I’m honestly flabbergasted over what I’m about to write, but here we go – three of my top five TV shows this year were Prime Video originals. That’s right, out of 40 series from the 2024 TV schedule that I watched, the majority of my top choices were streamed with an Amazon Prime subscription.
Now, before we dive into details with these five wonderful shows, I’ll let you know that my number one pick is available with an Apple TV+ subscription and the final slot went to the ABC staple. So, as you can see, I spread my TV time across the best streaming services and channels, making it kind of wild that the majority of my top five live on Amazon Prime.
However, I can’t deny how stacked their lineup was this year. So, without further ado, here are my top five shows of 2024 (three of which are some of Prime Video's best series).
No. 5: Abbott Elementary (ABC)
Abbott Elementary has been a staple in my TV lineup since it started airing in 2021. I’ve been a Janine and Gregory shipper from the start. I adore the wonderful chemistry the entire cast shares. Plus, the comedy harkens back to some of the best sitcoms and mockumentaries while still being its own unique thing.
While it has had its groove since the start, I think Abbott really found its flow in Season 3 (which aired during the first half of the year) and Season 4 (which is currently airing).
Season 3 presented new challenges and dynamics as Janine went to work at the district. Now, with Season 4, we’re in the more traditional swing of things with her back at Abbott. Overall, the evolution of her story as well as the other characters directly relates to the growth of the show, which I love to see.
On top of that, this cast – Quinta Brunson, Tyler James Williams, Chris Perfetti, Janelle James, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Lisa Ann Walter and William Stanford Davis – know their characters so well now, mesh seamlessly together, and work in a wonderful way that creates the clever, hilarious chaos that is Abbott Elementary.
No. 4: My Lady Jane (Amazon Prime)
Let me get this out of the way first: the fact that My Lady Jane got axed after one season and landed on the 2024 list of canceled TV shows is an abomination. It’s single-handedly one of the most creative and funny shows of the year, and the girlies like me desperately wanted more.
The period action fantasy rom-com was a wildly fantastical and historically inaccurate version of Lady Jane Grey’s story, and it featured a sassy narrator, magic and some of the best banter I’ve seen all year.
Notably, the performances from the show’s leads – Emily Bader as Jane and Edward Bluemel as her love interest Guildford Dudley – were what made the show for me. Their chemistry bounced off the screen, and I could not stop swooning over either of them.
Adding to all that, this show was incredibly clever. While the premise is admittedly silly, the writing was whip-smart, and they were able to capitalize on all this by creating a story that was self-aware yet over-the-top and goofy yet heartfelt. Honestly, it was the perfect balance of everything I love in a project, plus it was unlike anything else on TV this year.
So, Amazon Prime, I plead to you, please bring back My Lady Jane!
No. 3: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Amazon Prime)
I’m not exaggerating when I say, Rings of Power Season 2 blew me away! After being a long-time reluctant Lord of the Rings fan, this set of episodes finally turned me into a very enthusiastic one, and I couldn’t be happier about it.
After an exposition-heavy first season, Season 2 of this Lord of the Rings prequel got to dive into the nitty-gritty story of Sauron pulling off his evil plan to craft the rings. A true highlight of these episodes was seeing Charlie Vickers play Sauron in disguise as Annatar against Charles Edwards’ elven smith Celebrimbor, because he brought such a menacing yet alluring quality to the character and this legendary LOTR story.
We got a seriously epic battle this season too that lasted three episodes and showed off the strength and power of so many characters and the actors behind them – like Robert Aramayo’s Elrond and Sam Hazeldine’s Adar.
Honestly, this season of Rings of Power proved why Amazon is so invested in its commitment to this show, and now I’m impatiently waiting for Season 3 of this Lord of the Rings series.
No. 2: Fallout (Amazon Prime)
Fallout was my biggest surprise of the year, because I knew nothing about its source material beforehand. However, I immediately felt like I was living in this post-apocalyptic world the second I hit play on Episode 1.
Between Ella Purnell’s idealistic and innocent Lucy who is quickly hardened by the outside world, Aaron Moten’s Maximus’ and his journey with the knights, and Walton Goggins’ Ghoul being a gunslinging outlaw and grieving father, we got a diverse trio of flawed heroes that painted a perfect picture of Fallout’s world.
This show is also deeply detailed and immersive, making it so you feel like you are living in this occasionally terrifying and dilapidated world. However, it’s also beautiful and mystical, and 100% proves the power of great practical effects and CGI.
By the end of Season 1, I was so invested in Fallout, I needed Season 2 immediately, because the care, passion and delight put into this Amazon show was infectious.
No. 1: Shrinking (Apple TV+)
Shrinking isn’t just one of Apple TV+’s best shows, it’s my favorite show of the year.
For context, Season 1 was a real highlight for me in 2023. Tt made me fall in love with Harrison Ford and his dry humor. It reminded me why I adore Jason Segel. It was also further confirmation that Bill Lawrence and Brett Goldstein know how to make a great heartfelt comedy. So, I was eagerly anticipating Season 2.
Thankfully, this sophomore season didn’t just live up to its predecessor, it built on it too. Diving deeper into grief and forgiveness this year, the show highlighted the power of both while remaining wicked funny.
Thanks to Shrinking’s incredible cast, these themes also didn’t just apply to Jimmy’s (Segel) story. From Jessica Williams playing out Gaby’s relationship struggles to Michael Urie’s Brian figuring out if he’s ready to be a dad to Christa Miller’s quest as Liz to find her purpose, every story was relatable and baked with love and meaning.
All-in-all, that made for a wonderful, hilarious and moving season of television that I’ll always be grateful for.
Now, while this list is bookended by two non-Amazon shows, the entire middle is exclusive to that platform, and that feels significant. Each story was wholly unique, wildly entertaining and deeply immersive, and all three of these shows are nothing like the other, showing the depth of programming that came out this year. (This is proven even further by the fact that I didn’t even mention other great Prime shows like The Boys and Mr. and Mrs. Smith).
So, when all is said and done, I guess I need to say thank you to Amazon Prime for putting out such fantastic programming this year.
