On the hunt for a new series to scratch that crime TV-loving itch? One of the top streaming services around, Prime Video’s sprawling library of shows is full of high-quality crime dramas, from acclaimed originals to international series that found a home on their platform stateside.
Whether you’re in the mood for a gripping detective mystery, a pulsing case-of-the-week procedural or a psychological crime thriller, the streamer has plenty of worthy watches offering up that intoxicating mix of heart-pumping suspense, thought-provoking investigation and character-driven storytelling.
‘Get Millie Black’
British actress Tamara Lawrance takes on the title role of Millie-Jean Black in this five-part detective miniseries, which follows a Jamaica-born London cop who returns to her hometown of Kingston to join the Jamaican Police Force after being forced out of Scotland Yard.
Down in the Caribbean, Millie-Jean and her partner Curtis (Gershwyn Eustache Jnr) investigate a new missing-persons case that leads Black into the city’s underworld and forces her to confront her own troubled past. Based on a short story by Booker Prize-winning author Marlon James, the series gives the crime-drama genre a fresh spin via the culture, communities and corruptions of its island setting.
“Get Millie Black” has a perfect 100-percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes; critics widely praised the five-episode show, with Aramide Tunubu of Variety commending its ” gritty, nuanced view of the lush island” and “deeply engaging world of characters driven by their unbridled impulses and haunted by ghosts they can’t exorcise.”
Watch “Get Millie Black” on Prime Video now
‘Three Pines’
Watch On
Based on the novel series by Louise Penny, this Canada-set mystery series stars acclaimed actor Alfred Molina as Chief Inspector Armand Gamach, a charming but troubled investigator who is sent to explore the confounding murder of a much-loved woman in the seemingly idyllic Quebec village of Three Pines. Along with encountering the town’s community of eccentric residents, Gamach is also taken aback by the long-lingering secrets and hostilities simmering beneath the surface of that Canadian quaintness.
Featuring a cast that includes Rossif Sutherland, Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, Tantoo Cardinal, Clare Coulter and Sarah Booth, among others, “Three Pines” was critically hailed not only for its grounding lead performance by Molina but also smart writing across its eight installments. Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com called it “a collection of intelligent two-hour mysteries that fans of Agatha Christie or even Columbo should watch.”
Watch “Three Pines” on Prime Video now
‘Karen Pirie’
Watch On
Fresh off a promotion, young detective sergeant Karen Pirie (played by “Outlander” star Lauren Lyle) gets quite a daunting assignment: to crack a 25-year-old cold case that has become the subject of a provocative true crime podcast. However, as our eponymous investigator works to uncover fresh evidence and a potential perpetrator in the unsolved murder of a barmaid in St Andrews, the case goes frighteningly active, with suspects coming under attack in real time.
Based on the best-selling Inspector Karen Pirie crime novels by Val McDermid, the “Karen Pirie” TV series boasts an excellent 99% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes; the site’s critical consensus reads: “Clever and twisty, ‘Karen Pirie’ refreshingly revamps the traditional grizzled detective procedural by putting a young woman on the case.”
Watch “Karen Pirie” on Prime Video now