8 of the best shows to watch on Amazon Prime

Completed Netflix? It’s Prime time you got on this…

Isolation restrictions may have eased from where they were, but the advice remains to stay home where possible.

Challenge accepted. An Amazon Prime membership costs just Dhs16 per month and gives you free delivery on millions of items from Amazon.ae. It also gives you access to PrimeVideo, a streaming site with thousands of hours of quality entertainment.

These are our Prime reasons for giving it a go.

The Office (US)

Worth the subscription fee on its own in our opinion. And although we’ll likely never see a world where everyone agrees on whether the US or UK version of this show was better (Fact: the correct answer is ‘US’), it’s fair to say, it was a phenomenon on both sides of the Atlantic. The stateside incarnation ran for far longer (201 episodes, compared to the UK’s 12), and featured established A-list talent (Steve Carell) as well as, at the time of the pilot, relative unknowns (John Krasinski for example). Packed with masterfully realised, deeply funny and highly quotable characters (Rainn Wilson as Dwight Schrute has secured his place as an all-time great), The Office (US) ranks alongside Friends, Seinfeld and Brooklyn Nine-Nine as great comedy that is eminently rewatchable. Still on the fence? We urge you to hop on Google in search of the best Dwight Schrute-isms.

The Expanse

Without a doubt one of the best-written, and according to more than one high-profile astrophysicist, most realistic science fiction visions of the future we’ve seen in recent times. The Expanse is based on a series of novels with the same name, fondly tips a hat to the Film Noir genre and is set in a world where human beings have become an interplanetary species. Sadly space travel hasn’t quenched our thirst for war, as this first series (of four) follows the increasingly disturbing disappearance of a young girl, amidst growing political tensions between Earth and Mars.

The Night Manager

This British series stars Hollywood big shots Tom Hiddleston and Hugh Laurie, and follows a hotel manager (Hiddleston) who is thrust into a world of espionage, murder and arms deals. Other than superb performances by the cast, this one season-show is distinguished by its unrelenting grip of tension, which at no point feels gratuitous. Genuine edge of the sofa stuff.

Good Omens

Based on the book co-authored by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, Good Omens is a mini-series spun around the relationship between two emissaries of the afterlife, one from above, one from below. Though they represent very different viewpoints, the two unlikely friends must work together to prevent armageddon. Which somehow feels particularly relevant now.

Fleabag

Plucked from the brilliant mind of Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Fleabag is a deservedly-acclaimed tragic comedy that charts the highs, lows and escalating misadventures of a young woman in London. The idea for the series came from Waller-Bridge’s one-woman Edingburgh Fringe show, and often defies established theatrical traditions, with dramatic effect. It may only be two seasons worth of telly, but its won almost every major award on the circuit including Critics’ Choice, Screen Actors Guild Awards, Golden Globes, Emmys and BAFTAs.

Picard

The Star Trek universe is now well over half a century old and this, the latest addition to the cannon, is a shining example of why it has endured so well. Fans of Star Trek: The Next Generation will know poor old Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) has truly ‘seen some things.’ He returns to our screens 20 years after the events of Star Trek: Nemesis, still reeling from the passing of cyborg friend, Data and the obliteration of planet Romulus. Whilst it’s possible that those Trekkies that thrive on the franchise’s action sequences may find this series a little slow, it’s inarguably a worthy addition to the ongoing saga.

Treadstone

Yes that Treadstone, the nefarious black-ops programme that scrambled Jason Bourne’s brain and turned him into a one-man international crisis. This TV show is set in the same world as the Bourne series and tracks the lives of several of Treadstone’s other super assassins. Will the operatives be able to break their programming and free themselves from a life of indentured servitude to shadowy government figures? It all depends on whether they can see ‘what they make you give…’

Tales from the Loop

This brand new science fiction series is deliciously bizarre. Based on a Swedish art book, Tales from the Loop, is set in a town connected to the eponymous Loop, a device built to deconstruct the mysteries of the universe. Starring Jonathan Pryce, the series features heartfelt stories painted with enchanting dreamlike visuals and compelling characters. We’re keeping our fingers firmly crossed for a second series.

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