Amazon Originals to watch – and avoid

Prime Video keeps rolling out fresh Amazon Originals alongside a library of earlier series that still hold up. Some remain essential viewing. Others feel like they overstayed their welcome. The current slate offers both high-profile newcomers and older titles that deserve a revisit or a hard pass, depending on your taste.

Watch: Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams

UK viewers were already treated with this import of a show based on short stories by Philip K. Dick, famous for his book Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? which became Blade Runner – or at least became the inspiration behind Ridley Scott’s sci-fi masterpiece, because a lot of the story was just jettisoned. Dick wrote tons of great stories across the 60s and 70s, and some of the best are brought to life by the likes of Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), Timothy Spall (Mr. Turner), Steve Buscemi (Ghost World), Terrence Howard (Four Brothers), and a bunch of other A-listers. We’ve already seen the series, which premiered on Amazon Video in January 2018: brainy, cerebral stuff with a few stories well worth seeing. The anthology wrapped after a single season with no additional episodes ordered as of 2026.

Avoid: McMafia

We wish we had some idea what’s going on in this thing, another British import airing weekly on Amazon Video. The writers behind McMafia somehow managed to make a Russian mafia family drama into this overly convoluted mess. James Norton (Grantchester) is wasted in a lead who mostly just meanders around. Luckily they only bought a miniseries – and it’s worth exactly none of your time. The series was ultimately canceled after Season 1 despite earlier plans for continuation, with final confirmation arriving in 2025.

Watch: I Love Dick

Don’t let the title fool you. This series isn’t totally naughty – but it’s still pretty cheeky. Kathryn Hahn (Transparent) falls in complete, obsessive love with Kevin Bacon (Mystic River). The story of everyone’s life, really. Except her husband does as well! Shocker! I Love Dick is a twisted romcom that goes in some left-field directions. Hahn is an utterly delicious delight in the main role, as a woman torn between fanatical lust and the harsh reality of her current marriage. Released in May 2017, the show ended after one season when Amazon passed on renewal in early 2018.

Avoid: Crisis in Six Scenes

Ugh. We’re actually fans of Woody Allen’s long history of iconoclastic filmmaking, but if you happen upon this 2016 miscarriage somewhere in your video docket, skip it. Not only does this self-indulgent miniseries – Allen’s first foray into television – go absolutely nowhere with any of its characters, it commits the cardinal sin of being bland. It’s the least Woody Allen thing that Woody Allen has ever Woody Allened! Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana) is especially poor in a dead-eyed role trying to be existential, but winding up simply empty. Ugh.

Watch: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

A surprise delight of 2017 needing your attention right now, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, a late-fifties story about a Jewish housewife (Rachel Brosnahan) attempting standup comedy as a hobby. What feels like a period drama morphs into a rich comedy bubbling with all the tragic hilarity human life has to offer. Tons of commentary is crammed into this show, from gender roles to busting social norms, which seems to go from strength to strength in its later episodes. The series reached its conclusion with Season 5 premiering in April 2023 and closed out to strong critical praise.

Avoid: Jean-Claude Van Johnson

We’re not fans at all of this supposedly “gut-busting” meta-commentary comedy from Jean-Claude Van Damme (Double Team), who plays a martial arts film star that becomes an undercover agent and then does a few other things which make sense. There are cheap laughs here, but the uncharismatic Van Damme unfortunately isn’t more watchable than usual. If you really want to check this out, just keep picturing Daniel Day-Lewis (Phantom Thread) in the karate-chopping lead role. You know full well he’d be up for it.

Watch: The Tick

If you missed this parodic superhero series last year, now’s the time to check it out. Based on the mocking comic book of the same name, The Tick is a sweet and genuinely hilarious series. Peter Serafinowicz (Shaun of the Dead) in the lead is utterly versatile and comedically infectious. It’s hard not to be charmed, even if it’s obvious the budget was about five dollars and a styrofoam takeaway box for each scene. The rest of the first season airs this February after a little hiatus. The full run concluded with Season 2 in April 2019 before Amazon canceled the show.

Recent Amazon Originals Worth Watching

Prime Video’s current lineup stretches beyond the 2017-2018 titles that launched the platform’s originals push. Fallout continues to rank among the service’s highest-rated shows in 2026 roundups, delivering post-apocalyptic action with strong audience numbers. Fresh arrivals such as Elle in July 2026 and the action-comedy Ride or Die give viewers new comedy and drama options that fit the same watch-list spirit.

Series That Aged Poorly or Underperformed

Not every early Amazon comedy landed. Several 2010s titles earned lukewarm reviews and never built lasting cultural footprints. Cancellation patterns show multiple shows dropped after one season when viewership failed to connect, leaving behind thin catalogs that feel dated rather than essential.

Where to Stream These Titles Today

All the featured series remain available on Prime Video with no major licensing changes reported. Viewers can still queue up the full runs of both the recommended picks and the ones marked to skip without hunting across other platforms.

Amazon's Evolving Originals Strategy

Prime Video has moved from the smaller-scale anthology and comedy experiments of the late 2010s toward bigger-budget genre franchises. The pivot shows in long-running hits like The Boys and Reacher, plus Fallout’s success. The 2026 slate leans into sequels and new IP such as Young Sherlock, signaling a clear preference for established properties over one-off limited series.

The mix of completed legacy titles and newer releases gives Prime Video a broader range than it had in its first wave of originals. Whether you chase cerebral anthologies, sharp period comedies, or current franchise entries, the platform still rewards selective browsing over blanket subscriptions. Pick your lane and press play accordingly.