Check out crime thriller Reacher and see the other TV series Prime Video has to offer.
Aside from dropping several TV shows at the beginning of each month, Amazon Prime Video doesn’t have a ton of new weekly releases.
But occasionally, an Amazon Original comes knocking that deserves to be put on your radar. Below you’ll find highlights for this week, as well as CNET’s full list of best Amazon Prime Video Original TV shows.
What’s new this month
A ton of new TV shows hit Prime Video this month. Here are the highlights.
Feb. 1
- Key & Peele, seasons 1-2 (2012-2015) — Sketch comedy series. The project sees Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele in front of a live studio audience bantering about a topic, amid filmed shorts and sketches.
- Workaholics, seasons 1-7 (2011-2017) — Sitcom. A single-camera comedy featuring three friends who work together as telemarketers from 9 to 5, and live together from 5 to 9.
Feb. 4
- Reacher, season 1 premiere (2022- ) — Crime thriller. Jack Reacher, a veteran military police investigator, has recently entered civilian life when he’s falsely accused of murder.
Feb. 18
- The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, season 4 premiere (2017- ) — Comedy drama. A housewife in 1958 decides to become a standup comic.
Best Amazon Prime Video Original TV shows
Thriller
Reacher (2022- )
Amazon Prime Video
Adapted from Lee Child’s best selling Jack Reacher book series, Reacher’s 10-episode first season packs a muscular punch. Jack, a brawny former US Army military policeman played by Alan Ritchson, arrives in a small town and is promptly arrested for a murder he didn’t commit. Armed with killer strength and some solid detective skills, the protagonist eventually fends off an array of enemies while uncovering a criminal conspiracy. A treat for crime thriller fans and lovers of Child’s novels. “Watch The Batman“
Homecoming (2018—)
Amazon Studios
While season 2 of Homecoming didn’t quite find its feet, season 1 hit the ground running. Julia Roberts stars in this psychological thriller about an army rehabilitation facility run by questionable owners. Using an effective, mystery-building narrative that covers two timelines, Homecoming is high on tension and paranoia as it reveals what the facility’s true purpose is. Fun fact: The series uses the actual scores of movies from Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick and more.
The Man in the High Castle (2015-2019)
Amazon Studios
The Man in the High Castle imagines an alternate history where the Axis powers (Rome-Berlin-Tokyo) win World War II. Based on a Philip K. Dick novel, the series follows characters in the ’60s who live in a parallel universe, where Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan control the US. But there’s impossible newsreel footage surfacing of a world where Germany and Japan lose the war, causing some to rebel. To really hammer home its dystopia credentials, The Man in the High Castle is steered by producer Ridley Scott. Fully realized and with a focused plot, this is gripping TV.
Hanna (2019—)
Amazon Prime
The premise of Hanna, a Joe Wright action thriller from 2011, is so good Amazon fleshed it out for a TV series. Starring Esme Creed-Miles as the skilled young assassin living in the Romanian wilderness, Hanna the TV show expands the teen’s backstory and explains why the CIA’s Marissa Wiegler has an obsession with capturing her.
Sci-fi
Upload (2020—)
Katie Yu, Aaron Epstein / Amazon Studios
Set in the near future, this sci-fi comedy imagines humans are able to upload themselves into a virtual afterlife. Nathan, a computer programmer played by Robbie Amell, finds himself pressed with that choice after a self-driving car accident and decides to upload to cozy, expensive Lake View. Though imperfect, Upload, which is part satire, part romance and part murder mystery, is easy to consume. Plus, a second season is arriving March 11.
Tales from the Loop (2020—)
Amazon
Not just another show about a small town where strange things happen, Tales from the Loop has a lot more underneath the surface. Drawing from a narrative art book by Swedish artist Simon Stålenhag, the series is stunning to look at, meticulous as can be with symmetrical frames. Light and space are infused with a painterly feel. The interconnected townspeople are similarly nuanced, their stories exploring loneliness, aging, the impact of technology and more through sci-fi ideas.
The Feed (2019)
Amazon Studios
The Black Mirror vibes are strong in this British series about technology gone wrong. The Feed is set in a futuristic London where a family develops an implant that lets people livestream their lives without needing to press a button on a phone. No, absolutely nothing can go wrong with that! Some pretty impressive actors stack out the cast, including David Thewlis and Michelle Fairley. While it’s not as polished or deep-cutting as Black Mirror, it’s still worth a look — just grab your phone during the less gripping parts.
The Expanse (2015—)
Amazon Studios
Amazon rescued The Expanse from the realm of canceled TV, bringing us up to six seasons. Thank goodness it did, because The Expanse is smart sci-fi with realistic characters, high production values and a dash of detective noir. Set in a future where humanity has colonized the Solar System, a conspiracy threatens to start a cold war between the largest powers. A band of antiheroes find themselves at the center. Look forward to more space western themes in the consistently excellent later seasons.
