Amazon launched Prime Video a few weeks ago in India. Prime Video is an online video streaming service, like Netflix and Hotstar. The service is free, rather, packaged with the ‘Prime’ subscription that Amazon offers for its customers, where, for an annual fee, they receive extra discounts, free delivery and other privileges.
Although Prime Video is probably one of the cheapest subscription services out there at Rs. 500 a year (not to mention the host of benefits that you’d also receive as an Amazon customer), it must be said that there isn’t much variety on offer, especially on the TV show front. But hey, when life gives you lemons, you make lists — so here’s my pick of the TV series that are available on Prime Video.
Mozart in the Jungle — Based on Blair Tindall’s 2005 memoir of the same title, this is a series about the inner workings of orchestras, and what it takes to make it in (western) classical music today. A young, unconventional maestro is appointed at the (fictional) New York Symphony to shake things up and bring in more audiences. The motley set of characters might seem too many at the start, but it doesn’t take too much time for the show to draw you into its world. The episodes are short, and move fast, so if you find yourself binge-watching for five hours straight, well, I warned you.
Transparent — The series has been a constant fixture on every award show’s nomination list ever since it made its debut in 2014, and with good reason. This show, about a seventy-year-old man who comes out as a transgender to his family and the world, is heart-warming. Transparent takes on heavy issues like gender and sexuality with a light touch, and a great deal of sensitivity and humour.
The Girlfriend Experience — The show traces the story of a law student interning in a corporate firm, who moonlights as an escort for rich men. It initially seems to be a tiring commentary about prostitution, but halfway through, the first season becomes much more complex and crosses over multiple genres. It’s dark and, at times, quite morbid, but riveting throughout.
The Night Manager — Hugh Laurie, Tom Hiddleston and Olivia Colman come together to create magic on screen in this BBC-produced mini-series. I have raved about this show enough times on this space, but I’ll reiterate here that it truly is one of the best mini-series out there in terms of story-telling, acting and adrenaline.
Mr. Robot — This is easily one of the edgiest television shows out there, with its hacking-based storyline and borderline neurotic protagonist, Elliot (Rami Malek). Mr. Robot is thrilling, but also terrifying, for every episode is a reminder of the colossal amount of information that the Internet has on and about us, and how vulnerable we are to it. It’s a show that’s as much about hacking people, as it is about hacking computers.
