Amazon Prime Video has always been a little different to other streaming services – it bundles membership with a Prime subscription for starters.
That doesn't make it any the less exciting though, with plenty of its own home grown TV shows and movies, along with streaming exclusives in the UK and elsewhere.
Some of them are top-notch too, earning more than 90% on Rotten Tomatoes from critics and the viewing public alike. Here are three fine examples of TV series that are solely available on Amazon Prime Video that have been rated amongst the very best.
Enjoy.
Reacher
- Stars: Alan Richson, Malcolm Goodwin, Willa Fitzgerald
- Created by: Nick Santora from the Lee Childs books
- Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%
When you think of the 6ft 5in, 250lb monster of a man that is Jack Reacher, only one name instantly springs to mind… Tom Cruise.
With his imposing height and notoriously huge physique he really is the only man for the job. Well, at least that's what Paramount Pictures decided back in 2012 when, much to the confusion and disagreement of the loyal fan base, they decided to cast the diminutive superstar in the role.
The end result wasn't a bad film, per se, it just wasn't "Reacher".
Fast forward to 2022 and Amazon decided to have another, and much more considered, attempt at bringing the super popular Lee Childs character to life. This time as a series rather than a single movie.
It also finally chose a man mountain (Alan Richson) as Jack Reacher, giving the fans exactly what they wanted. And such we get a strong, silent and deadly Reacher who mixes brawn with brains and is loyal to the source material.
The show is therefore a solid crime drama with a stand-out central performance from Richson, plus some well paced and mature fight sequences. It cuts no corners, never dumbs down the character, and isn't afraid to have a main protagonist that simply does what needs to be done.
Fans were happy, casual viewers were happy, and the people at Prime Video must have been happy as a second season is about to start.
Indeed, Richson looks even bigger in it... If that is possible.
Gen V
- Stars: Jaz Sinclaire, Lizzy Broadway, Chance Perdomo, Maddie Philips
- Created by: Evan Goldberg, Erik Kripke, Craig Rosenberg
- Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%
The Boys has been a huge hit for Amazon. It's an unexpectedly adult take on the superhero genre that's based on a successful comic franchise by Garth Ennis and Darrick Robertson, and similarly found its place in the market by being the most offensive, biggest risk taking and most shocking show on TV at the time. Charting a world where superheroes are real and despite their power have their faults just like normal people, the show has never been afraid to be courageous and push the boundaries of what you could get away with on the small screen.
Gen V is its first live-action spin-off show and released while we awaited The Boys season 4. It focuses this time on teenagers who, while at a college for those with powers, have to deal with the daily drama of teenage life mixed with conspiracy, threat, violence and the expectations put on them by a world that idolises those considered "super".
Very much like The Boys itself, the show is shocking, outrageous, bold, lavish and has the ability to offend as many people as possible as quickly as possible.
However, it has proved to be very popular, having grabbed itself a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and looks to be the first step into an ever expanding cinematic universe.
Bosch
- Stars: Titus Welliver, Jamie Hector, Amy Aquino, Madison Lintz, Lance Reddick
- Created by: Erik Ellis Overmyer
- Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%
Based on the best selling novels by Michael Connelly, Bosch has proved to be a huge and lasting success for Prime Video. There are seven seasons and a spin-off show already in the bag, with the high concept and high value crime drama going from strength to strength.
Following Harry Bosch (Titus Welliver), who is a maverick LA police detective who never relents regardless of what needs to be done, the show sets itself above others through a strong narrative structure, mature and sharp script work, and fantastic performances. Welliver inhabits Bosch perfectly, playing a brooding and determined man with seemingly no boundaries or limits to what he is willing to do to protect and serve.
There are literally hundreds of similar cop shows out there, some good, most terrible, but what keeps Bosch at the top is its attention to detail, tone and writing. It really is a great show and its seven seasons are well deserved.
Check it out now and treat yourself to a huge weekend binge!
