Best TV shows to watch on Amazon Prime Video UK

Matthew Fox hasn't taken a TV role since his epic stint on Lost, but it's hard to see why this so-so environmental thriller tempted him back to the small screen. He's petro-chemist Andy Yeats, whose expertise becomes crucial when something mysterious happens to the world's oil supply, plunging societies into darkness and then lawlessness. A conspiracy is afoot, there to make a point about our dependence on fossil fuels, but the contrast between that and Andy's family life - he has a son with an eye condition and a daughter who's a green activist - is the stuff of disaster-movie cliche. Downton Abbey's Joanne Froggatt does a decent job in the thankless role of the wife left behind.

Jack Seale

From the brilliantly creative mind of Boots Riley – who wowed critics with his debut feature Sorry to Bother You – I'm A Virgo is a coming-of-age story like no other.

Jharrel Jerome follows acclaimed performances in Moonlight and When They See Us with this offbeat project, where he plays a 13-foot tall 19-year-old named Cootie. He has always been hidden away due to his enormous stature, but leaps at the first opportunity to experience the world – including a meeting with his idol, known simply as The Hero (played by Walton Goggins).

Critics have praised the show's satirical commentary and unique visual style, while the performances are stellar across the board. Jerome and Goggins are joined by Mike Epps (The Upshaws), Carmen Ejogo (True Detective), Brett Gray (On My Block) and Kara Young (The Staircase).

David Craig

Based on the New York Times bestselling novel by Naomi Alderman, this fantasy series imagines a world where women suddenly become capable of firing electrical charges through their fingertips. The story follows several characters from across the globe, all of whom are profoundly affected as a new world order begins to take shape.

While perhaps not as impactful as the source material – few screen adaptations are – The Power is an intriguing concept through which Alderman explores society's attitudes towards gender.

Meanwhile, the cast is a mix of established names like Toni Collette, John Leguizamo and Eddie Marsan as well as emerging talent including Chloe Auliʻi Cravalho, Heather Agyepong and Ria Zmitrowicz – all of whom bring their A-game to this exhilarating story.

David Craig

You wait ages for a TV remake of a controversial Jeremy Irons movie, then two come along at once: as well as Netflix’s Obsession, we have this bold re-imagining of the 1992 film where Jeremy Irons played identical twin gynaecologists. Now the twins are Rachel Weisz, playing flamboyantly unpredictable sisters (“If I’m a psycho, you’re a psycho!”) in a show that’s much more about fertility, motherhood and how society views women than the original film was. As a torrent of garish images and nightmarish ideas unfurls, Weisz visibly relishes the liberation of a daring double role.

Jack Seale

If you’re looking for something to fill the spy thriller-shaped hole in your TV viewing schedule then look no further than Citadel. The flashy new Prime Video series was not only a big-budget production (exceeding $200 million) but also has a star-studded cast that includes Richard Madden, Priyanka Chopra, Lesley Manville and Stanley Tucci.

The new series reaches its conclusion this week with the weekly episode releases keeping us guessing as to whether Manticore will be prevented from establishing a new world order by elite agents Mason Kane and Nadia Sinh. Will they succeed? We don’t quite know but if you’re after nail-biting action, look no further.

Morgan Cormack

A light-hearted foodie travelogue, prominently sponsored by a beer company that has provided a charmingly old-school three-wheeled truck for transportation. It begins with Jack Whitehall arriving in Florence for a speedy culinary tour of Tuscany, including world-class pasta and a difficult attempt to help with dairy farming. New Love Island presenter Maya Jama and former England rugby star Lawrence Dallaglio are the other celebs enjoying Italian food, opera and sunshine.

Jack Seale

One of the best comedy dramas of recent years is enjoying a playful final season, jumping around in time to give us glimpses of where the beloved characters will end up – while still majoring on Rachel Brosnahan as Midge, a 1960s housewife turned stand-up comic whose career change has led us on a dazzling tour of the Manhattan comedy scene at its counter-cultural peak, offset by the wry take on Jewish New Yorkers provided by Midge’s family.

Jack Seale

Harlem is back and after the cliffhanger of season 1’s finale, something tells us that season 2 will carry on in the same hilarious and dramatic fashion.

In a similar vein to comedy shows like Girlfriends and Insecure – and from Girls Trip writer Tracy Oliver – we follow four stylish and ambitious best girlfriends in Harlem NYC, the mecca of Black culture in America.

After blowing up her career and disrupting her love life, Camille (Meagan Good) has to figure out how to put the pieces back together, while the other members of the group are navigating self-discovery, career prospects and their big dreams. Be warned, though: it’s definitely the kind of series you can easily consume in a weekend.

This warm comedy drama tells an emotional story about three siblings and their parents, jumping back and forth in time from their childhood in the 1980s to their adult lives today. The impressive ensemble cast features powerhouse performances from Milo Ventimiglia (Heroes), Mandy Moore (47 Meters Down), Chrissy Metz (American Horror Story) and Sterling K Brown (The People v OJ Simpson). This Is Us has received glowing reviews from critics since it began, racking up a considerable number of award nominations and wins.

Ever wondered what happens when you cross a comedy with a nail-biting thriller? Well, The Consultant answers that question and provides ludicrous action with subtle humour.

In the series, we follow the after-effects of an unspeakable tragedy that takes place at Compware, a games studio in downtown Los Angeles. But when mysterious consultant Regus Patoff comes into town, he demands to take charge. It’s a series that explores the sinister relationship between boss and employee, but be prepared for twists and turns aplenty.

Christoph Waltz stars as Patoff while Death Note’s Nat Wolff and The White Lotus‘s Brittany O’Grady star as the company’s employees Craig and Elaine.

Morgan Cormack

Few fans of the Next Generation felt that the crew got the farewell they deserved in 2002 box-office bomb Star Trek: Nemesis. But two decades on, that wrong is finally being righted.

Because, for the first time since that damp squib of a send-off, Jean-Luc Picard’s (Patrick Stewart) former officers are reuniting as they take on a valedictory mission that feels very much like a Next Gen love letter. It’s also – it must be said – something of a necessary recalibration for the Picard spin-off itself, which has, up until now, been struggling on impulse power.

Seasons one and two remain available on Prime Video, but this third (and final) run is a standalone adventure that gives aficionados the chance to warm themselves in the glow of nostalgia, as we catch up with the likes of empathetic Dr Crusher, the burly Riker and Klingon warrior Worf.

David Brown

If you sometimes find baking competitions a bit cutesy and twee, definitely give this one a swerve: yes, it’s a cakefest with a Dr Seuss theme, taking place in a studio decked out like a page from one of the books. Bakers who are also Seuss fanatics compete to create showstoppers based on favourite illustrations, and while the atmosphere is cartoonish, the bakes – judged by pastry chefs Joshua John Russell and Clarice Lam – are often impressively intricate. The rhymes, bright colours and upbeat vibes create a toothsome festive sugar boost.

Jack Seale

Orlando Bloom and Cara Delevingne lead this epic fantasy series, which takes place in a fantastical version of Victorian era London – albeit one plagued by the same social issues we faced at the time (and still do today).

Racism and xenophobia are two of the most prominent themes in this dark drama, which sees mythological creatures – primarily fairies (AKA ‘fae’) and fauns – turned into refugees as colonial wars break out across their lands. But when they arrive in human-dominated city The Burgue seeking safety, they are greeted with extreme prejudice and disdain from the local population.

Against this grim backdrop, detective Rycroft Philostrate (Bloom) begins investigating a series of gruesome fae murders, with no shortage of suspects in such a hostile environment. Though it could do with faster pacing and some more subtlety to its characters, the sprawling, detailed world of Carnival Row is certainly an impressive creation. A long-awaited second season, coming in February 2023, will finish the story.

If watching the Stranger Things gang play Dungeons & Dragons has given you an interest in the real thing, The Legend of Vox Machina would be a great way to learn more about the fantasy role-playing game. This is an animated retelling of a real campaign originally played on popular web series Critical Role, which follows a ragtag group of adventurers as they seek to avenge murders committed by the evil Lord and Lady Briarwood.

In the recently launched second season, Vox Machina is faced with saving the world once again – this time, from a sinister group of dragons known as the Chroma Conclave. Expect adult humour along the way as well as big name guest stars, including David Tennant (Doctor Who), Stephanie Beatriz (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), Indira Varma (Obi-Wan Kenobi), Ralph Ineson (Willow) and Henry Winkler (Barry).

This two-part documentary from writer-director Sam Hobkinson (who also made last year’s acclaimed documentary Misha and the Wolves) recounts the strange and disturbing case of Patricia Hall, a Yorkshire mother-of-two who vanished in 1992. When a search operation turned up no trace of her, her husband Keith became the focus of the investigation. That revealed no evidence on his part, and as Patricia was still missing, the case seemed to go cold. Then Keith fell in love with a mysterious new woman, leading to a judicial controversy that still rages today.

Jack Seale

Buckle up for this acclaimed action-thriller adaptation of Tom Clancy’s beloved book series. John Krasinski stars as Jack, a CIA analyst who enters the field after discovering a string of dubious bank transfers. The series is full of high-voltage action as well as a strong performance from Krasinski, and a stellar supporting cast including Wendell Pierce and Michael Kelly. There have been plenty of adaptations of Clancy’s works, but in allowing time for the series to breathe, Amazon’s production develops the characters in a way that hasn’t been seen on screen before.

There are three seasons currently available, with a fourth and final season also on the way. However, with rumours of a potential spin-off, it seems Amazon aren’t ready to get off the Jack Ryan train just yet – and neither are we.

While this new action thriller has been heralded as many things, one thing’s for certain – it’ll certainly keep viewers intrigued till the very end.

The series, which is led by Line of Duty’s Martin Compston, is an exhilarating drama centred on the crew of the Kinloch Bravo oil rig. As a mysterious fog descends on them, though, they all struggle to keep themselves together and soon, questions of ecology and our relationship with the planet start to rear their head. While it’s been likened to BBC’s Vigil (on account of the similar claustrophobic setting), we say that it’s a sci-fi thriller that has notes of Doctor Who about it.

Morgan Cormack

Whether you’re a fan of the Coen Brothers’ 1996 comedy drama film or not, this follow-up series is still definitely worth checking out. It tells a different story at a different point in the timeline each season, focussing on new characters played by the biggest of stars – Martin Freeman, Billy Bob Thornton, Kirsten Dunst, Ewan McGregor, Chris Rock and many more have all popped up over the years.

Each season follows a different tale of crime and scheming, with all of the stories deftly plotted out and constructed to balance drama and seriously black comedy.

James Hibbs

James Corden makes a rare foray into television drama in a six-part examination of loss, betrayal and the magnificent absurdity of monogamy. Set in a world beset by a sort of exquisitely agonised privilege that recalls the Sky Atlantic drama Patrick Melrose, it’s written by Jez Butterworth – the acclaimed playwright of Jerusalem and The Ferryman – who brings his showy, epigrammatic style to the small screen.

Not everyone will readily acclimatise to the heightened dialogue but it’s a boldly different piece with a dark energy that Corden fully embraces. Sally Hawkins, Colin Morgan and, as himself, Tom Jones co-star.

Jack Seale

With the release of this supernatural thriller from executive producer Steven Moffat, Prime Video invites audiences to ask the question – what exactly is The Devil’s Hour?

With a season premiere that features abstract imagery and a cavalcade of sensory assaults, the series never proves to be an easy watch. Five minutes in, Lucy (Jessica Raine) and Gideon (Peter Capaldi) are captured conversing in a blacked-out room. She is pale, bruised and defiant in the face of her interrogator who sits opposite, handcuffed yet commanding. Exposition is limited and other storytelling staples are thin on the ground, making this show almost impossible to pin down for audiences seeking context.

Martin Carr

The way young Black people living in Britain’s big cities are viewed by the rest of society is often wrapped up in music, with rap, drill and grime regularly the subject of tabloid scare stories. Whether new six-part drama Jungle (Amazon Prime) gives those genres a new popularity is yet to be seen, but it uses them in a fascinating way: they’re woven tightly into an anthology of stories set in the neon-lit darkness of a stylised, dystopian London where gun crime is dominant, to the point where the characters break into rapping as part of the dialogue. Yes, like in a Hollywood musical…

That conceit, and the odd blast of sly humour, leavens what’s generally a pretty intense ride, as grudges are acted on and plans to make money inevitably unravel. The cast includes Bulletproof star Ezra Elliot (pictured left), and rapper Tinie Tempah as himself.

Jack Seale

This new comedy-drama series is a loose adaptation of the 1992 film of the same name – which starred Tom Hanks and Geena Davis and told the story of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League during the Second World War.

The new version is also about the formation of a World War II-era women’s professional baseball team, but introduces us to a new cast of characters and various new storylines – with Broad City star Abbi Jacobson co-creating and playing a leading role. Highly praised for its warmth and humour, the show’s refreshingly diverse cast has also seen it win many admirers.

Hacks has become a firm favourite among critics since its debut just last year. The showbiz comedy stars Jean Smart as Deborah Vance, a legendary Las Vegas comedian whose popularity is starting to wane. On a mission to revitalise her act, Vance reluctantly teams up with a “cancelled” young comedy writer named Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder).

It makes for a dynamite comedy pairing as the two take an instant disliking to one another but are forced to stick together for the sake of both their careers. The show just earned another round of Emmy nominations to go with last year’s wins, so be sure to catch up on the first two seasons now.