In a world where the likes of Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+ and Prime Video all compete for our attention (and our money), starting a new TV series – especially during the Christmas period when hundreds of new titles are added – can be feel like a bit of a minefield.
Prime Video, which is free for Amazon Prime users or costs £8.99 on its own, offers an array of entertainment for its customers – from historic sitcoms to modern dramas, goosebump-inducing thrillers to witty black comedies. But with so much choice at our fingertips, it can be hard to whittle down a solid option for Christmas viewing.
Fear not, as we’ve got you covered with a list of the best drama offerings on the platform.
Little Fires Everywhere
Set in Ohio in the 90s, this adaptation of Celeste Ng’s best-selling novel stars Hollywood heavyweights Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington – who also serve as executive producers across the gripping Little Fires Everywhere’s nine episodes. If that wasn’t a big enough pull to watch, the pair play two mothers at opposite ends of the class system brought together by their children – with the series exploring the wealth divide, race, motherhood and privilege along the way.
My Lady Jane
It may be Prime’s answer to Bridgerton, but the horny Tudor glory of My Lady Jane will get you just as hot under the collar. The revisionist tale is – as our review describes it – “brilliantly bonkers” in all the best ways, reimagining the life of Lady Jane Grey (who in real life was executed for treason age 16) with a truckload of sarcasm and royal romps. Inexplicably, it was cancelled aehad of a planned second season, but do go back to the first, it’s brilliant.
This Is Us
There are several reasons why family drama This Is Us makes the ideal Christmas binge-watch. With multiple heart-tugging storylines there’s never a dull moment, it features some pretty impressive plot twists and turns, and there are six packed seasons to get through. Plus, the series – which follows the lives and dynamics between a set of triplets – received nothing but stellar reviews throughout its original run, which ended in 2022.
Expats
Stylish, absorbing, and starring Nicole Kidman as a wealthy expat in Hong Kong trying to rebuild her affluent life after her child goes missing? We’re in. That’s the story in Expats, a newcomer to the platform’s drama offering which the London Standard described as a “fast-paced and clever exploration of privilege, victimhood and what it is to belong” in a glowing five-star review of the miniseries.
Fleabag
There’s never a bad time to watch Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag, but don’t just take our word for it. The cult, fourth-wall-breaking comedy has grown a fierce following over the years, and it’s easy to see why: the writing is sharp, the wit is dry and it’s gloriously cringy. Plus, its cast boasts names like Olivia Colman and Andrew Scott and in 2020 the second series picked up four Emmys, including the award for Outstanding Comedy Series.
The Continental
Serving as the prequel to the John Wick neo-noir film series, this Mel Gibson-fronted thriller follows hotel proprietor Winston Scott and his journey to power. There’s a twist, though: his hotel is actually a sanctuary for professional assassins. A swanky, easy-to-watch three-parter which features a heap of nail-biting fight scenes - it’s perfect Christmas TV.
Read The Standard’s review of The Continental
Wilderness
What would you do if you’d given up your successful career to move stateside, only to discover that your husband was having an affair? For most of us it’d be a trip to Divorceville, but for Olivia – played by Jenna Coleman – it’s coming up with a plot to murder her husband on a road trip through America’s wilderness. Its six episodes are juicy, thrilling revenge at its best.
Read The Standard’s review of Wilderness
Citadel
A sophisticated, no-holds-barred spy thriller, Citadel employs Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra as two top spies (and lovers) who, amid the destruction of the independent spy agency they work for, have had their memories wiped. Their task now? Regain their old identities, fall in love all over again and ensure the bad guy who created this whole mess gets their comeuppance. With an eyewatering production budget of $300m (around £237m) the first series is one of the most expensive TV series of all time - and now is the perfect time to watch it, as its follow-up is rumoured to be due sometime next year.
Read The Standard’s review of Citadel
Mr & Mrs Smith
From one spy universe to another, Mr & Mrs Smith – a modern rehash of the 2005 film that brought us Brangelina – brings all of the action without the tabloid fodder. In differentiation from the film, instead of revolving around a married spy couple, agents Donald Glover and Maya Erskine are strangers, paired together to live as undercover spouses.
Read The Standard’s review of Mr and Mrs Smith
