7 Prime Video Shows With Near-Perfect Rotten Tomatoes Scores
Amazon Prime Video is home to many great TV shows, both licensed and original, and some of them have near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes scores. Amazon wasted no time in joining the world of streaming with its own platform, Prime Video. The platform has both licensed and original content, and the latter has seen some of the best TV shows in recent years.
Prime Video has positioned itself as one of the best streaming services, thanks to its accessibility due to its different subscription options, its large movie and TV catalog, and its original content. Like any other platform, Prime Video has had some hits and misses with its content, but it also houses some TV shows with near-perfect scores on Rotten Tomatoes.
Bunheads (100%)
Created by Amy Sherman-Palladino (the mind behind Gilmore Girls), Bunheads is a comedy-drama series released in 2012. Bunheads follows Michelle Sims (Sutton Foster), a former ballerina who ends up as a Las Vegas showgirl. However, when she reaches a dead end, she impulsively marries her admirer, Hubbell Flowers (Alan Ruck), and moves to the sleepy coastal town of Paradise, California.
Unfortunately, their marriage is short-lived as Hubbell is killed in a car accident. Michelle is left to adapt to a new life in a new town by herself, while also teaching alongside her mother-in-law, Fanny (Kelly Bishop), at her ballet school. Bunheads has that small-town vibe reminiscent of Gilmore Girls, along with family drama and comedy.
Despite its good critical reception, with most praise going towards its writing and performances, and a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score (though it must be noted that it’s based on only 26 reviews), Bunheads got eight additional episodes for its first season, but it was canceled after that.
The Boys (93%)
Of course, one of Prime Video’s biggest hits in recent years has a near-perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes. Developed by Eric Kripke and based on the comic book series of the same name by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, The Boys is a satirical superhero TV series. The Boys is set in a world where superpowered people, a.k.a. “Supes”, are well-known public figures.
Supes are seen as heroes by the public, but they work for Vought International, a powerful corporation that monetizes superheroes. To the media and public, Supes are heroes and role models, but outside their public personas, they are corrupt, selfish, and reckless. Because of this, there’s a group of vigilantes (the title “The Boys”) trying to bring Vought and Supes down.
The Boys is unlike most superhero TV shows (and movies) as it’s a lot darker, graphic, and sometimes even controversial. The Boys currently holds a 93% score on Rotten Tomatoes, with many praising its tone, social commentary, performances, and originality.
The Tick (95%)
Another very different type of superhero can be seen in The Tick. Created by Ben Edlund, based on the comic book character created by him, The Tick follows the title character (Peter Serafinowicz), an almost invulnerable superhero who wears a blue tick suit. The Tick arrives to help battle crime and uncover a mysterious figure behind the City’s underworld.
In the process, he meets Arthur (Griffin Newman), a nervous, mild-mannered young man whom he befriends and ends up becoming his sidekick. Together, they find out that a supposedly dead supervillain known as The Terror (Jackie Earle Haley) is the one behind the City’s underworld. Despite its success, The Tick only got two seasons.
The Tick has been praised for its sense of humor, unique superhero, likable characters, originality, and charming weirdness, making it quite unique among superhero TV shows. Because of this, it’s not surprising that it holds a near-perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Invincible (99%)
Image via Prime Video
Prime Video has excelled in its superhero content, and yet another highly rated superhero show on the platform is Invincible. Created by Robert Kirkman, and based on the comic book series created by him, Cory Walker, and Ryan Ottley, Invincible is an animated superhero TV series aimed at a mature audience.
It’s the story of Mark Grayson (voiced by Steven Yeun), whose father, Nolan (J. K. Simmons), is the most powerful superhero on the planet. After his 17th birthday, Mark begins to develop his own powers (including flying), and his father teaches him how to use them.
However, when Nolan brutally murders the members of the greatest superhero team in the world, Mark learns some dark secrets about him. Invincible has been a hit with critics and general audiences, and at the time of writing, Invincible has been renewed for a fourth and fifth season.
Invincible’s strengths are its animation, story, action, voice performances, and emotional depth, and it definitely deserves its almost perfect Rotten Tomatoes score (which, with at least two more seasons to go, can still go higher).
Fleabag (100%)
One of the most acclaimed TV shows on Prime Video is, of course, a highly rated title on Rotten Tomatoes. Created by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Fleabag is a comedy-drama TV series starring Waller-Bridge as the title character, a free-spirited, confused, and angry young woman in London.
When the audience meets Fleabag, she’s dealing with a lot: a failing café, messy relationships, family drama, and grief. The particularity of Fleabag is how the title character shares her brutally honest thoughts directly to the camera, which also makes her very relatable.
Fleabag rightfully holds a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes, all thanks to its comedy, performances, narrative style, relatable and complex lead character, and emotional depth. Fleabag is definitely one of those TV shows everyone should watch at least once.
Sneaky Pete (96%)
Created by David Shore and Bryan Cranston, Sneaky Pete is a comedy crime drama TV series. Sneaky Pete follows Marius (Giovanni Ribisi), a con man released from prison, but he’s not enjoying his freedom. As it turns out, Marius is being hunted by the gangster he once robbed, so Marius has to take some extreme measures to protect himself.
Marius takes the identity of his cellmate, Pete Murphy, and even “reunites” with Pete’s estranged family, who don’t have even the slightest suspicion that this isn’t the real Pete. Sneaky Pete is one of Prime Video’s hidden gems, and it was consistent throughout its three seasons (as it was, unfortunately, canceled in 2019).
Sneaky Pete succeeded with critics and general audiences thanks to its tone, mix of drama, comedy, and crime, the performances of the main cast, and its story. Sneaky Pete deserves its high rating as well as more attention from a wider audience.
Freaks and Geeks (100%)
This isn’t a Prime Video original, but it’s one of the best TV shows currently streaming there, and with a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score. Created by Paul Feig, Freaks and Geeks is a teen comedy-drama that focuses on siblings Lindsay (Linda Cardellini) and Sam Weir (John Frances Daley). Set during the 1980-81 school year, Freaks and Geeks sees the siblings attending William McKinley High School.
There, Lindsay joins the group known as the “freaks”, while Sam’s friends are known as the “geeks.” Freaks and Geeks sees Lindsay doing her best to fit in while also finding her own identity, as she tries to go from a mathlete and top student to a rebellious teenager. Meanwhile, Sam and the geeks do their best to navigate high school, fit in, and pretty much survive high school.
Unfortunately, Freaks and Geeks is one of those TV shows that was canceled before their first season finished airing. However, it has now become a cult classic and a must-watch – after all, there’s a reason why it has a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score.
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