Amazon Prime Instant Video: 10 best TV shows, incl. Transparent, Outlander, and The Walking Dead

Our pick of the best shows you can watch on Amazon’s streaming service
Now streaming: Transparent, Outlander, and The Walking Dead
Ben Travis4 June 2015

In the increasingly complex minefield of online streaming services, the choice of endless TV shows and films can be overwhelming.

If you're fed up of endlessly scrolling through the catalogue, here are some shows you should check out on Amazon Prime Instant Video to get you started.

Transparent

Seasons:

1
Cert: 15
Creator: Jill Soloway

There’s a good chance this is the show you’ve signed up with Amazon Prime in order to watch – the critically acclaimed comedy-drama is one of the service’s exclusive originals. The series stars Arrested Development’s Jeffrey Tambor as a retired college professor who reveals to his family that he identifies his gender as female – a brilliant, human story, with a second season coming this year.

Bosch

Seasons:

1
Cert: 15
Creators: Michael Connelly and Eric Overmyer

Another Amazon Prime exclusive, Bosch might not have the freshest concept (a slightly off-the-wall cop breaks the rules to solve his cases), but comes from serious pedigree. Based on Michael Connelly’s best-selling crime novels set in seedy LA, the series stars Titus Welliver (a.k.a. the ultimate ‘oh, it’s him from that thing’ actor) in the lead role as Harry Bosch, alongside Jamie Hector and Lance Reddick (Marlo and Daniels from The Wire), and Scott Wilson (Herschel from The Walking Dead).

Outlander

Seasons:

1
Cert: 18
Creator: Ronald D. Moore

From the man behind the brilliant TV reimagining of Battlestar Galactica, this historical fantasy series has seen comparisons to the undisputed king of the genre, Game of Thrones. There’s plenty of romance involved here though, as nurse Claire reunites with her husband post-World War II, only to fall back in time to the 18th Century and swoon over a Scottish hunk named Jamie. It’s been a huge hit in the States, and will only grow in stature in the UK.

Parks and Recreation

Seasons: 1-3
Cert: 15
Creators: Greg Daniels and Michael Schur

One of the most beloved sitcoms of recent years, the perennially good-natured Parks and Recreation is brimming with hilarious characters. Leading the show is Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope, the deputy director of the Parks and Recreation Department in Pawnee, Indiana, with support from Rashida Jones, Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, and Chris Pratt.

Masters of Sex

Seasons:

1
Cert: 15
Creator: Michelle Ashford

Based on Thomas Maier’s book of the same name, Masters of Sex follows Dr. William Masters and Virginia Johnson, who pioneered researched into human sexuality in the 1950s and 60s. Filled with lush period detail, the show has a captivating central duo played by Michael Sheen and Lizzy Caplan.

Ripper Street

Seasons:

1-3
Cert: 15
Creator: Richard Warlow

Amazon became saviours of the BBC’s dark Victorian mystery-drama, which was cancelled due to budgetary constraints after Series 2. Reviving the show for Series 3 (with a fourth and fifth run announced), the murder investigations of Whitechapel’s H Division in East London in the late 19th Century are set to run for a few years longer.

Arrow

Season:

1
Cert: 12
Creators: Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg

While Marvel have mastered the art of combining their superheroes on the big screen, DC Comics are doing a sterling job with their TV output. Masked crime-fighter Arrow (aka Green Arrow in the comic books) came first, combining epic plotlines with soapy drama and plenty of superheroics. Spin-off series The Flash has been equally popular, with another spin-off, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, arriving later in 2015.

The Walking Dead

Seasons:

1-3
Cert: 18
Creators: Frank Darabont

Warning: if you’re at all squeamish, zombie survivalist drama The Walking Dead does not hold back in the slightest when it comes to gore. In fact, it’s pretty uncompromising all-round, as central character Rick Grimes wakes up from a coma in a flesh-eating apocalypse, and is forced to adapt to a harsh new world. What The Walking Dead lacks in light relief, it makes up for with plenty of splatter and did-they-actually-just-do-that? moments.

Best TV dramas 2015 - in pictures

1/9

Nashville (Seasons 1-2)

Seasons:

1-2
Cert: 12
Creator: Callie Khouri

When you think about it, the world of country music was always ripe for a soapy drama, and Nashville is everything you want it to be in that respect. Charting the rivalry between rising star Juliette Barnes (Heroes’ Hayden Panettiere) and fading legend Rayna Jaymes (Connie Britton), the series is packed with catchy music and addictive plots.

The Americans

Seasons:

1-2
Cert: 15
Creator: Joe Weisberg

The Americans has been running for a few seasons now, and news of the show is spreading rapidly thanks to positive word-of-mouth. The series follows a couple in Cold War-era Washington DC, who despite their all-American appearance are actually Soviet spies. Expertly balancing espionage plots with family drama, the show’s creator Joe Weisberg formerly worked at the CIA – yes, that CIA.

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