8 Best Prime Video Shows Of 2025 (So Far)

TV fans with a Prime Video subscription were not wanting for binge-worthy shows to enjoy throughout 2025. Do you want an action-driven shows where the tallest, toughest guy in the room solves problems with his fists? How about a mystery series that serves as an extension of the streaming service’s other most popular detective show? If you want superheroes, you have your choice: animated and gritty or live-action and satiric? Animation and overseas imports? Of course.

These titles represent the best Prime Video shows of 2025 so far, with each of them offering something for every flavor of TV fan.

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#1 Happy Family USA

The debut episode of “#1 Happy Family USA” is set on September 10, 2001, introducing the Hussein family as they navigate life in America while trying to preserve their cultural roots. The events of 9/11 quickly shifted their priorities, pushing them to fit in more than ever. Patriarch Hussein Hussein (yes, that’s his name, and he’s voiced by show creator Ramy Youssef) doubles down on being patriotic, while matriarch Sharia (Salma Hindy) urges the family to stay true to their faith. Their daughter Mona (Alia Shawkat), a driven overachiever, is determined to become class president and excels at adapting to different social settings. Meanwhile, teenage son Rumi (also voiced by Youssef) is more interested in pirated music and private time in his room than anything else.

Co-created by Pam Brady — known for “South Park” and “Hot Rod” — and Youssef, the series embraces irreverent, boundary-pushing humor that’s far edgier than Youssef’s previous work. Part absurd family sitcom, part coming-of-age tale, “#1 Happy Family USA” offers a surreal but nostalgic take on post-9/11 adolescence. Its offbeat humor includes oddities like Rumi’s imaginary friend, a suicidal lamb named Lamby, and his ghostly grandfather, who rarely appears in the flesh. Despite its bizarre moments, the show delivers sharp, laugh-out-loud comedy, especially for anyone who came of age during the early 2000s. (BJ Colangelo)

Ballard

Sometimes, there’s nothing like a good police procedural to lighten up the day, especially if the show has a good premise and a great, varied cast. If that’s the sort of thing that gets your blood pumping, “Ballard” is here for you.

In a balanced combination of case-of-the-week show and a serialized, slow burn crime drama, Detective Renée Ballard’s (Maggie Q, “Mission: Impossible III”) cold case unit digs into old, unsolved crimes that often tie into something far larger and more nefarious than it initially appears. The show is an offshoot of the long-running “Bosch,” and fans of that show will be right at home when folks like Titus Welliver’s Harry Bosch and Mimi Rogers’ DA Honey Chandler wander into the proceedings. Yet, “Ballard” has its own vibe: It’s similar enough to belong in the same franchise as “Bosch” and “Bosch: Legacy” but different enough to stand on its own two legs.

Along with Q, “Ballard” boasts an excellent cast that includes folks from Courtney Taylor (“Abbott Elementary”) and Michael Mosley (“Ozark”) to Rebecca Field (“A Star Is Born”) and John Carroll Lynch (“American Horror Story”). It’s a solid addition to Prime Video’s crime drama collection that’s both easy to binge and complex enough to keep you guessing. (Pauli Poisuo)

Gen V

“Gen V” season 1 was a fun, if slightly familiar YA-ish spin on the violent, late-stage capitalist superhero world of “The Boys.” Season 2 takes all that was good in both its predecessor and its parent show, and supercharges it.

Before I saw Hamish Linklater’s chilling Dean Cipher, I would have sworn that “Gen V” couldn’t have possibly produce a villain comparable to Homelander (Antony Starr). Before I witnessed a goat called Elon Musk exploding in a mass of gore and Godolkin University hosting televised student MMA fights, I would have sworn that “Gen V” couldn’t hope to surpass the parent show’s ruthless commentary/parody of the real world. Before the sophomore season started specifically addressing the ongoing supe takeover, I was of the opinion that “Gen V” was largely inconsequential in the grand scheme of the parent show’s things. Season 2 has proved me wrong on all accounts, taking great pains to tie the shows’ events together to the point that “Gen V” is effectively “The Boys” season 4.5.

The greatest thing about “Gen V” season 2, however, isn’t any of the above. It’s how the show manages to hold on to its “kids solving a mystery” heart even when it’s constantly upping the stakes. Unlike “The Boys” and its gazillion storylines, “Gen V” has a manageable core cast with an easy-to-follow central mission, which allows the series to control its narrative while still reveling in the many obscenities of this world. It’s a shame that the show is pretty much destined to end with the sophomore season, seeing as “The Boys” will come to an end with its upcoming season 5 and it’s hard to see “Gen V” continuing beyond that. Given time, the spin-off could easily surpass the original. In many ways, it already has. (Pauli Poisuo)

The Girlfriend

Adapted from a novel of the same name by Michelle Frances, “The Girlfriend” is a deliciously dark story about disastrous in-laws with an ending you’ll never see coming. Led by veteran actress Robin Wright alongside “House of the Dragon” star Olivia Cooke, the miniseries introduces us to Wright’s Laura Sanderson, a successful and well-regarded art gallery owner in London who has, to put it lightly, a weirdly intimate relationship with her large adult son Daniel, played by Laurie Davidson. (I was frankly horrified by how many times the show shows Laura going into Daniel’s room while he’s shirtless to have a quiet and private conversation, because the vibe between them is so unsettling.) Laura basically never likes Daniel’s girlfriends, so when he introduces her to his new flame, the absurdly named and incredibly beautiful Cherry Laine (Cooke), Laura tries to figure out how to keep the two of them apart. To say she goes to extreme lengths is an extreme understatement.

“The Girlfriend” is admittedly pretty silly, but across six episodes, Wright and Cooke are excellent in their game of cat-and-mouse, even as you start to sort of hate both Laura and Cherry (each episode, save for the finale, uses a clever storytelling device where we see the same events from Laura and Cherry’s opposing points of view, and neither of them are in the right). Give this Amazon original a chance, even if Laura never even considers giving Cherry a chance. (Nina Starner)

Invincible

Three seasons on and “Invincible” remains one of the best superhero stories out there. It’s got all the genre hallmarks, but none of the brand management that prevents real risk or narrative change like at Marvel or DC.

“Invincible” is a show equally well-calibrated for fans of Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker and Ryan Ottley’s original “Invincible” comics and for new fans experiencing the story for the first time as a cartoon. Old fans know what to expect, but get to relive the story with the added emotion of great actors playing the scenes. Steven Yeun, as hero Mark Grayson/Invincible, is as excellent as ever this season carrying that emotional weight.

The third season saw “Invincible” reach its greatest highs yet. Two seasons of waiting and we finally got to see Mark hook up with his meant-to-be, Eve “Atom Eve” Wilkins (Gillian Jacobs). Season finale “I Thought You’d Never Shut Up,” delivered the hotly anticipated battle between Invincible and Conquest (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), strongest and most vicious of the alien Viltrumites. With that battle, “Invincible” sustained a half-hour long action scene without any lapse in tension or dread; Conquest seems to be the real invincible one until the very end.

The gore has always set “Invincible” apart from most superhero stories (it is written by the guy who wrote “The Walking Dead”). When super-strong men throw punches, blood and guts fly, and “Invincible” never pretends otherwise. (Devin Meenan)

Last One Laughing UK

One of the best shows on Prime Video is actually a show that has been kicking around international territories for years. It’s called “Last One Laughing,” and it’s only the latest adaptation of a show that originated in Japan.

In Japan, the series “Documental” takes 10 comedians and puts them in a “Big Brother”-esque living room studio with hidden cameras watching them for six hours. The goal? Make each other laugh while trying your hardest not to crack up yourself. This has been adapted with the “Last One Laughing” moniker across the likes of Russia, Australia, India, Italy, Iran, South Africa, and more for a total of over two dozen versions. However, 2025 was the first time that the United Kingdom has adapted the series, and that’s the version that makes for one of the best iterations out of them all.

Competitors include comedians Bob Mortimer, Daisy May Cooper, Joe Lycett, Judi Love, Rob Beckett, Sara Pascoe, Lou Sanders, Joe Wilkinson, Harriet Kemsley, and “Submarine” director Richard Ayoade, who are all regulars on beloved British comedy panel shows like “8 out of 10 Cats,” “The Big Fat Quiz of the Year,” and “Taskmaster.” Jimmy Carr adds more hilarity as the show’s host, and there are some special guests waiting in the wings too.

This show will make you laugh over and over again, and you’ll likely have some new favorite comedians to seek out. Thankfully, a second season of the UK version is on the way, so make sure you enjoy this first season and several of the other adaptations available on Prime Video now. (Ethan Anderton)

Reacher

Prime Video’s “Reacher” has been a banger since its premiere, but the show’s latest season (which adapts Lee Child’s “Persuader” from his “Jack Reacher” novel series) surpasses expectations. For starters, season 3 gives Reacher (a brilliant Alan Ritchson) the opportunity to flex his undercover skills, thanks to the involvement of DEA agent Susan Duffy (Sonya Cassidy). It is always a pleasure to watch Reacher — who usually towers over everyone else — beat the living daylights out of bad guys, but this story also leans into the farcical shenanigans that highlight his deadpan humor. Moreover, Reacher is no longer the tallest dude in a room, as the season’s antagonist, Paulie (Olivier Richters), shatters this expectation while setting up an insanely chaotic one-on-one showdown.

In the books, Reacher is a one-man army, capable of getting out of impossible situations simply because he’s built different. Season 3 explores this in ridiculously fun ways, where Reacher casually swims cross a turbulent ocean (!) multiple times to maintain his cover during the mission. When he’s not flexing his ungodly strength, Reacher is seen looking out for the vulnerable Richard Beck (Johnny Berchtold) and avenging someone he deeply respected/admired back in the day. The payoff for these emotional aspects are massive, elevating the stakes for our titular vagabond who sticks to his personal code while still standing up for what’s right. To top it off, Neagley (Maria Sten) makes a memorable appearance, reminding us why she deserves her own spin-off series. (Debopriyaa Dutta)

The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy

Imagine a series where Stephanie Hsu stars as Dr. Sleech, a hyper-confident and hyper-competent surgeon with a secret disease and Keke Palmer plays her best friend Dr. Klak, a neurotic but equally competent doc with serious mommy issues, and then set it in outer space and make everyone a wacky alien, and you’ve sort of got the basis for “The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy.” Created by “Russian Doll” and “Baymax!” writer Cirocco Dunlap, “Second Best Hospital” features a writer’s room that’s only women and nonbinary writers that helps the show feel truly authentic to the queer experience and relatable despite taking place in such a bonkers setting. Whether they’re trying to help separate patients who have gotten embroiled together in a mutant “The Thing”-esque alien illness, find the cure for Sleech’s genetic condition, or just survive the awkwardness of dating their co-workers, Dr. Sleech and Dr. Klak are always there for one another, like J.D. and Turk from “Scrubs” with some extra appendages (and gills).

The patients and staff at the hospital are a colorful, wildly varied bunch, with some great vocal performances by Kieran Culkin as Dr. Sleech’s hyper-empathetic but bird-brained ex-boyfriend Dr. Plowp, Natasha Lyonne as the no-nonsense head Nurse Tup, and Sam Smith as chief surgeon and Dr. Klak’s ex, Dr. Azel. “Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy” is as funny as it is emotionally resonant, with some amazing animation to boot. (Danielle Ryan)

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Read the original article on SlashFilm.