Best TV Shows on Amazon Prime Video Right Now

What TV shows are on Amazon Prime Video? We’ve put together a list of the best TV shows streaming on Amazon Prime Video tonight

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THREE PINES

Why you should watch: Excellent crime drama filmed in the snowy climes of Montreal, Quebec, starring Alfred Molina, possibly best known by Spider-Man viewers as Dr. Octavius, although he has an extensive film career beyond this. Here he is the empathetic and astute Chief Inspector Gamache, tasked with solving mysterious and perplexing murders in the strange but beguiling village of Three Pines. Assisted by his trusted team; the combative and troubled Sergeant Jean-Guy Beauvoir, the intelligent Indigenous working mother Sergeant Isabelle Lacoste, and the accident-prone rookie Agent Yvette Nichol, the group are initially treated suspiciously by the village’s residents. Despite the cool welcome, Gamache can’t help but find himself oddly drawn to this unusual place and its eccentric residents. Based on the popular novels of Louise Penny.

Director: SAMUEL DONOVAN, TRACEY DEER, DANIEL GROU
Cast: ALFRED MOLINA, ROSSIF SUTHERLAND, ELLE-MAIJA TAILFEATHERS, SARAH BOOTH, ANNA TIERNEY, JULIAN BAILEY, TANTOO CARDINAL

THE PERIPHERAL

Why you should watch: An impressive sci-fi series set in the future when technology has subtly altered society. Stuck in a small Appalachian town, Flynne Fisher’s only escape from the daily grind is playing advanced video games. She is such a good player that a company sends her a new video game system to test, but it has a surprise in store. It unlocks her dreams of finding a purpose, romance, and glamour in what seems like a game, but it also puts her and her family in real danger. Based on a novel of the same name by William Gibson.

Director: VINCENZO NATALI, ALRICK RILEY
Cast: CHLOE GRACE MORETZ, GARY CARR, JACK REYNOR, JJ FEILD, KATIE LEUNG, T’NIA MILLER, LOUIS HERTHUM, CHARLOTTE RILEY

A PRIVATE AFFAIR

Why you should watch: This period crime drama is such fun with lots of daring exploits and witty humour. The story follows the exploits of Marina Quiroga, an out-going upper-class girl with a detective’s soul, who sets off to catch the serial killer that has been terrorising her town. The wonderful Jean Reno stars as her faithful butler Hector, who is always on hand to assist as she gets herself into all sorts of situations. As her brother is the newly appointed police chief, she is forever getting into trouble as her investigations cross his path. Entertaining and delightful.

Director: DAVID PINILLOS, MARIA RIPOLL, DANIEL ARANYO
Cast: AURA GARRIDO, JEAN RENO, GORKA OTXOA, PABLO MOLINERO, ALEX GARCIA, ANGELA MOLINA, TITO VALVERDE, IRENE MONTALA

THE ENGLISH

Why you should watch: Wow! This is quite out of left field. There are not many Westerns on our screens and this one is excellent viewing. Rafe Spall steals the show as the revolting David Melmont. It would have to be one of his best performances. Set in the mythic mid-American landscape in the year of 1890, Emily Blunt stars as Cornelia Locke, an Englishwoman who arrives in the new and wild landscape of the West to wreak revenge on the man she sees as responsible for the death of her son. Upon meeting Eli Whipp, an ex-cavalry scout and member of the Pawnee Nation by birth, they join forces and discover a shared history which must be defeated at all costs, if either of them is to survive. There are cameos by many talented actors, even if they’re only there for a few minutes. Can’t praise this one enough. Hugo Blick writes and directs, a man responsible for some excellent drama of late.

Director: HUGO BLICK
Cast: EMILY BLUNT, CHASKE SPENCER, STEPHEN REA, TOM HUGHES, STEVE WALL, RAFE SPALL, MALCOLM STORRY, TADHG MURPHY

MAMMALS

Why you should watch: And now for something completely different. James Corden is not always everyone’s favourite, but he is quite good in this black comedy written by Jez Butterworth, who is a man on the rise. The title is attributed to the Bloodhound Gang lyric “You and me, baby, ain’t nothing but mammals/So, let’s do it like they do on the Discovery Channel”. Corden stars as Jamie Buckingham, a Michelin-starred chef whose world implodes when he discovers shocking secrets about his pregnant wife. It appears he is not the only one who she showers with affection. He becomes obsessed with tracking down the names listed on her phone to ascertain what exactly is going on, sending himself crazy in the process.

Director: CLARE KILNER, MIGUEL SAPOCHNIK, GREG YAITANES, ALAN TAYLOR
Cast: JAMES CORDEN, MELIA KREILING, COLIN MORGAN, SALLY HAWKINS, NAOKO MORI, KARL JOHNSON, HENRY LLOYD-HUGHES, ISLA GIE

THE DEVIL’S HOUR

Why you should watch: This is an interesting concept. We all experience deja-vu at some point, but this is taking it to the next level. The Midwife’s Jessica Raine stars as Lucy, a woman who keeps waking up every night at exactly 3.33am, in the middle of the so-called devil’s hour between 3am and 4am, for seemingly no reason. A social worker and a mother to her strangely detached son Isaac, Lucy Chambers keeps getting deja-vu, and visions of things that have never happened. At the same time, police are investigating a seemingly random chain of murders that somehow connect to Lucy and her son Isaac. Peter Capaldi is a stand-out in this one, as is Raine. But Benjamin Chivers as Isaac steals the show. Excellent, albeit unsettling, viewing.

Director: JOHNNY ALLAN, ESABELLE SIEB
Cast: JESSICA RAINE, PETER CAPALDI, BENJAMIN CHIVERS, NIKESH PATEL, ALEX FERNS, MEERA SYAL, RAMANIQUE AHLUWALIA

PREACHER

Why you should watch: Dominic Cooper is at his most mesmerising here where he stars as Jesse Custer, preacher from Texas with a loss of faith and a drinking problem. What if an angel and a demon procreate? What would that offspring be? Would it be holy or demonic or both? The offspring has no body, just a soul. That soul needs a body and chooses Jessie. Genesis bonds with Jesse giving him the word of God. What he says is done. This is one to watch if you can make it through the blood and gore flying around in all directions. This viewer must admit that at one point it became too much, but others may not be as squeamish. It is good, but one must be aware that when demons become involved, things get messy. Noah Taylor even pops up as Adolf Hitler! Based on the novels of Steve Dillon.

Director: MICHAEL SLOVIS, EVAN GOLDBERG, SETH ROGEN, WAYNE YIP, SAM CATLIN, MICHAEL MORRIS, JOHN GRILLO, KEVIN HOOKS
Cast: DOMINIC COOPER, JOE GILGUN, RUTH NEGGA, IAN COLLETTI, GRAHAM MCTAVISH, TOM BROOKE, PIP TORRENS, LUCY GRIFFITHS

THE WIDOW

Why you should watch: This one didn’t get much of a reception from the critics, but it held this viewer’s interest as there were lost of twits and turns in the plot, not all as one would expect. Kate Beckinsale does a fine job as Georgia Wells, a woman searching to uncover the mysterious disappearance of her husband, played by Australia’s Matthew Le Nevez, which leads her to the Congo, where she’s forced to seek the truth about what happened to the man she loved. There’s a lot going on here and most of it’s feasible. The series is set in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which was deemed too dangerous for cast and crew. Jungle and rural scenes were filmed in the KwaZulu province of South Africa. This one comes from brothers Harry and Jack Williams, who were responsible for The Missing through their Two Brothers Pictures.

Director: OLLY BLACKBURN, SAMUEL DONOVAN
Cast: KATE BECKINSALE, OLAFUR DARRI OLAFSSON, CHARLES DANCE, MATTHEW LE NEVEZ, ALEX KINGSTON, BABS OLUSANMOKUN

TOM CLANCY’S JACK RYAN

Why you should watch: This viewer must admit that she has never been attracted to the CIA agent driven drama, where explosions, terrorists and gunfire appear to abound, but on commencing to watch Jack Ryan Season 1, it really takes one on a wild ride, although the inner workings of US Government bureaus can be confusing. The interest could be due to the affable John Krasinski in the title role. He is very good. It all starts when CIA analyst Ryan stumbles upon a suspicious series of bank transfers his search for answers pulls him from the safety of his desk job and catapults him into a deadly game of cat and mouse throughout Europe and the Middle East, with a rising terrorist figurehead preparing for a massive attack against the US and her allies. There’s an excellent ensemble cast attached. It looks like it will be a must to now watch the next two seasons. A rollicking good yarn, as someone once said.

Director: JANN TURNER, PATRICIA RIGGEN, DANIEL SACKHEIM, ANDREW BERNSTEIN, DENNIE GORDON, KEVIN DOWLING, CARLTON CUSE
Cast: JOHN KRASINSKI, WENDELL PIERCE, MICHAEL KELLY, JOHN HOOGENAKKER, ABBY CORNISH, NINA HOSS, NOOMI RAPACE

THE CONFESSION

Why you should watch: An interesting docuseries examining the mysterious disappearance of British housewife Patricia Hall from her small Yorkshire town in 1992.A body has ever been found, her passport and bank account have been left untouched and her car was found abandoned a mile from her home. She has never been in contact with her two sons. Although her husband has been interviewed on numerous occasions, the police insist there is no concrete evidence which would lead them to charge him, even though it appears they believe he is the culprit. There is not really a conclusion to the puzzling events that took place. Opinions will vary on this one. It’s a case of “did he” or “didn’t he”. Keith Hall made himself available for interviews, as have various other family members.

Director: SAM HOBKINSON
Cast: MATT SALMON, LUCY MIZEN, NOAH BURD, CHRIS ORTON, HOLLIE WADE, NICHOLAS ANSCOMBE