For the year 2021, we have compiled our fresh list of 42 Best Crime Drama And Thriller Shows On Amazon Prime that combines our analysis of new, exciting and absorbing shows with feedback and comments of our readers on what shows they’ve loved the most.
For 2021 spring season and beyond, if you are having difficulty working your way through Amazon Prime shows and want to be entertained in a big way, here is your go-to guide. Hopefully our list will make the life easier for you.
Note: For the list of best crime drama, mystery, and thriller shows on Netflix for the year 2021, please visit here. For the lists related to Acorn TV and Britbox, you can visit here and here. Our Amazon Prime list for 2020 is also available here.
42. Prime Suspect: Tennison
This is the much-anticipated prequel to award-winning global hit Prime Suspect. Rewind to 1970s London to portray the early career of the formidable DCI Jane Tennison (Stefanie Martini), the role that established Dame Helen Mirren as a household name.
41. The Wilds
Teenage girls from radically different backgrounds find themselves stranded on a remote island, unaware they’ve just become the subjects of an elaborate social experiment.
40. Hunters
Nazi hunters discover hundreds of high-ranking Nazi officials in 1977 New York City, conspiring to create a Fourth Reich in the U.S.; the Hunters set out to bring the Nazis to justice and thwart their new genocidal plans.
39. Agatha Christie’s The Pale Horse
Based on the Agatha Christie novel of the same name, it follows the story of Mark Easterbrook whose name appears on a list found inside the shoe of a dead woman. He begins an investigation into how and why his name came to appear on the list which leads him to The Pale Horse, the home of three rumored witches.
38. The A. B. C. Murders: A Hercule Poirot Mystery
John Malkovich stars as an older but wiser Hercule Poirot as he investigates the source of a series of sinister letters written by a mysterious criminal in the early 1930s in England.
Although he is no longer revered, when murders begin occurring in relation to the letters, Poirot takes the case into his own hands and deploys his detective skills in order to find the killer before they strike again. Malkovich stars alongside Rupert Grint and Andrew Buchan in this three-part crime-drama series.
37. The Last Post
“The Last Post” follows a unit of Royal Military Police and their families in British-controlled Aden, Yemen in 1965. Newlyweds Honor and Joe Martin, the latter a captain with the RMP, arrive into the mix and must adapt to their new environment and their new lives together. Throughout the community, relationships are tested as the women struggle against what is expected of them as army wives.
At work, the army unit fights a growing insurgency and faces constant threats from hand grenades and snipers. While at home, life continues as the emancipation and liberation of the ’60s reaches the base and the BP beach club. Creator and writer Peter Moffat, whose father was an officer in the RMP, drew on childhood memories as inspiration for the dramatic series.
36. ZeroZeroZero
ZeroZeroZero series follows the journey of a cocaine shipment, from the moment a powerful cartel of Italian criminals decides to buy it until the cargo is delivered and paid for, passing through its packaging in Mexico and shipment across the Atlantic Ocean.
35. Lorena
Lorena Bobbitt became a household name in 1993 when she cut off her husband’s penis. She became the butt of jokes as her story became a fixture on cable news. Twenty-five years after the case of Lorena and John Bobbitt, executive producer Jordan Peele reinvestigates the story that made headlines around the world.
“Lorena” explores vital moral issues and the missed opportunity for a national discussion about domestic violence and sexual assault that surrounded the scandal. The four-part series, which looks back at the trial and the media coverage of it, includes interviews with the Bobbitts as they look back at the newsmaking incident a quarter-century earlier.
34. Hanna
Hanna is an extraordinary girl who has been raised in the forest, evading the relentless pursuit of an off-the-book CIA agent. This series — part high-concept thriller, part coming-of-age drama — follows the girl on her journey as she tries to unearth the truth behind who she is. “Hanna” is based on the 2011 film of the same name that starred Oscar-nominated actress Saoirse Ronan in the title role.
33. El Candidato
El Candidato (in English, The Candidate) is a Mexican political thriller web television series created by Peter Blake and produced by Televisa for Amazon Prime Video. It is the story of a friendship between a CIA veteran and one of the top drug traffickers.
32. Patriot
The turbulent and complicated life of an intelligence officer, John Tavner, whose latest assignment is to prevent Iran from going nuclear. The assignment requires him to forgo all safety nets and assume a perilous non-official cover.
31. Endeavour
“Endeavour” follows the newly forged relationship — both working and personal — between young DC Endeavour Morse and his senior partner, DI Fred Thursday.
Returning actors include Shaun Evans as Endeavour and Roger Allam as Thursday, while Sean Rigby takes on the role of a young PC Strange — the character who appeared in the original “Morse” series, played by James Grout. Abigail Thaw, the daughter of the first Inspector Morse, John Thaw, makes further guest appearances as Dorothea Frazil.
30. DCI Banks
DCI Banks is a British television crime drama series and is based on Peter Robinson’s Inspector Alan Banks novels and stars Stephen Tompkinson as Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks.
29. Hunted
Award-winning writer and producer Frank Spotnitz (“The X-Files”) is behind this eight-part suspense thriller with an international espionage story line. Melissa George stars as Sam Hunter, an operative for an elite private intelligence firm who survives an attempt on her life that may have been orchestrated by members of her own team. She goes into hiding to regroup and recover from her injuries, returning to the firm unannounced a year later.
Her co-workers, needless to say, are surprised to see her, especially her colleague — and secret lover — Aidan Marsh, and her bosses, Rupert Keel and Deacon Crane, who are suspicious of Hunter’s motives. But Keel and Crane need their best agent for important assignments. Hunter, meanwhile, isn’t sure who she can trust, but she’s positive someone wants her dead.
28. Unsolved Mysteries
This series uses re-enactments and interviews to retell the circumstances of, well, mysteries that are unsolved. Covering crimes, tales of lost love, unexplained history and paranormal events, viewers are encouraged to provide information that might solve the mystery.
27. Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan
Author Tom Clancy introduced the character of Jack Ryan in a series of books before Ryan headed to the big screen in several films. Now the former U.S. Marine is featured in an episodic series for the first time, with John Krasinski portraying Ryan in this Amazon original thriller that centers on Ryan as an up-and-coming CIA analyst.
He is thrust into a dangerous field assignment for the first time and uncovers a pattern in terrorist communication. That launches him into the middle of a dangerous gambit with a new breed of terrorism that threatens destruction on a global scale.
26. Grantchester
Sidney Chambers is a charming clergyman who turns into an investigator when one of his parishioners dies under suspicious circumstances in this drama set in 1953. He partners up with gruff, down-to-earth police inspector Geordie Keating, whose methodical approach to police work complements Sidney’s intuitive techniques of getting information out of people.
The two partners — who bring different insights into the crimes they start to unravel — form a true friendship as they work together. As he is beginning his new career, Sidney’s personal life comes apart when he finds out that Amanda, the woman with whom he is secretly in love, has gotten engaged, making him think he has missed his chance with her.
25. Wycliffe
Based on novels by W.J. Burley, `Wycliffe’ tells the story of Detective Superintendent Charles Wycliffe, who investigates murders. Early episodes feature stories adapted from Burley’s books in a whodunit style, while late episodes deal more with internal politics within the police department.
24. Unforgotten
This crime-drama stars Nicola Walker and Sanjeev Bhaskar as the lead characters DCI Cassie Stuart and DS Sunil “Sunny” Khan. The detectives are on a mission to uncover the mystery behind an unsolved murder that occurred 39 years ago. Beneath the ground of a demolished house, the bones of the victim are found. With this evidence, the modern police team open a case to unearth the history that has remained buried for decades. Four main suspects emerge, and as their dark past is unraveled, the truth behind the events of the crime are finally revealed.
23. The Expanse
Hundreds of years in the future, things are different than what we are used to after humans have colonized the solar system and Mars has become an independent military power. Rising tensions between Earth and Mars have put them on the brink of war.
Against this backdrop, a hardened detective and a rogue ship’s captain come together to investigate the case of a missing young woman. The investigation leads them on a race across the solar system that could expose the greatest conspiracy in human history.
22. The Inspector Vivaldi Mysteries
An Italian police investigator works alongside his son, who takes a more rational approach to cases.
21. Decoded
When an unknown country attempts to infiltrate China, a math genius gets recruited by a government spy agency when they are unable to crack the code. In a race against time, the advanced coding system `Purple Secret’ must be cracked.
20. River
`River’ is written and co-executive produced by Emmy winner Abi Morgan. The crime drama stars Stellan Skarsgard as detective John River, a genius whose unstable mind leaves him haunted by the ghosts of murder victims. Forever crossing between the worlds of the living and the dead, the officer strives to solve cases of those that occupy his troubled psyche. One death River struggles with is that of his colleague, but as he chases down a suspect, his own irrational behaviour causes a growing concern amongst the police force.
19. Carnival Row
In this Amazon Original action thriller, a growing population of mythological immigrant creatures struggles to coexist with humans after the creatures’ exotic homelands are invaded by the empires of man.
The creatures are forbidden to live, love or fly with freedom, but hope lives in darkness. Human detective Rycroft “Philo” Philostrate and a refugee faerie, Vignette Stonemoss, rekindle a dangerous affair despite being in an increasingly intolerant society. Vignette has a secret that endangers Philo’s world during his most important case yet — a string of gruesome murders threatening the uneasy peace of the Row.
18. Neophyte
A recently graduated law student, working for the Leningrad criminal investigation office, discovers that a criminal is working undercover in the department.
17. Deep Water
Detectives Tori Lustigman (Yael Stone) and Nick Manning (Noah Taylor) are assigned a brutal murder case in Bondi. They begin to uncover mounting evidence to suggest the killing is connected to a spate of unexplained deaths, “suicides”, and disappearances of gay men throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
Haunted by the disappearance of her teenage brother, Tori is fascinated by the case and soon becomes fixated on it. When more ritualistic murders occur that have the same bizarre signature, Tori and Nick put their relationships, their careers and lives on the line to reveal the truth.
16. Detective De Luca
Set in Bologna, Italy, during Benito Mussolini’s dictatorship, this four-part crime series follows an investigator who has an affinity for women and an uncompromising character that helps him solve cases.
15. Feed
In near-future London, a man invents a brain implant that allows people to instantly share thoughts and emotions. However, when the technology falls into the wrong hands, users start to become murderous and the inventor’s family are driven apart.
14. Kavanagh QC
The series starred John Thaw as barrister James Kavanagh QC, who comes from a working-class upbringing in Bolton, Greater Manchester. This is only discovered in later episodes as his parents’ health deteriorates and through an exchange with a colleague who presumed that Kavanagh was actually a Yorkshireman. The series deals with his battles in the courtroom as well as his domestic dramas which include the death of his devoted and affectionate wife.
13. Cold Squad
Sgt. Ali McCormick and her Vancouver Police colleagues in the department’s Homicide Division investigate new leads into previously unsolved cases as part of the titular Cold Squad. The Canadian show, which ran for seven seasons, saw numerous cast changes throughout its run.
12. The Field of Blood
Paddy Meehan is a newspaper reporter that gets personally involved in a murder investigation in the hopes of advancing her career.
11. The Widow
Georgia Wells believes that her husband, Will, died in a plane crash in the Congo three years ago. Since the accident, she has lived as a recluse in the Welsh countryside, away from civilization and the comforts of 21st century life. But her life changes when she sees Will in the background during a televised news report about the Congo.
That revelation shocks Georgia, and she becomes determined to prove that Will is still alive. She travels to Kinshasa, Congo’s capital, for the first time since the crash and reunites with Will’s business partner Judith and a local journalist whose wife also perished in the crash. Unaware of the danger she faces, Georgia sets out across Congo in an attempt to find Will. Kate Beckinsale stars as Georgia in her first starring role on a TV series.
10. Alias
A young woman learns she has a familial history of undercover work and agrees to become an international spy for a supposed secret branch of the CIA. The secrecy complicates her social and love lives, but it’s nothing compared to what happens when she finds out her employer has no ties to the CIA.
9. Arthur & George
When Conan Doyle’s wife passes, his world is filled with grief and mourning. Distracted by the news of the Great Wyrley Rippings, Conan Doyle decides he wants to meet the solicitor, George Edalji, who stands accused of mutilating animals and sending death threats. Having served seven years in Pentonville Prison, George is released only to find that his career has been ruined beyond repair – that is, until he meets Conan Doyle.
8. The Broker’s Man
The Broker’s Man is a BBC British television drama series centred on the work of Jimmy Griffin, an ex-detective who applies his skills as a fraud investigator for an insurance company.
7. Homecoming
Heidi Bergman is a caseworker at Homecoming, a facility that helps soldiers transition back to civilian life. She leaves Homecoming to start a new life living with her mother and working as a small-town waitress. Years later, the Department of Defense questions why she left, which makes Heidi realize that there’s a whole other story behind the one that she’s been telling herself. Oscar winner Julia Roberts stars as Heidi in the first regular TV series role of her career. “Homecoming” is based a podcast of the same name.
6. Sneaky Pete
Giovanni Ribisi plays the role of Marius, a con man who tries to leave his old life behind by assuming the identity of his cell mate, Pete. While Pete’s family doesn’t have reason to suspect that he is not their long-lost loved one, they are a colorful group with their own secrets and lies that could make life as dangerous as the world Marius was hoping to escape.
Marius must find a way to keep his lies from backfiring as he deals with unexpected situations that come his way. Executive producers include Graham Yost and Bryan Cranston.
5. Fortitude
Fortitude is a town in the Arctic that is unlike any other place on Earth. Surrounded by the picturesque polar landscape and filled with residents who form a tight-knit community, the town has never been the site of a violent crime.
That changes, though, when a research scientist is killed, which leads to an investigation that prompts police officers begin to suspect and mistrust one another. Members of the community also struggle to understand the terror that has been unleashed among them. While all this is going on, above-average temperatures result in record ice melt, which reveals secrets that have long been hidden underneath Fortitude’s frozen landscape.
4. Goliath
This is perhaps one of the best crime shows Amazon has created so far! Once a powerful lawyer, Billy McBride is now a washed up ambulance chaser, who spends more time in bars than the courtroom. When Billy reluctantly agrees to pursue a wrongful death lawsuit against the massive law firm he helped create, a vast and deadly conspiracy comes to light. Billy and his team end up in a life-or-death trial against the ultimate foe, which could end up helping Billy find redemption and exact revenge on the firm. The Amazon original series is created by David E. Kelley and Jonathan Shapiro.
3. Bosch
This is one of our favorite shows: Bosch is an American police procedural web television series, starring Titus Welliver as Los Angeles Police detective Harry Bosch. The show was developed for Amazon by Eric Overmyer, and the first season takes its inspiration from the Michael Connelly novels City of Bones, Echo Park, and The Concrete Blonde.
It was one of two drama pilots that Amazon streamed online in early 2014 (together with The After), and viewers offered their opinions on it before the studio decided whether to place a series order. Season 5 was released on April 18, 2019, and season 6 was confirmed by executive producer Michael Connelly.
2. Dark/Web
A genius programmer’s mysterious disappearance leads to the reunion of old friends and the discovery that the strange stories she left behind may point to an impending technological crisis.
1. Deadly Seasons
Superintendent Rousseau and Inspector Mariella De Luca fight their own demons as they work together to try to solve a series of murders.
