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Cathal Gunning
Published 23 minutes ago
Cathal Gunning has been writing about movies, television, culture, and politics online and in print since 2017. He worked as a Senior Editor in Adbusters Media Foundation from 2018-2019 and wrote for WhatCulture in early 2020. He has been a Senior Features Writer for ScreenRant since 2020.
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While Prime Video hasn’t always been the first port of call for thrillers, the streaming service has proven its mettle with hits like the Lee Child adaptation Reacher. Some of Prime Video’s best thriller shows were forgotten shortly after their release, despite stellar reviews. However, that has not deterred the streaming service from continuing to invest in the genre.
Prime Video has released a wide range of thrillers since the streaming service launched, from procedural adaptations of cult crime novel series to soapy psychological thrillers. Many of the streaming service’s best thrillers are adapted from books, but some are original titles, such as Donald Glover’s underrated 2023 psychological thriller Swarm.
For all their tonal differences, one thing that all of these shows have in common is their license to thrill. Unpredictable, smart, and propulsive, these eight thrillers represent the best that Prime Video has to offer in the genre. Netflix may have masterpiece adaptations like 2024’s Ripley, but Prime Video can compete with classic thriller shows of its own.
8 The Girlfriend
Image courtesy of Everett Collection
Based on Michelle Frances’ 2018 novel of the same name, 2025’s The Girlfriend stars Olivia Cooke as Cherry, a young woman who gets more than she bargained for when she begins dating a rich, privileged man. His disarmingly close relationship with his mother aside, he seems like the perfect catch for Cherry.
However, as Cooke’s character starts digging, she begins to unearth some dark truths between the son and his mother, while her boyfriend’s mother also gets some unwelcome insights into Cherry’s past. House of the Dragon star Cooke acquits herself perfectly in this soapy, silly thriller, where the twists come fast and frequently.
By The Girlfriend’s ending, even the most hardened thriller fan would be hard-pressed to claim that they saw the final twist coming. Over-the-top, inventive, and purely fun, The Girlfriend is up there with Netflix’s The Hunting Wives and the A Simple Favor movies as a camp classic psychological thriller.
7 The Rig
While The Girlfriend is playful and a little goofy, The Rig is a much darker, more serious sort of thriller. Starring Schitt’s Creek heroine Emily Hampshire and Game of Thrones supporting star Iain Glen, The Rig takes place on the titular offshore oil rig, where a group of workers falls ill after a mysterious fog descends on their remote home.
Before viewers can say “John Carpenter’s The Fog” or “Stephen King’s The Mist,” these unfortunate workers realize that they have accidentally unearthed something unspeakable during their drilling. What follows is a disquieting supernatural thriller that blends horror, thrills, and character drama as the heroes attempt to contain the ancient evil their work has unleashed.
6 We Were Liars
Emily Alyn Lind holding an envelope in We Were Liars
If the ending of The Girlfriend is surprising, then the tear-jerking twist of We Were Liars is truly stunning. The E. Lockhart novel that this series is based on broke millions of hearts when We Were Liars was first published back in 2014.
However, it took a full decade before this twisty tale of heartbreak, privilege, and deceit made it to the small screen. We Were Liars centers on the sunny, seemingly perfect Sinclair family and their annual vacation to a private island. Cadence is their disillusioned teenage daughter who yearns for more than this sheltered, privileged existence.
Cady’s friends appear to allow her an escape, but the truth of the story proves much more complicated and tragic in We Were Liars’ bombshell twist ending. Ingeniously plotted, We Were Liars is more than just a great ending. However, the thriller series is deservedly famous for its audacious last-minute revelation.
5 Swarm
Dominique Fishback as Andrea “Dre” Greene in Swarm episode 1
Released in 2023, Swarm never received the same acclaim as creator Donald Glover’s previous series, Atlanta. This was a shame since the show’s sharp satire of Stan culture was both timely and cutting, and star Dominique Fishback did career-best work as the show’s disaffected anti-heroine, Dre. An obsessive fan of a pop star, Dre is cold and terrifying.
However, she is also surprisingly human and, as Swarm’s story grows more absurd and darkly comedic, occasionally sympathetic. Dre might be the one who derailed her own life in search of some recognition from her idol, but Fishback resists the temptation to turn her into a caricature and instead finds the pathos buried in her character.
4 Ballard
Maggie Q in Ballard on the beach
It might seem a little soon to call Ballard one of Prime Video’s best thrillers, since the show only started in July 2025. However, it is clear that the streaming service has a hit on its hands with this one, and, unlike Swarm’s surreal ending, Ballard season 1 left viewers in no doubt about the show’s future.
Starring Maggie Q as the titular detective, Ballard is based on the Renee Ballard books by Michael Connelly. A spinoff of Bosch and Bosch: Legacy, this police procedural follows Ballard’s attempts to reform the LAPD’s cold case division. Sharp, snappy, and twisty, this is must-watch TV for procedural fans.
3 Cross
Aldis Hodge's Alex looking upset when stepping out of a moving truck in Cross season 2
Based on the Alex Cross novels by James Patterson, Cross stars Aldis Hodge as the titular homicide detective. Troubled by his wife’s murder, Cross spends season 1 struggling to balance his professional and personal lives and keep his infamous temper in check.
While Cross season 1’s ending was a satisfying wrap-up, fans will be relieved to hear that this procedural will receive a second season in 2026. Cross season 2’s arrival will be exciting for fans of Patterson, who are eager to see Hodge’s detective back in action.
2 The Devil’s Hour
Written by Tom Moran, The Devil’s Hour stars former Doctor Who Peter Capaldi as Gideon Shepherd, a criminal with a dark gift. Claiming he can remember the future, Shepherd helps social worker Lucy Chambers to track down the culprit behind a string of gruesome killings that have plagued her hometown.
Twisty, original, and suffused with a subtle sense of supernatural dread, The Devil’s Hour is the most unsettling title on this list. However, it is still a thriller that viewers need to see at least twice, once to soak in its chilling atmosphere and again to see how its ingenious plot strands come together when the truth is finally revealed in its twisty ending.
1 Reacher
Alan Ritchson as Reacher looking unimpressed
Reacher, Ballard, and Cross are each based on a different book series, and Prime Video’s thrillers prove that procedurals can succeed on streaming, provided they’re adapting a long-running novel series from a bestselling author of airport thrillers. That said, Reacher is the clear standout among these popular titles, as beloved as Ballard and Cross are.
While Prime Video’s biggest thriller flop, Citadel, was a disaster, the expensive spy thriller proves that backing an existing cult property can be a cannier call than funding an original thriller show. After all, the more modestly budgeted Reacher proved a breakout hit the same year. 2022 proved that a limited budget didn’t hurt Reacher’s massive audience.
Citadel was also a rare Prime Video thriller that wasn’t based on an already popular series of books, unlike Ballard, Cross, and Reacher. In contrast, Prime Video’s adaptation of Lee Child’s phenomenally popular novel series managed the impressive job of both keeping existing book fans happy and gaining the franchise new followers, making Reacher the streaming service’s most popular thriller to date.
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10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed TV-MA Crime Drama Action Thriller Release Date February 3, 2022 Network Prime Video Showrunner Nick Santora Directors Omar Madha, Carol Banker, Julian Holmes, Lin Oeding, M.J. Bassett, Norberto Barba, Stephen Surjik, Thomas Vincent Writers Cait DuffyCast
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Do you think Prime Video's original thriller shows like Swarm and The Devil's Hour can compete with its adaptations of popular book series like Reacher and Ballard? Why or why not?
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23 minutes ago
Some viewers may feel that Prime Video's original thrillers are just as strong as its book adaptations, citing shows like Swarm and The Devil's Hour as fresh, inventive takes on the genre. Others may argue that the built-in fanbases of series like Reacher and Ballard give them an advantage in terms of popularity and critical acclaim. However, both types of shows offer unique strengths and can appeal to different audiences within the thriller genre.
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