The TV landscape in 2025 is more competitive than ever, but Amazon Prime Video has firmly carved out its place with bold storytelling and genre-defining hits. This year’s most compelling shows span mystery, fantasy, action, and heartfelt coming-of-age tales, giving audiences a little bit of everything.
From stunning critical darlings to series with massive fan momentum, these are the Amazon originals that dominated conversations in 2025. If you're deciding what to stream next, consider this your curated guide to the platform’s six best offerings.
1. Ballard (2025 – )
This fresh police procedural, based on Michael Connelly’s best-selling novels, stars Maggie Q as Detective Renée Ballard, the leader of LAPD's new cold case unit. The detective deals with old cases while also uncovering police corruption and managing the lasting trauma of a past sexual assault.
It’s widely considered one of Amazon’s biggest hits of 2025, rated 100% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, with fans praising its strong lead performance, the compelling cold-case format and the fresh expansion of the Bosch universe. Prime Video made season 2 official in early October, and the next chapter of Ballard's story is expected to arrive in fall 2026.
2. Reacher (2022 – )
This series brings Lee Child's beloved hero, Jack Reacher, to life. For action fans and those who devoured Child's many best-selling novels, Alan Ritchson delivers an outstanding U.S. Army MP Jack Reacher. Each season is based on a different novel, following Reacher as he uses his strength and skills to solve crimes, deliver justice and uncover conspiracies in towns he drifts into.
Season 1 is based on The Killing Floor, with Reacher in jail in Margrave, fighting against corrupt officials in the aftermath of his brother's killing. Season 2 adapts Bad Luck and Trouble, with the hero reunited with former colleagues to seek justice for their fallen comrade. Season 3 is based on Persuader, following Reacher as he goes undercover for the DEA to take down an arms-dealing operation.
Fans appreciate how faithfully the show adapts the books, and generally praise Ritchson's performance. Season 4 is happening, and it has even finished filming, but isn’t expected to air until 2027.
3. The Wheel of Time (2021 –2025 )
Amazon Prime Video offers plenty for fantasy fans as well, and the best show in this department is The Wheel of Time, which tells the story of a powerful sorceress, Moiraine Damodred, as she guides five villagers on a journey and focuses on discovering which one is the Dragon Reborn.
In this rich fantasy universe, the Aes Sedai are a group of women who can channel magic, while men drive themselves mad attempting it. Fans appreciate its gender dynamics and epic scale, and many feel that season 3 is the best one yet, with better storytelling and pacing.
While fans have campaigned to save the show, Amazon has sadly canceled it due to financial reasons, announcing there won't be a season 4. Rosamund Pike argues the series was really canceled because it wasn’t a faithful adaptation of Robert Jordan's books.
4. Fallout (2024 – )
Staying in the fantasy realm, Fallout is a post-apocalyptic series set in a futuristic America, over 200 years after a nuclear war. The show follows Lucy (Ella Purnell) as she leaves her home to find her father. She encounters the Ghoul (Walton Goggins), a bounty hunter with a dark past, and Brotherhood of Steel squire Maximus (Aaron Moten) in the wasteland near LA, both chasing her father and a conspiracy, moving closer to uncovering the truth behind the apocalypse.
Season 2 sees the leads continuing to search for family and uncover more of Vault Tec's secrets. The show has a solid fan base, praising the way it captures the video game's dark humor moments, the lore and the futuristic world it's set in, and a strong 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Executive producer Jonathan Nolan confirmed season 3 is in the works, with filming expected to start in summer 2026. That means the season likely won’t air for several years.
5. Overcompensating (2025 – )
Switching to comedy, this hilarious coming-of-age show follows closeted gay college freshman Benny (Benito Skinner, also the series' creator) as he overcompensates for it by creating this overly masculine, golden boy persona. Hiding his true self leads to all kinds of trouble, including messy friendships and an eventual self-acceptance.
Fans were left wanting more after Benny’s coming-out moment. After months of speculation following the season 1 finale, Overcompensating was officially renewed at Amazon in September, with season 2 expected to premiere in late 2026.
6. The Summer I Turned Pretty (2022 – 2025)
Based on Jenny Han’s trilogy, the show follows Isabel "Belly" Conklin's (Lola Tung) coming-of-age story as she navigates self-discovery and a messy love triangle. And, as the title suggests, it also sees Belly's transformation into a young woman, as she catches romantic attention for the first time.
In season 3, Belly starts college, continues her relationship with Jeremiah, while dealing with resurfacing feelings for Conrad. Everything culminates in a pivotal decision about her future. She's finally becoming her own person.
Fans are charmed by Tung's performance, but they're also divided, feeling that season 3 did justice to 'Team Conrad', while missing key book moments and stalling the pace. Fans are passionate, though, that's for sure. While there won't be a season 4, Jenny Han announced a concluding movie coming soon.
2025 has been a standout year for Amazon Prime Video, offering series that entertain, challenge, and captivate in equal measure. These six shows highlight the platform’s strongest offerings and the breadth of its creative slate.