Monday 12 February 2018

(1) Need something to watch? Here are the best Amazon Prime TV shows

Here are the best TV shows available to stream with Amazon Prime :


Amazon’s Prime Video service has come a long way since it first started offering free movies and TV shows to Prime members just seven years ago. What was once a pretty scant catalog has since grown into an offering formidable enough to take on the likes of Hulu and Netflix — especially if you’re in possession of an Amazon Fire TV.

With the inclusion of popular HBO and BBC programs, alongside a growing list of original content, Amazon now has something to offer nearly every TV fan. If you’re looking for a new show to binge but aren’t quite sure which is right for you, just browse through our list of the best Amazon Prime TV shows. After all, there’s much more to Amazon Prime than free shipping

Amazon Prime is great, but it’s not the only streaming service out there. We’ve also put together lists out lining the best Netflix movies and shows, and the best movies and shows on Hulu.



(1). Sneaky pete :


Amazon’s original series Sneaky Pete crafts a nail-biting drama out of an intricate case of identity theft. Marius Josipovic (Giovanni Ribisi) is a con man recently released from prison who assumes the identity of his former cellmate, Pete Murphy, in order to hide from crime boss Vince Lonigan (Bryan Cranston). The show shines thanks to its ensemble of critically acclaimed actors including The Americans’ Margo Martindale, but the core of its brilliance lies in the clever writing. Amazon renewed Sneaky Pete for a second season in January 2017, and it’s slated for a March 9 premiere.
                                           
                                              Watch now

(2). Hannibal :


In this surreal psychological thriller based on characters from the best-selling Thomas Harris novels, FBI profiler Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) struggles to catch serial killers while teetering on the edge of a mental breakdown. Unbeknownst to him, his therapist, Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelson), is himself a serial killer with dark designs for Will. As their friendship deepens, Will finds himself at the center of a symphony of violence.
Showrunner Bryan Fuller breathes new life into the franchise with arthouse cinematography and a chillingly charismatic performance by Mikkelson. It was one of the goriest shows on network when it first aired on NBC, but the direction and set design transform the violence into some of the most exquisite images you’ll see on the small screen

                                             WATCH NOW

(3). The wire :


One of the best-reviewed cop shows in its day, The Wire casts an unflinching gaze at the war on drugs and its effect on society. Set in Baltimore — the “murder capital,” as many a character notes — the show begins as a police procedural following a group of detectives hoping to bust one of the biggest drug kingpins in the city. The show expands its outlook with every season, though, gradually revealing a city in which everything is interconnected and every action has far-reaching consequences.

The Wire is unique among cop dramas in the extreme attention it pays to the lives and minds of its criminal element. Even the most minor street-level drug dealers seem complex. The show never loses sight of the fact that all of its characters — cop or criminal, politician or lawyer — are members of a society and are thus shaped by the world around them far more than they shape it.
            
                                           WATCH NOW

(4). The Americans :


It’s 1981, President Ronald Reagan has just been elected, and like most Americans, Elizabeth (Keri Russell) and Philip Jennings (Matthew Rhys) are enjoying the country’s rising prosperity as the Cold War heats up. Unlike most Americans, however, the Jennings are actually KGB spies.
From that singular premise emerges one of the most exciting thrillers on the air today. The political intrigue is exciting, but what makes The Americans stand out is its focus on the Jennings’ marriage. In examining the tensions of married life, the show demonstrates that personal issues like spousal conflict can be every bit as exciting as geopolitical maneuvers.

                                           WATCH NOW

(5). Justified :


A modern twist on the Western genre, Justified is the story of Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant), a U.S. Marshal who returns to his rural hometown beneath the shadow of the Appalachians. It’s a fiefdom where crime is king. The bad guys are ruthless, but unfortunately for them, Raylan is very flexible about what constitutes proper police procedure.
Raylan’s aggressive approach to enforcing justice is complicated by the rise of his childhood friend, Boyd Crowder (Walton Goggins), as one of the leading crime bosses in town. The violent codes and posturing of Raylan and Boyd are a throwback to the bygone era of the frontier. If you miss the old-school machismo of ’70s Westerns but enjoy modern serialized storytelling, this might just be the perfect show for you.

                                           WATCH NOW

(6). The Good Wife :


A compelling legal drama that is surprisingly savvy about the law and evolving technology, The Good Wife follows attorney Alicia Florrick (Julianna Margulies), a mother of two who returns to her legal career after her husband, Peter (Chris Noth,) is jailed for political corruption. Alicia has been out of the business for more than a decade, a significant hurdle to her career that is made worse by the fact that everyone in Chicago is aware of the scandal.
The Good Wife’s creators developed the premise in response to a number of high-profile sex scandals that brought down major politicians, and a burning question inherent to each of them: Why do the wives of politicians stand by their husbands in light of infidelity? Alicia grapples with conflicted emotions regarding her husband as she decides what the future of her family will be.
                                     
                                            WATCH NOW

(7). The Sopranos :


Hailed by some critics as “the most influential television drama ever,” The Sopranos certainly seems like the blueprint for the modern television drama. The show features an aging antihero at its center, a large cast of interconnected characters, and all the scheming and violence that have recently become emblematic of dramatic television.
Beneath the Shakespearean scope of the story, however, there beats a human heart. The Sopranos is, at its core, a family drama, and an examination of the man at the head of said family. Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) is a tragic figure, as the position of power he creates for himself in the Mafia brings with it pressures that threaten to break him.

                                             WATCH NOW

(8). Six feet under :


Death is one of the few universal experiences. No matter where one is born, whether a beggar or a king, the pale rider eventually comes knocking. Despite this commonality, most TV series tend to keep death at a distance, only to acknowledge it when it shows up. Unless, of course, death is your job. Six Feet Under is a grim comedy-drama following the Fishers, a family of morticians who must confront death with every episode in the form of a new corpse to be buried.

In addition to standard family drama, their proximity to the deceased leads to a lot of meditations on mortality and the human experience. It’s not all heavy subject matter, however. The show is loaded with gallows humor and some genuinely heartwarming moments. In an age of saccharine sitcoms, Six Feet Under stands out for its mature approach to comedy.

                                             WATCH NOW

(9). Downtown Abbey :


An exemplary British period drama, Downton Abbey is an examination of the politics and personal lives of an aristocratic British family in the early 20th century. As they navigate the touchy social circles of high society, the Crawley family also reacts to the impact of seismic historical events such as the sinking of the Titanic and the outbreak of World War I. Of course, conflicts closer to home, such as the family’s financial problems and difficulty securing their inheritance, provide a solid emotional backbone.

                                            WATCH NOW

(10). Treme :


This post-Katrina New Orleans drama reunites two of our favorite actors — Clarke Peters and Wendell Pierce of The Wire — as well as that show’s creators, David Simon and Eric Overmeyer. The series was praised for its realistic depiction of NOLA culture and its ensemble cast, which includes gems like John Goodman, Rob Brown, and Edwina Findley.

The series focuses on the working-class neighborhood of Tremé, from which it gets its name. Beginning just three months after Hurricane Katrina, it follows Mardi Gras Indians, musicians, police, bar owners, a civil rights lawyer, and others as they pick up the pieces, and shows the challenges and resiliency of a community refusing to break despite the levees doing so.

                                              WATCH NOW

(11). Tick :


People who watched Fox in the early 2000s may have vague memories of a short-lived superhero sitcom called The Tick (based on the comic of the same name), in which a blue-costumed superhero played by the unmistakable Patrick Warburton dealt with supervillains and awkward situations. Amazon’s The Tickis a fresh adaptation of the franchise, with no Warburton in sight (sadly), but it maintains the comic’s absurd, cheerful sense of humor. The show follows a superhero called The Tick (Peter Serafinowicz) and his companion, Arthur (Griffin Newman), who fight crime and investigate a conspiracy involving an infamous supervillain called The Terror (Jackie Earle Haley). The Tick is an upbeat palate-cleanser after years of more dour superhero tales.
                          
                                              WATCH NOW

(12). Bored to Death :


Bored to Death straddles the line between a stoner comedy and noir spoof, following unlicensed gumshoe Jonathan Ames (Jason Schwartzman) and his friends as they work to solve cases when Ames isn’t struggling with his writing. The show’s aesthetics are appropriately high-contrast and gritty for a comedic neonoir, and Woody Allen fans will appreciate the self-deprecating humor. Ted Danson and Zach Galifianakis are the show’s real scene-stealers. The series was created by graphic book novelist Jonathan Ames, which makes it pretty meta.

                                              WATCH NOW

(13). Philip k. Dick's Electric Dreams :


You could call this Amazon Prime’s Black Mirror, and you wouldn’t be wrong. The Show is an anthology sci-fi series based on stories from the late science-fiction writer Philip K. Dick, whose work inspired Blade Runner and Amazon series The Man in the High Castle. Electric Dreams‘ first season explores injectable consciousness, mind readers, humans beings replaced by robots, and a genocidal presidential candidate, to name a few.
The production value is impressive, with Hidden Figures and Moonlight actress Janelle Monae playing an artificially intelligent robot in a metallic suit that looks convincingly realistic. Like Black Mirror, Amazon’s sci-fi series employs some major stars, including Terrence Howard, Bryan Cranston, Steve Buscemi, and Anna Paquin. Those looking for a gripping dose of dark sci-fi will definitely find it here.

                                             WATCH NOW

(14). True Blood


Vampires can find love, too. HBO’s horror/drama True Blood ran from 2008-2014, following the adventures of Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), a telepathic waitress, as she navigates through life in a world where vampires and people coexist.
If you have a weak stomach, this may not be the series for you, as True Blood shows bodies disintegrating and torture in grotesque detail that only serves to authenticate the world series showrunners Alan Ball and Brian Buckner have created. True Blood expertly uses basic human experiences such as love, betrayal, and loss to mold relatable narratives in a supernatural world. Also, its intro theme music is 90 seconds of country music joy.

                                             WATCH NOW

(15). Shaun the Sheep :


From Aardman Studios — the creators of Wallace and Gromit, Chicken Run, and Creature Comforts — comes the children’s series Shaun the Sheep. Shaun is a sheep who doesn’t follow the herd. In fact, he often brazenly leads them into all sorts of madcap shenanigans around Mossy Bottom Farm. The show also features the iconic studio’s stop-motion animation and remains free of dialogue, which is actually a welcome reprieve for parents who simply can’t get on board with the high-pitched voices and exuberant makeup of many modern children’s shows.

                                             WATCH NOW

(16). Tumble Leaf :


Tumble Leaf, Amazon’s heralded foray into the realm of children’s programming, is a stunning example of what a children’s show should be. The recent stop-motion title is based on the short film Miro and aimed at preschool-aged children, though it remains charming enough to entertain adults who want to further engage with their children.
Each episode follows Fig the Fox (Christopher Downs) and his science-centric escapades around the whimsical world of Tumble Leaf, a woodland locale laced with a melange of quirky creatures with whom Fig is friends. Together, the humanoid creatures discover how reflections, shadows, and other facets of our natural world work, examining the value of friendship and kindness as they do so. The scenery is as vibrant and colorful as are the characters, rendering it both eye candy and a conversation starter.
                         
                                      Watch now

(17). The Grand tour :

For years, the trio of Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond drove cool cars and clowned around with each other on the BBC’s Top Gear. Despite their departure from that series, however, the good times keep rolling on The Grand Tour, which reunites the three snarky hosts for a show that is very similar in format to Top Gear. Episodes often feature studio segments and test drives on the show’s test track, the “Eboladrome.”

As with Top Gear, the best episodes are the ones where the hosts venture to foreign lands, testing unique vehicles on unfamiliar terrain. For car enthusiasts or Top Gear fans not satisfied by that show’s new hosts, The Grand Tour is a welcome return to form.
                                 WATCH NOW

(18). Ocean Mysteries with Jeff Corwin : 


Follow along with noted conservationist Jeff Corwin as he dives into a new subject of ocean research in each episode. This series is famed for its depth of research and concern for the well-being of ocean life. It also made a splash with critics, having won multiple Emmys since it first aired in 2011.
     



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