Clockwise, from upper left: The Boys (Photo: Jasper Savage/Amazon Studios), The Expanse (Photo: Syfy), Orphan Black (Photo: BBC America), Invincble (Photo: Amazon Studios), Eerie, Indiana (Screenshot)Graphic: The A.V. Club
Streaming libraries expand and contract. Algorithms are imperfect. Those damn thumbnail images are always changing. But you know what you can always rely on? The expert opinions and knowledgeable commentary of The A.V. Club. That’s why we’re scouring both the menus of the most popular services and our own archives to bring you these guides to the best viewing options, broken down by streamer, medium, and genre. Want to know why we’re so keen on a particular title? Follow the links for some in-depth coverage from The A.V. Club’s past. And be sure to check back often, because we’ll be adding more recommendations as series come and go.
For this edition, we delve into the horror, science-fiction, and fantasy offerings on streaming’s future home to Middle Earth, Amazon Prime. Not in the mood for far-off worlds and/or realities? Here’s a list of the best TV dramas now streaming on Amazon Prime, and we’ve got somepicksfor the service’s best movie offerings, too.
The Boys
Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Karen Fukuhara, Tomer Capon, and Laz Alonso in The Boys Photo Jasper Savage/Amazon
Even faster-than-sound superheroes can fall a little behind the times. Take Homelander (Antony Starr), the sadistic and disturbed Superman who leads America’s team of ostensibly heroic do-gooders, The Seven: Halfway through season two of , Amazon’s pitch-black deconstruction of superhero tropes (based on Garth Ennis’ equally dark comic series), the narcissistic caped crimefighter realizes social media is turning against him. Used to being universally adored, he can’t understand why his $100 million PR campaign is being undermined by memes and viral tweets. “Emotion sells. Anger sells,” the person responsible for his crumbling image explains, as though reading the business strategy of Fox News and its many-headed hydra of 21st-century imitators. “You have fans. I have soldiers.” As wannabe authoritarians have always known, why strive for goodness, when hate is so much more effective?The best thing about the second season of The Boys is how smartly it adds complexity and depth to its characters and stories. The show began as a fun but fairly weightless exercise in gory, meta nihilism: tough guy Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) and his nebbish of a new recruit, Hughie (Jack Quaid), seeking to get revenge for the deaths of their loved ones at the hands of the publicly noble but privately craven superheroes of The Seven, a team paid for and run by the nefarious Vaught corporation. The show derived a lot of wit and energy from its gonzo premise, but didn’t do much beyond gruesome action and playing with the subversion of tropes that had already been subverted since Alan Moore’s Watchmen came out in the ’80s. (As of its premiere, “The Boys is all about tearing down false idols, but it doesn’t build up anything in their place.”) []
Honestly Chuck has to be one of the most poorly-aged shows of the last decade or so, in that same category as HIMYM where it was “known” when it was on but then just died afterwards, which is interesting as it was around at exactly the same time as Breaking Bad which it had double the regular viewership of.Mostly it’s to do with how badly its “zaney” characters like Jeff and Lester are just straight up creeps who’d probably sexually assault someone but also a truly forgettable and unremarkable final series that failed to do the characters justice, where as while Season 4 had bloody Linda Hamilton and Timothy Dalton as major cast Season 5 ended with it being “some guy” who after appearing for only the final couple of episodes undoes the entire character development of the deuteragonist.
I’d like to add Better Off Ted to that list too. Absolutely loved it during its first run on Netflix and was really disappointed it was cancelled after 2 seasons. In the last year i watched some of season 1 again and was really turned off by it.
Me too—it had a decidedly dark side to it which was very interesting. I love the two main characters and seeing some familiar faces (Teryl “Goddamnit, Why did they do that to Janet Frasier” Rothery comes to mind immediately) and they really did a good job shining a light on internet issues and elitism.
The second and third seasons are so bad, my brain has basically erased them from my memory. It’s like my mind rejected it. I can no longer remember specifically what was so bad about them. I just know, in my bones, that they were horrible.
Wow – thanks for the warning. This list was the first time I had heard that new seasons even existed. I liked but didn’t love S1; if it goes downhill after that I won’t bother.
Yeah, it devolves from a moderately interesting scandi noir in season one to some sort of mystical/supernatural thriller in seasons 2-3. I’m talking full-on defrosted hornets from the permafrost carrying a virus that turns people into cannibals. Or something like that. There are shamans. I’ve blocked most of it out, it was that bad.
I’m talking full-on defrosted hornets from the permafrost carrying a virus that turns people into cannibals. Or something like that. There are shamans. But…. that sounds awesome.
Was this sponsored by Amazon or something? Not sure how you mention Tales from the Loop and ignore things that were entertaining like Grimm and Defiance.
Amazon saving The Expanse was the sole reason I signed up. The Boys and Marvellous Mrs Maisel confirmed that as a good decision.That said, once you get past the general high quality of their original shows and some classic films, you can find yourself raking around in some absolutely hilarious dirge, particularly if you are looking for documentaries. ‘Loose Change’ was on it for starters and that was one of the higher production value ones! Im pretty sure most come straight from YouTube
*all joking aside, I have watched the Russian ‘Battle of Sevastopol’ film that’s on Amazon and I really liked it although the Eleanor Roosevelt scenes just took me out of it and reminded me of all the mad scenes whenever they use Western actors in films like the Ip-Man series.
Pretty sure Season 3 wasn’t available on Prime when we watched it, and isn’t now. After watching season 2 and hearing that Season 3 was no better, I’m not sorry.
I’m really sad/mad that Amazon cancelled it. At least they could have given a final season to wrap up all the threads. The Tick was really great and fun.
If there is anyone who has not seen Orphan Black, why are you still reading this? GO!I should start the Tick, even though I loved Patrick Warburton.The Expanse is incredible and I hope they have another exciting story arc to span a few more seasons.Humans was quite good as well, but I’ve lost interest.How can they possibly follow up Good Omens without Terry? Neil Gaiman wrote two of the best episodes of Doctor Who, so I have hope.Chuck was great for about 3 seasons.The Boys is excellent anti-super hero television, but it’s VOUGHT not Voaght. And Giancarlo Esposito is freakin’ everywhere!
I don’t know if it counts as a “genre show” (truly, a meaningless term), but Patriot was so goddamn good and that it never gets much media attention is a crime. The darkest and most cynical, yet funny, show produced in a long time.
Has Patriot showed up in any of these lists? If not, will it ever? I just want it to show up so maybe more people can stumble upon the delightful show. Then we can finally shut up and stay on topic . . . maybe.
So now I’m wondering if The Tick was cancelled in favor of
The Boys because they thought the former might diminish or confuse the
latter for audiences.Inasmuch as I’m liking the Boys,
the heart was way better in Tick. Also, no need to find new gore porn
ways every episode to kill a human being and occasional sea creatures.
Maslany is great at playing all the unique characters in Orphan Black, but man did that show go off the rails. I really wanted to love it but never did.
37 Comments
Honestly Chuck has to be one of the most poorly-aged shows of the last decade or so, in that same category as HIMYM where it was “known” when it was on but then just died afterwards, which is interesting as it was around at exactly the same time as Breaking Bad which it had double the regular viewership of.Mostly it’s to do with how badly its “zaney” characters like Jeff and Lester are just straight up creeps who’d probably sexually assault someone but also a truly forgettable and unremarkable final series that failed to do the characters justice, where as while Season 4 had bloody Linda Hamilton and Timothy Dalton as major cast Season 5 ended with it being “some guy” who after appearing for only the final couple of episodes undoes the entire character development of the deuteragonist.
I’d like to add Better Off Ted to that list too. Absolutely loved it during its first run on Netflix and was really disappointed it was cancelled after 2 seasons. In the last year i watched some of season 1 again and was really turned off by it.
I suppose corporate cruelty (however absurd) just doesn’t play as well in 2020 as it did in 2010. But yeah, I can’t believe I ever enjoyed it.
McG has always been a hack.
Upload is very good. I am very much looking forward to season two.
Me too—it had a decidedly dark side to it which was very interesting. I love the two main characters and seeing some familiar faces (Teryl “Goddamnit, Why did they do that to Janet Frasier” Rothery comes to mind immediately) and they really did a good job shining a light on internet issues and elitism.
Fortitude is good for one season, and then horrible for two.
The sharp drop in quality is mind boggling.
The second and third seasons are so bad, my brain has basically erased them from my memory. It’s like my mind rejected it. I can no longer remember specifically what was so bad about them. I just know, in my bones, that they were horrible.
Wow – thanks for the warning. This list was the first time I had heard that new seasons even existed. I liked but didn’t love S1; if it goes downhill after that I won’t bother.
Yeah, it devolves from a moderately interesting scandi noir in season one to some sort of mystical/supernatural thriller in seasons 2-3. I’m talking full-on defrosted hornets from the permafrost carrying a virus that turns people into cannibals. Or something like that. There are shamans. I’ve blocked most of it out, it was that bad.
I’m talking full-on defrosted hornets from the permafrost carrying a virus that turns people into cannibals. Or something like that. There are shamans. But…. that sounds awesome.
It is decidedly not awesome, unfortunately. It sound better in my two sentence summary than it does in actuality, I’m afraid.
Was this sponsored by Amazon or something? Not sure how you mention Tales from the Loop and ignore things that were entertaining like Grimm and Defiance.
Amazon saving The Expanse was the sole reason I signed up. The Boys and Marvellous Mrs Maisel confirmed that as a good decision.That said, once you get past the general high quality of their original shows and some classic films, you can find yourself raking around in some absolutely hilarious dirge, particularly if you are looking for documentaries. ‘Loose Change’ was on it for starters and that was one of the higher production value ones! Im pretty sure most come straight from YouTube
Check out some of the Serbian and Russian series like Black Sun or Gogol.
Forgive my trepidation but someone once recommended A Serbian Film to me and I haven’t slept peacefully since.
*all joking aside, I have watched the Russian ‘Battle of Sevastopol’ film that’s on Amazon and I really liked it although the Eleanor Roosevelt scenes just took me out of it and reminded me of all the mad scenes whenever they use Western actors in films like the Ip-Man series.
Season 1 of Fortitude was so, so good. Season 2 was weird and disappointing.
And season 3 goes full-on loony tunes. Straight up bonkers.
I don’t even know if I was aware there was a season 3. I prefer not to think of it.
You’re better off that way, trust me.
YMMV but to me, season 2 was maybe better than season 1. Not all of us have a problem with shows getting more bonkers – some of us WANT that.
Pretty sure Season 3 wasn’t available on Prime when we watched it, and isn’t now. After watching season 2 and hearing that Season 3 was no better, I’m not sorry.
Cannot recommend The Tick highly enough.
I’m really sad/mad that Amazon cancelled it. At least they could have given a final season to wrap up all the threads. The Tick was really great and fun.
What about The Americans? It’s a genre show (espionage) and it just happens to be one of the best show from the last ten years.
It is criminal that The Tick was cancelled.
Just list the fucking shows! I don’t need a fucking slideshow and block of text. The Gawker sites have all gone to shit.
If there is anyone who has not seen Orphan Black, why are you still reading this? GO!I should start the Tick, even though I loved Patrick Warburton.The Expanse is incredible and I hope they have another exciting story arc to span a few more seasons.Humans was quite good as well, but I’ve lost interest.How can they possibly follow up Good Omens without Terry? Neil Gaiman wrote two of the best episodes of Doctor Who, so I have hope.Chuck was great for about 3 seasons.The Boys is excellent anti-super hero television, but it’s VOUGHT not Voaght. And Giancarlo Esposito is freakin’ everywhere!
I don’t know if it counts as a “genre show” (truly, a meaningless term), but Patriot was so goddamn good and that it never gets much media attention is a crime. The darkest and most cynical, yet funny, show produced in a long time.
Has Patriot showed up in any of these lists? If not, will it ever? I just want it to show up so maybe more people can stumble upon the delightful show. Then we can finally shut up and stay on topic . . . maybe.
How is Counterpart not on this list? Is it not genre enough?
Space: 1999 for the win.
Not strictly sci-fi, but check out Comrade Detective with Gordon-Levitt and Channing Tatum. It’s hysterical. And Carnival Row is underrated!
So now I’m wondering if The Tick was cancelled in favor of
The Boys because they thought the former might diminish or confuse the
latter for audiences.Inasmuch as I’m liking the Boys,
the heart was way better in Tick. Also, no need to find new gore porn
ways every episode to kill a human being and occasional sea creatures.
Maslany is great at playing all the unique characters in Orphan Black, but man did that show go off the rails. I really wanted to love it but never did.