Though the origins of the form stretch back all the way to the multi-part serials of the 1950s, the miniseries format seems tailor-made for the streaming era. Unlike traditional TV shows, which can continue on for season after season and year after year, a miniseries or limited series tells a complete story in a short amount of time, managing to firmly grab hold of your attention across only a handful of episodes.
Fortunately, Prime Video has plenty of great miniseries on offer, so much so that it can make it difficult to narrow down exactly which title in the streaming service's extensive library to binge-watch next. Whether you're in the mood for a historical psychodrama starring Oscar winner Julianne Moore or a coming-of-age satire centered on a 13-foot-tall teenage boy, here are three Prime Video miniseries you should add to your watch list ASAP.
'A Very English Scandal'
Starring Hugh Grant and Ben Whishaw, this 2018 British miniseries revisits the illegal and tumultuous real-life love affair between married Liberal Party MP Jeremy Thorpe and his onetime lover Norman Scott in the 1960s and '70s. When Scott (Whishaw) begins to blackmail Thorpe (Grant), a public scandal begins to simmer, bubbling over into a trial for conspiracy to murder.
Directed by Stephen Frears ("The Queen," "Philomena") and written by Russell T Davies ("Doctor Who," "Queer as Folk"), "A Very English Scandal" may only have three installments in total, but you'll want to mete those out one-a-night across a few days, that way to savor the "equally absorbing and appalling look at British politics and society," per Rotten Tomatoes. The juicy drama earned a near-perfect 97% approval rating from critics. But if you want to bulk out your TV marathon, the success of the series led to two spinoffs: 2021's "A Very British Scandal" and 2024's "A Very Royal Scandal."
Watch "A Very English Scandal" on Prime Video now
'Mary & George'
Based on Benjamin Woolley's 2017 book "The King's Assassin," "Mary & George" thrusts viewers into 16th-century Britain, specifically the affair between King James I (Tony Curran) and George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham (Nicholas Galitzine). And pulling the puppet strings is George's treacherous mother, Mary Villiers — played by a wickedly delicious Julianne Moore — who is using her son's illicit affair to her advantage.
The scandalous, semi-historical drama (creator D.C. Moore and co. gleefully take creative license with these real-world figures) received wide acclaim from critics: On Rotten Tomatoes, where the seven-part limited series holds an excellent 94% approval rating, the site's critical consensus reads: "Bawdy, irreverent, and ruled by Julianne Moore in top form, 'Mary & George' is a regal treat for fans of frothy court intrigue."
Watch "Mary & George" on Prime Video now
'I'm a Virgo'
The brainchild of rapper-filmmaker Boots Riley ("Sorry to Bother You"), the 2023 satirical series "I'm a Virgo" tells quite an imaginative tale across its seven-episode run. Emmy winner Jharrel Jerome stars as Cootie, a 13-foot-tall 19-year-old who grows up shielded from the outside world by his Aunt Lafrancine (Carmen Ejogo) and Uncle Martisse (Mike Epps) in Oakland, California.
Cootie's sheltered existence, however, begins to open up when he's accidentally discovered by a group of teenage political activists, showing him the wonders of friendship and community.
"Boots Riley's towering imagination looms as large as his supersized hero in I'm a Virgo, an uproarious satire that's given an enormous heart to match by star Jharrel Jerome," reads the consensus over at Rotten Tomates, where the miniseries boasts a stellar 96% rating.
Watch "I'm a Virgo" on Prime Video now
More from Tom's Guide
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- This miniseries is one of the most harrowing crime dramas I’ve ever seen — why you should stream it now on Peacock
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