Looking for something to watch on your Prime account? Here are six hidden gems you can stream right now on Amazon Prime Video.
The best hidden gems on Prime Video right now:
Documentary Now! (2015-2022)
Genre: comedy, mockumentary
No# of episodes: 4 seasons, 7 episodes in each (except for the fourth season, which has 6 episodes)
Creators: Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, Seth Meyers for Broadway Video/IFC
Country: USA
Classification: M
The plot: This show, co-helmed by comedy duo Bill Hader and Fred Armisen, lovingly parodies of some of the world’s best-known documentaries. From Grey Gardens (which becomes ‘Sandy Passage’) to Stop Making Sense (‘Final Transmission’), My Octopus Teacher (‘My Monkey Grifter’) and The Artist is Present (‘Waiting for The Artist’), each episode is inspired by a different style of documentary filmmaking, and honours some of the most important stories that never actually happened.
Why it’s my top pick: Bill Hader is a known cinephile, and his passion for film really shines in this comedy series, which begins with Helen Mirren welcoming viewers to ‘Season Fifty of Documentary Now’. While you might not recognise every documentary being parodied, you’re still guaranteed a belly laugh in every episode. Juan Likes Rice and Chicken (Season Two – episode two), a sort of travelogue/restaurant guide à la Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011), in which patrons must climb a mountain to get into the eatery where only rice and chicken is served, is quite possibly the funniest half hour of TV I’ve ever seen.
Flowers (2016-2018)
Genre: dark comedy
No# of episodes: 2 seasons, 12 episodes in each
Creators: Will Sharpe for Kudos, Seeso and Channel 4
Country: UK
Classification: MA
The plot: This dark comedy is about the eccentric members of the Flowers family. Maurice (Julian Barratt) and Deborah (Olivia Coleman) are barely together, but yet to divorce. They live with their 25-year-old twin children: inventor son Donald (Daniel Rigby) and musician daughter Amy (Sophia Di Martino); Maurice’s senile mother Hattie (Leila Hoffman); and Maurice’s Japanese illustrator Shun (Sharpe).
ScreenHub: Tubi: 5 hidden gems of anime to watch free right now
Garfunkel and Oates (2014)
Genre: comedy, musical
No# of episodes: 1 season, 8 episodes
Creators: Riki Lindhome and Kate Micucci for IFC
Country: USA
Classification: M
The plot: In the vein of shows like Flight of the Concords, the comic/folk duo Riki Lindhome and Kate Micucci turn their songs into stories in this scripted series. It follows hard-working underdogs trying to make their mark in comedy while muddling through messy dating scenarios, and doing so by performing one satirical song after another.
I’m A Virgo (2023)
Genre: sci-fi, drama, comedy
No# of episodes: 1 season, 7 episodes
Creators: Boots Riley for Media Res, Amazon Studios
Country: USA
Classification: MA
ScreenHub: What to watch: I’m A Virgo on Prime
The plot: A coming-of-age joyride about Cootie, a 13ft tall young Black man in Oakland, CA. Having grown up hidden away, Cootie soon experiences the beauty and contradictions of the world for the first time. He forms friendships, finds love, navigates awkward situations, and encounters his idol, a real life superhero named The Hero (Walton Goggins).
The Bold Type (2017-2021)
Genre: comedy, drama
No# of episodes: 5 seasons, 52 episodes total
Creators: Sarah Watson for The District, Universal Television and Freeform
Country: USA
Classification: M
The plot: A glimpse into the outrageous lives of Jane, Kat and Sutton, who are working at the nation’s top women’s magazine, Scarlet, while navigating their careers, identities and individual voices.
ScreenHub: SBS On Demand: new shows streaming October 2024
Terry Pratchett’s Hogfather (2006)
Genre: fantasy, comedy
No# of episodes: 2
Creators: Terry Pratchett, Vadim Jean for Sky1
Country: UK
Classification: PG
The plot: On the night before Hogswatch, the holiday where kids anticipate presents from the beloved Hogfather, Death notices that the Hogfather’s life-timer is lying broken on the floor of his castle. Could it be that Hogswatch will not happen this year? This two-part miniseries is an adaptation of the Discworld novel of the same name.
All of the above series are currently available to stream now on Prime Video.
