8 Best Prime Video Shows You’ve Never Heard Of

Prime Video boasts an expansive and spectacular library, but among the buzzy, water-cooler offerings are TV shows that most people don’t know exist. Over the years, the Amazon streamer has been slowly building up its TV titles and is now one of the streaming platforms to watch. But beneath well-known shows like Reacher, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, and Fallout are some series that remain overlooked.

TV shows that are heavily marketed or are inspired by a well-known IP usually have an easier time grabbing audience attention. Combined with algorithm recommendations and social media domination, success is a given. However, Prime Video does include excellent TV shows — both originals and series they’ve acquired in their library — that are critically praised but don’t get their deserved time in the limelight.

Undone (2019-2022)

From the creators of BoJack Horseman comes Undone, a genre-bending rotoscoped animated series that follows Alma Winograd-Diaz (Rosa Salazar), a 28-year-old woman whose nearly fatal car accident leads her to experience time non-linearly. Alma uses her new time-bending abilities to uncover what caused her father’s death, but her powers come with some negative side effects.

With such a unique premise, visual style, and brilliant creative minds helming the series, it’s truly a wonder that Undone doesn’t have the kind of attention that Prime Video’s best animated shows like The Legend of Vox Machina get. Undone truly is a gem. The series seamlessly blends time travel and altered realities with deep emotional concepts.

The sci-fi TV show is the kind of series that doesn’t simply hand out its answers to audiences. Instead, viewers are invited on the journey with Alma and have to discover in real time if what she is experiencing is real or a figment of her imagination.

Batman: Caped Crusader (2024-Present)

Prime Video’s Batman: Caped Crusader is a surprisingly underrated series, despite the popularity of the titular character. The Batman animated movies and TV shows have carved out a name for themselves in pop culture history because they delve into darker storylines that the live-action films tend to avoid.

Caped Crusader is a smart reiteration of the show as it ensures that it keeps Batman’s classic and moody style but adds fresh stories, particularly when it comes to fleshing out villains. But perhaps where the series shines the most is that we get to see the titular character as a detective, as opposed to him just being a crime-fighting vigilante.

The Bridge (2011-2018)

In today’s streaming era, non-English titles have become a staple. But a decade ago, international TV shows were usually only popular in the regions of the world they hailed from, which might explain why The Bridge is one of Prime Video’s most unrecognized shows. Starring Sofia Helin as Saga Norén, the series begins with a crime that was committed on a bridge between Sweden and Denmark.

A co-production between Sweden’s SVT and Denmark’s DR, The Bridge has aired in over 100 countries.

Each season of The Bridge focuses on a different crime and includes new cast members, with Detective Saga Norén being the familiar face in all four installments of the show. The Bridge is a perfect whodunit series. From its very first episode, it creates a layered narrative, scatters clues, and ends in a satisfying payoff.

One Mississippi (2015-2017)

There are many dark comedy shows, but the ones that usually have the most impact are based on real-life experiences, like Prime Video’s original show, One Mississippi. The autobiographical series focuses on Tig Bavaro (Tig Notaro) and outlines her experience after she returns to Bay St. Louis following her mother’s death.

Because One Mississippi is a series that was inspired by real-life events, it gives it a level of authenticity that other comedies seem to lack. The show is wildly funny, but it’s also an emotional comedy that delves into grief, family dysfunction, and illness. But even as Tig goes through all these hardships, her sense of humor shines through.

Dead Ringers (2023)

Based on David Cronenberg’s 1988 film of the same name, the masterpiece Prime Video miniseries Dead Ringers is perfect from start to finish. Centering around identical twins, Elliot and Beverly Mantle, both portrayed by the brilliant Rachel Weisz, the show explores their complex relationship as it evolves.

Weisz’s performance is what really elevates the series. Throughout the psychological thriller, her portrayal of the twins is so exceptional that there’s no doubt that these are two very different people. Where Dead Ringers excels most is that it’s a show that, like its protagonists, pushes boundaries. It doesn’t waste time trying to be softer for its audiences, but leans heavily on the unsettling co-dependency of the Mantle twins.

Patriot (2015-2018)

Premiering over a decade ago, Patriot has faded into obscurity, but it certainly deserves mainstream acclaim. The spy drama show sees intelligence officer John Tavner, played by For All Mankind’s Michael Dorman, a CIA agent who assumes a non-official cover as a pipe engineer in order to prevent Iran from going nuclear. On paper, Patriot is a typical espionage series.

But upon closer look, it’s so much more than that. Tavner is not, by any means, a polished spy. His experience in the difficult job has left him depressed and alone, so he deals with it the only way he knows how: by playing folk songs on his guitar about his missions. Patriot shines because of the way that it blends its absurdity with its emotional themes, yet it remembers that it is, after all, a spy series.

While Tavner’s struggles are moving, there is still enough action to lend the show its spy thriller quality. Unfortunately, Patriot was canceled after two seasons due to low viewership, but those who know of its existence haven’t given up hope that the show might return.

Humans (2015-2018)

These days, sci-fi series are some of the most popular TV shows on streaming, and in some instances, even beat out prestige fantasy titles. But not every science fiction show, no matter how essential, has been on everyone’s radar. Debuting in 2015 on AMC, Humans takes place in a parallel present where highly developed humanoid robots called Synths are a regular household gadget.

Although Humans premiered over 10 years ago, its messaging is important now more than ever, especially with the prevalence of AI. The show explores the complex relationship between humans and humanoids, what it ultimately means to be human, and how technology reshapes our interactions with each other.

Tales From The Loop (2020)

In April 2020, Prime Video released Tales From the Loop, a science-fiction TV show that had all the markings of a major hit, but the opposite happened. The series got great reviews upon its premiere, but then it was quickly forgotten. Inspired by the art book of the same name by Swedish artist Simon Stålenhag, Tales From The Loop tells the strange stories of the individuals living in Mercer, Ohio.

The characters in question are all connected somehow, but the how isn’t made immediately apparent. Instead, the show carefully reveals these intriguing stories using science fiction elements of time manipulation, parallel universes, and advanced robotics. Tales from the Loop is indeed a slow-burn series, but every mystery which is featured in the show is fully explored.

Tales From the Loop is a perfect example of how original storytelling is the way to go, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that these kinds of shows will have mainstream appeal. However, just because a lot of people didn’t watch the Prime Video show doesn’t take away its greatness and impact.