Amazon Prime Video has one of the strongest TV libraries in streaming — and these are the shows worth adding to your watch list this January.
New Year’s Day is nearly here. Over on Netflix, Stranger Things season 5 is about to end, and you’re running out of time to watch the best TV shows of 2025.
However, it can be hard to find something else to watch, especially when the platform shuffles its add-ons with the shows that come with an Amazon Prime subscription.
To kick off the New Year, we cut through the noise, combed the full catalogue, and ranked the 15 best TV shows you can stream on Amazon Prime Video.
The best series on Amazon Prime Video
15. Beast Games
MrBeast’s game show is diabolical (Credit: Prime Video)
Genre: Reality
Year: 2025 – present
Cast: MrBeast, Tyler Conklin, Sean Klitzner, Mack Hopkins
Creator: MrBeast, Tyler Conklin, Sean Klitzner, Mack Hopkins
Length: 1 season, 10 episodes (season 2 premieres on January 7)
What it’s about: In a new reality series from MrBeast, the world’s biggest content creator, 1,000 people compete in difficult, emotionally gruelling challenges as they try to win $5 million, the biggest prize in TV history.
Why to watch: Backing MrBeast’s infectious brainrot may seem like a surprise for this list. Alas, similar to Squid Game: The Challenge (just even more morally corrupt), this is spellbindingly horrible television; the nadir of reality-show desperation and backstabbing, and it is absolutely delicious.
According to Amazon, the second season will be “bigger, bolder, and more intense than ever”.
14. Steal
Steal should be on your watch list for January (Credit: Prime Video)
Genre: Thriller
Year: 2026 (premieres January 21)
Cast: Sophie Turner, Archie Madekwe, Jacob Fortune-Lloyd
Creator: S.A. Nikias
Length: 1 season, 6 episodes
What it’s about: A typical work day at a pension fund investment company, Lochmill Capital, is upended when a gang of violent thieves bursts in and forces Zara to execute their demands.
Why to watch: Sophie Turner was once one of the biggest stars on TV, thanks to Game of Thrones. Steal marks a long overdue lead role in the sort of show that anybody can watch: a nail-biting heist thriller. According to Amazon’s head of TV, it has “all the ingredients for a gripping, addictive, entertaining story for our global customers to enjoy”.
13. The Handmaid’s Tale
Elisabeth Moss won a Golden Globe for The Handmaid’s Tale (Credit: Hulu)
Genre: Drama
Year: 2017 – 2025
Cast: Elisabeth Moss, Joseph Fiennes, Yvonne Strahovski, Ann Dowd
Creator: Bruce Miller
Length: 6 seasons, 66 episodes
What it’s about: In the Republic of Gilead, formerly known as the United States, fertility rates have collapsed. The series follows Offred, a Handmaid in the oppressive regime, as she tries to survive as a reproductive surrogate for a commander and his wife.
Why to watch: Though not as ubiquitously name-dropped as Black Mirror, The Handmaid’s Tale has become an undeniably frightening reference point in pop culture. That’s not just because of its premise: it’s an engrossing, potently conceived series with provocations that feel all too real.
12. Life on Mars
Life on Mars is one of the greatest BBC shows ever (Credit: BBC)
Genre: Drama, Crime
Year: 2006 – 2007
Cast: John Simm, Philip Glenister, Liz White
Creator: Matthew Graham, Tony Jordan, Ashley Pharoah
Length: 2 seasons, 16 episodes
What it’s about: Sam Tyler, a police officer in 2006, wakes up after a car crash and realises he’s in 1973. As he tries to figure out why he’s been transported back in time, he works the same job under the command of Gene Hunt.
Why to watch: An imaginative, bracingly funny, and thrilling merge of timey-wimey fun and police procedurals, Life on Mars is an absolute must-watch (it’s even one of Stephen King’s favourite shows). It will have you hooked to the small screen, but it’s far from a saddening bore; in fact, you’ll want to relive it 10 times or more.
11. Reacher
Alan Ritchson is the most book-accurate Jack Reacher we’ve ever seen (Credit: Prime Video)
Genre: Action, Thriller
Year: 2022 – present
Cast: Alan Ritchson, Willa Fitzgerald, Malcolm Goodwin
Creator: Nick Santora
Length: 3 seasons, 24 episodes (renewed for season 4)
What it’s about: Jack Reacher, a veteran military police investigator and drifter, solves murders, uncovers criminal conspiracies, and punches people in the face.
Why to watch: Reacher is ‘dadcore’ TV: a show about a morally righteous action man in small-town America who lives out every average guy’s fantasy by beating up scumbags and criminals. That’s charming on its own, but each season has a compelling story that’s easy to follow – long may it continue.
10. The Summer I Turned Pretty
Are you Team Conrad or Team Jeremiah? (Credit: Prime Video)
Genre: Drama
Year: 2022 – present
Cast: Lola Tung, Christopher Briney, Gavin Casalegno
Creator: Jenny Han
Length: 3 seasons, 26 episodes (finale movie announced)
What it’s about: After finishing her junior year at college, Belly is excited to spend another summer with her soulmate, Jeremiah. However, when Conrad – who happens to be Jeremiah’s brother – comes back into her life, she has to decide who she truly loves.
Why to watch: The Summer I Turned Pretty is peak softcore steamy TV; a coming-of-age story that’s shamelessly (and seductively) melodramatic and romantic. You’ll be surprised how quickly you’ll want to debate choosing Team Jeremiah or Conrad.
9. Fallout
Fallout adapts the hit video game franchise (Credit: Prime Video)
Genre: Sci-fi, Action
Year: 2024 – present
Cast: Ella Purnell, Walton Goggins, Aaron Moten
Creator: Graham Wagner, Geneva Robertson-Dworet
Length: 2 seasons, 8 episodes (second season still airing)
What it’s about: Over 200 years after a nuclear apocalypse, three people end up on a collision course: Lucy, a Vault 33 resident who ventures into the real world for the first time; Maximus, a Brotherhood of Steel squire; and the Ghoul, a mutated gunslinger and bounty hunter.
Why to watch: Fallout is among the best video game adaptations ever made (yes, better than The Last of Us), because it’s fantastic on its own terms. It doesn’t pander, nor does it misstep in its expansion of the beloved franchise. It hones the dark iconography and analog-softened vibe of the games for an all-new experience.
May the future of the genre be cut by its sword.
8. Last One Laughing UK
Last One Laughing tests the composure of the UK’s best comedians (Credit: Prime Video)
Genre: Comedy, Reality
Year: 2023 – 2023
Cast: Jimmy Carr
Creator: Hitoshi Matsumoto
Length: 1 season, 6 episodes (renewed for season 2)
What it’s about: Jimmy Carr gathers 10 of the UK’s funniest comedians and pits them against each other with one simple goal: either make them laugh… or try not to laugh.
Why to watch: Last One Laughing is predicated on a simple fact: it’s funny watching people do everything in their power not to smile, only to break and burst into laughter. Here, there’s the added bonus of it involving some of the best comedians in the country (and it’s coming back in 2026).
7. The Boys
The Boys isn’t like any superhero show you’ve seen (Credit: Prime Video)
Genre: Superhero, Action
Year: 2019 – present
Cast: Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty
Creator: Eric Kripke
Length: 4 seasons, 32 episodes (season 5 premiering in 2026)
What it’s about: After a superhero kills his girlfriend, Hughie teams up with Billy Butcher, the leader of a secret mercenary group dedicated to taking down Vought, a multi-billion-dollar company, and its “supe” empire.
Why to watch: In 2019, in the wake of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s unofficial death with Avengers: Endgame, The Boys emerged as an outrageous tonic in an oversaturated superhero world. It is frequently timely (amusingly and worryingly so), edgy, preposterously gruesome, and it’s armed with one of the scariest villains in TV history.
6. The X-Files
Mulder and Scully are pop culture icons (Credit: 20th Century Studios)
Genre: Sci-fi, Thriller
Year: 1993 – 2018
Cast: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson
Creator: Chris Carter
Length: 11 seasons, 218 episodes
What it’s about: Mulder and Scully, two newly partnered FBI agents, investigate the X-Files: unusual cold cases that often involve (alleged) paranormal phenomena.
Why to watch: The X-Files may seem like a mountain to climb (218 episodes, including two movies and the revival), but there are two things you should know. One, it’s one of the most influential TV shows of all time, and two, it boasts some of the freakiest stuff you’ll ever see on the small screen (“Home” is a particular highlight).
5. Clarkson’s Farm
Clarkson’s Farm is great comfort television (Credit: Prime Video)
Genre: Reality
Year: 2021 – present
Cast: Jeremy Clarkson, Kaleb Cooper, Lisa Hogan
Creator: Jeremy Clarkson
Length: 4 seasons, 32 episodes
What it’s about: Trading fast cars for tractors, Clarkson’s Farm follows Jeremy Clarkson as he… well, tends to a farm in West Oxfordshire.
Why to watch: As popular as Top Gear was, Jeremy Clarkson isn’t for everyone; he can come across crass, outspoken, and a little smug. Yet, Clarkson’s Farm tops Amazon Prime’s streaming chart in the UK every time it airs a new season – and with good reason. In short, it’s entertaining, even lovely TV about a smart arse humbling himself for a good cause.
4. The Marvelous Mrs Maisel
The Marvelous Mrs Maisel was Superman star Rachel Brosnahan’s breakout role (Credit: Prime Video)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Year: 2017 – 2023
Cast: Rachel Brosnahan, Tony Shalhoub, Alex Borstein
Creator: Amy Sherman-Palladino
Length: 5 seasons, 43 episodes
What it’s about: Miriam “Midge” Maisel has everything she’s ever wanted: a perfect husband, two kids, and an elegant apartment in 1950s New York. But her life changes forever when she discovers a new talent: stand-up comedy.
Why to watch: The Marvelous Mrs Maisel is brilliant; a poignant, hilarious delight that’s proven to be the perfect star vehicle for the actress behind its titular comedian, Rachel Brosnahan. Then again, what else did we expect? It comes from Amy Sherman-Palladino, who created one of the most iconic, coziest shows about womanhood ever made, Gilmore Girls.
3. The Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad is a harrowing masterpiece (Credit: Prime Video)
Genre: Drama
Year: 2021
Cast: Thuso Mbedu, Chase W. Dillon, Joel Edgerton
Creator: Barry Jenkins
Length: 1 season, 10 episodes
What it’s about: After escaping a Georgia plantation, Cora discovers a secret network of tracks and tunnels beneath the southern soil. As she seeks freedom, she’s pursued by a notorious bounty hunter.
Why to watch: An epic, operatic, and heartbreaking series that stretches the confines of the small screen, The Underground Railroad is the most slept-on series on Amazon Prime. It wouldn’t be fair to call it underrated (it’s received near-universal acclaim from those who’ve seen it), but it should have been loudly and widely lauded. Rectify the universe’s error and watch it.
2. Invincible
Invincible is the best superhero show of the 21st century so far (Credit: Prime Video)
Genre: Animation, Superhero
Year: 2021 – present
Cast: Steven Yeun, Sandra Oh, J.K. Simmons
Creator: Robert Kirkman
Length: 3 seasons, 25 episodes
What it’s about: Mark is the son of Omni-Man, the most powerful superhero on Earth. After he wakes up with powers of his own, he takes on the mantle of Invincible, unaware of the responsibilities (and horrors) that await him.
Why to watch: Invincible felt like a new frontier from its first episode; a Pokémon-hued, violent, and entirely singular superhero adaptation with cosmic stakes that feel down-to-earth. It has a claim to the best show that’s currently airing; provocative, compulsively watchable TV that will only get better, should it complete the medium-defining comics.
1. Fleabag
Phoebe Waller-Bridge will make you laugh and cry in Fleabag (Credit: BBC)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Year: 2016 – 2019
Cast: Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Sian Clifford, Andrew Scott
Creator: Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Length: 2 seasons, 12 episodes
What it’s about: In the wake of a shocking tragedy, Fleabag – a single, witty, fourth-wall-breaking woman – tries to navigate awkward hookups, keeping up with her family, and the rest of daily life while dealing with grief.
Why to watch: Fleabag is the best comedy series of the past decade in every regard. Incisively funny, emotional, and affectingly wise, with Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s extraordinary performance (and writing) anchoring a show incapable of failure.
