The 2024 Oscars aren’t for everyone. You can be a movie fan and not really care for the red carpet interviews, the long victory speeches, the cheesy musical numbers, or the tribute to those who passed away in the past year that’s always a downer.
If that’s the case, and you’re looking for some good TV shows to watch, just head over to Amazon Prime Video. It has a lot of shows, but there are three in particular that are worth your time. One is a 2024 show that just debuted, another is one of 2023’s most underrated series, and the final one is a sci-fi series that should appeal to fans of Denis Villeneuve‘s Dune movies.
Monsieur Spade (2024)
Ever wonder what happened to one of the most famous fictional characters of the 20th century? No, I’m not talking about Scarlett O’Hara or any member of the Corleone family; I’m referring to Sam Spade, Dashiell Hammett’s literary detective who was famously portrayed by Humphrey Bogart in The Maltese Falcon. Monsieur Spade answers that question and does so in an unexpected and entertaining way. Now older and vacationing in the South of France, Spade is drawn back into detective work when a group of nuns are found brutally murdered at a nearby convent.
Clive Owen stars as the tired and retired Spade, and for those of you who have seen him in Croupier and I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead, you’ll know that this is perfect casting. The series is written and directed by Scott Frank, who knows a thing or two about being clever (he made The Queen’s Gambit for Netflix) and how a good crime story works (he wrote 1998’s excellent Out of Sight).
Dead Ringers (2023)
Jeremy Irons wasn’t nominated for his terrific performance in David Cronenberg’s 1988 movie Dead Ringers. Fast-forward 35 years later, and Rachel Weisz was similarly ignored come awards time for her interpretation of the same role in the limited series remake of the same name.
Dead Ringers tells the story of twin sisters who are pioneering gynecologists with a creepy attachment to one another and an unhealthy interest in genetics. The show, like the film it’s based on, is a great example of the body horror genre, so be prepared for some bloody scenes that look all too real.
The Man in the High Castle (2015-2019)
Dune: Part Two has inspired a renewed interest in adaptations of mid-century sci-fi novels, and one of the best ones in the last decade was Prime Video’s take on The Man in the High Castle. The show, adapted from the now-classic Philip K. Dick novel of the same name, imagines a future in which the Axis powers won World War II, leaving the U.S. divided into three separate regions. When film emerges that seems to suggest an alternate future, though, new hope rises, and a group of rebels become determined to find the film’s origins.
The Man in the High Castle lasted four seasons, which was enough time for the showrunners and writers to properly flesh out Dick’s complex narrative and end it on a satisfactory note. You definitely can’t binge it all in one night, but you can get in a good couple episodes.
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