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The 41 Best Shows on Disney+ Right Now

The 41 Best Shows on Disney+ Right Now

Disney+, if you didn’t know, isn’t just for kids. With its ownership of the Lucasfilm brand and the Marvel titles, the streaming service also offers plenty of grown-up content in its bid to compete with Netflix and Amazon—and we’re not just talking movies. Since launching the service, Disney has used the name recognition of Star Wars and Marvel to launch scores of TV shows, from The Mandalorian to Loki. In the list below, we’ve collected the ones we think are the best to watch, from those franchises and beyond.

Want more? Head to our best movies on Disney+ list if you’re looking for movies, and our guides on the best shows on Netflix and best shows on Apple TV+ to see what Disney’s rivals have to offer. Don’t like our picks, or want to suggest your own? Head to the comments below and share your thoughts.

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Behind the Attraction

Disneyland, Walt Disney’s very first theme park, opened up in Anaheim, California, in 1955. In the nearly 70 years since, Disney parks have become a worldwide phenomenon and inspired rabid fan bases who make annual (if not more frequent) pilgrimages to these so-called Happiest Places on Earth. But what goes on behind the scenes? From the creation of major attractions like The Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean to its bustling food scene (Dole Whip, anyone?), this docuseries—which just premiered its second season—goes behind the scenes of the world’s most famous amusement parks.

JFK: One Day in America

November 22, 1963, will forever be remembered as one of the most traumatic days in American history. As we hurtle toward the 60th anniversary of the assassination of US President John F. Kennedy, NatGeo has assembled a fascinating three-part miniseries that relives that tragic day, as told by the people who witnessed it.

Goosebumps

For more than 30 years, R. L. Stine’s Goosebumps books have fed the nightmares of young readers—much to their delight (well, usually). Now Disney is ready to inspire a whole new generation of horror lovers with this fun series, which follows the lives of a group of high schoolers who begin to unravel the terrifying truth about a decades-old murder—and the roles their nearest and dearest might have played in it—in their otherwise picture-perfect hometown. The always-affable Justin Long stars as a teacher who may or may not be possessed.

Loki

The MCU is exhaustingly huge. Yet while Loki is undoubtedly part of that universe, the series could just as easily work as a stand-alone piece, and it’s all the more fun and surprising as a result. There are enough plot twists, silly one-liners, and time-travel antics to keep everyone entertained, and even a wisecracking alligator. If that doesn’t do it, Loki has a visual effects budget that would put most Hollywood blockbusters to shame. Sure, it’s not the most intellectually stimulating show out there, but Tom Hiddleston does a great job of turning Loki into a fairly complex, interesting character. Loki’s long-awaited second season arrived on October 5, with new episodes streaming weekly.

Daredevil

Before Disney+ became the home for all of Marvel’s TV content, Netflix was the place to find it—beginning with Daredevil, in which blind attorney Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) spends his days seeking justice and his nights looking for revenge as a masked vigilante attempting to rid his Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of its criminal element. While the series ended in 2018, Cox has reprised the role and is currently at work on a new series, Daredevil: Born Again, which will be a Disney+ exclusive when it arrives in 2024—hopefully (the reboot is in the midst of a massive overhaul).

Ahsoka

We know what you’re thinking: Wait, another Star Wars series? And we don’t blame you for asking the question. But for old-school franchise fans, Ahsoka just might surprise you. Rosario Dawson reprises the title role as Ahsoka Tano, a former Jedi who studied under Anakin Skywalker, which she first played in season 2 of The Mandalorian. Here, Ahsoka sets off on a journey to locate Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen, Mads’ brother)—a master manipulator who seems to be on a mission to become the grand ruler of the galaxy.

The Wonder Years

In 2021, writer-producer Saladin K. Patterson (Frasier, The Bernie Mac Show) rebooted the award-winning, and much beloved, series The Wonder Years for a whole new generation. Don Cheadle narrates the adventures of Dean Williams (Elisha “EJ” Williams), as he comes of age in Montgomery, Alabama, in the final years of the Civil Rights movement. Both seasons of the worthwhile series are now streaming.

Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire

While Black Panther may have gotten an official sequel with 2022’s Wakanda Forever (which is, of course, available to stream on Disney+), this animated anthology series is in many ways a spiritual successor to that Oscar-winning MCU flick. More than a dozen up-and-coming African storytellers were handpicked to write and/or direct these 10 short films, which build on the makers’ cultures and histories to paint a fascinating, gorgeously animated—and often dystopian—picture of Afrofuturism.

Never Say Never with Jeff Jenkins

It’s never too late to find your calling. Just ask travel journalist Jeff Jenkins, who had never even stepped on an airplane until the age of 20. Fifteen years later, Jenkins has certainly made up for lost time. And in this new adventure series, which will air simultaneously on National Geographic, Hulu, and Disney+, Jenkins is setting out to learn about the world and its many cultures through travel—and test his own limits. Because, as he explains on the series: “As a chubby Black guy, I don’t see a lot of folks who look like me exploring the world.” Jenkins’ enthusiasm for what he does is infectious.

Secret Invasion

From the moment it launched, Secret Invasion sparked conversation—although not for the reasons Marvel might have hoped. Turns out, the studio used artificial intelligence to create the show’s opening credits, a move that turned off some fans. Whether it’s curiosity about those Midjourney-looking visuals or general interest in what Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) has been up to, Secret Invasion is worth a look. Captain Marvel costars Jackson and Ben Mendelsohn (Talos) team up again, and the show follows the two as they investigate a clandestine invasion of Earth by a shape-shifting alien race known as the Skrulls. If that doesn’t do it for you, you might want to tune in for Olivia Colman and Emilia Clarke’s first—though surely not their last—forays into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The Muppets Mayhem

As any Muppets fan will tell you, The Electric Mayhem Band is a highlight of any show the gang puts on. This time, Dr. Teeth and the gang are front and center, on a quest to record their first studio album with the help of an ambitious music executive, played by one-time YouTube star Lilly Singh. Get ready to rock.

A Small Light

While the story of Anne Frank is well known, the life of Hermine “Miep” Gies—Otto Frank’s secretary, and one of the five Dutch citizens who helped to hide the Frank family—is lesser known. This powerful NatGeo miniseries helps to change that, with Bel Powley delivering a moving performance as a young woman who takes a heroic stand, regardless of the consequences.

American Born Chinese

Oscar winners—and Everything Everywhere All at Once costars—Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan reunite for this Disney+ original series. Jin Wang (Ben Wang) is your typical teenager who’s just trying to get through the day of dealing with high school social hierarchies. But his life is forever altered when he’s asked to serve as a mentor to Wei-Chen (Jimmy Liu), a foreign exchange student who is hiding some pretty big secrets. Like that he’s actually on an otherworldly mission from the heavenly realm and has chosen Jin to serve as his guide. Part coming-of-age tale and part mythological fantasy, the series is a formidable adaptation of Gene Yang’s graphic novel.

Star Wars: Visions

For a franchise as varied and diverse as Star Wars, sometimes its output can feel a little same-y. That’s not the case with Visions. The point of the anthology series is to provide “all-new, creative” takes on the Star Wars universe. The first series, which premiered in 2021, featured nine installments from some of the best anime studios in Japan, including Kamikaze Douga and Trigger. The second anthology, which arrived on May 4, 2023, broadens the scope further, incorporating work from studios in India, Ireland, Spain, Chile, France, South Africa, the US, and the UK. If you’re looking for the best one-off tales from the Star Wars universe, look no further.

The Mandalorian

The Mandalorian was, and is, exactly what the Star Wars franchise needed. Everything about this Jon Favreau series, which premiered in 2019 and just concluded its third season in April, feels like classic TV—from the episodic adventures to the cameos. Set in the outer reaches of the galaxy, it follows a moody, masked Mandalorian bounty hunter (WIRED cover star Pedro Pascal) and really delivers on the hype with its retro-futuristic robots, salty Space Western vibes, lack of Skywalker baggage, and, of course, Grogu (aka Baby Yoda). The Mandalorian really set the tone for what a great Star Wars series could be, and while not every subsequent show has been as good, others, like Andor, have lived up to the precedent it set—and proved Star Wars stories can make for great TV. If you’re on the lookout for Season 4, you likely still have a while to wait: The latest reports predict it won’t arrive until at least November 2024.

Andor

Andor is something of a miracle. Created by Tony Gilroy, the filmmaker brought in to save Rogue One, it’s the origin story of one of that movie’s most beloved characters, Cassian Andor (Diego Luna). Set in the early years of the Rebellion, it charts Andor’s path to becoming one of the most integral of the Rebels. With a supporting cast that includes Fiona Shaw and Stellan Skarsgård, it also features a fantastic score from Nicholas Britell (Moonlight, Succession). After spending so much time with Mandalorians and Jedis, it’s a welcome reprieve and perhaps the closest thing to prestige TV the Star Wars universe has released yet,

Ms. Marvel

With Ms. Marvel, Disney manages to combine its knack for producing coming-of-age tween fare with its new role as caretaker of the MCU. Iman Vellani charms as Kamala Khan, an Avengers-obsessed high schooler from Jersey City who feels like an outsider in most areas of her life. But when a gold bangle arrives from her grandmother in Pakistan, Kamala begins to realize that all the time she’s spent fantasizing about what life would be like with superpowers might have been preparing her for real life. With one foot in the teen drama world and the other in the comic book universe, Ms. Marvel—which just happens to feature Marvel’s first Muslim superhero—marks yet another admirable step forward for the company in both innovation and inclusion. Vellani’s Ms. Marvel recently made the leap to the big screen; she can currently be seen starring alongside Brie Larson in The Marvels.

Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures

If helping to raise a new generation of Star Wars geeks was even a small part of your reason for having kids, this brand-new animated series, which is basically the Star Wars version of Muppet Babies, is a great place to start their education. Set during the High Republic era, approximately 200 years before the events of The Phantom Menace, it follows a group of young Jedis—Jedi Lites—who are sometimes stumbling their way through learning the ways of the Force. Like any good kid series, it also teaches important lessons about life and making a positive difference in the world.

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law

Tatiana Maslany is no stranger to complicated characters (see: Orphan Black) or to playing more than one side of a single character (see again: Orphan Black). In She-Hulk, she gets to hone her deft skills even further while amping up the silliness of it all. Maslany plays Jennifer Walters, the cousin of Bruce Banner/The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), with whom she shares that angry green gene. Ultimately, this turns out to be a boon for Walters—and the audience—when she is given the chance to head up a new branch at her law firm that’s dedicated to cases involving “superhumans” like herself. While Maslany could easily carry the show on her own (yet again, see: Orphan Black), an all-star supporting cast that includes Ruffalo, Jameela Jamil, Tim Roth, and Benedict Wong only adds to the fun and further cements the show’s place in the MCU.

Obi-Wan Kenobi

Ewan McGregor has not always had the kindest words for the Star Wars prequels in which he first played the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi—a role he inherited from Alec Guinness, who also had plenty of less-than-favorable things to say about the franchise. So it was somewhat surprising when Lucasfilm announced that McGregor would be donning his Jedi gear again to star in a stand-alone Star Wars series for Disney+. (Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has already said there will not be a second season.) In many ways, however, it allowed McGregor and former costar Hayden Christensen to course-correct some of their earlier work, as it follows a downtrodden Obi-Wan attempting to process his personal and professional disappointment over losing Anakin Skywalker (Christensen) to the Dark Side.

The Beatles: Get Back

In January 1969, just more than a year before they announced they were breaking up, the Beatles allowed a film crew unprecedented access to the creative process and recording of Let It Be, which would be their final studio album. Fifty years later, Oscar-winning director Peter Jackson was presented with the nearly 60 hours of film footage and more than 150 hours of audio that resulted from this project, and he remastered it and turned it into a three-part docuseries. Whether you’re already a Beatles fan or not, the documentary is a fascinating look at the creative process of one of the music world’s most influential bands as they work against the clock to finish recording an album, decide to have a free concert on their label’s rooftop, and occasionally butt heads. Knowing what the subjects do not know—that this will be the last time they perform live together or record an album—only adds to the project’s intimacy. The miniseries won all five Emmys it was nominated for, including Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series.

Moon Knight

Oscar Isaac brings yet another marquee name to Marvel’s growing roster of all-star talents with Moon Night. Here, Isaac plays a man with dissociative identity disorder, giving us not one but three distinct characters: mercenary Mark Spector, British gift shop employee Steven Grant, and the mysterious—and seemingly ominous—Jake Lockley. Ultimately, he must face off against himself to get the answers he’s seeking. For Moon Knight, Isaac told Empire that he was thrilled to be able to do something “really fucking nutty on a major stage”—and he delivers.

The Book of Boba Fett

As with The Mandalorian, Jon Favreau helms this Disney series, in which the criminally unsung bounty hunter of the Star Wars films finally gets his day in the sun. The series is technically a spinoff of The Mandalorian and takes place in the same time frame, after the events of Return of the Jedi. That explains why Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) and his partner Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen) are attempting to take over the underworld previously controlled by Jabba the Hutt.

The Muppet Show

While The Muppet Show, which ran for five seasons between 1976 and 1981, is considered a piece of classic television today, it wasn’t always smooth sailing for creator Jim Henson. Henson produced two one-off Muppet specials that were intended to take the show into prime time, but neither came to fruition. Fortunately, the Muppets did have a recurring gig in “The Land of Gorch” sketches that aired during Saturday Night Live’s first season, which—when that became a hit—gave Henson proof that there was a potentially massive audience for an adult-oriented Muppet show (not to mention celebrity connections to entice plenty of A-list names to host). The rest is Muppet history.

The Punisher

The Punisher is yet another Netflix-turned-Disney+ Marvel series that also happens to be a spinoff of Daredevil. Like Daredevil, the Punisher (real name: Frank Castle, played by Jon Bernthal) is a vigilante who seems to relish exacting revenge, regardless of the results. He and Daredevil operate within the same universe, and while the Punisher sort of admires Daredevil’s quest for true justice, Daredevil despises the Punisher’s by-any-means-necessary methods. Bernthal brings an intensity to the role that, while undoubtedly violent, also has a sense of humor about it.

DuckTales

If you’re looking to recapture the magic of the original DuckTales, in which rich old Uncle Scrooge McDuck looks after his nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie, the original cartoon (which ran from 1987 to 1990) is here. But so is the newfangled version, which features the same fun adventures and an all-star voice cast that includes David Tennant, Danny Pudi, Ben Schwartz, and Bobby Moynihan as Scrooge, Huey, Dewey, and Louie, respectively.

Boy Meets World

If ABC’s TGIF lineup wasn’t a part of your night as a kid, you clearly didn’t grow up in the ’90s. But Disney+ is happy to right that wrong by housing all seven seasons of the teen sitcom in its library. Corey Matthews (Ben Savage) deals with the ups and downs of growing up and ever-evolving relationships with friends and family—plus that one teacher, Mr. Feeny (William Daniels)—who always has the right answer to your problems, whether you like it or not. As the show progressed and the kids grew up, serious issues like drugs and sex were thrown into the mix, which didn’t always please the network. When the show aired on the original Disney Channel, a few episodes weren’t included in the lineup because of the more mature subject matter. You can also check out all three seasons of Girl Meets World, the series reboot (which features Corey as the parent and Mr. Feeny) when you’re done.

Jessica Jones

Just about six months after Daredevil arrived on the scene, Netflix took another chance on a Marvel property with Jessica Jones. In this dark dive into the world of superheroes, Krysten Ritter plays a private investigator who gave up her days as a superhero after a major catastrophe. But you can’t deny who you are, as Jessica discovers when it seems like every case that comes her way forces her to confront her past—and the supervillain Kilgrave (David Tennant), who turned her into a shell of her former self.

Hawkeye

Yet another in an ever growing string of spinoff TV shows from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Hawkeye gives some long overdue attention to Jeremy Renner’s Clint Barton, who in many ways has often seemed like the forgotten Avenger. The supernaturally skilled archer is in most of the ensemble Avengers films, but this Disney+ series marks his first solo outing. The show sees Hawkeye teaming up with Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld), a precocious twentysomething who shares his skills for slinging arrows but lacks his eye for danger. It’s set during the holidays, and there are shades of Die Hard as the eponymous character tries to save the day and make it home in time for Christmas. Let the arguments about whether it’s a Christmas TV show begin.

Monsters at Work

Monsters at Work is the Monsters, Inc. spinoff you didn’t know you needed. It picks up the action six months after the end of the iconic Pixar movie—after Sully and his friend and colleague Mike (a giant green eyeball) have reworked the Monstropolis energy grid to run on laughter instead of children’s screams. The show, which includes elements of a workplace comedy, premiered in the summer of 2021 and has a second season (presumably) coming later this year.

The Bad Batch

Yes, Disney really is milking its Star Wars properties for all they’re worth. The Bad Batch is an animated spinoff series set in the aftermath of the Clone Wars, between the prequel trilogy and the original trilogy in the overarching timeline. It follows a group of clone soldiers with genetic defects that give them individual traits and personalities, making them well suited to taking on daring mercenary missions. There are 16 episodes apiece in the first two seasons, with a third and final season scheduled to premiere in 2024.

WandaVision

This slow-burning sitcom parody is unexpectedly compelling. For the first couple of episodes, even hardened Marvel fans will have very little idea what’s going on, as Avengers Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) live out an idyllic family life in black-and-white 1950s suburbia. Quickly, it becomes clear that something is wrong in the quiet town of Westview, as the world of the show ties into the wider MCU. Olsen reprises her role in Sam Raimi’s Doctor Strange sequel, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which picks up right after the events of WandaVision. Though there will not be a second season, fan-favorite Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) is getting a spinoff, Agatha: Darkhold Diaries, which is expected to drop in late 2024.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

After the surreal sitcom stylings of WandaVision, the second Marvel show to land on Disney+ covers more familiar ground. It’s an action-packed thriller that follows Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) and Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) as they try to fill the void left by Captain America in the months after the events of Avengers: Endgame.

Star Wars Rebels

Accessible for kids and adults alike—and undoubtedly one of the best Star Wars TV series on Disney+—this animated series follows a group of rebels led by the former Jedi Kanan Jarrus (Freddie Prinze Jr.) and featuring his force-sensitive Padawan, Ezra Bridger (Ezra Gray). Fan favorite Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein) is another regular character across its four seasons, which do a neat job of fleshing out the time between the end of the prequel trilogy and the beginning of the original one.

The Simpsons

Have you got some time on your hands? Well, the 34 seasons of The Simpsons currently streaming on Disney+ should keep you busy. What can be said about one of the longest-running—and arguably most famous—animated TV shows ever made? While the first season is a little patchy by today’s standards, and there are ongoing arguments about when the show went from essential viewing to neglected cash cow, whatever your view, there are literally weeks worth of entertainment here.

X-Men: The Animated Series

If you really want to nerd out, this critically acclaimed animated X-Men series from the ’90s is worth a watch. In fact, the first two films in the live-action movie franchise drew heavily from this cartoon, which serves as a nice reminder of what can be done with rich source material.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

This seven-season series, which is for serious Marvel fans, revolves around S.H.I.E.L.D.’s less super agents, led by Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg). The first season takes a while to warm up, but it really hits its stride in its second and especially third seasons, and it eventually ramps up with a complex plot that ties into the films.

Agent Carter

Agent Carter is a better show than Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., but it struggled to find an audience during its two seasons. Hayley Atwell reprises her role as Peggy Carter from several MCU films in this 1940s-set series, where she doubles as an agent for the US government while helping Howard Stark (Tony’s dad) out of more than one jam. The two seasons stretch to only 18 episodes, so it’s a quick watch, but one worth making the time for.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

This is another Star Wars animated show worth seeking out, though it’s not to be confused with the equally worthy 2003 animated series Star Wars: Clone Wars from legendary Samurai Jack creator Genndy Tartakovsky. Both series deal with the period between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith and chronicle the rise of Anakin Skywalker from arrogant Padawan to powerful Jedi Master.

Inside Pixar

There’s a lot of behind-the-scenes content on Disney+. These are short clips that, in another age, would have been confined to the DVD extras menu. But this series of 20-minute documentaries on different Pixar movies offers a fascinating insight into the animated hit machine.

What If …?

Here’s an animated series based on one simple question: What if? The Watcher, played by Jeffrey Wright, is an extraterrestrial being who observes the multiverse, occasionally making minor changes to influence events. This series looks at how events in the Marvel movies would have turned out differently if they’d had a Sliding Doors moment. The first episode follows an alternate timeline in which Steve Rogers remains a scrawny sidekick and Agent Carter becomes a Union Jack-draped super soldier. Actors from the films reprise their roles, including Josh Brolin as Thanos, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, and Karen Gillan as Nebula. A second season was originally promised to debut in early 2023, but it has suffered a few setbacks. Its first new episode is currently scheduled to drop December 22.

The SAG Deal Sends a Clear Message About AI and Workers

The SAG Deal Sends a Clear Message About AI and Workers

On Monday, the leadership of the Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists held a members-only webinar to discuss the contract the union tentatively agreed upon last week with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. If ratified, the contract will officially end the longest labor strike in the guild’s history.

For many in the industry, artificial intelligence was one of the strike’s most contentious, fear-inducing components. Over the weekend, SAG released details of its agreed AI terms, an expansive set of protections that require consent and compensation for all actors, regardless of status. With this agreement, SAG has gone substantially further than the Directors Guild of America or the Writers Guild of America, who preceded the group in coming to terms with the AMPTP. This isn’t to say that SAG succeeded where the other unions failed but that actors face more of an immediate, existential threat from machine-learning advances and other computer-generated technologies.

The SAG deal is similar to the DGA and WGA deals in that it demands protections for any instance where machine-learning tools are used to manipulate or exploit their work. All three unions have claimed their AI agreements are “historic” and “protective,” but whether one agrees with that or not, these deals function as important guideposts. AI doesn’t just posit a threat to writers and actors—it has ramifications for workers in all fields, creative or otherwise.

For those looking to Hollywood’s labor struggles as a blueprint for how to deal with AI in their own disputes, it’s important that these deals have the right protections, so I understand those who have questioned them or pushed them to be more stringent. I’m among them. But there is a point at which we are pushing for things that cannot be accomplished in this round of negotiations and may not need to be pushed for at all.

To better understand what the public generally calls AI and its perceived threat, I spent months during the strike meeting with many of the leading engineers and tech experts in machine-learning and legal scholars in both Big Tech and copyright law.

The essence of what I learned confirmed three key points: The first is that the gravest threats are not what we hear most spoken about in the news—most of the people whom machine-learning tools will negatively impact aren’t the privileged but low- and working-class laborers and marginalized and minority groups, due to the inherent biases within the technology. The second point is that the studios are as threatened by the rise and unregulated power of Big Tech as the creative workforce, something I wrote about in detail earlier in the strike here and that WIRED’s Angela Watercutter astutely expanded upon here.

Netflix’s Password-Sharing Crackdown Is Working—for Now

Netflix’s Password-Sharing Crackdown Is Working—for Now

If it’s not the company motto yet, it should be: Never count Netflix out. On Wednesday, the streaming giant beat Wall Street projections by reporting a gain of nearly 9 million new subscribers worldwide and $8.5 billion in revenue for the third quarter of 2023, a nearly 8 percent increase year-over-year. While that might all sound like a bunch of finance bro brouhaha, it’s also remarkable considering the very tumultuous three years the company—and Hollywood—has had.

Consider the company’s crackdown on password sharing. The long-planned killjoy campaign rolled out in the US and UK in May 2023. It came on the heels of a topsy-turvy time for streaming, when Netflix was facing increased competition from new streamers like Disney+ and HBO Max (now known as Max) and losing subscribers for the first time in a decade. The move to quash password-sharing—which basically shut out users who didn’t appear to live in the same household as the account holder—also landed shortly after the streamer pushed its much-hyped $7-per-month ad-supported tier.

For months it looked as though Netflix’s shifts in plans, pricing, and password enforcement were the moves of a company feeling the squeeze of additional competition and a loss of cool in the realm of public perception. As recently as this week, analysts were cutting the company’s stock price forecasts amid talk that users weren’t flocking to the new ad-supported tier. And yet, in a letter to investors Wednesday announcing the company’s quarterly earnings, Netflix noted that membership in its ad-supported plans is up nearly 70 percent quarter-over-quarter. The streaming giant also noted it has brought “paid sharing”—which allows users to share accounts for an additional fee—to every region where Netflix is available.

“The cancel reaction continues to be low, exceeding our expectations, and borrower households converting into full paying memberships are demonstrating healthy retention,” Netflix told shareholders. In other words, previous password-swappers aren’t quitting the service in disgust, and Netflix now has more than 247 million paying subscribers around the world.

Will all those subscribers stick around long-term, though? That’s an open question. In addition to its healthy increase in subscribers, Netflix also announced on Wednesday that it is raising prices again. Effective immediately, the company said, people in the US, UK, and France would see the cost of the streamer’s Basic plan jump from $9.99 per month to $11.99. The Premium plan, meanwhile, climbs from $19.99 to $22.99. (Prices for the $6.99 ad-supported tier and $15.49 Standard plan remain unchanged.) It’s been more than a year since Netflix last increased prices, but if the streamer continues to ask for more money while also limiting the number of people who can use each subscription, some subscribers may decide Netflix isn’t worth it.

Speaking of benefits: the Hollywood strikes. Even though the Writers Guild of America struck a deal with studios and script scribes are getting back to work, actors remain on strike, leaving many productions stalled. For now Netflix can coast on Suits, which has seen a weird surge in popularity on the platform in recent months, and Love Is Blind. But by choking the content pipeline, the actors’ strike could eventually leave the streamer with fewer offerings to lure or retain subscribers. Earlier this month, The Wall Street Journal reported that Netflix might raise prices after the actors strike ends. It’s possible that the increases announced Wednesday are the price hikes the Journal predicted, but if the cost of Netflix goes up again, the company will have to offer customers more to demonstrate it provides the same value.

To be fair, Disney, Paramount, and Warner Bros. Discovery have all recently raised their own streaming prices, so Netflix’s move is not out of step with the industry. Still, the more streamers jack up their prices, the fewer services, presumably, people will want to shell out for.

Netflix may be converting mooching nieces, nephews, and ex-lovers into paying subscribers for now. But as Karl Bode noted recently in Techdirt, it’s possible the company’s recent revenue boosts “could be due to a popular new show or organic growth, and not necessarily due to Netflix’s scolding of password-sharing accounts.” The gambit is working so far, but it may not work forever.

The 25 Best Shows on Max (aka HBO Max) Right Now

The 25 Best Shows on Max (aka HBO Max) Right Now

Max (previously HBO Max) might be one of the greatest things to come out of the streaming revolution. No, this is not a paid promotion; it’s just simple logic, given that so much of television’s most compelling content of the past 25 years—from The Sopranos and The Wire to Game of Thrones and The Leftovers—originated on the “it’s not TV” network. So having one hub to find them all (including the aforementioned titles) makes good sense for both the network and binge-watchers looking to maximize their investment. 

But HBO’s streaming arm has gotten into the original content game too, with highly acclaimed series like HacksStation Eleven, and The Staircase (the owl did it!). When you’re done rewatching some of the classics, here are our favorite shows streaming on HBO Max right now.

Looking for more recommendations? Head to WIRED’s guide to the best TV shows on Netflix, the best TV shows on Amazon Prime, the best TV shows on Disney+, and the best TV shows on Hulu.

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Our Flag Means Death

Rhys Darby and Taika Waititi do what Rhys Darby and Taika Waititi do best as two very different kinds of pirates who cross paths in the 1700s. Darby plays Stede Bonnet, a fictionalized version of a very real member of the landed gentry whose version of a midlife crisis led to him abandon his family and hit the high seas for a swashbuckling adventure. Waititi, meanwhile, plays the infamous Blackbeard, who learns of Bonnet and seeks him out. What begins as a kind of mentorship eventually becomes the gay pirate action-comedy series you never knew you needed. With season two premiering today (and the future of the cult series in question), there’s never been a better time to join the growing fandom.

Anne Rice’s Interview With the Vampire

Yes, the 1994 movie adaptation of Anne Rice’s famed vampire tome starred Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt and earned a couple of Oscar nominations. But that didn’t stop Pulitzer Prize-nominee Rolin Jones from taking a stab at a small-screen version of the 1976 novel, in which 250-year-old bloodsucker Louis de Pointe du Lac (Game of Thrones’ Jacob Anderson) recounts his transformation from mortal to immortal to an often gobsmacked journalist (Eric Bogosian). Much of Louis’ life centers around his maker, Lestat de Lioncourt (Sam Reid), and the centuries they’ve spent together. Unlike the movie, the series does not shy away from the LGBTQ+ elements that Rice wrote about in her original novel.

Gangs of London

Finn Wallace (Colm Meaney) is one of the most feared leaders of London’s criminal underworld—until he is brutally murdered, triggering a total upheaval as rival gang leaders attempt to take his exalted place. Among those jockeying for position as the new head at Finn’s table are his son Sean (Joe Cole), who is equally invested in finding out who ordered the hit on his dad. Same goes for the London police officer who has infiltrated the Wallace organization. Gareth Evans, who wrote and directed The Raid and The Raid 2, cocreated this series, which ranks right up there with The Last of Us as one of the rare video game adaptations that actually makes for great television.

Fear the Walking Dead

The first seven seasons of this Walking Dead spin-off, which begins as a prequel series and eventually catches up to its predecessor’s timeline, traces the story of a blended family—high school guidance counselor Madison (Kim Dickens), her fiancé Travis (Cliff Curtis), children Nick (Frank Dillane) and Alicia (Alycia Debnam-Carey), and Travis’ ex-wife Lisa (Elizabeth Rodriguez) and their son Chris (Lorenzo James Henrie)—as they work to create a new life for themselves—and then deal with the impending zombie apocalypse. Catch up ahead of the series’ eighth and final season premiere on October 22.

Killing Eve

Jodie Comer channels her inner Hannibal Lecter as Villanelle, a deranged assassin who develops a bizarre obsession with Eve (Sandra Oh), the MI6 agent tasked with hunting her down. The fixation soon becomes mutual, as the two women follow and chase each other around the world and wrestle with the jobs their occupation has tasked them with (find/kill) and their personal feelings of fascination with each other. While it’s technically a brutal and action-packed spy thriller, it’s also laugh-out-loud hilarious, thanks mainly to Comer’s impossible charm. It also doesn’t hurt that Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the utter genius behind Fleabag, was the head writer on the show’s first season—with a different female writer taking over for each of the three subsequent seasons.

How to With John Wilson

If Steven Wright and Nathan Fielder decided to create a YouTube channel of how-to tutorials on topics like putting up scaffolding and covering furniture in plastic, it might look a lot like How to With John Wilson. So it probably comes as no surprise that Fielder is an executive producer of the series, which follows Wilson as he attempts to uncover the secrets of such universal dilemmas as how to make small talk. Wilson’s surprising mix of earnestness and deadpan delivery make the series—which concluded its third and final season in September—surprising, enlightening, and extremely strange.

Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty

John C. Reilly stars as Lakers owner Jerry Buss in a performance that would make Reed Rothchild, his Boogie Nights character, proud. This fast-paced period sports drama, which is based on Jeff Pearlman’s book Showtime, chronicles exactly what it promises in the title: the rise of the Los Angeles Lakers, who ruled the NBA throughout much of the ’80s—thanks in large part to owner Buss and rookie player Magic Johnson (Quincy Isaiah). Though it has been lauded by critics, Winning Time—which kicked off its second season on August 6—has seemed to fly oddly under the radar. This might explain why it was recently axed by HBO. But it’s still period filmmaking and high-stakes sports drama at its finest.

Project Greenlight: A New Generation

In 2001, just three years after Good Will Hunting made them bona fide Oscar winners, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck launched Project Greenlight, a competition that gave aspiring filmmakers the chance to make a real, live movie—which begat Project Greenlight, a reality series that chronicled the ups and downs (mostly downs) of that experience. While the competition was better known for the TV series it spawned versus the movies that it produced, it’s now more than 20 years later. And, as new mentors Issa Rae, Kumail Nanjiani, and Gina Prince-Bythewood quickly realize, it’s all still a bit of a nightmare. Gray Matter, the movie that was created from the competition’s rebirth, is also streaming on Max, so you can judge for yourself whether things are different this time around.

Full Circle

When a teen goes missing in New York City, the lives—and lies—of several seemingly unconnected characters find a way to intertwine in this twisty crime series from the mind of filmmaker Ed Solomon (Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure). What at first might seem like a straightforward story of two bereaved parents (Claire Danes and Timothy Olyphant) attempting to deal with the kidnapping of their son becomes much more complicated in the hands of Steven Soderbergh, who produced and directs all six episodes of this limited series, where nothing is what it seems.

Last Call: When a Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York

This four-part docuseries, based on Elon Green’s book Last Call: A True Story of Love, Lust and Murder in Queer New York, looks at the murders of several gay men in the early 1990s. Set against the backdrop of rising homophobia during the AIDS crisis, director Anthony Coronna’s doc talks to the family members of those killed and the LGBTQ+ community advocates who pushed law enforcement to investigate the deaths happening in their community.

The Other Two

Chasedreams (Case Walker) is a 13-year-old internet icon whose overnight rise to global stardom has become the sole focus of his mom (Molly Shannon). Chase’s older siblings, however, are having a much harder time finding success. Brother Cary (Drew Tarver) is an aspiring actor who can’t even land the part of “Man at Party Who Smells Fart,” while sister Brooke (Heléne Yorke) is just trying to figure out who and what she wants to be. All three seasons of the series, which was cocreated by former SNL head writers Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider, are available to binge. 

Barry

No one seemed particularly wowed when HBO announced that Bill Hader and Alec Berg were cocreating a series in which Hader would play a hitman with a conscience who attempts to go straight. But what might sound like a played-out trope has taken on new dimensions of humor, darkness, humanity, and plain old weirdness, with its recently concluded final season serving as a brilliant crescendo of all of that dark weirdness mixed in with a little time jump. Barry Berkman (Hader) is a traumatized marine whose newfound apathy toward the world and the very act of living makes him perfectly suited to work as a gun for hire. When a job takes him to Los Angeles, Barry stumbles upon an acting class led by Gene Cousineau (Henry Winkler, in what may be the role that finally supplants Fonzie as his most memorable), a failed but charismatic mentor. But transitioning back into the real world isn’t without consequences for Barry, who can spend an entire episode being hunted by a pint-size martial arts master. All four seasons of the Emmy-winning series, each one better than the next, are available to stream in full. 

Love & Death

Elizabeth Olsen seamlessly transitions from part-time superhero to cold-blooded seductress in this retelling of the story of Candy Montgomery—a churchgoing wife and mother who turns murderous after having an affair with a fellow parishioner (the always excellent Jesse Plemons). If the plot sounds familiar, that might be because it’s based on the true story of a murder that took place in Texas in 1980. Or perhaps it’s because Hulu got there first with its own limited series, Candy, starring Jessica Biel as the femme fatale.  

Succession

Media empires run by dysfunctional families may rise and fall, but we’ll always have Succession. The Emmy-winning series concluded its four-season run on May 28, but its legacy as one of the most surprising pieces of prestige TV will be felt for decades to come (especially after what happened at Shiv’s wedding … then “Connor’s Wedding,” not to mention on the balcony or in the hand-hold seen ’round the world). At a time when TV shows about rich people, real or imagined, are in ample supply, Succession manages to stand out by being as bitingly funny as it is painfully tragic. The jet-black family dramedy chronicles the Roy family and the people/cronies/tall men who orbit them, all of whom seem to be angling for control of Waystar RoyCo, the family-run global media conglomerate—whether by succession (get it?) or more hostile means. Think of it as King Lear meets Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp., only funny. (Unless you’re invited to play a game of Boar on the Floor.) 

The Last of Us

The Last of Us managed to succeed where Netflix’s Resident Evil (which was canceled after one season) and other live-action TV shows based on video games failed—by being really, really good. Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and the video game’s original director, Neil Druckmann, cocreated the post-apocalyptic drama, in which one grizzled survivor (Pedro Pascal) is tasked with smuggling a smart-mouthed teenager (Bella Ramsey) who could be the key to finding a cure for the fungal infection-fueled pandemic that has turned most of America into zombie-like creatures. Props to everyone for generating so much interest in the (very real and parasitic) Cordyceps fungus—because fungi nerds like TV, too.

A Black Lady Sketch Show

In 2015, Robin Thede made television history when she was named head writer for The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore—making her the first Black woman to hold the head writer position on a late-night talk show. Four years later, she revolutionized the TV landscape once again when she gathered up a group of her funniest friends—including Ashley Nicole Black, (future Abbott Elementary creator) Quinta Brunson, Gabrielle Dennis, and Skye Townsend—and created A Black Lady Sketch Show, the first sketch comedy written, produced, and starring Black women. The series, which has brought such A-list names as Angela Bassett out as guest stars with its no-holds-barred humor, just aired its fourth, and final, season; the entire series is available to stream now.

Rain Dogs

Costello Jones (Daisy May Cooper) is an aspiring novelist and working-class mom who isn’t always successful at making ends meet for herself and her wise-beyond-her-years daughter, Iris (Fleur Tashjian). So Costello is regularly forced to call upon her violence-prone—but wealthy—gay best friend, Selby (Jack Farthing), to unstick them from whatever jams they’ve managed to get caught in. The series is billed as a black comedy, which it definitely is, although the moments between the levity are sometimes so dark and raw that even the frothiest bits carry weight. This darkly nuanced and sometimes surreal meditation on class, sex, dysfunction, and the varying definitions of “family” makes for a compulsively watchable series. 

Abbott Elementary

Abbott Elementary creator/star Quinta Brunson (A Black Lady Sketch Show) has garnered all sorts of accolades with this ABC series and even managed to create streaming deals with both Max and Hulu. The surprise hit follows the lives of a group of teachers who are working at one of the most woefully underfunded public schools in America while doing their best to inspire students. Yes, it all sounds very earnest—and it is—but it’s also the kind of funny we don’t see much of on network TV anymore. The series has just two seasons under its belt but has already managed to rack up enough awards (Emmys, Critics Choice, Indie Spirit, and beyond) to fill a school trophy case. 

The White Lotus

Knowing that Jennifer Coolidge stars in both seasons of The White Lotus (the only actor to move locations with the series) is reason enough for many people to tune in. While it was originally imagined as a one-off series from the brilliantly screwed-up mind (in a good way) of Mike White—who cocreated the sadly overlooked Enlightenment with Laura Dern, another HBO show you should check out—it has since morphed into a full-on franchise. The series dives below the surface of the seemingly fabulous lives of deep-pocketed guests who can afford to stay at one of the five-star resorts of the title’s locations (first Hawaii, then Sicily, with Thailand scheduled for season 3), and the people who trip over themselves to serve their every need. Somewhere in between, murder always seems to end up on the menu.

I May Destroy You

Michaela Coel is a creative force of nature who delivered on what she promised with the title of this limited series, which she created, wrote, directed, and stars in. Arabella (Coel) is a Londoner living the millennial dream with a thriving writing career, thanks in part to her celebrity as a social media influencer. But Arabella’s Insta-perfect life begins to unravel when, after a night out with friends, she begins to recall—in fragments—being sexually assaulted. Eventually, the need to piece together exactly what happened to her, and who did it, consumes her completely and the past comes knocking at her door.

The Sex Lives of College Girls

Mindy Kaling cocreated this Max series, which puts a new spin on the teenage sex comedy—one in which the women are fully in charge. Nerdy Kimberly (Pauline Chalamet, yes, Timothée’s sister), aspiring professional funny person Bela (Amrit Kaur), snotty Upper East Sider Leighton (Reneé Rapp), and soccer star/senator’s daughter Whitney (Alyah Chanelle Scott) are four college freshmen randomly thrown together as suitemates. But as they get to know each other, and themselves, their forced cohabitation develops into a true bond—one in which there’s no such thing as TMI and a “naked party” is just one way to unwind after a long week. 

The Rehearsal

Good luck trying to explain what The Rehearsal is to anyone who isn’t familiar with Nathan Fielder’s mastery of uncomfortable comedy. What begins as a series in which the awkward star/comedian attempts to help people prepare for big moments in life by rehearsing them until they get it right quickly turns into a bizarre social experiment in which Fielder himself becomes one of the key players. The less you know about it ahead of time, the better. Just be aware that you’ll be encountering people who responded to a Craigslist ad to take part. For more of Fielder’s weird brilliance, all four seasons of Nathan for You—another kind of meta-comedy that will force you to repeatedly cover your eyes in vicarious embarrassment—are also streaming on Max.

Avenue Five

Bad timing may have led to the unfortunately early demise of Avenue 5, which had filming on its second season delayed, and delayed again, due to Covid-19. But the space-set comedy from the brilliant mind of Armando Iannucci, creator of Veep (another classic streaming on HBO Max), and its even swearier predecessor, The Thick of It, is well worth your time, if only to see what could happen when space travel inevitably goes wrong. Hugh Laurie stars as the “captain” of an interplanetary cruise ship, with Josh Gad playing the role of eccentric tech billionaire/huge baby Herman Judd, whose planned eight-week tour of the galaxy turns dire when a gravitational disaster steers the ship off course. The series gets more bonkers as it goes along, and poop plays a massive part in saving thousands of passengers and crew members. Consider yourselves warned—and feel free to laugh at the inanity of it all. Loudly.

Stath Lets Flats

Jamie Demetriou—brother of What We Do in the Shadows’ Natasia Demetriou, who also stars—created this series and stars as Stath Charalambos, London’s worst real estate (aka letting) agent. While it’s woefully underknown stateside, this three-season British comedy—which ran on Channel Four in the UK from 2018 to 2021—was handed BAFTA awards for Best Scripted Comedy and Best Male Comedy Performance (for Demetriou) in 2020, if that kind of recognition is important to you. Fans of awkward comedy will make a meal out of watching Stath attempt to turn each apartment’s worst features into selling points. Or the way he treats such presumed features as a kitchen cabinet as true luxury items (“It’s all bowls, baby”). 

The Righteous Gemstones

Danny McBride and HBO are the new Brangelina of television. First they teamed up for the hilariously offensive-for-offense’s sake Eastbound & Down; then there was Vice Principals. The Righteous Gemstones, which McBride created and stars in, is his latest effort to put forth a group of highly unlikeable people and find a way to make you like them even less but still want to keep watching. In this case, it’s a family of televangelists whose real god is greed and power. McBride assembled an all-star cast that includes John Goodman as the family’s patriarch, Adam DeVine and Edi Patterson as the Gemstone children, and national treasure Walton Goggins as Uncle Baby Billy Freeman—a child-star-turned-grifter who has given the series some of its most memorable quotes and moments. The black comedy just wrapped up its third season, making now the perfect time to catch up.

The 28 Best Shows on Amazon Prime Right Now

The 28 Best Shows on Amazon Prime Right Now

While Netflix is busy pumping out more shows than any one person could watch (probably), Amazon Prime Video has remained the place to go for a few of the best shows around. Trouble is, navigating the service’s labyrinthine menus can make finding the right series a pain. We’re here to help. Below are our favorite Amazon series—all included with your Prime subscription. 

For more viewing picks, read WIRED’s guide to the best movies on Amazon Prime, the best movies on HBO’s Max, and the best movies on Netflix.

If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more.

Gen V

Spinning out of Amazon’s hit The Boys, Gen V follows the next generation of supes, training their abilities at the Godolkin University School of Crimefighting. In keeping with its twisted parent show, this educational establishment is less Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters and more The Hunger Games with superpowers, as students battle for glory and a chance to join premier super-team The Seven. Lead Jaz Sinclair (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) impresses as freshman Marie Moreau, a haemokinetic with lofty ambitions who uncovers dark secrets at the college that challenge her entire world view. Factor in all the poor life choices college students are famed for and some extremely creative (if often disgusting) superpowers, then allow for The Boys’ trademark ultraviolence, and one thing’s for sure—the kids of Gen V are most definitely not alright.

Jack Ryan

There’s no shortage of screen adaptations of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan books, but John Krasinski’s turn as the CIA desk jockey turned field agent gets far more room to breathe than its predecessors. The prestige political thriller charts Ryan’s rise from analyst to operative—and beyond—over four perfectly crafted seasons. The recently released final season caps Ryan’s career with his biggest challenge yet, investigating the convergence of a drug cartel and a terrorist organization set to create an unstoppable criminal enterprise, all while juggling the CIA’s possible involvement in a political assassination in Nigeria. While the show hasn’t been without controversies—season two attracted condemnation from Venezuela’s government for supposedly condoning a US invasion of the country; big yikes there—its sharp writing, incredible performances, and cinematic action make it compelling viewing.

Good Omens 2

Four years is a long wait between seasons, but the dynamic between angel Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) and demon Crowley (David Tennant) in 2019’s original Good Omens (also on this list) was so perfectly charming that barely a day has gone by without fans clamoring for more. Thankfully, the hotly anticipated second season doesn’t disappoint, with the dastardly divine odd couple weaving their magic once again as they attempt to stave off yet another apocalypse. When the archangel Gabriel (Jon Hamm) goes missing from Heaven, only to show up amnesiac (and naked) at Aziraphale’s homely bookshop in London, it kicks off a battle between “upstairs” and “downstairs.” But while Gabriel’s half-remembered warnings of something terrible looming frame the season, it’s the exploration of the central duo’s past that really delights. With plenty of flashbacks showing more of Aziraphale and Crowley’s history—and more than a bit of fanservice playing to the nature of their millennia-long relationship—Sheen and Tennant’s chemistry gets to shine so bright it dazzles. An overdue but incredibly welcome return.

I’m a Virgo

A surrealist comedy with the sharp political and social edge viewers have come to expect from creator and director Boots Riley (Sorry to Bother You), I’m a Virgo follows Cootie (Jharrel Jerome), a regular 19-year-old who just happens to be 13 feet tall. Raised in secrecy by Aunt Lafrancine (Carmen Ejogo) and Uncle Martisse (Mike Epps), Cootie is thrust into the limelight when his larger-than-life existence is inevitably discovered. Experiencing friendships and the outside world for the first time, gentle giant Cootie has to navigate everything from romance to the public’s reaction to a giant Black man wandering around Oakland. Oh, and did we mention Cootie’s idol, The Hero, a real-life superhero with an authoritarian streak that would put some of the worst offenders on The Boys to shame? Told you this was surreal. Do yourself a favor and watch the behind-the-scenes episodes too, tucked under Prime Video’s “Explore” tab, for Riley’s insight into each episode.

Carnival Row

There’s an element of “what might have been” about Carnival Row. Its strong first season showed huge potential, framing deeper themes of class, immigration, and race within a fantasy world where dominant humans and refugee fae live in uneasy lockstep. Sadly, the Covid-19 pandemic massively delayed its second—and ultimately final—season. But there’s still a neat package of 18 beautifully produced episodes to enjoy for a relatively concise binge. The first season introduces human police inspector Rycroft “Philo” Philostrate (Orlando Bloom) and his former lover, fae Vignette “Vini” Stonemoss (Cara Delevingne), as a string of murders rocks the gaslit city of The Burgue. In the second, tensions erupt as the oppressed fae make a stand for their freedom—putting Philo and Vini on opposing sides. With its quasi-Victoriana aesthetic and a preference for ornate character makeup and prosthetics, Carnival Row is also one of the most distinctive-looking series in recent years—just make sure your TV can handle deep, dark contrast levels, as it’s also one of the most literally dark shows.

The Power

You know how it is with teenagers. They feel a tingle, then suddenly sparks are flying—but this isn’t about first loves or misdirected crushes, but a rather more literal electricity, as young women around the world awaken to the power to generate and discharge lightning. Soon, it proves to be a gender-wide ability, with women old and young gaining The Power, a shift that soon changes social dynamics and power structures on a global scale. With a powerhouse cast fronted by Toni Collette as Seattle mayor Margot Cleary-Lopez, and Ted Lasso’s Toheeb Jimoh as Tunde Ojo, a photojournalist documenting the situation as it unfolds, The Power explores the seismic shift of such a change playing out everywhere from the US to Nigeria.

Daisy Jones & the Six

Spanning a decade, Daisy Jones & the Six follows the formation, stratospheric success, and crushing breakup of the greatest band the 1970s never saw. In the late ’60s, talented but listless ingenue Daisy (Riley Keough) meets aspiring rocker Billy Dunne (Sam Claflin) and his group, eventually joining the band herself. Soon, her soulful vocals and insightful songwriting help propel The Six to the top of the charts—but at the height of their careers, everything comes tumbling down, undone by years of wandering hearts, illicit sex, battles with sobriety, and the rigors of rock ‘n’ roll. If it all sounds a bit Fleetwood Mac, that should come as no surprise—the author of the book the series is based on, Taylor Jenkins Reid, has said the legendary folk-rock band was an inspiration. Yet with its fantastic cast, period-perfect tone, and phenomenal soundtrack—released as the album Aurora by the series’ eponymous band—Daisy Jones & the Six takes on a life of its own.

The Legend of Vox Machina

Bawdy, gory, and absolutely not for kids, The Legend of Vox Machina began life as the hit Critical Role, in which a group of the biggest English-language voice actors in animation and gaming livestreamed their Dungeons & Dragons sessions before it evolved into its own beast. In the first season of this exquisitely animated fantasy, the show follows the eponymous Vox Machina guild—a motley crew of usually drunk adventurers consisting of gunslingers, druids, and the requisite horny bard—as they battle to reclaim the city of Whitestone from the monstrous Lord and Lady Briarwood. The recently added second season ups the ante with “the worst team ever assembled” fighting four apocalyptically powerful dragons. Fully accessible to long-time fans of the source material and newcomers alike, this series manages to be a love letter to D&D while poking plenty of fun at the classic RPG and transcending its origins to become one of the most original adult animated shows on Amazon.

The Rig

Supernatural thriller The Rig doesn’t even aspire to subtlety when it comes to ecological metaphors. In fact, they’re often downright clumsy, as when one character says “if you keep punching holes in the earth, eventually the earth’s going to punch back.” But if you can look past such clunkiness, this is an engaging piece of television. When the crew of the isolated Kinloch Bravo oil rig is cut off from civilization by a strange fog, the inexplicable deaths and equipment failures soon make it clear that this is no mere weather pattern. And as the tension and fear mount, being trapped in a glorified tin can in the North Sea drives the survivors to paranoid extremes. It’s all brilliantly shot to make use of both the claustrophobic setting and the terrifying expanse of ocean around it, and the material is elevated by a phenomenal cast of Game of Thrones and Line of Duty veterans, making The Rig more than the guilty pleasure it might otherwise be.

Tales From the Loop

Despite being a couple of years old, Tales From the Loop remains one of the most mesmerizing shows on Prime Video. Loosely based on the work of Swedish artist Simon Stålenhag, the series blurs the line between ongoing narrative and anthology as it follows the residents of Mercer, Ohio, exploring how their intersecting lives are impacted by “the Loop,” an underground facility exploring experimental physics and making the impossible possible. Expect tales of frozen time, traded lives, and parallel worlds, all brought to life by a fantastic cast and directors—including Andrew Stanton and Jodie Foster. But it’s the visuals that really elevate this show, which captures the sublime aesthetic of Stålenhag’s work and juxtaposes neofuturism and rural communities for a world that looks and feels like almost nothing else. At only eight episodes, a visit to Mercer is brief but unforgettable.

The Devil’s Hour

When Peter Capaldi, here playing mysterious criminal Gideon Shepherd, says “my perception of time is better than anyone’s,” it’s clear that The Devil’s Hour creator Tom Moran is having a little fourth-wall-breaking fun with his former Time Lord leading man. That’s about as close as this gritty six-part drama gets to Doctor Who, though. Instead, this is a mix of murder mystery and thriller, topped off with a dash of the supernatural. The focus is on Lucy (Jessica Raine), an over-burdened social worker with an increasingly distant and troubled young son. Lucy wakes at exactly 3:33 am every morning, plagued by horrific visions, and her nightmares draw her into the orbit of police detective Ravi Dhillon’s (Nikesh Patel) investigations of a bloody murder and a child’s abduction. As she tries to figure out how the two are entangled, Lucy comes face to face with Shepherd. Raine is a phenomenally commanding lead throughout, while Capaldi’s sinister performance is one of the most chilling you’ll see on screen.

Them

This horror anthology series, created by Little Marvin and executive-produced by Queen & Slim’s Lena Waithe, sets its first season in 1950s Los Angeles and follows the Emory family as they move into an all-white neighborhood. It all goes about as well as you might expect, with Livia (Deborah Ayorinde) soon penned into their new home by the Stepford-like housewives of the area who make her life a living hell, led by ringleader Betty (Alison Pill). Outside the home, husband Henry (Ashley Thomas) faces physical assaults and harassment at work. Ayorinde and Thomas are phenomenal throughout, brilliantly portraying the mental, physical, and emotional turmoil of living under relentless threat. While the show’s portrayal of the period is tense and horrifying in its own right, the layering of some truly unsettling supernatural threats make this a frequently terrifying watch.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

Tapping into The Lord of the Rings creator J. R. R. Tolkien’s sprawling history of Middle-earth, The Rings of Power is set millennia before the events of the core books (or films, which is really where the visual language of this adaptation comes from), detailing the major events of Tolkien’s Second Age. Much of the focus is on Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) as she searches for Sauron, servant of Morgoth, but this ambitious fantasy series explores a range of events and themes, such as the fall of the island of Númenor; the fractious politics between man, elves, and dwarves; and the forging of those perilous rings. While there’s been no shortage of debate around Rings of Power, there’s also no denying that Amazon got what it paid for with the most expensive TV show ever made—this is one of the most beautiful series you’ll ever lay eyes on. Whether the ongoing story nails the landing remains to be seen, but for sheer high fantasy spectacle, there’s nothing better at the moment.

The Boys

Superheroes are meant to represent hope and optimism—the best of us, given outsize form. In The Boys, adapted from the darkly satirical comic by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, they’re a reflection of humanity’s worst—greed and unrestrained power marketed to a gullible public by vested corporate interests, operating without restraint and leaving a trail of bodies in their wake. Enter Billy Butcher and his “associates,” gleefully dispatching “Supes” who’ve gone too far, often in extraordinarily violent ways. In the newly dropped third season, the team is forced to go legit and work for the US government while struggling to topple the sadistic, psychotic Homelander, leader of The Seven—the world’s premier superheroes, brought to you by Vought International. To complicate matters, Butcher is wrestling with becoming the thing he hates most: a Supe. Possibly Amazon’s goriest show, The Boys stands as a pertinent examination of the abuses of power, all wrapped in superhero drag.

The Wheel of Time

Based on Robert Jordan’s sprawling novel series—one so vast it makes Game of Thrones look concise—this is one of Amazon’s most ambitious, and expensive, series to date. The eight-episode first season follows Moiraine (Rosamund Pike), a powerful weaver of an ancient form of magic, as she gathers five unassuming young people, one of whom is destined to either save the world—or destroy it. The only problem is, no one knows which one of the group it is, or which way their loyalties will sway should their powers awaken. A visually stunning series that blends sumptuous location shoots with cinematic effects, this is sure to fill the epic fantasy void left by that other show.

Invincible

When Mark Grayson inherits the incredible powers of his father, Omni-Man, he determines to follow in his footsteps as the costumed superhero Invincible. Unfortunately, his coming-of-age journey is marred by a shocking twist that shakes his entire world—both personally and on the global political stage. A brilliantly animated adaptation of the hit Image comic book by writer Robert Kirkman and artists Cory Walker and Ryan Ottley, Invincible offers a more mature look at the impact super-powered beings would have on society. And while it starts with a nod to classic teen superhero tropes, it ultimately does something Marvel and DC characters rarely do: grow up.

The Underground Railroad

Based on the Pulitzer Prize–winning novel by Colson Whitehead, this limited series from Moonlight director Barry Jenkins sticks pretty closely to the premise of the book. It’s a work of historical fiction that takes the idea of the Underground Railroad—the network of smugglers who helped escaped slaves flee the South—and reimagines it as an actual subway system with trains and secretive station agents.

Fleabag

You’re not supposed to like Fleabag. She’s selfish, self-destructive, and morally bankrupt. Her family is loathsome, her lifestyle is ridiculous, and her job is a joke. Yet after watching this 12-episode series, we defy you not to love her a little. This magnificent sitcom about a Londoner (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) grappling with the death of her best friend has no filter: You’ll hear her thoughts on feminism, familial tension, love, and sodomy. The first time Waller-Bridge interrupts her own dialog to shoot a disarming, conspiratorial glance to the screen, you’re hooked. Season one is a smutty yet wonderful crescendo of self-destruction driven by a cast of characters that includes Fleabag’s intensely awkward sister Claire (Sian Clifford), her selfish and pretentious stepmother (Olivia Colman), and her clueless father (Bill Paterson). The second season cheerfully bounds into blasphemy as she grapples with inappropriate (and reciprocated) feelings for a Catholic priest (Andrew Scott). It’s shocking and immensely watchable—and one of the rare cases when a series truly is as good as people say.

The Man in the High Castle

This adaptation of sci-fi master Philip K. Dick’s novel about a world in which the Nazis won the Second World War was one of Amazon’s first forays into original content. The world-building is stunningly done—a divided, alternate-reality 1960s America never seemed so plausible—but be warned: There might be just a touch too much present-day resonance for some viewers.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

What is a New York lady to do when she finds out her husband is having an affair with his dim-witted secretary? If Mrs. Maisel is anything to go by, the answer is to head to a dingy watering hole in your nightgown, do a little standup comedy, and get hauled away by the police after flashing the entire audience. Set in the 1950s, this fast-talking fashionista hides her new life as a comedian from her family and ex while battling sexism, bad crowds, and big competition. Rachel Brosnahan stars as Midge Maisel in this subtle nod to Joan Rivers’ career. With four seasons and a host of awards and nominations to its name, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is one of Amazon’s sharpest comedies.

The Expanse

Humanity now lives among the stars—well, the rest of the solar system, at least. A group of antiheroes are linked by the disappearance of a wealthy political activist, and between them they must unravel what happened to her. Adding to the complexity are the political tensions between Earth, Mars, and the Belt, a group of loosely affiliated colonies between the two planets. That’s just season one—there are six available on Prime, and each is packed with enough daring missions, space fights, and Martian politics to keep fans of hard science fiction hooked.

Good Omens

Feeling battered and emotionally bruised by bleak TV dystopias and even bleaker world news? Good Omens is your shelter in the storm, and inside it’s cozy, camp, and kind. Neil Gaiman has adapted his own 1990 book, cowritten with Terry Pratchett, which follows an angel (Michael Sheen) and a demon (David Tennant) as they try to stop Armageddon. The six-part event series gives fans exactly what they dreamed of from such a team. Silly stuff with Cold War overtones, extreme whimsy, and gruff British wit.

Good Omens 2

Four years is a long wait between seasons, but the dynamic between angel Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) and demon Crowley (David Tennant) in 2019’s original Good Omens (also on this list) was so perfectly charming that barely a day has gone by without fans clamoring for more. Thankfully, the hotly anticipated second season doesn’t disappoint, with the dastardly divine odd couple weaving their magic once again as they attempt to stave off yet another apocalypse. When the archangel Gabriel (Jon Hamm) goes missing from Heaven, only to show up amnesiac (and naked) at Aziraphale’s homely bookshop in London, it kicks off a battle between “upstairs” and “downstairs.” But while Gabriel’s half-remembered warnings of something terrible looming frame the season, it’s the exploration of the central duo’s past that really delights. With plenty of flashbacks showing more of Aziraphale and Crowley’s history—and more than a bit of fanservice playing to the nature of their millennia-long relationship—Sheen and Tennant’s chemistry gets to shine so bright it dazzles. An overdue but incredibly welcome return.

Forever

You’ll know within the first episode whether you’re into this slow, a stylized miniseries from Parks & Recreation and Master of None alums Alan Yang and Matt Hubbard. It’s part high-concept TV and part uncomfortable marriage drama, with a side helping of shtick from the two outrageously talented leads, Maya Rudolph and Fred Armisen. It might make you impatient at times, but Forever will stick with you if you hang on until the finale.

Sneaky Pete

Just released from prison, Marius (Giovanni Ribisi) steals the identity of former cellmate Pete Murphy in order to hide from the dangers of his old life. On the run from a vicious debtor played by Bryan Cranston (who also jointly created the show), Marius nestles in with Pete’s motley crew of estranged family, who are delighted to be reunited with their long-lost relative–and enters waters just as shark-infested as those from which he’s come. Over the course of three seasons, Sneaky Pete proves itself one of the finest dramas Amazon has produced yet.

Mozart in the Jungle

A comedy-drama documenting the world of professional orchestra musicians in New York, Mozart in the Jungle is a strange beast. The series follows Hailey Rutledge (Lola Kirke), an aspiring oboist trying to build a career with the New York Symphony, and her conflicted relationship with eccentric conductor Rodrigo De Souza (Gael García Bernal). With a strong creative team and real-world source material in the form of professional oboist Blair Tindall’s memoir Sex, Drugs, and Classical Music, the compelling and frequently hilarious show has picked up Golden Globes and Emmy Awards and proven itself one of Amazon’s best exclusives.

Red Oaks

In the mid-’80s, college student and struggling filmmaker David Myers (Craig Roberts) wants one last, great summer before facing adulthood. Unfortunately, he’s stuck working at a pretentious country club and struggling to gain momentum in his life. Big dreams of making it in the film industry meet crushing reality as David navigates the demands of the club’s eccentric guests—from taking awkward wedding shoots to filming sex tapes for swingers clubs—while also struggling to maintain his relationship with girlfriend Skye. All three seasons of this delightful period comedy are available now.

Vikings

Inspired by the real-life Viking hero and ruler Ragnar Lodbrok, Vikings is a family saga exploring the lives, epic adventures, and cultural politics of the raiders and explorers of the Dark Ages. Six seasons of the historically inspired action series are available on Amazon Prime Video, with WWE wrestler Adam “Edge” Copeland joining the cast in season five as the story expands to a civil war in Norway, battles in England against the Nordic invaders, and exploration of northern Africa.

Lore

Entertaining well past Halloween, this anthology series presents “the frightening and often disturbing tales based on real people and events that have led to our modern-day myths and legends.” Based on the award-winning podcast of the same name, it offers two six-episode seasons of real-world horror stories guaranteed to chill your bones.