15 Hidden-Gem TV Shows To Stream On Amazon Prime Video

“Call It Off” is the name of a catchy track on the 2007 album “The Con.” It’s also, unfortunately, what the Freevee execs had to say after this Tegan and Sara biopic series streamed for just a single season on the platform. 

Though it received wide critical acclaim (The Los Angeles Times said it was “one of the best depictions of adolescence [they’d] ever seen”), the sensitive coming-of-age show based on the Canadian indie-pop sisters’ memoir never quite found the audience it needed to stick around. 

Freevee, the free, ad-supported streaming wing of Amazon has since shuttered, but fortunately for all of us it is still available to stream on the parent Amazon Prime Video service. And with a queer pedigree like this (its co-creator is Clea DuVall, who previously directed the Hulu film Happiest Season), High School seems well positioned to be rediscovered by a new generation of streamers and enjoy a healthy second life. Speaking of next generation… let’s just hope the sentence “they were discovered on TikTok” — which the show’s leads, the Gilliland sisters, in fact, were — still makes sense to those coming of age post-Supreme Court ruling.

Watch it on Prime Video.

If you had any doubts that we’ve reached Peak TV? Well, Expats is here to put the debate to bed. It’s not just that an award-winning movie actor like Nicole Kidman is doing a streaming show that seems striking (maybe it would have been a decade ago); It’s that an award-winning movie actor like Nicole Kidman is doing TV and no one is watching it, that does. It underlines how saturated the streaming world has gotten and, quite frankly, how useful paid marketing and some good old word-of-mouth can be to get even the most A-lister-y, prestige-y series seen.

Lulu Wang, who you most likely know from directing 2019’sThe Farewell, directed Janice Y. K. Lee’s novel-to-screen adaptation here, which was named one of the best TV shows of 2024 by Vanity Fair and IndieWire. Her cinematic approach comes through in her work — and in some cases, that feels literal, like in her disregard for standard episode runtimes. One notable example, the episode “Central,” clocks in at an hour and 40 minutes — but don’t let that scare you away! New York Times named it one of the best TV episodes of the year, calling it “gorgeous and knotty, filled to the brim.” 

While it is uncertain if the mini-series will return at the time of publishing, we can all take solace in knowing that the Nicole Kidman Wig Cinematic Universe (NKWCU) rages on.

Watch it on Prime Video.

Good news: Amazon heard the people’s pleas (Entertainment Weekly wrote, “Amazon, don’t even think about canceling this show” after Season 2) and the series is returning for its third season Jan 23. Bad news: Its third season will also be its last. 

This hidden gem from Tracy Oliver (Girls Trip) — which has drawn inevitable comparisons to Insecure and Sex and the City — is set in New York’s Harlem neighborhood, following four Black thirtysomething women as they navigate personal and professional pursuits. Setting itself apart from the many other “four friends in the city” shows, as Them points out, is that, “where most of those shows centered the perspective of heterosexual women, with the occasional ‘gay best friend’ thrown in for good measure, this iteration makes plenty of room for queer perspectives in the core crew.”

Whoopi Goldberg, who previously guest starred as Dr. Elise Pruitt, Camille’s boss at Columbia, will be making a return for S3 to see the show off.

Watch it on Prime Video.

Joey Soloway is probably best known for creating the awards juggernaut  Transparent, which ran for five seasons between 2014 and 2019, also on Prime Video. However, between Transparent duties, Soloway cranked out this incredibly specific (complimentary) character study of a woman named Chris enmeshed in the Texas arts/academic community. The lead, of course, was Soloway muse Kathryn Hahn — who also starred in Transparent as the heartbreaking Rabbi Raquel, and before that in Soloway’s Sundance breakout Afternoon Delight.

There is no doubt that American viewers were experiencing a significant cultural shift when this idiosyncratic series based on the Chris Kraus novel of the same name, first hit streaming. Now, as we prepare for a second Trump term, this radical one-season show about race, gender, sexuality, and… Dick (Kevin Bacon, the object of Chris’ fascination), feels like an oddly poetic bookend. Whether it’s a rewatch or a first-time watch, this series is worth pressing play on for its strong ensemble cast (Roberta Colindrez, Sherry Cola, Bobbi Salvör Menuez, and Phoebe Robinson also star), grueling attention to place setting, and directorial contributions from some true cinematic talent like Andrea Arnold (Fish Tank).

Watch it on Prime Video.

Called an “antidote to bland TV” by The Cut, and named as one of the best TV shows of 2023 by dozens of publications, including New York Times and Vulture, this surrealist series from Boots Riley is truly unlike anything you’ve seen before — on streaming, or otherwise. 

Riley made waves back in 2018 with his satirical film Sorry To Bother You, the story of a telemarketer (LaKeith Stanfield) realizing that he could get much further at his telemarketing job by passing as white. His TV followup here, I’m a Virgo, is similarly packed with big ideas and strokes of oversized (pun intended) genius. In it, our Oakland-based teen protagonist named Cootie (Moonlight‘s Jharrel Jerome) grapples with being 13 feet tall — a biting commentary on racial stereotyping, we come to see, over the course of seven episodes.

This vibrant, kooky, and razor-sharp series is reinventing what streaming television can look like and points to how starved we all are for wholly original shows (not based on any existed IP) led by creators with wholly original POVs. Another “W” for Riley!

Watch it on Prime Video. 

Though I’m certain that “besting” the 1992 baseball film of the same was hardly the goal when creator Abbi Jacobson set out to adapt this beloved IP to the small screen, at the time of its release, The Guardian praised A League of Their Own, calling it “touching, funny – and even better than the original.” The critical acclaim made it all the more shocking when the series was ultimately canceled after just one season. 

With a freshened, queer sensibility, and an eye toward intersectionality, the Prime Video reboot is, arguably, much less interested in the actual sport of baseball and much more interested in digging deeper into the gender politics that were once subtextual to the original Penny Marshall story. And that isn’t to say that the series has completely thrown out the old script — the series is filled with easter eggs and sometimes not-so-subtle nods to the 1992 movie, like in Rosie O’Donnell’s cameo as the owner of a lesbian bar. There is clearly a lot of love for the original here. 

A League of Their Own has a deep bench of comedic talent, including D’Arcy Carden, Kate Berlant, Molly Ephraim, and Jacobson. Roberta Colindrez, who you might know from Prime Video’s I Love Dick — also featured on this list — is a standout as pitcher Lupe García.

Watch it on Prime Video. 

On paper, a show with Tig Notaro as the lead, Diablo Cody (Juno, Young Adult) as co-creator, and Nicole Holofcener (You Hurt My Feelings, Enough Said) as executive producer and writer, seemed like a recipe for success. 

And — to be clear — it was! (Critics at the time called it “excellent and heartbreaking” and its pilot was nominated for a Writers Guild Award.) But, this is a “hidden gem” list, so you may already know where this is headed: One Mississippi never seemed to really break through to the masses. The New Yorker’s Emily Nussbaum recalled that the series “had the bad fortune to emerge when the TV schedule felt overstocked with ‘traumedies,’ of varying quality, many of them about standup comics.” 

Now that this trend has… dare I say, quieted down some, it is a great time to revisit Comedian Tig Notaro’s infamous “worst year ever” — formerly documented across several mediums including her memoir, “I’m Just a Person,” the legendary “Live” live album at Largo, and the This American Life episode “What Doesn’t Kill You — via this expertly rendered “traumedy.” In some ways, it feels like the spiritual predecessor to the (also) critically acclaimed Somebody Somewhere, which just wrapped its final season on Max.

Watch it on Prime Video.

Named a New York Times Critic’s Pick upon release, this Jason Katim (Friday Night Lights and Parenthood) dramedy series was praised for its incisive look at autism, with James Poniewozik writing that, “the beauty of this comedy-drama is that it neither downplays the characters’ difference nor romanticizes it. Instead, it simply lets them be people — funny, passionate, sometimes frustrating.”

Depictions of people on the spectrum are now not as few and far between as they used to be (think: Atypical and Everything’s Gonna Be Okay). However, the series — sadly, canceled after just eight half-hour episodes — remains a standout not just in its sensitive writing but in its attention to casting. 

Following twentysomething roommates on the autism spectrum, the show highlights the importance of employing actors and crew members who, themselves, identify as autistic to tell these stories. Sue Ann Pien, who plays Violet in the series, was an undeniable standout — earning nominations at both the Gothams and Indie Spirits for her work.

Watch it on Prime Video. 

Google the Prime Video series “Primo” and you’ll find it’s often followed by the phrase “feel-good.” If you’re like me, you could use something like that right now. 

It’s (somewhat of) a mystery why this coming-of-age sitcom, which originally streamed on the defunct Freevee service back in 2023, never quite reached wider success. Did I answer my own question? Produced by Mike Schur (Parks and Rec) and created by Ringer alum and bestselling author Shea Serrano, is based on Serrano’s own childhood in San Antonio in the ’90s and follows Rafa Gonzales (Ignacio Diaz-Silverio), a high school kid who is being raised by a single mom Drea (Christina Vidal). Plus, five uncles.

This tiny miracle of a streaming show received effusive praise from Vulture’s TV and comedy critic Kathryn VanArendonk, writing, “it’s exactly the kind of TV comedy that appears beautifully effortless by dint of a great deal of meticulous, exacting, careful work. The premise, the structure, the overall tone, and the consistency of Primo will all feel familiar and comforting, and this is a fervent, appreciative recommendation.”

Watch it on Prime Video.

Forever… wasn’t forever. The Maya Rudolph and Fred Armisen two-hander from Alan Yang (Master of None) and Matt Hubbard was canceled after just one season. 

The series, you might recall, had a strange embargoed rollout in which critics were discouraged from sharing any details about the plot. It’s possible this helped build initial intrigue around the show. But, with the benefit of hindsight, it’s also clear that this strategy may have hurt it… because a lot of people simply didn’t have enough info to make them press play. Upon its streaming debut, Vulture’s Jen Chaney wrote that it was “one of best new shows of the fall TV season. But here’s the thing: I can’t fully tell you why.”

I can now happily share, nearly five years later, that this series is about an unhappy couple who, after a fatal accident, is stuck together in the afterlife forever. 

Watch it on Prime Video.

Like the previously mentioned One Mississippi, which streamed at the same time on Prime Video, Catastrophe was instrumental in breaking down the “comedy/drama” binary that once felt like a rigid sorting system for streaming shows. 

Regarded as one of the best sitcoms to ever hit streaming, Rob Delaney and Sharon Horgan’s four-season journey of an unplanned pregnancy is a breath of fresh air in its honest depiction of 40 year-olds who can’t seem to land on their feet. Sure, there are plenty of laughs, but this is also a show interested in dwelling in the dark moments and exposing the flaws and insecurities of our central characters. 

Its signature snappy dialogue and loose, meandering structure has no doubt inspired a whole slew of truth-telling screwball comedies in the decade since. Notably, the series also features Carrie Fisher as Delaney’s mom in one of her very last on-screen performances. (She received a posthumous Primetime Emmy nomination for her work.)

Watch it on Prime Video. 

This streaming era will be studied decades from now and the people will wonder how we wound up with three concurrent survivalist shows centering on high school girls, The Wilds, Yellowjackets, and Class of ’07. It’s clear from this list of titles which has emerged as the “survivor” — but, nevertheless, don’t let that stop you from streaming Class of ’07, the latest entry in this streaming genre. (Though don’t quote me — this might not be true tomorrow.)

What makes Class of ’07 unique? Well, there are laughs, for one. Also, there’s no crash-landing. Instead, Class of ’07 asks the question: What if the world was seemingly coming to an end and you were stuck in the worst, imaginable environment while it happened? Your (all-girls) high school reunion! That’s precisely the nightmare that our leads — among them, Zeo (Emily Browning) and Saskia (Caitlin Stasey) — live out to great comedic effect in this underwatched and undersung Australian comedy.

Watch it on Prime Video. 

Now that we’ve arrived at the second “reboot” on this list, it’s important to note that successful reboots are an absolute rarity. The reason for that is, in part, sky-high expectations. The other part of that is a creator’s failure to make a compelling case for its existence. 

Thankfully, Dead Ringers has defied the odds, with The New Yorker (among many other publications, which named it as one of the best shows of 2023) explaining that here, the “screenwriter Alice Birch turned a project seemingly no one asked for […] into a spiky, atmospheric, delightfully creepy thriller.”

This inventive and kooky gender-flipped adaptation of Cronenberg’s cult favorite stars Rachel Weisz playing not one, but two, roles as twin gynecologists Beverly and Elliot Mantle. It’s a series that’s worth a watch just for Weisz’s towering performance(s), but its commentary on reproductive freedom and fertility also demands to be heard in our post-Roe v. Wade moment.

Watch it on Prime Video. 

Perhaps you are an avid runner, follower of professional running, or have been seeing news items about the father of Olympic 5,000m champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who will stand trial this year, following charges of alleged physical and mental abuse of his son.

Ingebrigtsen — Born to Run is a fascinating document for all three camps of viewers. Similar in format to Netflix’s popular Sprint series, which followed professional sprinters on their road to the Paris Olympics, Born to Run zooms in on the famed family of Norwegian middle-distance runners, not only as Jakob prepares to defend his Olympic 1,500 metres title in Paris (we all now know how that ended), but as the family deals with fallout after issuing the statement alleging “physical violence and threats” from their father who was “very aggressive and controlling.”

Note: This is the second TV show about the family.Team Ingebrigtsen, which aired for five seasons on a Norwegian station between 2016-2021, was the first, detailing the three brothers’ preparation for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo

Watch it on Prime Video. 

The BoJack Horseman team, Raphael Bob-Waksberg and Kate Purd, are behind this underwatched critical darling, so it’s no surprise that it’s another animated banger that manages to successfully interweave comedy and trauma. 

Using rotoscoping, the animation technique you might recognize from films like Richard Linklater’s Waking Life or A Scanner Darkly, Undone manages to plum new depths from the sci-fi genre. In it, our protagonist, 28-year-old Alma (Rosa Salazar) deals with the aftermath of a nearly-fatal car accident, spurring questions of identity, time, and her relationship to her deceased father (Bob Odenkirk).

The instinct might be to search for comps to make sense of what this destabilizing, time-hopping, genre-defying show is doing here, but — as many critics will tell you — Undone is truly in a league of its own. (Forgive the Amazon Prime Video pun.) New York Times called it “magnificent art, a world opulently realized from its oil-painted backgrounds to its sound design,” in its Critic’s Pick review, while IndieWire called it a “stunning […] TV magic trick.”

Watch it on Prime Video.