People can find whatever movie or show they want on the internet for free one way or another. A streaming service’s good library counts for very little these days. Sooner or later, they all live or die on original programming. Amazon Prime is one of the best, thanks largely to their comical pile of money and wide net for new talent, but there are still some lesser entries.
The thing about Amazon Prime’s original series is that four of the five lowest scores would be considered massive critical successes anywhere else. Unlikesome other streaming services, critics tend to like most of Amazon’s offerings, but it’s still worth looking at the black sheep Amazon chose to bet on.
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Night Sky(74%)
This isactually a very good show. It has some pacing issues and the occasional weird writing quirk, but the lead performances by J. K. Simmons and Sissy Spacek carry a solid and engrossing sci-fi drama. The story follows the Yorks, an unassuming small-town married couple who hides an incredible secret. Inexplicably, a portal to a faraway planet sits beneath the shed in their backyard. The Yorks routinely travel to the silent and unoccupied alien world as a form of escape from their more mundane everyday life. The story builds, cleverly weaving sci-fi elements with the typical issues any aging couple might face. The worst thing that could be said aboutNight Skyis that it has too much going on. Maybe future seasons would’ve given the most powerful aspects more time to breathe and the less interesting ones more room to grow, but, we’ll never know.Amazon canceled the show after one season.Night Skyis well worth a watch, even if it’ll never get the ending it may have deserved.
The Lake(71%)
This Canadian comedy comes in part from the real story of its executive producer Julian Doucet. He was known for his work onKilljoysandHudson & Rex, but this more personal project mines humor from a couple of strained relationships. The show stars Jordan Gavaris as Justin, a man who is sent reelingafter a nasty breakup. To turn his life around, he seeks out the teenage daughter he gave up for adoption and attempts to reconnect. His plan to bring her out to his family’s cabin falls apart when he discovers that his perfect step-sister is the new owner. This show would’ve been stronger as a 100-minute movie, but it’s still a lot of fun.
Mammals(69%)
Starting a streaming series with James Corden in the starring role is like starting a marathon with a bullet wound in each leg.The people who hate himalready assume everything he’s in will be obnoxious garbage, and they’re right more often than not. The people who like him want to see him sing with famous people, not suffer through a complex exploration of modern marriage. Perhaps unshockingly, he’s better in the role of a bitter paranoid jerk than he is as a pseudo-friendly talk show host. Well-respected playwright Jez Butterworth’s script is the most engaging aspect of the series. The plot follows Corden as a celebrity chef who has become convinced that his gorgeous wife is cheating on him. The show manages to drag at times, some storylines are vastly less interesting than others, and the mess of metaphors and symbolism becomes more tiring than inspiring. The tone gets lost in the changing tides, frequently leaving the audience sucking air in through their teeth. This is a tough watch at the best of times, but Corden’s presence cut the possible audience in a way that might have been fatal from the start.
Jungle(67%)
One of the big problems with this show is that its title is identical to that of a 2017survival thriller starring Daniel Radcliffe. The SEO is terrible, people will have a hard time finding the show online.Jungleis a strange show. It’s a musical built around English rap. It tells the story of a young gang member who wants to turn his life around. Characters frequently speak in rhymes, though some of the cast is better at the art form than others. It’s a very interesting idea that isn’t for everyone. The show is style over substance, but it’s the actors who fail to carry their weight.Jungleis still worth watching, but it could’ve been much better than it is.
The Terminal List(39%)
The only certified rotten score. This adaptation of Jack Carr’s novel is a complete waste of time. This boring mess drainsChris Pratt of whatever charismahe possesses and drags him through a by-the-numbers revenge story. The only accomplishment that could be laid at the feet of this series is that it manages to be one of the worst ads for the U.S. Military in modern history. The other shows on this list fall just below the highest echelon of critical reception, butThe Terminal Listearnsgenuinely terrible reviews. This is the darker side of Amazon’s distribution model. They can greenlight interesting and strange art from time to time, but the real go-to project is this meaningless trash designed to serve as background noise for someone’s dad’s midday nap.
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