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11 Best Amazon Prime Shows You Need To See Before You Die

Amazon Prime is one of leading streaming platforms after Netflix. Amazon is not taking the backseat in the streaming horse race. Amazon Studio has already produced some fantastic original content that only subscribers to the streaming service have access to.

If you want to watch something different from whatever’s available on Netflix or Hulu, here is a list of several best Amazon Prime shows to get into:

1. Transparent

This groundbreaking show from Amazon Studios is winning both audience and critical acclaim. The show is about Jeffrey Tambor, who is born as a man but later in life decides to become a transgender woman. What makes the show addictive is how his decision affects the rest of the family. The reactions are hilarious and poignant at the same time. Transparent is a one-of-a-kind family drama that is as much about family struggles as well as personal struggles. Transparent is not a wishy-washy show in any manner. The characters are flawed and all-too-human, giving the show a highly realistic touch that most other family comedies lack. The show has been nominated for Emmys some 20 times. It’s definitely worth giving a shot, regardless of whether you are into trans issues or not.

2. The Man in the High Castle

Shows based on books are breaking new ground on television, and The Man in the High Castle is no difference. The show is based on a book of the same name authored by none other than on Phillip K. Dick. The show imagines an alternate dystopian reality where Nazis have won and has occupied the American West coast. Imperial Japan has overtaken the East coast, and in between is a no man’s land where only few dare to venture. The show is executive produced by Ridley Scott and X-Files creator Frank Spotnitz. The show also features a Game of Thrones-like cast of characters. Most are forming a resistance against the Nazis, and the others are the Nazis. It's an interesting premise to get into if you are into history or dystopian worlds. The Man in the High Castle is one of the best shows on Amazon, if not in television .

3. Mozart in the Jungle

The show is not about the actual legendary composer, but a modern version who is also a musical prodigy. Mozart in the Jungle is a high-flying orchestra conductor and his equally gifted protégé. The cast features an assemble of well-regarded actors like Bernadette Peters, Safron Burrows, and Malcolm McDowell. For a show about sweeping orchestras, the overall vibe is rather low-key. But it’s a much for music fans with a penchant for good drama. The show was nominated twice for the Golden Globes as the best comedy series. It's more of a dramedy series that you can watch to relax. If you don't like many of the heavy themes in shows these days, Mozart is an excellent show to get into.

4. Red Oaks

Red Oaks is much like a comic adult version of a Disney movie. The show follows David, a twenty-something tennis instructor who works at a country club. Tennis is not his passion in life. He wants to become a filmmaker, but his dad wants him to rake in the big checks as a corporate accountant. His mother is supportive of him, but he learnt that she is also a closeted lesbian. It's the typical life in eighties America. The viewer gets to follow David's aimless but hilarious life as he tries to find himself and get along with family members. If you liked The Wonder Years or Summer School, then you will love this show.

5. Goliath

Goliath is Amazon’s take on the legal thriller genre. And be aware that this is a classic style legal thriller penned by David E. Kelley, who also wrote for Boston Legal and The Practice. The show is helmed by Billy Bob Thornton who plays a rather flawed lawyer called Billy McBride. His performance is quite a delight; he even won a Golden Globe for this role. Goliath is highly entertaining and thrilling like a John Grisham novel, but with a few more moral dilemmas. This is not an episodic show like Law and Order. The main plot is about a lawsuit against a big tech firm McBride has to litigate while trying to overcome an alcohol addiction. On the other side’s legal team is also his ex-wife, played by Maria Bello. There’s plenty of drama in addition to keen insights into modern law.

6. Fleabag

Fleabag is the result of a co-production with Amazon and BBC Three. The show is set in London, a refreshing difference from all the other shows set mainly in either New York or L.A. The show is created by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who also stars in it as a modern Londoner trying to cope with personal issues while living in one of the best metropolises in the world. It's notable that the show doesn't follow one genre too closely. It is funny, raunchy, sad, and dramatic at the same time. The plot even touches on weighty topics like grief and loneliness while making crude jokes about sex at the same time. The plot has no epic fights or end-of-the-world scenarios, but it's still highly binge-worthy.

7. One Mississippi

One Mississippi is a tragicomedy in the style of Six Feet Under. Created by Tig Notaro, the semi-autobiographical plot is about a DJ in L.A. who has to travel back to her home state of Mississippi to mourn the loss of her mother. In the meantime, she is also recovering from breast cancer. The show is so nuanced in addressing depressing topics with comedy; it's not easy to get the jokes right away. The plot unravels like each stage of grief. The show can be heartbreaking, but it doesn't overwhelm the viewer with sentimentality either. This is a great show to try when you want to watch something new.

8. Catastrophe

Catastrophe is a popular British sitcom, and Amazon is the only place where you can stream the show in America. The hilarious show follows anti-romantics who get entangled in their version of romcom. Expect a lot of potty-mouthed humor the British are famous for.  Watch this show to unwind after a long, hard week.

9. Sneaky Pete

This show is created by the David Shore of House and the incomparable Bryan Cranston of Breaking Bad. If you expect a crime thriller where the bad guy is the main character, you got it. Cranston gets back in his game as Vick, an ex-con recent out of prison. It doesn't take too long for him to get entangled business the government would call a felony. It's not the same as Breaking Bad, of course, but the show is just as addictive. 

10. Patriot

If you have been missing your spy dramas, then Patriot is the next show to get into. It's about a man named John Tavner who goes undercover as a piping engineer for the C.I.A. The only problem is, Tavner isn’t a real pipe engineer and has no idea what he is doing in his job. Then there are other things he has to do for his real job as a spy, such as moving money bags from point A to point B. Neither of these jobs is easy for Tavner and the problems add up. It’s funny and also as intense as any spy thriller you would have come across.

11. Hannibal

Hannibal was originally aired on NBC, but Amazon picked up the show from the cable network. As you would have probably guessed by now, the show is the TV serialization of the most notorious serial killing cannibal psychiatrist in movie history. The TV Hannibal Lector is played by Mads Mikkelsen, who brings the creepy character to light in his unique way. The show is a prequel of sorts to Silence of the Lambs, where the right doctor is apprehended. Hannibal is about the FBI profiler who manages to nab him, Will Graham, played by Hugh Dancy. This is a must-watch for horror and thriller fans, and also for diehard fans of the Oscar-winning movie.

How to watch these Amazon Primes shows

Now you have plenty of new shows to spend the weekend watching. You should note that the above shows are only available wholly to Amazon subscribers in the U.S. If you are accessing Amazon Prime from outside the U.S., some of the above shows, like Catastrophe and Hannibal, may not be available due to regional licensing restrictions. If you have already subscribed to Amazon, don’t worry. You can always use Smart DNS Proxy to get access to all content in the Amazon library regardless of where you are.

Smart DNS Proxy can mask your real location and allow you to pretend to connect to Amazon from the U.S. When you do that, the full Amazon library becomes fully available. It's a legal workaround to the frustrating problem of geo-blocking. Unlike free web proxies, Smart DNS Proxy is highly reliable and secure. It has encryption protocols akin to a VPN. You can also get Smart DNS Proxy on multiple devices.

So don't wait to spend your evenings watching a fresh new show. Get your Amazon Video subscription, connect to Smart DNS Proxy if needed, and start binging.