While Netflix is busy pumping out more series than any one person could watch (probably), some of the best shows are on Amazon Prime Video. Trouble is, navigating the service’s labyrinthine menus can make finding the right series a pain. We’re here to help. Below are our favorite Amazon series—all included with your Prime subscription.
For more viewing picks, read WIRED’s guide to the best movies on Amazon Prime, the best movies on HBO’s Max, and the best movies on Netflix.
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Ballard
A spin-off from Bosch, one of Prime’s biggest hits, Ballard is another creation of crime author Michael Connelly, seeing detective Renée Ballard (Maggie Q, Designated Survivor) stepping up as head of a newly formed cold-case unit. Left with no budget and no official support, Ballard hastily assembles a team of volunteers that includes her retired former partner Thomas Laffont (John Carroll Lynch) and disillusioned former cop Zamira Parker (Courtney Taylor). They soon find that diving into forgotten cases can mean unearthing secrets powerful people want to keep buried. A blend of crime-of-the-week cases and season-long mysteries make Ballard both a cozy procedural and a riveting longer-form drama, buoyed by a fantastic cast—including Titus Welliver reprising his role as Connellyverse staple Harry Bosch.
The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy
If about 300 seasons of Grey's Anatomy hasn't scratched your medical drama itch, then a visit to The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy might be just the treatment you need. Riffing on the hospital procedural genre and giving it a sci-fi twist, the show follows alien medics Dr. Sleech (Stephanie Hsu) and Dr. Klak (Keke Palmer) as they tackle the wildest diseases and injuries the universe can throw at them—from an anxiety-eating brain worm to a shape-shifting STI—all while navigating messy relationships and personal drama. See, just like Grey’s. Created by Russian Doll writer Cirocco Dunlap—bringing that show’s Natasha Lyonne along as the voice of occasionally invisible Nurse Tup—this Saharan-dry adult animated comedy will cure what ails you.
Overcompensating
Benny is so deep in the closet, he's found Narnia. And rather than using his freshman year of college as a chance to find himself, he's maintaining the illusion of heterosexuality by throwing himself into a campus life of partying, drinking, and chasing girls. The consequences, for Benny and his new best friend Carmen (Wally Beram), will be severe … but hilarious. Created by comedian Benito Skinner, who also stars as Benny, Overcompensating is a foul-mouthed and ferociously funny college comedy that's almost painfully authentic in its depiction of the fine line between self-exploration and weapons-grade cringe.
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