Amazon Prime Videois best known for long-form original TV shows such asBosch,The Boys, andReacher, but the streaming platform has an impressive array of shorter series, too. Prime’s selection of original limited series, underrated serial dramas and sitcoms, and shows acquired from elsewhere gives those of us with a free weekend plenty to choose from.
FromPrime Video’s masterpiece miniseriesto shows cancelled before their time, the platform arguably has more options for a self-contained weekend streaming binge than any of its rivals. In fact, many of thebest TV shows on Prime Videoright now have a short enough run to finish over the course of two or three days.
What’s more, the best bingeable shows on offer cover a variety of genres, from sci-fi to sitcoms, and neo-Westerns to period dramas. There’s something for everyone among the plethora of weekend watches on Prime Video, andthere’s at least one show that absolutely everyone simply has to watchif they haven’t already.
This unusually titled sci-fi thriller serves to demonstrate that many of thebest adaptations of Stephen King’s novels are non-horrorreleases. A tale of time travel revolving around the assassination of John F. Kennedy,11.22.63boasts a stellar cast including James Franco, Cherry Jones, and George McKay.
The miniseries was developed byFriday Night Lightswriter Bridget Carpenter withLostandFringecreator J.J. Abrams on board to co-produce, as well asStephen King himself supervising the project. The result is a spellbinding mystery series with its historical premise and science fiction conceit seamlessly woven into a gripping plot.
11.22.63will delight fans ofTV shows set in the 1960s, with the exquisite period details of its sets and costumes illuminated by a soundtrack high on heady nostalgia. As you’d expect from a Stephen King story, however, there’s darkness at the heart of the show, which counts none other thanLee Harvey Oswald among its main characters.
Daisy Jones & the Sixis another period drama miniseries on Prime Video, although unlike11.22.63it was produced directly by Amazon Studios and is a Prime Video original.A musical drama concerning a ‘70s supergroup loosely based on Fleetwood Mac, this show is both intensely moving and rollicking fun for fans of rock music, pop culture, and Americana alike.
The characters Daisy Jones and Billy Dunne are inspired by Fleetwood Mac’s central singer-songwriting partnership, Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham.
It was novelist Taylor Jenkins Reid whooriginated the story forDaisy Jones & the Sixwith her bookof the same name, and Prime Video’s 10-episode drama condenses Reid’s novel somewhat. Like its source material, though, the series presents the tale of Daisy and her band as a well-crafted blend of flashback sequences and retrospective rockumentary-style interviews with the characters.
This framing device imbues the show with a greater sense of historical realism, and helps to place the career of its fictional band firmly in the context of their era.It genuinely feels as though we’re watching the story of real musicians— and, more importantly, real people. The behind-the-camera revelation in the final episode is a touch of genius, too.
It’s a shame thatseason 3 ofKevin Can F**k Himselfdoesn’t seem to be in the cards. But on the plus side, the lack of a third season does make this one-of-a-kind comedy series decidedly bingeable in one long weekend. No other show has attempted to straddle multiple genres and formats quite like this one.
Through its highly innovative formal experiment,Kevin Can F**k Himselfsignals to the audience that there’s more to Allison Devine McRoberts’s unhappy marriage than can be exploited for canned laughter.
Kevin Can Go F**k Himselfstars Annie Murphy as the protagonist of whatoften feels like two different shows at the same time. On the surface, her character, Allison Devine McRoberts, appears to be an overworked and underappreciated wife whose daily trials and tribulations are cause for broad comedy. Yet, the series frequently lifts the lid on this superficial perspective.
It does so byjuxtaposing a traditional multi-camera sitcom setup with a single-camera format. Through this highly innovative formal experiment, the series signals to the audience that there’s more to Allison’s unhappy marriage than can be exploited for canned laughter. In this way,Kevin Can F**k Himselfskewers the entire tradition of family sitcoms.
ForgetYellowstone,Landman, orFargo. The best neo-Western series to have appeared on the small screen over the past decade isOuter Range,a two-season science fiction-infused masterpiece starring Josh Brolin. Set on the plains of Wyoming, the show follows the fortunes of a ranching family headed by Brolin’s Royal Abbott.
In this sense, it’s much like any other neo-Western series, leaving asidethe bottomless pit, which turns out to be a time-travel vortex.Outer Rangeisn’t just aimed at a cross-section of Western and sci-fi fans; it’s faithful enough to each genre to appeal to a much wider demographic, including those who aren’t especially into the Western or sci-fi genres.
AlthoughOuter Rangewas cancelled before season 3of the show could be produced, it’s still a riveting 15 episodes of television that mixes otherworldly mysteries with stunning Western vistas and thrilling action set pieces. For a brief but brilliant serial drama that’s bound to surprise you with its inventive plot twists, there’s no better place to start.
This series isn’t theForeverthat debuted on Netflix earlier in 2025to rave reviews. It’s a similarly acclaimed but criminally overlooked 2018 drama starring Maya Rudolph and Fred Armisen as a middle-aged couple whose married life isn’t what it seems. While its two comic leads elevate two-handed scenes with effortless dashes of humor, this show is far from a comedy.
In fact,Foreveris a supremely moving romantic tragedy from two of the writers behindParks and Recreation. The series is beautifully scripted and sublimely realized onscreen, with Rudolph’s stunning performance driving its tonaltransformation from light-hearted love story to heart-wrenching marital drama.
Thanks to its deft storytelling and layered characterizations, the painful truth at the center ofForeverhits you like a freight train. Few other shows on television manage to be as powerful in such understated terms. It’sa crying shame thatForeverwascancelled after just one season, but its episodes will turn your weekend upside down.
This miniseries is one of two Colson Whitehead adaptations on Prime Video, alongside2025 Best Picture Oscar nomineeThe Nickel Boys. Oscar-winning director Barry Jenkins is responsible for turning Whitehead’s 2017 Pulitzer Prize recipient into a magical-realist series worthy of its extraordinary source material.
The Underground Railroadisevery bit as good as its roll call of celebrated names suggestsit should be. Yet, it’s relatively unknown young actor Thuso Mbedu who arguably deserves more praise than anyone else involved for her formidable lead performance.
The Underground Railroadwas Thuso Mbedu’s first lead role in an English-language production.
Arguably the most poignant screen rendering of slavery in the United States,the series isn’t an easy watch, but it is impossible to turn away from. Overall, it’s a profoundly uplifting portrayal of human courage and resilience, with its titular metaphor transformed by Whitehead’s ingenious premise and Jenkins’ masterful direction into the literal locomotive of modern American history.
It’s no wonder thatFleabagretains its perfect score on Rotten Tomatoesover six years after it ended. It was a serious coup for Amazon to capture the international rights for this seminal BBC dark comedy, which deals with romance in a completely different way from any show that has come before it or since.
The series isone of the funniest things on any streaming platform, but it blends searing pain and brutally shocking plot twists with its inimitable brand of humor.Fleabag’s characters are infuriatingly flawed human beings, and the show’s charismatic but wonderfully relatable central anti-hero is chief among its imperfect people.
This is a show quite unlike everything else available to stream onAmazonPrime Video, or any other platform, for that matter. However, in the tradition of great British comedy,Fleabagprioritizes quality over quantity. Its 12 episodes will leave you wanting more, but make for the best possible weekend binge anywhere on television.
