacher Travis Manawa (Cliff Curtis) as they adapt to a life after the ‘zombie’ outbreak. The show is slow paced, each episode is an hour and there’s a 90-minute pilot, but it manages to approach the Walking Dead world in a wholly different way.
Seasons on Amazon Prime: 2
Billy Bob Thornton stars as a washed-up lawyer looking for a big break who stumbles on to a big case that may well give him the solace he needs. Made by David E Kelly who loves a bit of courtroom drama, having already created Boston Legal, The Practice and Ally McBeal, the show works well as a standalone series but there’s talk that it may get a second season. Goliath is part of Amazon’s Original series of TV shows.
Seasons on Amazon Prime: 1
To be honest, we’re surprised that Amazon has been so quiet about The Grand Tour. We’ve seen nothing about it anywhere. No adverts, no trailers, no Jeremy Clarkson selling his soul to promote Amazon products… nope, nothing. Who are we kidding? Amazon spent tens of millions to nab Clarkson, James May and the other one and have thrown more money at The Grand Tour than the UK has lost post-Brexit. The Grand Tour
Each episode is a more grandiose version of the Top Gear specials, with the presenters sent off to far-flung lands – sometimes with actual cars. Amazon needs this to be a hit, Clarkson need never worry about money again and as for the quality of the show: well, you might say it packs one helluva punch.
Seasons on Amazon: 1 Get your free 30-day Amazon Prime trial Get your free 30-day Amazon Prime trial
Now in its third season, Halt And Catch Fire is another surefire hit by AMC — the folks that brought us Mad Men and Breaking Bad. Set around a fictionalised version of the computer revolution of the 1980s and the rise of the web in the ’90s, Catch Fire is a fantastic look at how technology has improved all our lives, while nearly tearing apart the innovators at the same time.
A fourth and final season began airing in October, but you can watch the first three on Amazon Prime now.
Seasons on Amazon Prime: 3
Last seen in Sons of Anarchy, Ron Perlman has moved from the mad world of biker gangs into the stranger world of law. Perlman plays a vice-riddled barrister who, after suffering a breakdown, starts to believe he is a messenger from god. Get your free 30-day Amazon Prime trial Get your free 30-day Amazon Prime trial
The full first season for Hand of God arrived on Amazon Prime, after a successful pilot. A second season is also available, which will sadly be the last as Amazon has decided to not renew the show. This is a shame as it may not be a light-hearted ride — but it is one drama that takes dark turn after dark turn and is all the better for it.
Seasons on Amazon Prime: 2
Filmed in Baton Rouge and based on the stories of Joe Lansdale, Hap and Leonard is a great swampy noir thriller of a show that’s based on the relationship of two friends and the sometimes violent scrapes they get into. James Purefoy and Michael K Williams are superb as the pair, one a Vietnam vet, the other a draft dodger. Set in the 80s, the show is similar to Cold In July, the movie from the same writer and is only six episodes long, so perfect for a binge watch.
Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 2
Stephen King has had a rocky journey to the big and small screen. For every adaptation that works (Misery, Shawshank Redemption), there’s a dozen that don’t (The Langoliers, Under The Dome TV show). Haven is a strange one — it’s a show that started as an adaptation of a Stephen King short story, The Colorado Kid, and has mutated into a love letter to King and his stories. Over the course of five seasons, the show has becomes a great watch — especially if you are a King fan and can spot the many references.
Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 5
Hell on Wheels sounds like it should be a Sons of Anarchy rival, about motorcycle gangs or the like. But it’s actually centred on the construction of the US’s First Transcontinental Railroad. The first season begins soon after the assassination of President Lincoln and from there the show plays out like a western, showing myriad sides of the railway being built — from slaves to their owners, to the money me behind the scheme. It’s a show that’s been a massive hit for AMC — falling just behind The Walking Dead in their ratings for original shows.
Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 5
Recently graduating from Amazon Originals pilot to fully fledged TV show, I Love Dick is a great subversive watch.
