17 Hidden TV Show Gems On Amazon Prime

Netflix has got some serious competition.

By James Hunt /

Amazon Instant Video was launched back in 2011, with the service aiming to provide a serious rival to Netflix by offering a host of movies and TV shows available to stream, either on a pay by episode or season basis, or free to Amazon Prime subscribers.

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Although it took a while to establish themselves, they've had a big rise in the last couple of years, dipping their toes deeper and deeper into the waters of producing their own content. It started off with a couple of pilots, and earlier this year they won their first ever Golden Globe. 

They haven't quite managed to replicate the success of their main competitor just yet - no one is saying 'Amazon and chill' - but they're certainly making waves, and can offer a lot of content that isn't readily available elsewhere. Last year a deal was struck with HBO to stream a number of their old series, meaning that classic shows such as The Sopranos and The Wire are viewable in their entirety, which is something Netflix cannot match. 

Of course, they're the heavyweights, but if you go beyond them and see what else is online, there's a wealth of content just waiting to be found, that you may not have even know was there. If you're an Amazon Prime subscriber, or need some convincing to join, then these are what you could be watching. 

17. Bosch

Based on the novels by crime writer Michael Connelly (it's worth reading a few of them, but there's a lot to get through), Bosch is the story of Hieronymus 'Harry' Bosch, a detective in the Los Angeles Police Department. 

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Harry Bosch is an old-school veteran detective, who served in the Gulf War (it's Vietnam in the books), and his no-nonsense approach is brought to life on-screen by Titus Welliver (Lost, The Good Wife), with The Wire alumni Jaime Hector and Lance Reddick helping to round out the main cast. 

Eric Overmyer, who worked on The Wire and co-created Treme, has overseen the development of the series, which ran for 10 episodes in its first season, with a second confirmed to be on its way. 

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