#excellent as always from our homegrown hero!!!

[leonsliga]

THAT’S MORE LIKE IT LADS!!! ❤️🤍🖤

[takeoffphilippines]

SAVOY HOTEL MANILA & BELMONT HOTEL MANILA NEW CAMPAIGN IS A SALUTE TO FILIPINO MIGRANT WORKERS

MANILA, August 8, 2022… Savoy Hotel Manila and Belmont Hotel Manila have officially launched a heartwarming campaign that establishes its commitment to be the ‘home away from home’ for Filipino migrant workers.

‘’Belmont Hotel Manila and Savoy Hotel Manila have long been home to local and international travelers that require accommodation for business or leisure. This, of course, has always included Filipino migrant workers. We have always served them and will continue do so. ‘Home for Every Filipino’ is sort of a love letter to them. Not only do we commit to providing convenience and well-appointed facilities but most importantly a thoughtful Filipino hotel experience that they will always remember. From service, food to amenities, we endeavor to give them a memorable stay.” says Savoy Hotel Manila and Belmont Hotel Manila, Area Director of Sales and Marketing, Loleth So

The two Megaworld Hotels & Resorts (MHR) properties are local city hotels located in the progressive Newport World Resorts across the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, often serving as gateways to warm reunions and homecomings. But more than their proximity to Terminal 3 they have proven their consistency in service excellence and in delivering Filipino hospitality. Both hotels have reaped international awards as well as high ratings from actual travelers and OTA review sites which are clear testaments of their passion to serve.

Belmont Hotel Manila is the flagship hotel brand of MHR and is most commonly known as the nearest hotel to Runway Manila, the footbridge connecting Terminal 3 to Newport World Resorts. It boasts elegant interiors and cozy spaces that were designed for business stays and intimate staycations. It is also home to a beautiful al fresco rooftop bar, Rooftop 11, that features a swimming pool, Jacuzzi, and bar, amongst others.

Meanwhile, Savoy Hotel Manila is a younger brand that features a more vibrant approach to hotel interiors with its colorful lobby and guestrooms. Lauded as Asia’s Leading Airport Hotel, its 684 guestrooms that have varied views of the city and the airport have become favorites of young professionals, families as well as travel groups. Savoy also offers an outdoor pool with a bar as well as a lounge for events.

Filipino migrant workers who wish to stay at either Savoy Hotel Manila or Belmont Hotel Manila can soon expect a special room package that is created for their needs.  As homegrown brands, both hotels take pride in serving elevated signature Filipino dishes and warm hospitality that will be much experienced during their stay.

To officially introduce the ‘Home for Every Filipino’ campaign, an intimate media launch was held recently at Savoy Hotel Manila’s Connect Lounge. Department of Tourism NCR Regional Director, Sharlene Batin, graced the event as the Guest of Honor and delivered an inspiring opening message that honors the sacrifice of our Filipino “kababayans” abroad, “I believe that DOT and hotel industry have been successful in the past two years in giving a home to our fellow Filipinos. While we dream of keeping our people closer to home, closer to us and their family & friends, we cannot keep them as much as we want to. We cannot hinder them in finding greener pastures and we can only wish them well and success. Meanwhile, the challenge for us is to make a steady and fast recovery to make it work for our collective advantage. Let us keep the momentum going for tourism and stay on top of the game”

Local talents, Jino Labatigan, a violin artist and winner of Eat Bulaga’s ‘Music Hero’ and RJ Jimenez ,singer-songwriter and all around music producer, set the tone for the event with their respective heartwarming renditions of OPM hits to serenade our media guests.  

With this campaign, Filipinos living and working abroad can experience the warm hospitality which they truly deserve within the comforts of two homegrown hotels they can call their “home”.  To know more about Savoy and Belmont Hotel Manila’s ‘Home for Every Filipino’ offers, please visit their respective websites at www.belmonthotelmanila.com and www.savoyhotelmanila.com.

–

📧 If you wish to send an invite and feature your province/company brand/event; Just ask the author of this vlog, email us at team.takeoffph@gmail.com

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Website: https://takeoffphilippines.com

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[yegarts]

“I Am YEG Arts” Series: Whittyn Jason

Photo by Liam Makenzie

Scenographer, lighting designer, and the director of Found Festival—Whittyn Jason has their very creative, and ridiculously talented, hands full. If you’re new to Found Fest, get ready for a treat: four inspired days of theatre, dance, film, poetry, music, sound art, and more—all celebrated in unconventional places and spaces. Intrigued? Excellent. That’s exactly what Jason was hoping for. Also on their list? That being there will challenge your ideas about traditional performance spaces, your accessibility to them, and your home in the arts community—a place to collaborate, support, and belong. This week’s “I Am YEG Arts” story belongs to Whittyn Jason.

Tell us about your connection to Edmonton and why you’ve made it your home.

I was born, raised, and educated in Edmonton, and I’m glad to continue calling it my home! My dad immigrated here from South Africa via the UK, and my mom is from Edmonton’s surrounding area. I’ve been really grateful to grow up here with a support system that’s excited about the arts, and I continue to live here because I think it’s a great place to grow your practice and experiment with your artistic identity, while making a living wage. It’s a great home base.

How did you become a scenographer/lighting designer? Had it always interested you, or was it a detour on another path?

When I was in high school, I had a really incredible drama teacher (Vern Slipetz), who allowed me to really explore all of these niche, technical interests I had. He encouraged me to continue exploring my love of lights in post-secondary, even though I was initially accepted to school for History/Anthropology. But theatre is all about examining how people live and interact, which is what interested me about those fields in the first place, so it works out. I’ve always had a fascination for installation art and environmental design, so working as a scenographer/lighting designer is my own way into that world.

Tell us a little about what makes Found Festival (Common Ground Arts Society) special to you and the city.

I think my love of it all goes back to the design concept of ‘truth in materials.’ Found Festival is an embodiment of that tenet—it explores how we understand that traditional framework of performance and art and challenges the audience to reconsider and recontextualize how the environment around us influences the way we participate and create art. If you want to do a living-room drama, why not do it in someone’s real-life living room.

What has you most excited about this year’s lineup (July 7–10)?

I can’t pick one—I’m just excited to actually get the festival on its feet! It’s like picking your favourite kid, I think. I will say that I am really excited that our lineup features artists from Edmonton, as well as Calgary and Vancouver. We also have a couple of projects that use projection heavily (003_playback and BASK), which is a field of design and performance I’m really fascinated with in my own work. Plus some homegrown heroes, like Salem Zurch, Ryan ‘SomeSum’ Summers, and Thou Art Here Theatre.

What advice would you give artists wanting to live and work here?

This is sort of self-serving, but go to festivals! Participate! Edmonton has no shortage of festivals that you can volunteer at, be a patron of, or have open calls you can submit to. I’ve made a lot of connections through volunteering and working PA gigs, that aren’t necessarily in my specific field, that have cropped up again down the road. If you try everything at first, you can get more specific later—plus you end up with a really broad skill set.

Tell us about a lesson you’ve had to learn more than once.

Don’t overschedule yourself. I’m still working on this one. I think often about something one of my professors told me when I was graduating, which was “Don’t say ‘yes’ when you really mean ‘no’,” and I come back to it a lot when I’m trying to mitigate burnout. More work will come, which is really hard to internalize when you’re young and starting out in a gig economy. If someone wants to work with you, they’ll probably ask you again. That’s why they asked you in the first place.

What does community mean to you, and where do you find it?

I think community is who you share an affinity with and who you consciously choose to be around, continually. And that sounds kind of broad, but there are a million tiny little intersections of community—you can have as many communities as you have interests. I have my design community, my queer theatre community, my BIPOC artists community, my tattoo-enthusiast community, etc. At the end of the day though, I believe you build it by just showing up and letting people know you support them and you’re interested in their work.

Who’s someone inspiring you right now?

It’s two people: Salem Zurch and Beth Dart. Salem is such a force of nature, and every time I get to work with them I thoroughly enjoy it. They’re so creative and resourceful, and I think one day they’re going to take over the world. Beth Dart has been a mentor of mine for over half a decade, and every time I work with her it’s like I unlock a new level of understanding of performance. It’s really an honour to be following in her footsteps with Found Festival. Without her, I think I would have had a totally different career trajectory.

When you think YEG arts, what are the first three things, people, or places that come to mind?

Mac Brock—champion of the arts and the co-producer of Found Festival. He’s originally from Regina, but I’ve worked with him so closely over the last ~5 years that I can’t imagine making art in Edmonton without him.

Non-stop summer festivals—Folk Fest, Fringe, Found Fest, Next Fest, the Works, Taste of Edmonton, you name it.

The City’s love of murals and public art—I have a soft spot for the Talus balls, and love this surge of murals in the nooks and crannies of Edmonton. My current favourite is the Chi Pig memorial painting on the side of the Buckingham.

What makes you hopeful these days?

My friends. I don’t know what I would do without them. Every day I’m thankful for all of them. There’s obviously been a lot of changes and moves over the last couple of years, and I’m grateful to have a solid group of pals who have been a constant through it all. Having friends from different roles or proximities within the arts has also been such an eye-opener for me because I get to stop looking at my job through a microscope. It’s really helped me recontextualize my workaholic nature and has helped me start to return to feel like more of a balanced person again.

Want more YEG Arts Stories? We’ll be sharing them here all year and on social media using the hashtag #IamYegArts. Follow along! 

Click here for all the latest details and updates about this year’s Found Festival lineup and schedule.

About Whittyn Jason

Whittyn Jason (they/them/theirs) is a queer, non-binary, mixed-race artist of South African and Ukrainian descent. They live and primarily create in amiskwacîwâskahikan (colonially known as Edmonton), where they work as a scenographer/lighting designer and Festival Director for Found Fest (Common Ground Arts Society). Whittyn is a member of the ADC, and holds a BFA in Theatre Design from the University of Alberta.

[wcuenglish]

The next faculty member under the Spotlight is Dr. Jonathan Bradshaw, a professor in the Department of English. He has been teaching for a total of about 14 years. Of that time, he has spent the last five years here at WCU, where he has served as director of the WRCS (Writing, Rhetoric, and Critical Studies) Program for the last two years.

In this interview, you'll hear about some of his favorites, what he likes about WCU, his journey into rhetoric studies, an important lesson he's learned over the years, and more.

His requested use of his time in the spotlight: showing off homegrown produce.

Below the cut is a shortened version of his answers to student questions and other information:

What's your favorite movie? (What's your favorite movie and why should it be Star Wars?)

I’m not actually sure that I have one. I mean, I like movies and all, but I guess I would much rather be mixing my compost or reading a seed catalog than watching a movie. I was actually an actor in a movie about Appalachian migration and music traditions, called The Mountain Minor. To further evade your question, I’m not sure why it should be Star Wars. I do consume a lot of TikTok, if that counts.

Why is Spider-Man your favorite superhero? 

Excellent question! I think it is because he has traditionally been written as the relatable hero. He was kind of a revolutionary concept when first created because most comics focused on the near-perfect hero. Peter Parker was someone who had everyday issues on top of stopping an evil villain with four mechanical arms.

What's your favorite food? 

Now we’re talking! I would have to say fried chicken. I don’t mean just any fried chicken. Well, actually, I do mean pretty much any fried chicken. But I especially mean my mother’s fried chicken. She’s taught me her approach to making it, and I can approximate it, but I can’t quite make it or find it anywhere other than her house.

What’s your favorite restaurant to go to in Sylva? 

I don’t hitch up my cart and wagon to leave my small farm in Cullowhee much these days. As much as possible, I try to grow what I eat (though I don’t nearly reach that goal and am a hypocrite for even saying it). I don’t go there often, but I do like the Coffee Shop. I love little diners.

What’s your favorite type of coffee? 

Coffee! I’m not picky, but I generally like a light or medium roast best. But I will drink weak, scalded gas station coffee without hesitation.

What’s your favorite thing to do in your spare time? 

Work in my garden. Since the pandemic started, I have probably read the equivalent of an MA degree in organic gardening and soil health. If you run into me on campus, there’s as good a chance I am, at that moment, strategizing how to get more brown material into my compost as I am to be thinking about rhetoric.

What’s your favorite thing about being at WCU? 

I love that it is an institution that is serious about teaching. All institutions use rhetoric about higher education, student learning, etc. But, at WCU, I see faculty and an institution with real commitments to student learning.

What inspired you to go into the field of rhetoric? 

What I love about rhetoric is that it has the potential to empower people to participate in the conversations that matter the most to them. I describe rhetoric to my students as thinking artfully and ethically about our communication with others. By “artful,” I mean that we can be intentional about the language that we use. Even in writing a memo or advocating for change in your community, you are not bound to the first thought that comes to your mind. You can develop a repertoire of strategies that helps you invent better engagement. By “ethical,” I mean that we should always recognize our language has consequences for others. Rhetoric gets a bad reputation as “manipulative,” and yeah, it can be. But there is nothing inherently manipulative about being intentional with your language use. It’s the ethical side that matters. If you are using rhetoric to get what you want, well, let’s start re-thinking your approach. What I love most about rhetoric is not the esoteric Athenian and Roman terms; it’s that it is always about audience. Rhetoric, at its best, practices an ethic of audience care. There is no not-caring about how your words are received. If you are using rhetoric, you care deeply about how your audience receives your words and so you fold them into your decision-making as a writer.  

As far as how I got into rhetoric? Well, I have two degrees in literary studies. I majored in English as an undergrad when my advisor told me I was at the point where I had to pick a major or there was no reason for me to be there. English was the area where I knew I would do the most writing, so that was where my interests went. I tacked on an “English Ed” side to the major as an afterthought, but then just really fell in love with teaching and planned to be a High School teacher. As an MA student, I thought I was on the track to become a literature professor, but I fell in love with teaching writing as soon as I taught my first writing class. After a couple years of teaching writing, I was just all in. And I also realized that I needed more specific ways to think about what I was doing and what writers do, which led me to the study of rhetoric. I had gotten my degrees in programs that focused solely on literary study, so I had no opportunity to study rhetoric. Once I began studying rhetoric theory on my own, a light went off. I had really struggled in writing my MA thesis and I realized why: I was grasping about for the language of rhetoric, but I didn’t have it at the time. So in a lot of ways, I arrived at rhetoric through the back door because I was always open to discovering new things rather than having a single-track mind about my education.

Are there other careers you would like to pursue outside of teaching? 

Sure, but don’t tell the Department Head or tenure review committee that :)  

My dissertation research studied communication strategies of Appalachian community advocacy organizations. I really fell in love with the two organizations I worked with there—Appalshop in eastern KY, and the Urban Appalachian Community Coalition in Cincinnati, OH—and seriously considered doing communications work after getting my PhD. In the end, I decided to give the academic track a good go before making that turn. It was a long-range plan of mine to end up back in the mountains of WNC, so I jumped at the opportunity when I got the offer at WCU.

What has been the most important lesson you've learned?

Well, I try to keep learning them, so there are a lot! However, one that has stuck with me throughout my life is understanding. I don’t mean understanding in terms of “comprehension.” I mean more understanding that everyone has experiences that are not the same as yours, and we need to always extend understanding to people around us. I can’t always know what you’re going through, or what your experience has been like, but I can extend understanding to you. In a sense, I came to understand “understanding” to mean something in between (or perhaps cross-pollinated) empathy and extending grace to others.

What advice do you have for students?

Stay in communication! Let that mean for you what it does. Stay in communication with your professors, peers, family, friends, co-workers. It is never the students who email me or visit my office that I worry about—even when they are really going through something. It’s the people I never hear from.

Anything else you would like to share for your time in the spotlight?

Squash!

[bethestaryouareradio]

Do You Believe in the Gift of Abundance?

https://smoothsale.net/do-you-believe-in-the-gift-of-abundance/

Attract the Right Job Or Clientele:

NOTE: Cynthia Brian, Be the Star You Are! Founder and Executive Director, provides today’s post, The Gift of Abundance.

  The Gift of Abundance Excerpted from Be the Star You Are! 99 Gifts for Living, Loving, Laughing, and Learning to Make a Difference By Cynthia Brian. is available at .

  Cynthia is a New York Times best-selling author of several books, TV/Radio personality/producer, lecturer, and enrichment coach specializing in acting, media, writing, speaking, and life success.

Cynthia is the Founder and Executive Director of Be the Star You Are!® The mission is to empower women, families, and youth through increased literacy, improved positive media messages, and skills for living. Since 1998 she has produced and hosted the weekly upbeat, lifestyle international radio broadcast, StarStyle® (www.StarStyleradio.com and she produces the young adult radio show, Express Yourself!™ for the Voice America Network, Empowerment Channel. Cynthia writes for magazines, newspapers, and on-line sites. In her spare time, Cynthia can be found working in her garden or playing with her barnyard of adopted animals.

___________

Cynthia’s Story: Do You Believe In The Gift Of Abundance?

I grew up on a farm, the eldest of five children. Our parents taught us specific values: hard work, loyalty to family and friends, responsibility, and keeping our word. We learned to be independent and self-sufficient. Although we had few possessions and even less money, we were content in our simple, natural surroundings. I can’t imagine a better upbringing for a child.

Our playground was vineyards, hills, and dales. Our companions were horses, cows, sheep, chickens, ducks, rabbits, dogs, and cats. As we hiked the mountains and paddled the creeks, we pretended we were explorers discovering new worlds. We had caves in which to hide. The mustard fields were our dollhouses. We drove tractors, plowed fields, and picked fruit until our hands were raw. The nearest neighbor children lived two miles away, so our life was mostly within our family. Without much money, we believed we were living the gift of abundance.

Work hard, dream hard, laugh hard, live abundantly.

Every season brought new adventures and excitement—preparing the vegetable garden in spring, going on camping trips in the summer, hayrides and harvest festivals in the fall.  I have fond memories of enjoying the warming fires and holiday magic of winter. Life on the farm was fun, challenging, hard work, and full of promise.

We didn’t have fancy clothes.  We did have a pair of Levis, a pair of boots, a couple of shirts, a school uniform, and a Sunday church outfit. Twice a year, at Christmas and Easter, our Auntie Cleo would take us shopping and buy us a new outfit. These were thrilling excursions. I learned to sew in high school so that I could have a bigger wardrobe. Since I was the oldest, my sisters inherited my hand-me-downs. We always felt another gift of abundance; our family.  We were surrounded by delicious, homegrown food, a close-knit family, plenty of trees, and land to roam. We were truly rich in spirit, if not in money. 

The Power Of Belief

From my first awareness, I knew I was important. I grew up believing that I had the power to achieve anything I ever wanted.  Of course, it meant I was willing to work diligently to get it. It never occurred to me that I could or should be handed something free simply because I wanted it.

Yes, I am an optimist. My glass is always half full, even when it’s filled with bitter medicine. My life has been a rose garden, albeit with lots of thorns and tragedies. As a child, I almost died of encephalitis. Many people I have loved died at an early age from accidents or illnesses. My youngest brother was crushed and killed when a tractor on our farm turned over on him when he was sixteen. My gentle grandfather was killed while mowing his lawn when a tree toppled over on a windless day. And, my hero, my Dad, died from a rare cancer at a young age.

Because of these experiences and many more, I have learned that our most significant failing is not to follow our dreams, not to sing our song. I admit that living expansively and exuberantly isn’t always easy. Sorrow and pain make us want to contract and withdraw, not expand and excel. We live well only when we embrace the following fact.  The very fragility, pathos, and unpredictability of life make every moment precious.

Embrace The Gift Of Abundance

I aim to persuade, push, and compel you to live every minute fully and consciously. We never know how many chances we’ll have to “get it right.” Life is finite. The drive seen in my mission is due to my agony in dealing with loss.  I have learned that pain, suffering, emptiness, and loneliness are an important part of the human experience. Everyone, rich or poor, weak or powerful, endures these emotions. We are here on earth to learn, laugh, cry, feel love and pain, and to be. Most important, we are here to live and make a difference. Part of getting it right is getting it wrong. We are not the same, but we are all one.

Abundance is not about acquiring a luxury house, a fancy car, expensive clothes, and a jet-set lifestyle. Instead, the gift of abundance is about feeling that there is enough in life for everyone. My early years taught me that a sense of abundance goes far beyond material things. It spans our spiritual life, emotional stability, intellectual stimulation, and physical closeness to the earth.

Having abundance means having fresh air to breathe, clean water to drink, food in our stomachs, a roof overhead, somewhere to walk, and feel the beauty of nature. It includes someone to love and someone who loves you in return.  Other elements of abundance are laughter, learning, and the wealth of health. As children, the teaching is to be happy for another’s success, and to believe that there is abundance in all things. If someone else can achieve greatness, so can I. So can you.

We rarely lack abundance, just the ability to understand its meaning in the purest form. The world is a place of emotional and spiritual plenty. Abbondanza, as my mother always said in Italian. Notice and be grateful for everything you have. The gift of abundance is everyone, everywhere, everything.

The 3 Step Exercise: Abbondanza

Shut your eyes. Imagine in vivid detail everything you feel you need to have a fulfilled life. Your list will be unique to you. It can include loving relationships, children, animals, a home to live in, food on the table, clothing, a car, enjoyable work, and so forth. Once you see yourself surrounded by everything you need, add some of the things you want.

Open your eyes, get out your pen, and make three columns: “What I need,” “What I want,” and “What I have.”

Every day, write down the things that you give thanks for: sunrises, beautiful gardens, a pillow on which to lay your head. Recognize the gift of abundance around you. Tell yourself frequently, “I have abundance in all things. There is enough to go around.”

  Sales Tips: The Gift Of Abundance

Assess where you are at and what makes you happy

Expand the areas that bring a smile

Use your knowledge to provide community support

Welcome feedback to improve your endeavors

Each evening analyze what you did well, and what needs improvement 

On a daily basis acknowledge your gift of abundance

Even day revisit your goals to be inspired and move forward

Each week review your accomplishments and set new goals for the following week

Always revise and improve your strategy for tomorrow including upcoming job interviews.

Celebrate Success!

More at

[goddessgardener]

Do You Believe in the Gift of Abundance?

https://smoothsale.net/do-you-believe-in-the-gift-of-abundance/

Attract the Right Job Or Clientele:

NOTE: Cynthia Brian, Be the Star You Are! Founder and Executive Director, provides today’s post, The Gift of Abundance.

  The Gift of Abundance Excerpted from Be the Star You Are! 99 Gifts for Living, Loving, Laughing, and Learning to Make a Difference By Cynthia Brian. is available at .

  Cynthia is a New York Times best-selling author of several books, TV/Radio personality/producer, lecturer, and enrichment coach specializing in acting, media, writing, speaking, and life success.

Cynthia is the Founder and Executive Director of Be the Star You Are!® The mission is to empower women, families, and youth through increased literacy, improved positive media messages, and skills for living. Since 1998 she has produced and hosted the weekly upbeat, lifestyle international radio broadcast, StarStyle® (www.StarStyleradio.com and she produces the young adult radio show, Express Yourself!™ for the Voice America Network, Empowerment Channel. Cynthia writes for magazines, newspapers, and on-line sites. In her spare time, Cynthia can be found working in her garden or playing with her barnyard of adopted animals.

___________

Cynthia’s Story: Do You Believe In The Gift Of Abundance?

I grew up on a farm, the eldest of five children. Our parents taught us specific values: hard work, loyalty to family and friends, responsibility, and keeping our word. We learned to be independent and self-sufficient. Although we had few possessions and even less money, we were content in our simple, natural surroundings. I can’t imagine a better upbringing for a child.

Our playground was vineyards, hills, and dales. Our companions were horses, cows, sheep, chickens, ducks, rabbits, dogs, and cats. As we hiked the mountains and paddled the creeks, we pretended we were explorers discovering new worlds. We had caves in which to hide. The mustard fields were our dollhouses. We drove tractors, plowed fields, and picked fruit until our hands were raw. The nearest neighbor children lived two miles away, so our life was mostly within our family. Without much money, we believed we were living the gift of abundance.

Work hard, dream hard, laugh hard, live abundantly.

Every season brought new adventures and excitement—preparing the vegetable garden in spring, going on camping trips in the summer, hayrides and harvest festivals in the fall.  I have fond memories of enjoying the warming fires and holiday magic of winter. Life on the farm was fun, challenging, hard work, and full of promise.

We didn’t have fancy clothes.  We did have a pair of Levis, a pair of boots, a couple of shirts, a school uniform, and a Sunday church outfit. Twice a year, at Christmas and Easter, our Auntie Cleo would take us shopping and buy us a new outfit. These were thrilling excursions. I learned to sew in high school so that I could have a bigger wardrobe. Since I was the oldest, my sisters inherited my hand-me-downs. We always felt another gift of abundance; our family.  We were surrounded by delicious, homegrown food, a close-knit family, plenty of trees, and land to roam. We were truly rich in spirit, if not in money. 

The Power Of Belief

From my first awareness, I knew I was important. I grew up believing that I had the power to achieve anything I ever wanted.  Of course, it meant I was willing to work diligently to get it. It never occurred to me that I could or should be handed something free simply because I wanted it.

Yes, I am an optimist. My glass is always half full, even when it’s filled with bitter medicine. My life has been a rose garden, albeit with lots of thorns and tragedies. As a child, I almost died of encephalitis. Many people I have loved died at an early age from accidents or illnesses. My youngest brother was crushed and killed when a tractor on our farm turned over on him when he was sixteen. My gentle grandfather was killed while mowing his lawn when a tree toppled over on a windless day. And, my hero, my Dad, died from a rare cancer at a young age.

Because of these experiences and many more, I have learned that our most significant failing is not to follow our dreams, not to sing our song. I admit that living expansively and exuberantly isn’t always easy. Sorrow and pain make us want to contract and withdraw, not expand and excel. We live well only when we embrace the following fact.  The very fragility, pathos, and unpredictability of life make every moment precious.

Embrace The Gift Of Abundance

I aim to persuade, push, and compel you to live every minute fully and consciously. We never know how many chances we’ll have to “get it right.” Life is finite. The drive seen in my mission is due to my agony in dealing with loss.  I have learned that pain, suffering, emptiness, and loneliness are an important part of the human experience. Everyone, rich or poor, weak or powerful, endures these emotions. We are here on earth to learn, laugh, cry, feel love and pain, and to be. Most important, we are here to live and make a difference. Part of getting it right is getting it wrong. We are not the same, but we are all one.

Abundance is not about acquiring a luxury house, a fancy car, expensive clothes, and a jet-set lifestyle. Instead, the gift of abundance is about feeling that there is enough in life for everyone. My early years taught me that a sense of abundance goes far beyond material things. It spans our spiritual life, emotional stability, intellectual stimulation, and physical closeness to the earth.

Having abundance means having fresh air to breathe, clean water to drink, food in our stomachs, a roof overhead, somewhere to walk, and feel the beauty of nature. It includes someone to love and someone who loves you in return.  Other elements of abundance are laughter, learning, and the wealth of health. As children, the teaching is to be happy for another’s success, and to believe that there is abundance in all things. If someone else can achieve greatness, so can I. So can you.

We rarely lack abundance, just the ability to understand its meaning in the purest form. The world is a place of emotional and spiritual plenty. Abbondanza, as my mother always said in Italian. Notice and be grateful for everything you have. The gift of abundance is everyone, everywhere, everything.

The 3 Step Exercise: Abbondanza

Shut your eyes. Imagine in vivid detail everything you feel you need to have a fulfilled life. Your list will be unique to you. It can include loving relationships, children, animals, a home to live in, food on the table, clothing, a car, enjoyable work, and so forth. Once you see yourself surrounded by everything you need, add some of the things you want.

Open your eyes, get out your pen, and make three columns: “What I need,” “What I want,” and “What I have.”

Every day, write down the things that you give thanks for: sunrises, beautiful gardens, a pillow on which to lay your head. Recognize the gift of abundance around you. Tell yourself frequently, “I have abundance in all things. There is enough to go around.”

  Sales Tips: The Gift Of Abundance

Assess where you are at and what makes you happy

Expand the areas that bring a smile

Use your knowledge to provide community support

Welcome feedback to improve your endeavors

Each evening analyze what you did well, and what needs improvement 

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Even day revisit your goals to be inspired and move forward

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[longwindedbore]

Gun violence is a health issue - more policing won’t work.

Gun Advocacy is Not a mental issue or even a cultural issue - more Liberal condemnation will not accomplish anything.

For what Communities can do see the excellent article below.

Gun Advocates can’t figure out why allegedly educated Liberals remain stump ignorant about recent history:

Have Liberals forgotten the use of government death squads against US Citizens in the early 20th Century Labor disputes by Miners, Garment workers, and in the Boston Police strike?

Have Liberals forgotten the ambush execution one after another of the 1930 bank robbers (Bonnie & Clyde, Dillinger, Pretty Boy Floyd) declared “Public Enemies” for occasionally burning mortgage and loan papers during the robberies.

When Congress objected to summary executions, Hoover took a squad and personally arrested Alvin Karpis. The squad was so used to shooting first that no one thought to bring handcuffs.

Evidentally Liberals advocating relying on the Po-lice for protection have forgotten the Prohibition-era murders of the Osage Indians for their oil and the massacre of blacks in Tulsa for the offense of doing well. As well as the 1950-60s the murders of black and white Civil Rights workers often with government taking a blind eye if not active part.

Lest we forget, the murders by police today all over the country of blacks in their homes, autos, or in Police custody. Continuation of Jim Crow lynchings.

Police Can’t “Defend” the Public from killers. Police are prohibited from preemptively protecting the Citizen BEFORE the killer begins the crime. The Police can arrest or kill a perpetrator only after they violate the Government’s monopoly on killing Citizens.

Irrespective of era, the Police respond AFTER the killers strike. Initial Defense against attacks in urban apartments as in isolated rural areas falls to the potential victim. As it was in the 19th Century, the 18th Century, the 17th Century.

Origins of Distrust of Governments

Before the 17th Century our ancestors were in Europe which was engaged in religious, ethnic and economic internal bloody conflicts involving mass slaughter. Factions fought to control the governments to be better able to exterminate the Opposition.

Its disgusting but you can read on-line Oliver Cromwell’s gleeful letters to Parliament describing his troops bayoneting men, wome, and children then burning a city in Ireland.

The last of the religious slaughter that began 500 years ago in Great Britain only ended in 1998 in the Omagh bombing in North Ireland. The perpetrators were not caught although the Security Services of several governments monitored the phone conversations of the terrorists as the bomb was placed. Due to “miscommunications” police moved citizens closer to the blast. That the blast killed locals of both sides of the religious/ethnic divide did help to achieve the general cease fire. Notwithstanding, the last individual assasination of Britain’s religious war was in 1999.

The two waves of Europeans to the US were to escape these religious/ethnic wars snd pogroms. The first wave, 1620 to 1776 included many who were loyal to a side and who were not defeated. Rather were betrayed by their own side and forced out.

For example Border English and Border Scots, enemies since the dawn of time,were both betrayed by their respective national governments when the Crowns of Scotland and England were united in 1603. They were forced at bayonet point across the narrow sea to Belfast and North Ireland.

The United Kingdom’s internal religious conflicts continued unabated and after the Test Act in the early 1700s,any of who had been relocated took leave for the New World.

In the recent past neither US Civil Rights Advocating Allegedly Liberal Administrations nor US Second Amendment Advocating Conservative Adminstations have hesitated a nano-second in violating Citizens Constitutional rights. Betrayal may be essential to “governing”.

As Burke said, “Necessity is the plea for every infringement of Human Liberty. It is the Argument of Tyrants, the Creed of Slaves”

Always Violence. Just different Terrorists across the years. Government response is “one size fits all”.

The gun advocates see that historically a curtailing of the Second Amendment in conjunction with increased government-sanctioned violence has ALWAYS been the preferred government response to any violence irrespective of cause.

The nature of mass killings has changed over time. Almost like fads. Or some deep copy-cat need.

For the last decade US mass shooters/terrorists tend to be individual male youths, nationalistic and culturally and/or religiously conservative, (homegrown and immigrants) targeting strangers in Public places. Weapons of choice are AR-type rifles and double stack pistols legally purchased. Public policies and Community action has been colossally unsuccessful. Even though most killers POST ONLINE their intentions.

50 years ago US mass killers/urban terrorists were multi-ethnic groups of youths, internationalistic and culturally atheistic targeting police, Government buildings, and banks. Weapons of choice were explosives. Government sanctioned Police death squads were deployed and used the unrest as an excuse to kill the innocent (Black Panthers) as well as the actual radicals. California’s Open Carry law was rescinded when the Panthers armed themselves.

45 years ago mass killers were cultists engaged struggling in strange hallucinatory manner against imaginary enemies (Symbionese Liberation Army, Jim Jones Cult). Suicide choices by the Jones group ended them. LosAngeles introduced its SWAT team, which “inadvertently” set fire to the SLA hideout and then prevented the Fire Department from extinguishing the blaze. (The SLA escaped with their hostage through a tunnel they had prepared like Bond villains).

40 years ago mass killers were individual middle-aged men who targeted work places and schools with arsenals of revolvers and shot guns. Suicide was their outcome of choice.

30 years ago mass killers were black or Hispanic young adult gang members driving through slums firing Uzis. Mass incarceration by a “Liberal” Administration of the innocent along with the guilty successfully suppressed the Community violence. The 1994-2004 Clinton era automatic weapons ban was also instituted. Mass killings continued during the period of the ban

20 years ago students targeted other students using their parents’ unsecured weapons. Suicide ended most confrontations.

=================================

[trashthebreadburnthecircus-blog]

003. All Our Heroes Are Anti-Heroes Now

And now we come to the conclusion of our opening trilogy. Unfortunately, as I've thought through what I want to write in this post, I realize that it isn't so much an examination of how to potentially fix a problem, as it is identifying a problem that is firmly in place and entrenched in our society – and bad news, kids, it ain't goin' anywhere.

Think about popular entertainment since around the mid-70s. This was the start, slowly but surely, of the hero that was a “loose cannon”; whose boss couldn't afford to take anymore of their (the hero's) shit; who was hungover but was still a better match for the bad guys than those who were straight-laced; who kicked ass and would sort things out later. He (and it's a he 99% of the time) might do bad things, but they were always in the service of a “greater good.” (Jack Bauer, I'm lookin' at you).

The anti-hero isn't a new concept, but our elevation of the archetype is all-American, and in our unique way, we did it bigger and better and dumber than anyone. In fact, go to the ever-reputable source that is Wikipedia's list of fictional anti-heroes, and sort it by date. It could be Travis Bickle, it could be Omar Little, it could be Walter White, hell, it could Eddie Brock/Venom (comic or movie, take your pick). In every form of popular media, The Lord Content has provided plenty of Anti-Hero Demigods to choose from, and it's been ramping up big time in the past few decades.

And to reiterate briefly what I've discussed in the last two posts: Content loves our isolation, as long as we continue to absorb what we're fed. Our worship of Content doesn't need to be done in fellowship with others. Think of what that means – combine this idea of our constant isolation, with the deification of celebrity culture and all that it entails. Meanwhile, the anti-hero is elevated in entertainment, and this prevalence allows a greater chance of parasocial interaction with, if not the character himself but what the character embodies, in some person who is alone, possibly downtrodden, possibly struggling with challenges both large and small, both real and imagined.

And now let's all keep being surprised that rejected, lonely, white, American, homegrown terrorists are running around shooting people. We've fucking celebrated – and I mean all caps italic CELEBRATED – violence for decades now. Crazy how idolizing that behavior over years, across popular entertainment that we all worship and is beamed into our eyesockets day and night, might somehow make people idealize the worst, dumbest, most violent shit there is to consume. (And oh yeah, another weird thing to think about as you look over that Wiki anti-hero list: the amount of white dudes there are! Shocking! Quelle surprise!)

Now, I want to be clear about two things that I think could be very easily misinterpreted from what I've written thus far:

1. I am by no means saying that the heads of the entertainment industries, or the powers above them, got together and engaged in some kind of conspiracy theory, where they said, “oh you know what, let's just keep making movies more violent, and eventually all these mouthbreathing assholes will think this behavior is normal at the least and extremely cool at best, and then they'll kill each other off, but we'll keep making money off them because they love our Holy Lord Content and the idiots can't get enough of whatever we shovel into their content trough.” While I do believe it is in the interests of the elites for us to fight, bicker, argue, or even kill each other – something in a similar vein of the late Dr. Zinn's theory of how racism was used as a function of dividing people that were of a similar class but different races to help solidify the white power structure in his excellent book A People's History of the United States (get it from an indie bookstore or your local library, fuck Amazon to death) – I don't believe that the popularization and idealization of violence and/or anti-heroes is a plot by the elites that has been implemented over time.

2. Nor am I blaming media for creating mass shooters. If you were around for Columbine, there was a lot of talk of video games and Marilyn Manson being “responsible” for it – which is a crock of shit. It's very easy to say what the issue is. The issue is that we make guns, and high-powered guns, available way too easily to anybody that wants to buy one. Is mental health also part of this picture? Sure, but too often, mental health seems to only apply to white shooters. Interesting how that works. Keep telling yourself there's no such thing as inherent white supremacy in America, and yet every mass shooter that is non-white never, ever gets a mental-health-get-out-of-jail-free card. Only the white shooters do. Weird how that works.

So then how are we here? Why did we elevate the anti-hero? Is it the same laziness that allows us to sit back and enjoy content in the first place – the idea that thinking or talking through what is the “right thing to do” is fucking boring and shooting a room full of bad guys is fun and visually enjoyable and exciting and it taps right into that violent part of our brains that have been cultivated since we had to choose between fight or flight?

Or maybe it's just that the standard hero was too boring. We needed a new exploration of what it means to be a hero. But the thing is this – we, in the real world, are always the heroes of our own stories. And so even when a piece of entertainment tries to show what a complete piece of shit the (anti-)hero of the story is, we are still compelled to somehow root for him, in some form or fashion. And if you take someone who is super isolated and is engaging in that aforementioned parasocial interaction, what's the dividing line between the “wrong” that an anti-hero does in the name of “right”, versus being “misunderstood” in the real world?

Whatever the hell happened – and yes, here at the end and getting the short end of the explanatory stick, we have to acknowledge income inequality has a huge part to play in our isolation, in how downtrodden we all are, how we look to the celebs to save and uplift us...income inequality keeps us in our seats cause we can only afford to go as far as our streaming service will take us – as I said at the top, the sad news is that this isn't going anywhere. I honestly can't even imagine what our popular entertainment would look like if we just snatched violence completely out of it. And I don't say that in a longing way, but in a way where it'd be like waking up one day, and the sky is orange instead of blue. I'm also totally complicit in all this. I've watched these movies, these TV shows, read the books and comics. Enjoyed em. Hooted and clapped like an asshole at em. To live in America is to be complicit to a host of awful things.

And yet, however we analyze it, as long as we remain complicit, the God Content will smile as we continue to watch, glazed eyes fixed on some screen as people get shot and blown up, knowing that unless we experience that horror for ourselves off-screen, either first-hand or losing someone we love in the real world where Content has no control, we'll treat the News the same way we do the Movies.

They are both on a screen.

What's the difference?

[pigeonpocket5-blog]

Auschwitz and Anti-Racism: The Past (and Racism) is Another Country

Aurelien Mondon is Senior Lecturer in Politics at the University of Bath. Working with Aaron Winter, his work looks at the relationship between the far right and the mainstream, with a particular focus on racism. Aaron Winter is Senior Lecturer in Criminology at University of East London. 

It is in the here and now that UK racism, anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, far-right and mainstream, are situated, embedded, and do harm. It should be tackled, not displaced and denied.

On 11 October 2018, it was reported that Chelsea Football Club has proposed sending supporters accused of anti-Semitism and racism to Auschwitz-Birkenau as an alternative to banning orders. That action was being taken by the club came as good news for those concerned about the issue in football and particularly at Chelsea, where some of their supporters are known for anti-Semitic chanting and making the ‘hissing’ sound of gas chambers when playing the traditionally Jewish supported Tottenham Hotspur and other teams.

In terms of wider football, less than a week after the Chelsea announcement, West Ham suspended Mark Phillips, who coached their under-18 team, after he attended a march organised by the far-right Democratic Football Lads Alliance.

The Chelsea plan was proposed by team owner, Roman Abramovich, who is himself Jewish, as part of the club’s ‘Say No to Antisemitism’ initiative, in partnership with the Holocaust Educational Trust, which runs the ‘Lessons from Auschwitz’ programme. According to Chelsea Chairman Bruce Buck: ‘If you just ban people, you will never change their behaviour. This policy gives them the chance to realise what they have done, to make them want to behave better’. The club sent a delegation to Auschwitz for the annual March of the Living in April 2018, and 150 staff and supporters went on a trip in June.

At this stage, it is just Chelsea doing this, but it has also been discussed as a way of approaching the prevention of far-right extremism and de-radicalisation of far-right activists in Britain. It wouldn’t be surprising to see it become more common in the context of the revival of the far-right across North America and Europe, including countries once occupied by the Nazis. However, we are unconvinced and even opposed to the idea for a number of reasons.

Educational?

While Auschwitz, as well as other concentration, labour and death camps, Holocaust museums and memorial trusts, have long served educational purposes, firstly we question the wisdom of sending racists and anti-Semites, as well as fascists, to such a place – one that is also a solemn memorial and cemetery to the victims of Nazism, and gathering place for survivors and descendants. This offers offenders a free trip to a site of sensitivity to the victims of anti-Semitism as a result of expressing anti-Semitism.

There is also a real risk as Auschwitz is not immune to anti-Semitic acts, including a recent case of three young women giving Sieg Heil salutes at the gate. Like many sites associated with Nazism, it is also a rallying point for the far-right to offend, desecrate or deny. Cases include Holocaust denier David Irving organising tours there and visits from the Magyar Guada (Hungarian Guard) and others.

Past victories

Secondly, using the Holocaust as a reference point for understanding and addressing cases of anti-Semitism today and in Britain is not unproblematic. It places anti-Semitism in the past, in the extreme and elsewhere, in a different country, locking it into a particular time and space. This can serve to negate the very contemporaneity of the act and the continuous existence of anti-Semitism, as well as its specific history and legacy in Britain, on the far-right and in the mainstream, as well as the links to a wider racism.

There have been ongoing issues throughout the post-war period (including at Chelsea), and earlier. It is not uncommon that racism, particularly in the so-called ‘post-racial’ era is reduced to the illiberal far-right, something ‘we’ in the liberal mainstream defeated, with the far-right reduced to fascism and specifically Nazism, something ‘we’ as a nation defeated in the past.

Yet, even if we have to travel back into history to learn lessons about anti-Semitism, then why not look at Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists and the way they were chased out of the East End at the Battle of Cable Street in Whitechapel on Sunday 4 October 1936; or the rise of the National Front in the 1970s and 80s and the British National Party in the 1990s and 2000s. We could go back even further to the conspiracy theories prominent in liberal circles in the nineteenth century, where Jews were blamed for fomenting revolutions; or even to King Edward I's Edict of Expulsion of Jews from the United Kingdom in 1290. They were not readmitted until 1655. No Nazis required. In the context of Brexit, the Chelsea trip also appears as somewhat ironic, with racism and the far-right seen as ‘a European problem’ historically.

Colonialism missing piece

Thirdly, while the Chelsea situation is more clearly linked to anti-Semitism and the Holocaust, the strategy not only skips British fascism and anti-Semitism, but wider racism. It fits too closely with the British use of Nazism and the Holocaust as a distraction from its own historical, foundational and institutional racism, including colonialism and its legacy.

Of particular interest is the way in which Nazism and the Second World War acts on the British popular imagination. The Blitz, D-Day and other specific battles (except Cable Street whose left-wing roots go against the national narrative and hegemonic practices) are commonly used in a hagiographic fashion on TV, in films, popular non-fiction, public ceremonies and school lessons. As such, it constantly reminds the population that ‘we’ defeated racism qua Nazism at a moment when the racist empire was still being held onto, and also when much of the politics leading to fascism had been tried out experimentally in our own liberal societies. The past, when it is dark, truly is another country.

In fact, where colonialism is acknowledged, it is widely seen in a positive manner and is celebrated both in politics and popular culture, particularly in the context of Brexit, where nostalgia for Empire played a significant role. The royal honours are still given ‘of the British Empire’ and films such as Victoria and Abdul (2017) are produced and screened alongside Second World War fare such as Dunkirk (2017) and Darkest Hour (2017). In the context of Brexit, Liam Fox called for the creation of ‘Empire 2.0’, and former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson recited Kipling in Burma (in addition to a number of other racist comments, regularly propagated on his multiple media and political platforms).

In the meantime, criticism of British colonialism and Empire, including its violence, is regularly dismissed and critics attacked as unpatriotic, overly repentant and, in some cases, subjected to racism. This was the case with Priyamvada Gopal when she challenged Nigel Biggar’s Ethics and Empire project and Kehinde Andrews when he criticised former Prime Minister, colonial racist and Nazi fighting war hero Winston Churchill on GMTV. And yet one does not have to look far to find quotes such as that in 1937, when Churchill told the Palestine Royal Commission:

"I do not admit for instance, that a great wrong has been done to the Red Indians of America or the black people of Australia. I do not admit that a wrong has been done to these people by the fact that a stronger race, a higher-grade race, a more worldly wise race to put it that way, has come in and taken their place."

He also defended the use of poison gas, bombing and other forms of violence to maintain the Empire. In the context of discussing anti-Semitism and where to find it historically, it is also worth noting Churchill’s unpublished article ‘How the Jews Can Combat Persecution’, from 1937 during the war:

"It may be that, unwittingly, they are inviting persecution - that they have been partly responsible for the antagonism from which they suffer … There is the feeling that the Jew is an incorrigible alien, that his first loyalty will always be towards his own race."

Churchill embodies the exchange system between British racism and colonialism and Nazism, with the latter negating the former. In a similar vein, and as is the case with other colonial powers, slavery is rarely acknowledged unless to celebrate its abolition, even though the British not only played a key part in the establishment of the system, but also benefited from it massively and fought tooth and nail to uphold it.

Having said all this, the Holocaust is of course part of our universal, and particularly central to our continental history, and thus should be taught in our education system in those terms as well as part of a wider education on racism and genocide. It should also be taught in communities who espouse anti-Semitic views such as the Chelsea supporters.

Existing provision

In fact, there is excellent Holocaust educational provision in Britain for this, including from the Jewish Museum and the Weiner Library, as well as football focused anti-racist organisations and campaigns such as Show Racism the Red Card and Kick it Out. You do not need to send offenders to Auschwitz.

However, this is not enough if we do not also discuss homegrown fascism and the racism at the core to the colonial system, throughout much of British history actively, honestly and explicitly. We must also move beyond history lessons and engage with the present and the impact of a system built on racism and exclusion in our society. The Nazis were defeated, but fascism and racism were not.

The ‘hostile environment’ bites back

In addition to ongoing structural and institutional racial inequality, we are currently experiencing an increase in hate crime and far-right activism as well as a normalisation and mainstreaming of racism and the far right in Britain and across much of the west. It is not a foreign, far-right or football phenomenon. The Tory Government sent around Go Home Vans and created a ‘Hostile Environment’ for immigrants and stigmatised Muslims and legitimised Islamophobia through Prevent.

Refugees have also been subjected to suspicion, demonisation, accusations, medical tests and left to drown in the Mediterranean, locked up in detention centres or deported (including those belonging to the Windrush Generation).

This is occurring in a country that lays claim to the Kindertransport rescue of Jewish children from Nazism as part of its history. Ironically, even with the focus on the Holocaust and Nazism, the lessons have not been learned here in Britain in the mainstream.

During the Brexit campaign, Nigel Farage’s Leave.EU campaign group used a Nazi-esque image of refugees crossing from Croatia to Slovenia in 2015 with a banner reading ‘Breaking Point: the EU has failed us all’. More recently, only days after the Chelsea news, Farage discussed the disproportionate power of the ‘Jewish lobby’ in America on his radio show on LBC, one of several mainstream media platforms, including BBC, where he has done so.

While history can teach us much, it is in the here and now that racism, anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, on the far-right and in the mainstream, are situated, embedded, do harm, and should be tackled., This needs to be acknowledged and addressed, not displaced and denied.

This article was originally posted on openDemocracy, 22 October 2018.

Source: http://blogs.bath.ac.uk/iprblog/2018/10/22/auschwitz-and-anti-racism-the-past-and-racism-is-another-country/

[toldnews-blog]

New Post has been published on https://toldnews.com/sports/how-johan-cruyff-and-ajax-thought-outside-the-box-to-dominate-football/

How Johan Cruyff and Ajax thought 'outside the box' to dominate football

His connection to Ajax, his hometown club, is — if not unique — then certainly of rare fascination. It is an inextricable link that extends well beyond 250 goals in 318 games, well beyond three consecutive European Cups and even beyond three years as manager in the late 1980s.

Alongside the physical tangibility of Cruyff’s achievements sits an iconic untouchability that places him as an integral figure in all that Ajax represents. In today’s world, most clubs would claim to possess a philosophy of some kind, but there are few with a culture so deep-rooted and widely recognized. Cruyff is the common denominator — both at Ajax and, arguably, at Barcelona.

“If you look back, you can’t talk about his importance,” David Endt, Ajax’s general manager between 1997 and 2013, tells CNN. “It’s much more than that. He is the trademark of our club. He showed in his game, with his ability, everything which is Ajax — the daring, the offensive way of thinking about football.

“I saw him play when he was 16, 17, 18 years old. It was fantastic, it was amazing. But you had no idea how much or how big his influence would be.”

Two years after his untimely death in 2016, the club’s Amsterdam Arena was renamed the Johan Cruyff Arena in tribute.

“It is a great sign that they have honored him with that,” Endt says. “But it must be much more than honoring a man by name. They have to follow his philosophy, his thoughts on football, which sometimes were a little outside the box. Maybe [their opponents] could be stronger, but then you can always outwit them because this is football. You don’t need all these muscles. You need brains and intelligence to play. And this is maybe the major part, which he has brought.”

Ajax’s tactical system — its famed 4-3-3 formation, complete with an emphasis on possession, attacking down the wings and self-development, is entrenched in the club’s “total football” history — a method first explored by Rinus Michels, who managed a young Cruyff during the 1960s.

Endt’s perspective is shared by former Ajax goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar, who is now the club’s chief executive.

“The style of play is something that is unique — it gives us a face in the world of football,” he explains. “Every coach tries a little bit to give their own color to it, but I think the philosophy of Ajax has been clear for many, many years.”

Van der Sar’s rise through the club’s ranks from joining as a 19-year-old to becoming the off-field figurehead is indicative of Ajax’s commitment to retaining the roots first planted in the all-conquering era of Cruyff.

“There’s this aspect that you can’t really touch, that you can’t copy,” Endt stresses with the bounding passion of a man completely immersed in the globally famous culture of his club. “You can come and see that they train like this and this. But there’s more than that. It’s what I call the soil and the air that you breathe.”

In a sense, Ajax’s inherent principles may well have been best highlighted in 1995, when the club secured a fourth European title by beating AC Milan. More than two decades after Cruyff’s hat-trick of triumphs in 1971, ’72 and ’73, it was proof that Ajax’s methods still worked. Nine of the 16-man squad for the final had made their professional footballing debuts at Ajax.

The starting line-up alone featured Van der Sar, Ronald and Frank de Boer, Frank Rijkaard, Clarence Seedorf, Edgar Davids and Marc Overmars. Patrick Kluivert came off the bench to score the winner. It was a who’s who of Dutch footballing royalty.

Danny Blind, who would go on to lead the club’s academy and manage the first team, captained the side. For him, however, it was Jari Litmanen who made the team tick. In effect, the Finnish playmaker had replaced Dennis Bergkamp in the number 10 role pivotal to Ajax’s gameplan.

“[Litmanen] could think as a midfielder,” says Blind. “He could think at the right moment in the right situation when [he was] a midfielder and when [he was] an attacker. Sometimes you have to defend. Litmanen was more complete than Bergkamp.”

Bale marks century of Real goals in Madrid derby win

He recalls the final as a culmination of what had come before it; he looks back on a 5-2 semifinal victory over Bayern Munich as the aesthetic pinnacle.

“I always remember that game because the way that we wanted to play with that team in the ’90s, that was it,” he explains. “With the pressing, always hunting on Munich when they had the ball, they didn’t know what to do.”

The final — a tense affair against a side including Paolo Maldini, Marcel Desailly and Franco Baresi — was the third time that the two sides had met in the 1994/95 competition, with Ajax winning the previous two.

“It was not a good game. I don’t want to say it was boring because it’s a final,” adds Blind. “There’s all kind of things around, and the crowd was unbelievable. But it wasn’t a game like Munich or one of the great games.

“There was just one move from Kluivert. It was an excellent moment because of the time [of the goal]. For Milan to come back into the game was impossible. It was an incredible moment and a well-deserved cup.”

The decision to rely on a young homegrown prodigy is symptomatic of the club’s longstanding ethos.

“We missed out on signing the Brazilian Ronaldo,” Van der Sar says of the start of the historic season. “Louis van Gaal told us not to worry, and that we had Kluivert, the striker from the Under-19s.”

Even in Cruyff’s first European Cup win in 1971, he was surrounded by lifelong fans; Sjaak Swart is the club’s record appearance-maker, while left-winger Piet Keizer only ever played professionally for Ajax.

Visit CNN.com/Sport for more news, features and videos

“As a young boy, you dream of being a professional football player,” Van der Sar reminisces of his own triumph. “You dream of playing in the Champions League, playing for your country, and winning the Champions League. The way it developed was an incredible scenario for us. Eighty percent of us grew up together, so we had that feeling of developing, getting better, performing and reaching the pinnacle at a very young age. To do it at the club you supported and where we grew up is very special.”

The reaction of the Ajax faithful, perhaps, speaks to the club’s culture better than most. As Blind and Van der Sar share their memories of the aftermath, they do so in vivid fashion — as only fans themselves could do.

In Van der Sar’s office sits a photo of his 1995 Champions League-winning side celebrating on a barge. There are fans jumping into the canal to be with their heroes. It is an image that speaks immeasurably of Amsterdam and of Ajax.

Van der Sar — his photo acting as a daily reminder — recalls the celebrations in the city’s Museumplein, a huge public space surrounded by three museums.

“There were 200,000 people there,” he says. “Then we went to the boat and I thought: ‘OK, everybody’s gone, everybody is going home.’

“And then we went under the first bridge and you had to duck. You came up and the 200 meters before the next bridge was completely full with people. It was an unbelievable experience.”

[currenthealtheventsblog-blog]

Best Amazon Prime TV shows (May 2019): the best series to watch this month

New Post has been published on https://currenthealthevents.net/awesome/best-amazon-prime-tv-shows-may-2019-the-best-series-to-watch-this-month/

Best Amazon Prime TV shows (May 2019): the best series to watch this month

Amazon Prime Video is on a roll. The streaming service adds exclusive Tv shows and fresh new episodes to its TV catalogue every week. Although that means you& apos; ve always got plenty of old favourites and new series to binge on, it means it can be tricky to choose which one to pick next. But this list is here to help induce that selection a little bit easier.

Amazon Prime Video is part of the Amazon Prime membership, which means a lot more than just super fast deliveries these days.

For starters, there’s Prime Music, Audible freebies, the Kindle Lending Library, lots of photos storage and the chance to stream great movies and Tv indicates through Prime Video, which is Amazon’s answer to an on-demand streaming service.

Although Amazon has a huge back catalogue on its Prime Video service, there are lots of mediocre TV alternatives too, which might fool you into thinking they’d be worthy of a watch, as well as lots of genuinely terrible ones, which we& apos ;d prefer you didn& apos; t waste your time on at all.

We& apos; ve collected together a huge selection of TV presents for you to choose from, including shiny new series through to Amazon& apos; s own original depicts.

In our guide you& apos; ll detect our pick of the best Amazon Prime TV shows that are currently on offer. We have options for fans of thrillers, jaw-dropping sci-fi, comedy lovers and those who enjoy nothing more than a fantasy police drama.

Coming Soon: Although this list is full of great TV shows, there are always some tantalising new series on the horizon that we can& apos; t wait to watch. You& apos; ll have to wait until the very end of May( May 31, to be exact) but this spring is all about Good Omens, the TV depict adaptation of the magical volume from the fantastical intellects of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. This month also welcomes the darkly funny season 2 of Fleabag( May 17 ), as well as the third season of Sneaky Pete( May 10 ).

Image Credit: Amazon Prime Video

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Amazon has been developing and creating titles itself over the past few years, which are called Amazon Originals or Amazon Original Series.

These homegrown TV depicts are arguably some of the best that the Amazon Prime Video service has to offer( believe The Tick and Transparent ), which you can watch instantly when you have Amazon Prime access. There are many more shows you can watch through Amazon too of course, but some of these have to be purchased in order for you to start streaming.

We& apos; ll be keeping this list constantly updated- if any paid proves become free that we feel need to be included, they& apos; ll be added too. Scroll through to see our picks that we& apos; ve divided up into the following categories: drama, comedy and thriller.

If you can only watch one …

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The Tick

The Tick is a superhero TV show with significant differences. It& apos; s chock full of brightly-coloured heroes, sarcastic villains, excellent narratives and fantastic wordplay. Unlike the sagas in Marvel movies, the heroes and scoundrels in The Tick feel like they belong to our world. They& apos; re messy, funny and attain lots of terrible decisions. Luckily, the present was renewed for a second season, which manages to be even smarter, slicker and more heartwarming than the first, with noteworthy performances from Peter Serafinowicz and Griffin Newman in the lead roles as The Tick and, erm, Arthur.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 2

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Absentia

If you& apos; ve had a Stana Katic shaped pit in your life since Castle ended in 2016, you& apos; ll be glad to know she& apos; s starring in a brand new series on Amazon Prime. Katic takes up the role of FBI agent Emily Byrne who, six years after being proclaimed dead, returns to the world and has to try and piece her life and memory back together.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 1

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New Season Added: The Expanse

Arguably the best sci-fi show since Battlestar Galatica, The Expanse is based on the series of novels by James S. A. Corey, the pen name of authors Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck. It& apos; s set in a future where humans have colonised most of the solar system, but there are big divisions between the occupants of Earth, Mars and& apos; Belters& apos ;, who reside on space station beyond the asteroid belt. It& apos; s full of politics, heart-wrenching emotional narratives and some of the most breath-taking scenes of outer space we& apos; ve ever seen. If you& apos; re a fan of sci-fi, you& apos; ll love this.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 3

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Alias

US action series Alias ran for five seasons between 2001 and 2006 and fans will be happy to hear every single episode is available to stream on Amazon Prime Instant Video right this instant! Created by J. J. Abrams, the Tv reveal starrings Jennifer Garner as Sydney Bristow, a double agent who is working for the CIA, but also posing as an operative for an organisation called SD-6, which is a big criminal and espionage network.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 5

Update: Alias is still available via Amazon Prime Video, but it& apos; s no longer free. You& apos; ll have to pay PS2. 49 per episode, or buy a whole season for PS13. 99.

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Tom Clancy& apos; s Jack Ryan

The long-awaited latest re-imagining of Tom Clancy& apos; s Jack Ryan is now available on Amazon Prime, with the fantastic John Krasinski( best known for his role in the US version of The Office) playing CIA analyst Ryan. The show has received largely positive reviews and it& apos; s definitely worth giving the first few episodes a watch, particularly if you& apos; re a fan of political dramata, the Jack Ryan stories or Krasinski.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 1

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Ray Donovan

Set in LA, Ray Donovan is a drama about a guy called, you guessed it, Ray Donovan, who is a fixer for a top statute firm in the city. That entails he gets caught up in all kinds of drama, like menaces, bribes and every other kind of shady activity you can imagine.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 6

Update: Ray Donovan is still available via Amazon Prime Video, but it& apos; s no longer free. You& apos; ll have to pay PS2. 49 per episode, or buy a whole season for PS13. 99.

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New Season Added: American Gods

Based on the novel by Neil Gaiman and brought to the screen by the ever-excellent Bryan Fuller, American Gods is an existential look at what would happen if divinities were to walk the earth.

Starring Ricky Whittle( who has built the transition from Hollyoaks to Hollywood with ease) and Ian McShane, the show is both bizarre and brazen, cultish and controversial. It may take a while to figure out just what the hell is going on, but this is one smart, celestial slice of amusement that& apos; s already got us hooked.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 2

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Animal Kingdom

Looking for a new crime drama to get stuck into? Animal Kingdom could be what you& apos; re looking for. The depict follows adolescent J Cody who moves in with extended relatives in Southern California after the death of his mother. Far from being boring, Cody discoveries his relatives live a wild life of excess and it& apos; s all funded by crime.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 3

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Black Sails

Johnny Depp may have spend the latter half of his career persuading the world that pirates all seem, stench and talk like a Rolling Stone but we prefer Black Sails& apos; interpreting. Exclusive to Amazon Prime, Black Sails treats the pirate legend with a touch more reality and this is pretty much all down to Shakespearean thesp Toby Stephens.

Number of seasons on Amazon Prime: 4

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New Season Added: Bosch

With 20 -something novels to mine for source material, Bosch is a character that was always destined for the small screen. Created by Michael Connelly but brilliantly brought to life by performer Titus Welliver, the series follows the exploits of LA Homicide detective Harry Bosch and features enough grit to pave the longest of driveways.

This is no surprise – the series has been created by Eric Overmyer, who was part of the graduate that made The Wire. Bosch is another show that has been put together by Amazon Studios – proving that streaming services are becoming just as powerful as the HBOs of the world when it comes to producing compelling drama.

Bosch Season 5 has now landed on Amazon Prime, continuing the saga of Harry Bosch and it comes with a nice uplift in quality too, building season upon season to become one of our favourite proves on Prime at the moment.

Number of seasons on Amazon Prime: 5

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Goliath

Billy Bob Thornton superstars as a washed-up lawyer looking for a big break who stumbles on to a big case that may well give him the solace he needs. Made by David E Kelly who loves a bit of courtroom drama, having already created Boston Legal, The Practice and Ally McBeal, the present works well as a standalone series but there& apos; s talk that it may get a second season. Goliath is part of Amazon& apos; s Original series of Tv shows.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 2

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The Good Fight

If you were a fan of US legal and political drama The Good Wife, then you& apos; re going to love The Good Fight. It& apos; s set one year after the events of the final episode of the The Good Wife and this time transformations the focus of the tale to Diane Lockhart.

Season one has been a success and now the second season is available to stream via Amazon, but unfortunately it& apos; s not free. But while you either wait for it to become free( it may take a while) or wait to decide whether it& apos; s worth it, catch up on the first season now to help you construct your mind up.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 3( The 3rd season is available, but you& apos; ll have to pay for it .)

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Hand of God

Last seen in Sons of Anarchy, Ron Perlman has moved from the mad world of biker gangs into the stranger world of statute. Perlman plays a vice-riddled barrister who, after agony a breakdown, starts to believe he is a messenger from god.

The full first season for Hand of God arrived on Amazon Prime, after a successful pilot. A second season is also available, which will sadly be the last as Amazon has decided to not renew the depict. This is a shame as it may not be a light-hearted ride – but it is one drama that takes dark turn after dark turn and is all the better for it.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 2

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Hell on Wheels

Hell on Wheels sounds like it should be a Sons of Anarchy rival, about motorcycle gangs or the like. But it’s actually centred on the construction of the US’s First Transcontinental Railroad. The first season begins soon after the assassination of President Lincoln and from there the display plays out like a western, indicating myriad sides of the railway being built – from slaves to their owners, to the money me behind the strategy. It’s a show that’s been a massive hit for AMC – dropping just behind The Walking Dead in their ratings for original shows.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 5

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The Last Tycoon

F Scott Fitzgerald may be known for The Great Gatsby and Tender Is The Night but The Last Tycoon – his last and unfinished novel – is perhaps his most ambitious piece of work. It peels away the glitz and glamour of Hollywood in the& apos; 30 s to show a period when backstabbing was the norm, fascism was on the rise and everyone had an unbelievable amount of money. Kelsey Grammer is superb as movie mogul Pat Brady, while Matt Bomer is also great as Monroe Stahr, the up and coming cinema exec who wants to make it big. The Last Tycoon is occasionally flawed but it& apos; s a sumptuous watch.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 1

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The Looming Tower

The 8th episode of The Looming Tower are now available on Amazon Prime Video, but despite the fact there still aren& apos; t many compared to most Tv presents, it hasn& apos; t stopped this narrative of threat and politics from proving to be a hit. Based on the book by the same name, it& apos; s about the unease around Al-Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden in the 1990 s, as well as the rivalry between the CIA and FBI.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 1

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Downton Abbey

Like watching fictional posh people live their lives in early-twentieth century opulence? You& apos; re not alone- millions of people tuned in to Downton Abbey during its TV run, and it& apos; s now available to stream in its entirety on Amazon Prime Video.

Following the trials and tribulations of the Crawley family on the titular Downton Abbey estate, it& apos; s a kitchen sink drama of kinds- except all the cutlery is made of silver, and it& apos; s an army of maids doing the washing up.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 7

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Masters Of Sex

Yes, Masters Of Sex could have ended up being a Mad Men rip-off when it first arrived in 2013 but thanks to the brilliance of Michael Sheen and Lizzy Caplan the present soon elevated above being a copycat.

Sheen is Dr William Masters, a fertility expert who turns his hand to researching the world of sexuality. Turns out researching sexuality means having a lot of it, which would all be rather gratuitous if it wasn& apos; t wrap in some of the most intelligent script work around.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 2

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Outlander

Game of Thrones with kilts and period travelling, Outlander was a solid show in its first season – by the second it was a great one. Based on the eight-book series by Diana Gabaldon, Outlander is about Claire Randall, a nurse who is transported from 1945 to 1743, where she fulfils a Scottish outlawed and a simmering romance ensues. Given it’s shot in the Scottish highlands, the reveal appears fantastic, is well acted and should be your next binge watch.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 4

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The Path

Aaron Paul is back on Tv, thanks to The Path. And while his role might not be as enticing as Jesse in Breaking Bad, The Path is decent enough. Revolving around the Meyerist movement, and its’ not a cult/ definitely a cult& apos; cult, the show is a gripping and beautifully shot look at what happens when people truly believe.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 3

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Rogue

Now in its fourth season, Rogue has matured into a great crime drama. While it may not be the Sopranos in its scope, it has a realness to it that builds the violence that& apos; s shown on the screen hit home hard. Thandie Newton starrings a Grace Travis, an undercover sleuth who is trying to balance being a wife and mother with the illicit affair of a crime boss. Gritty stuff.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 4

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Sneaky Pete

Sneaky Pete& apos; s plot maybe a little cliche – a con man presumes the identity of someone else to try and make a new break in the world – but Giovanni Ribisi is superb as Marius, the titular character and there& apos; s plenty of intrigue to keep you glued to this new Amazon Original.

Interestingly, the show is co-created by Bryan Cranston which makes him the streaming monarch, dedicated he& apos; s done so well with Breaking Bad on Netflix. Don& apos; t expect Sneaky Pete to be as intense as Breaking Bad – it& apos; s a crime caper, yes, but it doesn& apos; t take itself too seriously.

The third season of the show is coming on May 10, 2019.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 2

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Startup

Not content with becoming a Hobbit, starring in the Marvel universe or playing Dr Watson, Martin Freeman goes back to his Tv roots for Startup – a great look at what happens when a bunch of tech entrepreneurs create something that is much bigger than they ever thought it would be. It may occasionally be too gritty for its own good, but it& apos; s great to see Freeman hamming it up as the big bad.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 3

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UnREAL

UnREAL focuses on the fictional goings-on behind the scenes of a fictional reality indicate. It& apos; s a show that holds a infringe mirror up to the vacuous and plentiful reality shows that litter Tv channels at the moment and actually goes into some instead dark territory. Yes, it& apos; s melodramatic and will wave numerous moral flags at you while you are watching it, but it& apos; s nonetheless engrossing television.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 4

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Transparent

Anything Netflix can do, Amazon Prime can do better it seems, especially when it comes to winning a Golden Globe. Netflix may have constructed history by being the first streaming service to win a Golden Globe, courtesy of the acting talents of Kevin Spacey in House of Cards, but Amazon went and topped this by winning the Best TV Show prize in 2014 for Transparent.

It was much deserved. Transparent is everything you want in a Tv depict. It& apos; s heartwarming, funny and packs a real punch about a topic that doesn& apos; t get enough attention: transgenderism. Jeffrey Tambor& apos; s Maura Pfefferman is a television character we hope will be around for a long time.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 4

Comedy

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Fresh Off the Boat

The critically acclaimed series based on the memoirs of chef and food personality Eddie Huang is back for a fourth series. The reveal follows the hip-hop preoccupied Eddie and his family as they reconcile their Taiwanese roots with their new life in Florida, where they have moved to open a cowboy-themed restaurant.

Funny and heartwarming, Fresh Off the Boat is not only totally binge-able, but it also represents an important milestone in the portrayal of Asian-American families on the small screen.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 4

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Black-ish

Black-ish is brilliant. Not brilliant-ish, but brilliant. It& apos; s just made by two Nightly Show writers and is about adman Andre, who thinks his kids aren& apos; t, er, black enough because they& apos; ve lived in the very white suburbs all their life. This entails a( auto) crash course in black culture ensues. Two seasons of the present are on Amazon Prime and it& apos; s well worth a watch, filled with the warm humor ABC has brought to the world with the likes of Modern Family and The Goldbergs.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 4

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Casual

The final eight episode season of Casual is now available on Amazon Prime. It& apos; s about a freshly divorced single mother who lives with her friend and daughter. The slapstick drama is about dating, romance, households and all kinds of other modern dramata with a funny, and sometimes dark, spin. It& apos; s received a fair bit of critical acclaim over the years, but won& apos; t be returning for a fifth season. So enjoy it while you can!

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 4

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Catastrophe

From the minds of Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney comes one of the funniest, most well-written sitcom in years. The plot is slight: a one-night stand turns into a relationship once Sharon announces she is pregnant. But the series contains some of the most cut-to-the-bone humour assure on Tv. Combine this with a nice slab of pathos – nestled among many a sexuality joke – and what you have is a modern classic.

The third series, which recently aired on Channel 4, is now available on Amazon Prime Video – it features the last ever performance from the imitable Carrie Fisher.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 3

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Comrade Detective

Comrade Detective is a weird gem on Amazon. Starring Channing Tatum and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the show is a parody of gritty American buddy cop indicates and Communist Propaganda from the Cold War.

It& apos; s an unusual combination, but it works. Each episode is presented as though it& apos; s a remastered real episode of a lost Romanian Communist Propaganda series from the 80 s which was used to entertain and promote Communist ideals. The entire demonstrate was filmed in Romania with Romanian actors and then dubbed over by Tatum and Gordon-Levitt.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 1

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New Season Added: The Tick

We like a dark twisting on the superhero genre as much as the next person, and The Tick delivers it: it& apos; s about an accountant with mental health issues, who may or may not be a superhero – it could all be in his head. Peter Serafinowicz is the eponymous Tick, and despite that rather sombre-sounding plot outline, this is a black and surreal comedy worth trying out.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 2

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The Grand Tour

Clarkson, Hammond and the other one are back for Grand Tour: Season 2. Well, we kind of knew that they would be as they all have massive contracts that mean we will be seeing quite a few seasons of the Definitely Not Top Gear But Quite A Bit Like Top Gear show. This season watches Clarkson drive a fast auto, Hammond drive a faster automobile and virtually die, and the other one drive a fast vehicle substantially slower than the rest. If you enjoy watching middle aged men burn rubber in the middle of the desert, like a scene out of Mad Max: Fury Road, then “theyre for” you. And if we haven& apos; t quite convinced you yet – Gizmodo offered up this quote about the display: “Some humen doing stuff for no clearly defined reason.” Lovely stuff.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 3( new episodes weekly)

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I Love Dick

Graduating from Amazon Originals pilot to fully fledged TV present, I Love Dick is a great subversive watch. The demonstrate superstars Kevin Bacon and is based on the celebrated book that looks at a married couple who are having marriage issues and their relationship with college professor, Dick. Bacon is on top form as the charismatic Dick and the show& apos; s multiple POV storytelling( Rashomon style) works well.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video TV: 1

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New Season Added: The Last Man On Earth

Not many people can find the funny in the post-apocalypse, but Will Forte has managed it with The Last Man On Earth. He writes and superstars in this comedy where he is the only survivor on earth after a virus kills everyone else. The casting is brilliant, with the likes of January Jones and Kristen Wiig join him on his adventures and there’s a handful of decent cameos too – including Will Ferrell and Jon Hamm in season 3.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 4

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The League

Created by Jeff and Jackie Schaffer and starring Mark Duplass, The League is very much a US focused comedy – based around a group of friends in an American Fantasy Football league – but don’t let that put you off as it’s nearly always hilarious. The durations the group go to to win The Shiva – the league trophy – is great to watch, as is there balancing of trying to win week in week out with their normal lives. All seven seasons of the indicate are available on Prime Video.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 7

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The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

A new series from Gilmore Girls creator, Amy Sherman-Palladino, The Marvelous Mrs Maisel tells the story of 1950 s Jewish homemaker Miriam Maisel. After her husband confess he& apos; s been having an affair, Midge drunkenly gets on stage at a comedy club and discovers that she& apos; s utterly hilarious. In a time when women aren& apos; t encouraged to be publicly funny, Midge seeks her new-found comedic talent in the male-dominated stand up comedy world.

Seasons to watch on Amazon Prime: 2

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Mad Dogs

The UK version of Mad Dogs was a breath of fresh air when it first aired. Well, the first season was then it all ran a little too strange. This remake – green-lit from Amazon& apos; s burgeoning Originals series – takes the best from the UK version and mixtures it with a plot that& apos; s a little easier to follow and humour that& apos; s more laugh out loud than pitch black.

The premise is the same: a bunch of mates go and visit one friend at his luxury villa to celebrate his early retirement, only for assassination, mayhem and mind-boggling plot growths to ensue. A touch of genius is the recasting of Ben Chaplin. While he played the rich, retiring Alvo in the UK version here he gets to try his luck in a bigger and better role.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 1

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Mozart in the Jungle

Now into its fourth series, Mozart in the Jungle was this surprise winner at the 2015 Golden Globes, where it won Best Comedy Series. The show is a comedy set in the strange world of classical music. Gael Garcia Bernal plays young conductor Rodrigo who replaces a retiring conductor played by Malcolm McDowell. Based loosely on a true story and created by the likes of Jason Schwartzman and Roman Coppola, it& apos; s well worth a watch.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 4

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Parks and Recreation

Parks and Rec is a joy of a display. Originally seen as a quasi spin-off of the Office – using the same documentary style camerawork, awkward pauses, asides to camera – it soon grew from an amusing first season, about the goings on in the parks department of Pawnee, to a slapstick phenomenon that spanned a fantastic seven seasons. It& apos; s not just the script that induces it great, it& apos; s also the characters – headed up by the ever-brilliant Amy Poehler.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 7

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Seinfeld

Seinfeld is comedy gold. It’s the sitcom that was self reflexive and knowing. It was about Jerry Seinfeld who was played by Jerry Seinfeld but was playing a version of himself. It’s a similar trick Larry David used when spinning off his character for the present Curb Your Enthusiasm. He even took it a step further to make a whole season of Curb dedicated to bringing back Seinfeld. Over nine seasons this show, which is essentially about nothing, will captivate you, build you laugh and think. It’s fantastic.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 9

Thrillers

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New Season Added: The Americans

The Americans was cruelly mishandled when it originally came to UK TV, so we are glad it was eventually discovered a decent place to reside. The show is a cracking crime period thriller that are consistent with the exploits of a couple of KGB agents posing as US citizens around the time Ronald Reagan became US president.

It may occasionally flit between the ridiculous and the sublime but you would expect nothing more from a show that& apos; s main conceit comprises characters duelling with duality. The& apos; 80 s setting is fantastic, too, though there aren& apos; t enough shell suits for our liking.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 6

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The Crossing

This sci-fi thriller has a really interesting premise. A group of refugees trying to escape a war arrive in an American town looking for somewhere to live. The sci-fi twist? They seem to be from 180 years in the future. Gasp! The story centres around a local sheriff, a federal agent and a mum looking for her missing daughter. It& apos; s full of conspiracy, mystery and there might be a superpower or two thrown in for good measure. But shh, we don& apos; t want to spoil anything.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 1

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The Exorcist

There has been an influx of TV adaptations of movies recently, with many of them actually making the mark. The ones that succeed the most are those that take the topic/ feeling of the films they are adapting and go in their own direction – Fargo is a perfect example of this. Another example is The Exorcist. Although it takes a couple of episodes to get going, the TV series is a decent spin-off of the movie, with merely a slither of a thread attaching the two.

Don& apos; t anticipate full-on scares, as this is definitely a slow burner. But when the exorcisms come( and there are a few) they will send a chill down your spine. The show is now into its second season, too, so you can watch the first season with the knowledge that the tale of terror is set to continue.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 2

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The Fall

Before he was whipping up a storm as Mr Grey, Jamie Dornan played an effortlessly charming and equally chilling serial murderer in The Fall, a fantastic Irish drama that deserves all the acclaim it gets.

Dornan is Paul Spector, a care worker who has a sideline in killing female. To help way him down, hard-nosed detective Stella Gibson( Gillian Anderson) heads to Belfast to try and capture the murderer. The Fall is a perfect blend of intelligent scripting, nuanced acting and a fantastic premise. Knowing who the killer is from scene one amps up, rather than releases, the depict& apos; s tension.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 3

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Fear The Walking Dead

Fear The Walking Dead is a show that tries its hardest to be more than a spin-off. Set in Los Angeles, the reveal follows high school guidance counselor Madison Clark( a brilliant Kim Dickens fresh from Treme) and English teacher Travis Manawa( Cliff Curtis) as they adapt to a life after the& apos; zombie& apos; outbreak. The show is slow paced, each episode is an hour and there& apos; s a 90 -minute pilot, but it manages to approach the Walking Dead world in a wholly different way.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 4

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Halt And Catch Fire

Now in its fourth season, Halt And Catch Fire is another surefire hit by AMC – the folks that brought us Mad Men and Breaking Bad. Set around a fictionalised version of the computer revolution of the 1980 s and the rise of the web in the& apos; 90 s, Catch Fire is a fantastic look at how technology has improved all our lives, while virtually tearing apart the innovators at the same time.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 4

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Hap and Leonard

Filmed in Baton Rouge and based on the stories of Joe Lansdale, Hap and Leonard is a great swampy noir thriller of a show that’s based on the relationship of two friends and the sometimes violent rubs they get into. James Purefoy and Michael K Williams are superb as the pair, one a Vietnam vet, the other a draft dodger. Set in the 80 s, the show is similar to Cold In July, the movie from the same writer and is only six episodes long, so perfect for a binge watch.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 3

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Haven

Stephen King has had a rocky journey to the big and small screen. For every adaptation that works( Misery, Shawshank Redemption ), there’s a dozen that don’t( The Langoliers, Under The Dome TV show ). Haven is a strange one – it’s a show that started as an adaptation of a Stephen King short story, The Colorado Kid, and has mutated into a love letter to King and his tales. Over the course of five seasons, the depict has becomes a great watch – especially if you are a King fan and can spot the many references.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 4

Update: Haven is still available via Amazon Prime Video, but it& apos; s no longer free. You& apos; ll have to pay PS2. 49 per episode, or buy a whole season for PS13. 99.

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Into The Badlands

Into The Badlands is a heady mix of brilliant martial arts and high drama as developed fighter Sunny( Daniel Wu) takes a group of people on a distorted road trip-up through the mystic badlands, a post-apocalyptic landscape some 500 years after a devastating war. There& apos; s plenty of bite in each episode, and it also contains some of the best fighting seen on television.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 3

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Mr Robot

It was an agonising wait for Mr Robot in the UK – the first season had all-but ended in the US before we even got a sniff of it. But its popularity meant that there was something of a bid war to see who would show it in the UK. Amazon, Netflix and other more traditional broadcasters fought for it, is confirmed that even bean counters can see the worth in counter culture.

Amazon won in the end and is the perfect place for a show that focuses on the exploits of hacker Elliot( a superb Rami Malek ). Mr Robot is Fight Club for the Tor generation, lifting a lid on a world where what Linux kernel you use is not just a badge of honour but a way of life.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 3

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The Man In The High Castle

There have been a number of successful Amazon pilots that have constructed it to a full series but none have the epic potential that Man In The High Castle has. This Philip K Dick adaptation is finally available to creek – with all episodes ready for your consumption. High Castle imagines what the world would be like if Germany had won World War II and the Nazis had taken global control. Turns out it& apos; s a bit worse than us all driving around in VW Beetles and wearing Hugo Boss coats.

Season 2 is now available and expands on the mythos. Given this is a cautionary tale about what could happen when the hard right takes over America, things suddenly don& apos; t feel too far fetched.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 3

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Preacher

Amazon of a Preacher, man! Preacher is the next big comic-book adaptation and my divinity it& apos; s good. It takes the deranged feel of the graphic fictions and translates it well to the small screen. Dominic Cooper is great as small-town preacher Jesse Custer who, inhabited by a strange spirit, starts to do God& apos; s work in a small America town with his ex girlfriend( a brilliant Ruth Negga) and an Irish vampire, played by Misfits& apos; Joe Gilgun as his cohorts.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 3

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Ripper Street

For a show that’s immersed in murder, it’s pleasing to note that we all have Amazon to thank for breathing new life into Ripper Street. After two series of the display, which focuses on the lives of the East End of London in the 19 th Century where there is a copycat Jack the Ripper on the loose, it was cancelled by the BBC. Amazon decided there was enough fan love out there, thankfully, and revived the reveal for three more series. Great acting masks some of the hokier moments of the script but this is all good, grizzly fun.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 5

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Sons Of Anarchy

Seemingly always vying for the top spot of Best Recently Finished Drama( we may have made up that awarding) with Breaking Bad, Sons Of Anarchy is a long brooding menace of a show that deserves your attention. Centred on a motorcycle gang that live by their own rules( you can probably guess what their name is from the title) the show is positively Shakespearean in its storytelling and will have you gripped from episode one.

While Ron Perlman steals the display as Clay, Charlie Hunnam& apos; s Jax is one of the best tortured spirits you will see on any television show. All seven seasons of the depict are now streaming on the service.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 7

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Vikings

If you have any interest in Norse mythology then the name Ragnar Lothbrok will mean a whole lot to you. Basically he was a king and powerful ruler that was a right git to the English and the French.

Vikings is a series that tracings his Norse-based goings on with enough charm and scope to take on Game of Thrones in the sword and sandals stakes. Yes it takes a number of liberties with its source material but the acting is top class, as is the cinematography in a historical romp that& apos; s now deservedly in its fourth season – the second half of which is now available.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 5

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The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead has been reanimated more days than the zombies that harruange the working group on survivors we have all come to know and love. Initially created with Frank Darabont at the helm, he left after the first season then his replacement was eventually replaced and their replacing replaced.

With this in mind, it& apos; s astonishing that not only has the prove consistently managed to improve season after season it has become one of the most successful series ever. Yes it sometimes slumps along slower than a zombie with its legs hacked off but give it time and it will reward you with more drama than you can shake a bloody stump at.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 9

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The X-Files

The X-Files was one of the first shows that embraced event Tv. Yes, it had many& apos; monster of the week& apos; storylines but creator Chris Carter managed to produce a nine-season long myth arc that maintained spectators coming home for more. That and the brilliant casting of David Duchovny as Fox Mulder and the ever-excellent Gillian Anderson and Dana Scully. With a new 10 th season on the horizon, Amazon has put all nine previous seasons on to Prime – all remastered in widescreen. Lovely stuff.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 9

The best of the remainder, and coming soon

All or Nothing

We definitely recommend you get stuck into All or Nothing, a football documentary that follows Manchester City behind-the-scenes during the Premier League winning and record-breaking 2017/2018 season. It& apos; s an 8-part series that features all kinds of exclusive footage, from locker room pep talks with coach Pep Guardiola, and a look at the players& apos; lives off and on the pitching. It& apos; s a must-watch for everyone from die-hard Man City fans to even those with a vague interested in footy.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 1

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Batman: The Animated Series

You& apos; ve watched all the Nolan and Burton Bat flicks, and you& apos; re wisely avoiding the new Batfleck cinemas. If you& apos; re still hankering for a Batman fix, you were able to do far, far worse than jumping into Batman: The Animated Series. Kicking off back in 1992, it bridges the gap of the Burton aesthetic and the comic book series, and is regarded by Batman fans as having perhaps the definitive onscreen take over the Dark Knight.

It& apos; s ostensibly a kids cartoon, but the ongoing storylines are captivating and stylishly noir-like in delivery. And to cap things off, the voice casting is superb- Kevin Conroy is an assuredly-good Batman( reprising the role for the recent Batman: Arkham games ), while Star Wars& apos; own Mark Hamill is a fantastically unhinged Joker.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 4

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Grand Prix Driver

This new Amazon Original documentary takes viewers underneath the glitz and glamour that is the surface of Formula 1, to explore the inner-workings of the 2017 McLaren team. Narrated by Michael Douglas, this documentary follows rookie driver Stoffel Vandoorne over four episodes, as he and his team prepare for the 2017 Formula 1 World Championship.

Season on Amazon Prime Video: 1

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Grimm

Merge a fairy tale fantasy with a police drama and you get Grimm. It& apos; s all about Nick Burkhardt, a detective based in Portland in the US who detects he& apos; s a Grimm. Which basically entails he& apos; s a kind of mystical protector who must keep the peace between humans and beasts called Wesen. As you might expect, a lot of the characters are inspired by Grimms& apos; Fairy tale, but the present depicts from many other sources too to create a story that& apos; s a little like Buffy The Vampire Slayer, but with fairy tale creatures.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 6

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Coming Soon: Good Omens

From the genius literary and fantasy intellects of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett comes the Tv adaptation of their magical volume Good Omens. Starring David Tennant and Michael Sheen in the lead roles of a demon and an angel, the tale is told over six parts and is anticipated to be the hottest new Tv demonstrate this Spring.

Release Date: May 31, 2019

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Coming Soon: Fleabag( Season 2)

Fleabag season 1 altered everything we knew about comedy, transgressing the fourth wall and bringing the very authentic, laugh out loud funny and, at times, wholly heartbreaking private moments of the lovable but deep flawed lead character to our TV screens. Season 2 was a huge hit when it first aired earlier this year, and you can relive all the& apos; sexy clergyman& apos; magic on Amazon soon.

Release Date: May 17, 2019

Read more: techradar.com

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Best Amazon Prime TV shows (May 2019): the best series to watch this month

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Best Amazon Prime TV shows (May 2019): the best series to watch this month

Amazon Prime Video is on a roll. The streaming service adds exclusive Tv presents and fresh new episodes to its TV catalogue every week. Although that means you& apos; ve always got plenty of old favourites and new series to binge on, it entails it can be tricky to choose which one to pick next. But this list is here to help construct that option a little bit easier.

Amazon Prime Video is part of the Amazon Prime membership, which means a lot more than just super fast deliveries these days.

For starters, there’s Prime Music, Audible freebies, the Kindle Lending Library, lots of photos storage and the chance to stream great movies and Tv shows through Prime Video, which is Amazon’s answer to an on-demand streaming service.

Although Amazon has a huge back catalogue on its Prime Video service, there are lots of mediocre TV options too, which might fool you into thinking they’d be worthy of a watch, as well as lots of genuinely terrible ones, which we& apos ;d prefer you didn& apos; t waste your time on at all.

We& apos; ve collected together a huge selection of TV shows for you to choose from, including shiny new series through to Amazon& apos; s own original shows.

In our guide you& apos; ll detect our pick of the best Amazon Prime TV shows that are currently on offer. We have options for fans of thrillers, jaw-dropping sci-fi, comedy fans and those who enjoy nothing more than a fantasy police drama.

Coming Soon: Although this list is full of great TV depicts, there are always some tantalising new series on the horizon that we can& apos; t wait to watch. You& apos; ll have to wait until the very end of May( May 31, to be exact) but this spring is all about Good Omens, the Tv display adaptation of the magical volume from the fantastical minds of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. This month also welcomes the darkly funny season 2 of Fleabag( May 17 ), as well as the third season of Sneaky Pete( May 10 ).

Image Credit: Amazon Prime Video

Get your free 30 -day Amazon Prime trial

Amazon has been developing and creating titles itself over the past few years, who the hell is called Amazon Originals or Amazon Original Series.

These homegrown TV proves are arguably some of the best that the Amazon Prime Video service has to offer( believe The Tick and Transparent ), which you can watch instantaneously when you have Amazon Prime access. There are many more shows you can watch through Amazon too of course, but some of these have to be purchased in order for you to start streaming.

We& apos; ll be keeping this list constantly updated- if any paid proves become free that we feel need to be included, they& apos; ll be added too. Scroll through to see our pickings that we& apos; ve divided up into the following categories: drama, comedy and thriller.

If you can only watch one …

Image Credit: Amazon Prime Video

The Tick

The Tick is a superhero TV show with a difference. It& apos; s chock full of brightly-coloured heroes, sarcastic villains, excellent tales and fantastic wordplay. Unlike the sagas in Marvel movies, the heroes and rogues in The Tick feel like they belong to our world. They& apos; re messy, funny and construct lots of terrible decisions. Luckily, the display was renewed for a second season, which manages to be even smarter, slicker and more heartwarming than the first, with noteworthy performances from Peter Serafinowicz and Griffin Newman in the lead roles as The Tick and, erm, Arthur.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 2

Check out our in-depth Amazon Prime Video reviewFancy a cinema? Then our best Amazon Prime movies feature is for youWant to see what the rival is doing? Then check out best Netflix TV provesThese are the best movies on Netflix UK

Amazon Prime or Netflix? Check out our comparison video below!

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Absentia

If you& apos; ve had a Stana Katic shaped hole in your life since Castle ended in 2016, you& apos; ll be glad to know she& apos; s starring in a brand new series on Amazon Prime. Katic takes up the role of FBI agent Emily Byrne who, six years after being proclaimed dead, returns to the world and has to try and piece her life and memory back together.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 1

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New Season Added: The Expanse

Arguably the best sci-fi show since Battlestar Galatica, The Expanse is based on the series of fictions by James S. A. Corey, the pen name of authors Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck. It& apos; s set in a future where humans have colonised most of the solar system, but there are big divisions between the occupants of Earth, Mars and& apos; Belters& apos ;, who reside on space station beyond the asteroid belt. It& apos; s full of politics, heart-wrenching emotional stories and some of the most breath-taking scenes of outer space we& apos; ve ever seen. If you& apos; re a fan of sci-fi, you& apos; ll love this.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 3

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Alias

US action series Alias ran for five seasons between 2001 and 2006 and fans will be happy to hear every single episode is now ready to stream on Amazon Prime Instant Video right this instant! Created by J. J. Abrams, the Tv indicate starrings Jennifer Garner as Sydney Bristow, a double agent who is working for the CIA, but also posing as an operative for an organisation called SD-6, which is a big criminal and espionage network.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 5

Update: Alias is still available via Amazon Prime Video, but it& apos; s no longer free. You& apos; ll have to pay PS2. 49 per episode, or buy a whole season for PS13. 99.

Image Credit: Amazon Prime Video

Tom Clancy& apos; s Jack Ryan

The long-awaited latest re-imagining of Tom Clancy& apos; s Jack Ryan is now available on Amazon Prime, with the fantastic John Krasinski( best known for his role in the US version of The Office) playing CIA analyst Ryan. The indicate has received largely positive reviews and it& apos; s definitely worth devote the first few episodes a watch, particularly if you& apos; re a fan of political dramata, the Jack Ryan stories or Krasinski.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 1

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Ray Donovan

Set in LA, Ray Donovan is a drama about a guy called, you guessed it, Ray Donovan, who is a fixer for a top statute firm in the city. That entails he gets caught up in all kinds of drama, like threats, bribes and every other kind of shady activity you can imagine.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 6

Update: Ray Donovan is still available via Amazon Prime Video, but it& apos; s no longer free. You& apos; ll have to pay PS2. 49 per episode, or buy a whole season for PS13. 99.

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New Season Added: American Gods

Based on the novel by Neil Gaiman and brought to the screen by the ever-excellent Bryan Fuller, American Gods is an existential look at what would happen if deities were to walk the earth.

Starring Ricky Whittle( who has built the transition from Hollyoaks to Hollywood with ease) and Ian McShane, the show is both bizarre and brazen, cultish and controversial. It may take a while to figure out just what the hell is going on, but this is one smart, celestial slice of amusement that& apos; s already got us hooked.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 2

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Animal Kingdom

Looking for a new crime drama to get stuck into? Animal Kingdom could be what you& apos; re looking forward to. The depict follows adolescent J Cody who moves in with extended relatives in Southern California after the death of his mother. Far from being boring, Cody discoveries his relatives live a wild life of excess and it& apos; s all funded by crime.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 3

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Black Sails

Johnny Depp may have spend the latter half of his career convincing the world that pirates all look, stench and talk like a Rolling Stone but we prefer Black Sails& apos; interpretation. Exclusive to Amazon Prime, Black Sails treats the pirate legend with a touch more reality and this is pretty much all down to Shakespearean thesp Toby Stephens.

Number of seasons on Amazon Prime: 4

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New Season Added: Bosch

With 20 -something novels to mine for source material, Bosch is a character that was always destined for the small screen. Created by Michael Connelly but brilliantly brought to life by actor Titus Welliver, the series follows the exploits of LA Homicide detective Harry Bosch and features enough grit to pave the longest of driveways.

This is no surprise – the series has been created by Eric Overmyer, who was part of the alumni that created The Wire. Bosch is another show that has been put together by Amazon Studios – proving that streaming services are becoming just as powerful as the HBOs of the world when it comes to producing compelling drama.

Bosch Season 5 has now landed on Amazon Prime, continuing the saga of Harry Bosch and it comes with a nice uplift in quality too, building season upon season to become one of our favourite presents on Prime at the moment.

Number of seasons on Amazon Prime: 5

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Goliath

Billy Bob Thornton stars as a washed-up lawyer looking for a big break who stumbles on to a big case that may well give him the solace he needs. Made by David E Kelly who loves a bit of courtroom drama, having already made Boston Legal, The Practice and Ally McBeal, the display works well as a standalone series but there& apos; s talk that it may get a second season. Goliath is part of Amazon& apos; s Original series of TV shows.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 2

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The Good Fight

If you were a fan of US legal and political drama The Good Wife, then you& apos; re going to love The Good Fight. It& apos; s set one year after the events of the final episode of the The Good Wife and this time shifts the focus of the narrative to Diane Lockhart.

Season one has been a success and now the second season is available to stream via Amazon, but regrettably it& apos; s not free. But while you either wait for it to become free( it may take a while) or wait to decide whether it& apos; s worth it, catch up on the first season now to help you induce your intellect up.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 3( The 3rd season is available, but you& apos; ll have to pay for it .)

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Hand of God

Last seen in Sons of Anarchy, Ron Perlman has moved from the mad world of biker gangs into the stranger world of law. Perlman plays a vice-riddled barrister who, after suffering a breakdown, starts to believe he is a messenger from god.

The full first season for Hand of God arrived on Amazon Prime, after a successful pilot. A second season is also available, which will sadly be the last as Amazon has decided to not renew the demonstrate. This is a shame as it may not be a light-hearted ride – but it is one drama that takes dark turn after dark turn and is all the better for it.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 2

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Hell on Wheels

Hell on Wheels sounds like it should be a Sons of Anarchy rival, about motorcycle gangs or the like. But it’s actually centred on the construction of the US’s First Transcontinental Railroad. The first season begins soon after the assassination of President Lincoln and from there the demonstrate plays out like a western, indicating myriad sides of the railway being built – from slaves to their owners, to the money me behind the strategy. It’s a show that’s been a massive hit for AMC – dropping just behind The Walking Dead in their ratings for original shows.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 5

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The Last Tycoon

F Scott Fitzgerald may be known for The Great Gatsby and Tender Is The Night but The Last Tycoon – his last and unfinished fiction – is perhaps his most ambitious piece of work. It peels away the glitz and glamour of Hollywood in the& apos; 30 s to show a period when backstabbing was the norm, fascism was on the rise and everyone had an unbelievable amount of money. Kelsey Grammer is superb as movie mogul Pat Brady, while Matt Bomer is also great as Monroe Stahr, the up and coming cinema exec who wants to make it big. The Last Tycoon is occasionally flawed but it& apos; s a sumptuous watch.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 1

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The Looming Tower

The 8th episode of The Looming Tower are now available on Amazon Prime Video, but despite the fact there still aren& apos; t many compared against most Tv presents, it hasn& apos; t stopped this narrative of threat and politics from proving to be a hit. Based on the book by the same name, it& apos; s about the unease around Al-Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden in the 1990 s, as well as the rivalry between the CIA and FBI.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 1

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Downton Abbey

Like watching fictional posh people live their lives in early-twentieth century opulence? You& apos; re not alone- millions of people tuned in to Downton Abbey during its TV run, and it& apos; s now available to stream in its entirety on Amazon Prime Video.

Following the trials and tribulations of the Crawley family on the titular Downton Abbey estate, it& apos; s a kitchen sink drama of sorts- except all the cutlery is made of silver, and it& apos; s an army of servants doing the washing up.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 7

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Masters Of Sex

Yes, Masters Of Sex could have ended up being a Mad Men rip-off when it first arrived in 2013 but thanks to the brilliance of Michael Sheen and Lizzy Caplan the present soon elevated above being a copycat.

Sheen is Dr William Masters, a fertility expert who turns his hand to researching the world of sex. Turns out researching sexuality entails having a lot of it, which would all be rather gratuitous if it wasn& apos; t wrap in some of the most intelligent script work around.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 2

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Outlander

Game of Thrones with kilts and time traveling, Outlander was a solid show in its first season – by the second it was a great one. Based on the eight-book series by Diana Gabaldon, Outlander is about Claire Randall, a nurse who is transported from 1945 to 1743, where she satisfies a Scottish proscribe and a simmer romance ensues. Given it’s shot in the Scottish highlands, the prove seems fantastic, is well acted and should be your next binge watch.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 4

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The Path

Aaron Paul is back on Tv, thanks to The Path. And while his role might not be as enticing as Jesse in Breaking Bad, The Path is decent enough. Revolving around the Meyerist movement, and its’ not a cult/ definitely a cult& apos; cult, the show is a gripping and beautifully shot look at what happens when people genuinely believe.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 3

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Rogue

Now in its fourth season, Rogue has matured into a great crime drama. While it may not be the Sopranos in its scope, it has a realness to it that attains the violence that& apos; s shown on the screen hit home hard. Thandie Newton stars a Grace Travis, an undercover sleuth who is trying to balance being a wife and mother with the illicit affair of a crime boss. Gritty stuff.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 4

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Sneaky Pete

Sneaky Pete& apos; s plot maybe a little cliche – a con man presumes the identity of someone else to try and make a new break in the world – but Giovanni Ribisi is superb as Marius, the titular character and there& apos; s plenty of intrigue to keep you glued to this new Amazon Original.

Interestingly, the show is co-created by Bryan Cranston which builds him the streaming king, devoted he& apos; s done so well with Breaking Bad on Netflix. Don& apos; t anticipate Sneaky Pete to be as intense as Breaking Bad – it& apos; s a crime caper, yes, but it doesn& apos; t take itself too seriously.

The third season of the show is coming on May 10, 2019.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 2

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Startup

Not content with becoming a Hobbit, starring in the Marvel universe or playing Dr Watson, Martin Freeman goes back to his TV roots for Startup – a great look at what happens when a bunch of tech entrepreneurs generate something that is much bigger than they ever thought it would be. It is sometimes be too gritty for its own good, but it& apos; s great to see Freeman hamming it up as the big bad.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 3

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UnREAL

UnREAL focuses on the fictional goings-on behind the scenes of a fictional reality indicate. It& apos; s a show that holds a break mirror up to the vacuous and plentiful reality shows that litter TV channels at the moment and actually goes into some rather dark territory. Yes, it& apos; s melodramatic and will wave numerous moral flags at you while you are watching it, but it& apos; s nonetheless engrossing television.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 4

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Transparent

Anything Netflix can do, Amazon Prime can do better it seems, especially when it comes to winning a Golden Globe. Netflix may have induced history by being the first streaming service to win a Golden Globe, courtesy of the acting talents of Kevin Spacey in House of Cards, but Amazon ran and topped this by winning the Best TV Show prize in 2014 for Transparent.

It was much deserved. Transparent is everything you want in a Tv reveal. It& apos; s heartwarming, funny and packs a real punch about a subject that doesn& apos; t get enough attention: transgenderism. Jeffrey Tambor& apos; s Maura Pfefferman is a television character we hope will be around for a long time.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 4

Comedy

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Fresh Off the Boat

The critically acclaimed series based on the memoirs of chef and food personality Eddie Huang is back for a fourth series. The show follows the hip-hop preoccupied Eddie and his family as they reconcile their Taiwanese roots with their new life in Florida, where they have moved to open a cowboy-themed restaurant.

Funny and heartwarming, Fresh Off the Boat is not only altogether binge-able, but it also represents an important milestone in the portrayal of Asian-American families on the small screen.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 4

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Black-ish

Black-ish is brilliant. Not brilliant-ish, but brilliant. It& apos; s just made by two Nightly Show writers and is about adman Andre, who thinks his children aren& apos; t, er, black enough because they& apos; ve lives in the very white suburbs all their life. This entails a( vehicle) crash course in black culture ensues. Two seasons of the display are on Amazon Prime and it& apos; s well worth a watch, filled with the warm humour ABC has brought to the world with the likes of Modern Family and The Goldbergs.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 4

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Casual

The final eight episode season of Casual is now available on Amazon Prime. It& apos; s about a newly divorced single mom who lives with her brother and daughter. The slapstick drama is about dating, romance, families and all kinds of other modern dramata with a funny, and sometimes dark, twist. It& apos; s received a fair bit of critical acclaim over the years, but won& apos; t be returning for a fifth season. So enjoy it while you can!

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 4

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Catastrophe

From the minds of Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney comes one of the funniest, most well-written sitcom in years. The plot is slight: a one-night stand turns into a relationship once Sharon announces she is pregnant. But the series contains some of the most cut-to-the-bone humour seen on Tv. Combine this with a nice slab of pathos – nestled among many a sexuality joke – and what you have is a modern classic.

The third series, which recently aired on Channel 4, is now available on Amazon Prime Video – it features the last ever performance from the imitable Carrie Fisher.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 3

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Comrade Detective

Comrade Detective is a weird gem on Amazon. Starring Channing Tatum and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the show is a parody of gritty American buddy policeman indicates and Communist Propaganda from the Cold War.

It& apos; s an unusual combining, but it works. Each episode is presented as though it& apos; s a remastered real episode of a lost Romanian Communist Propaganda series from the 80 s which was used to entertain and promote Communist ideals. The entire display was filmed in Romania with Romanian actors and then dubbed over by Tatum and Gordon-Levitt.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 1

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New Season Added: The Tick

We like a dark twisting on the superhero genre as much as the next person, and The Tick delivers it: it& apos; s about an accountant with mental health issues, who may or may not be a superhero – it could all be in his head. Peter Serafinowicz is the eponymous Tick, and despite that instead sombre-sounding plot outline, this is a black and surreal slapstick worth attempting out.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 2

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The Grand Tour

Clarkson, Hammond and the other one are back for Grand Tour: Season 2. Well, we kind of knew that they would be as they all have massive contracts that mean we will be seeing quite a few seasons of the Definitely Not Top Gear But Quite A Bit Like Top Gear show. This season considers Clarkson drive a fast auto, Hammond drive a faster vehicle and virtually die, and the other one drive a fast car considerably slower than the rest. If you enjoy watching middle aged men burn rubber in the middle of the desert, like a scene out of Mad Max: Fury Road, then “theyre for” you. And if we haven& apos; t quite convinced you yet – Gizmodo offered up this quote about the reveal: “Some men doing stuff for no clearly defined reason.” Lovely stuff.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 3( new episodes weekly)

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I Love Dick

Graduating from Amazon Originals pilot to fully fledged TV prove, I Love Dick is a great subversive watch. The indicate starrings Kevin Bacon and is based on the celebrated book that looks at a married couple who are having marriage issues and their relationship with college professor, Dick. Bacon is on top form as the charismatic Dick and the reveal& apos; s multiple POV storytelling( Rashomon style) works well.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video TV: 1

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New Season Added: The Last Man On Earth

Not many people can find the funny in the post-apocalypse, but Will Forte has managed it with The Last Man On Earth. He writes and stars in this comedy where he is the only survivor on earth after a virus kills everyone else. The cast is brilliant, with the likes of January Jones and Kristen Wiig join him on his adventures and there’s a handful of decent cameos too – including Will Ferrell and Jon Hamm in season 3.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 4

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The League

Created by Jeff and Jackie Schaffer and starring Mark Duplass, The League is very much a US focused comedy – based around a group of friends in an American Fantasy Football league – but don’t let that put you off as it’s nearly always hilarious. The lengths the group go to to win The Shiva – the league trophy – is great to watch, as is there balancing of trying to win week in week out with their normal lives. All seven seasons of the prove are available on Prime Video.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 7

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The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

A new series from Gilmore Girls creator, Amy Sherman-Palladino, The Marvelous Mrs Maisel tells the story of 1950 s Jewish homemaker Miriam Maisel. After her husband confess he& apos; s been having an affair, Midge drunkenly gets on stage at a comedy club and discovers that she& apos; s utterly hilarious. In a period when women aren& apos; t encouraged to be publicly funny, Midge seeks her new-found comedic talent in the male-dominated stand up comedy world.

Seasons to watch on Amazon Prime: 2

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Mad Dogs

The UK version of Mad Dogs was a breath of fresh air when it first aired. Well, the first season was then it all went a little too strange. This remake – green-lit from Amazon& apos; s burgeoning Originals series – takes very good from the UK version and mixtures it with a plot that& apos; s a little easier to follow and humour that& apos; s more laugh out loud than pitch black.

The premise is the same: a bunch of mates go and visit one friend at his luxury villa to celebrate his early retirement, only for murder, mayhem and mind-boggling plot developments to ensue. A touch of genius is the recasting of Ben Chaplin. While he played the rich, retiring Alvo in the UK version here he gets to try his luck in a bigger and better role.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 1

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Mozart in the Jungle

Now into its fourth series, Mozart in the Jungle was this surprise winner at the 2015 Golden Globes, where it won Best Comedy Series. The show is a comedy set in the strange world of classical music. Gael Garcia Bernal plays young conductor Rodrigo who replaces a retiring conductor played by Malcolm McDowell. Based loosely on a true narrative and created by the likes of Jason Schwartzman and Roman Coppola, it& apos; s well worth a watch.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 4

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Parks and Recreation

Parks and Rec is a joy of a indicate. Originally seen as a quasi spin-off of the Office – utilizing the same documentary style camerawork, awkward pauses, asides to camera – it soon grew from an amusing first season, about the goings on in the parks department of Pawnee, to a slapstick phenomenon that spanned a fantastic seven seasons. It& apos; s not just the script that stimulates it great, it& apos; s also the characters – headed up by the ever-brilliant Amy Poehler.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 7

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Seinfeld

Seinfeld is comedy gold. It’s the sitcom that was self reflexive and knowing. It was about Jerry Seinfeld who was played by Jerry Seinfeld but was playing a version of himself. It’s a similar trick Larry David used when spinning off his character for the show Curb Your Enthusiasm. He even took it a step further to make a whole season of Curb dedicated to bringing back Seinfeld. Over nine seasons this prove, which is essentially about nothing, will captivate you, make you laugh and think. It’s fantastic.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 9

Thrillers

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New Season Added: The Americans

The Americans was cruelly mishandled when it originally came to UK TV, so we are glad it has finally discovered a decent place to reside. The show is a cracking crime period thriller that follows the exploits of a couple of KGB agents posing as US citizens around the time Ronald Reagan became US president.

It may occasionally flit between the ridiculous and the sublime but you would expect nothing more from a is demonstrating that& apos; s main conceit comprises characters duelling with duality. The& apos; 80 s defining is fantastic, too, though there aren& apos; t enough shell suits for our liking.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 6

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The Crossing

This sci-fi thriller has a really interesting premise. A group of refugees trying to escape a war arrive in an American town looking for somewhere to live. The sci-fi twist? They seem to be from 180 years in the future. Gasp! The tale centres around a local sheriff, a federal agent and a mum looking forward to her missing daughter. It& apos; s full of conspiracy, mystery and there might be a superpower or two thrown in for good measure. But shh, we don& apos; t want to spoil anything.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 1

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The Exorcist

There has been an influx of TV adaptations of movies recently, with many of them actually reaching the mark. The ones that succeeded the most are those that take the theme/ feeling of the movies they are adapting and go in their own direction – Fargo is a perfect example of this. Another instance is The Exorcist. Although it takes a couple of episodes to to go in there, the Tv series is a decent spin-off of the movie, with only a slither of a thread attaching the two.

Don& apos; t anticipate full-on scares, as this is definitely a slow burner. But when the exorcisms come( and there are a few) they will send a chill down your spine. The show is now into its second season, too, so you can watch the first season with the knowledge that the narrative of terror is set to continue.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 2

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The Fall

Before he was whipping up a blizzard as Mr Grey, Jamie Dornan played an effortlessly charming and equally chilling serial killer in The Fall, a fantastic Irish drama that deserves all the acclaim it gets.

Dornan is Paul Spector, a care worker who has a sideline in killing woman. To help track him down, hard-nosed detective Stella Gibson( Gillian Anderson) heads to Belfast to try and capture the murderer. The Fall is a perfect blend of intelligent scripting, nuanced acting and a fantastic premise. Knowing who the killer is from scene one amps up, rather than releases, the present& apos; s tension.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 3

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Fear The Walking Dead

Fear The Walking Dead is a show that tries its hardest to be more than a spin-off. Set in Los Angeles, the indicate follows high school guidance counselor Madison Clark( a brilliant Kim Dickens fresh from Treme) and English educator Travis Manawa( Cliff Curtis) as they adapt to a life after the& apos; zombie& apos; outbreak. The show is slow paced, each episode is an hour and there& apos; s a 90 -minute pilot, but it manages to approach the Walking Dead world in a wholly different way.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 4

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Halt And Catch Fire

Now in its fourth season, Halt And Catch Fire is another surefire hit by AMC – the folks that brought us Mad Men and Breaking Bad. Set around a fictionalised version of the computer revolution of the 1980 s and the rise of the web in the& apos; 90 s, Catch Fire is a fantastic look at how technology has improved all “peoples lives”, while nearly tearing apart the innovators at the same time.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 4

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Hap and Leonard

Filmed in Baton Rouge and based on the stories of Joe Lansdale, Hap and Leonard is a great swampy noir thriller of a show that’s based on the relationship of two friends and the sometimes violent scrapes they get into. James Purefoy and Michael K Williams are superb as the pair, one a Vietnam vet, the other a draft dodger. Set in the 80 s, the show is similar to Cold In July, the movie from the same writer and is only six episodes long, so perfect for a binge watch.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 3

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Haven

Stephen King has had a rocky journey to the big and small screen. For every adaptation that works( Misery, Shawshank Redemption ), there’s a dozen that don’t( The Langoliers, Under The Dome TV show ). Haven is a strange one – it’s a show that started as an adaptation of a Stephen King short story, The Colorado Kid, and has mutated into a love letter to King and his stories. Over the course of five seasons, the demonstrate has becomes a great watch – especially if you are a King fan and can spot the many references.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 4

Update: Haven is still available via Amazon Prime Video, but it& apos; s no longer free. You& apos; ll have to pay PS2. 49 per episode, or buy a whole season for PS13. 99.

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Into The Badlands

Into The Badlands is a heady mix of brilliant martial arts and high drama as developed fighter Sunny( Daniel Wu) takes a group of people on a distorted road trip-up through the mystical badlands, a post-apocalyptic landscape some 500 years after a devastating war. There& apos; s plenty of bite in each episode, and it also contains some of the best fighting seen on television.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 3

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Mr Robot

It was an agonising wait for Mr Robot in the UK – the first season had all-but ended in the US before we even got a sniff of it. But its popularity meant that there was something of a bidding war to see who would show it in the UK. Amazon, Netflix and other more traditional broadcasters fought for it, proving that even bean counters can see the worth in counter culture.

Amazon won in the end and is the perfect place for a show that focuses on the exploits of hacker Elliot( a superb Rami Malek ). Mr Robot is Fight Club for the Tor generation, lifting a lid on a world where what Linux kernel you use is not just a badge of honour but a way of life.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 3

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The Man In The High Castle

There have been a number of successful Amazon pilots that have built it to a full series but none have the epic potential that Man In The High Castle has. This Philip K Dick adaptation is finally available to river – with all episodes prepared for your consumption. High Castle imagines what the world would be like if Germany had won World War II and the Nazis had taken global control. Turns out it& apos; s a bit worse than us all driving around in VW Beetles and wearing Hugo Boss coats.

Season 2 is now available and expands on the mythos. Given this is a cautionary tale about what could happen when the hard right takes over America, things suddenly don& apos; t feel too far fetched.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 3

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Preacher

Amazon of a Preacher, man! Preacher is the next big comic-book adaptation and my deity it& apos; s good. It takes the deranged feel of the graphic novels and translates it well to the small screen. Dominic Cooper is great as small-town preacher Jesse Custer who, occupied by a strange spirit, starts to do God& apos; s work in a small America town with his ex girlfriend( a brilliant Ruth Negga) and an Irish vampire, played by Misfits& apos; Joe Gilgun as his cohorts.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 3

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Ripper Street

For a show that’s steeped in murder, it’s pleasing to note that we all have Amazon to thank for breathing new life into Ripper Street. After two series of the depict, which focuses on the lives of the East End of London in the 19 th Century where there is a copycat Jack the Ripper on the loose, it was cancelled by the BBC. Amazon decided there was enough fan love out there, thankfully, and resurrected the show for three more series. Great acting masks some of the hokier moments of the script but this is all good, grizzly fun.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 5

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Sons Of Anarchy

Seemingly always vying for the top spot of Best Recently Finished Drama( we may have made up that award) with Breaking Bad, Sons Of Anarchy is a long brooding menace of a show that deserves your attention. Centred on a motorcycle gang that live by their own rules( you can probably guess what their name is from the title) the show is positively Shakespearean in its storytelling and will have you gripped from episode one.

While Ron Perlman steals the prove as Clay, Charlie Hunnam& apos; s Jax is one of the best tortured spirits you will see on any television depict. All seven seasons of the demonstrate are now streaming on the service.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 7

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Vikings

If you have any interest in Norse mythology then the name Ragnar Lothbrok will entail a whole lot to you. Basically he was a king and powerful ruler that was a right git to the English and the French.

Vikings is a series that traces his Norse-based goings on with enough charm and scope to take on Game of Thrones in the sword and sandals stakes. Yes it takes a number of liberties with its source material but the acting is top class, as is the cinematography in a historical romp that& apos; s now deservedly in its fourth season – the second largest half of which is now available.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 5

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The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead has been reanimated more hours than the zombies that harruange the group of survivors we have all come to know and love. Initially created with Frank Darabont at the helm, just leave after the first season then his replacing was eventually replaced and their replacing replaced.

With this in mind, it& apos; s amazing that not only has the indicate consistently managed to improve season after season it has become one of the most successful series ever. Yes it sometimes slumps along slower than a zombie with its legs hacked off but give it hour and it will reward you with more drama than you can shake a bloody stump at.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 9

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The X-Files

The X-Files was one of the first shows that espoused event TV. Yes, it had many& apos; ogre of the week& apos; storylines but creator Chris Carter managed to produce a nine-season long myth arc that maintained viewers coming back for more. That and the brilliant casting of David Duchovny as Fox Mulder and the ever-excellent Gillian Anderson and Dana Scully. With a new 10 th season on the horizon, Amazon has put all nine previous seasons on to Prime – all remastered in widescreen. Lovely stuff.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 9

The best of the rest, and coming soon

All or Nothing

We definitely recommend you get stuck into All or Nothing, a football documentary that follows Manchester City behind-the-scenes during the Premier League winning and record-breaking 2017/2018 season. It& apos; s an 8-part series that features all forms of exclusive footage, from locker room pep talks with coach Pep Guardiola, and a look at the players& apos; lives off and on the pitching. It& apos; s a must-watch for everyone from die-hard Man City fans to even those with a vague interested in footy.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 1

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Batman: The Animated Series

You& apos; ve seen all the Nolan and Burton Bat flicks, and you& apos; re wisely avoiding the new Batfleck movies. If you& apos; re still hankering for a Batman fix, you could do far, far worse than jumping into Batman: The Animated Series. Kicking off back in 1992, it bridges the gap of the Burton aesthetic and the comic book series, and is regarded by Batman fans as having perhaps the definitive onscreen take over the Dark Knight.

It& apos; s ostensibly a kids cartoon, but the ongoing storylines are captivating and stylishly noir-like in delivery. And to cap things off, the voice casting is superb- Kevin Conroy is an assuredly-good Batman( reprising the role for the recent Batman: Arkham games ), while Star Wars& apos; own Mark Hamill is a fantastically unhinged Joker.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 4

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Grand Prix Driver

This new Amazon Original documentary takes spectators underneath the glitz and glamour that is the surface of Formula 1, to explore the inner-workings of the 2017 McLaren team. Narrated by Michael Douglas, this documentary follows rookie driver Stoffel Vandoorne over four episodes, as he and his squad prepare for the 2017 Formula 1 World Championship.

Season on Amazon Prime Video: 1

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Grimm

Merge a fairy tale fantasy with a police drama and you get Grimm. It& apos; s all about Nick Burkhardt, a detective based in Portland in the US who discovers he& apos; s a Grimm. Which basically entails he& apos; s a kind of mystical protector who must keep the peace between humans and creatures called Wesen. As you might expect, a lot of the characters are inspired by Grimms& apos; Fairy Tales, but the prove describes from many other sources too to create a story that& apos; s a little like Buffy The Vampire Slayer, but with fairy tale creatures.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 6

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Coming Soon: Good Omens

From the genius literary and fantasy minds of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett comes the Tv adaptation of their magical book Good Omens. Starring David Tennant and Michael Sheen in the lead roles of a demon and an angel, the tale is told over six parts and is anticipated to be the hottest new TV display this Spring.

Release Date: May 31, 2019

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Coming Soon: Fleabag( Season 2)

Fleabag season 1 altered everything we knew about comedy, transgressing the fourth wall and bringing the very authentic, laugh out loud funny and, at times, altogether heartbreaking private moments of the lovable but deeply flawed lead character to our TV screens. Season 2 was a huge hit when it first aired earlier this year, and you can relive all the& apos; sexy clergyman& apos; magic on Amazon soon.

Release Date: May 17, 2019

Read more: techradar.com

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Best Amazon Prime TV shows (May 2019): the best series to watch this month

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Best Amazon Prime TV shows (May 2019): the best series to watch this month

Amazon Prime Video is on a roll. The streaming service adds exclusive TV shows and fresh new episodes to its TV catalogue every week. Although that means you've always got plenty of old favourites and new series to binge on, it means it can be tricky to choose which one to pick next. But this list is here to help make that choice a little bit easier. 

Amazon Prime Video is part of the Amazon Prime membership, which means a lot more than just super fast deliveries these days. 

For starters, there’s Prime Music, Audible freebies, the Kindle Lending Library, lots of photos storage and the chance to stream great movies and TV shows through Prime Video, which is Amazon’s answer to an on-demand streaming service. 

Although Amazon has a huge back catalogue on its Prime Video service, there are lots of mediocre TV options too, which might fool you into thinking they’d be worthy of a watch, as well as lots of truly terrible ones, which we'd prefer you didn't waste your time on at all.

We've collected together a huge selection of TV shows for you to choose from, including shiny new series through to Amazon's own original shows. 

In our guide you'll discover our pick of the best Amazon Prime TV shows that are currently on offer. We have options for fans of thrillers, jaw-dropping sci-fi, comedy lovers and those who enjoy nothing more than a fantasy police drama. 

Coming Soon: Although this list is full of great TV shows, there are always some tantalising new series on the horizon that we can't wait to watch. You'll have to wait until the very end of May (May 31, to be exact) but this spring is all about Good Omens, the TV show adaptation of the magical book from the fantastical minds of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. This month also welcomes the darkly funny season 2 of Fleabag (May 17), as well as the third season of Sneaky Pete (May 10). 

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Get your free 30-day Amazon Prime trial

Amazon has been developing and creating titles itself over the past few years, which are called Amazon Originals or Amazon Original Series.

These homegrown TV shows are arguably some of the best that the Amazon Prime Video service has to offer (think The Tick and Transparent), which you can watch instantly when you have Amazon Prime access. There are many more shows you can watch through Amazon too of course, but some of these have to be purchased in order for you to start streaming. 

We'll be keeping this list constantly updated – if any paid shows become free that we feel need to be included, they'll be added too. Scroll through to see our picks that we've divided up into the following categories: drama, comedy and thriller.

If you can only watch one…

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The Tick

The Tick is a superhero TV show with a difference. It's chock full of brightly-coloured heroes, sarcastic villains, excellent stories and fantastic wordplay. Unlike the sagas in Marvel movies, the heroes and villains in The Tick feel like they belong to our world. They're messy, funny and make lots of terrible decisions. Luckily, the show was renewed for a second season, which manages to be even smarter, slicker and more heartwarming than the first, with noteworthy performances from Peter Serafinowicz and Griffin Newman in the lead roles as The Tick and, erm, Arthur. 

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 2

Check out our in-depth Amazon Prime Video reviewFancy a film? Then our best Amazon Prime movies feature is for youWant to see what the rival is doing? Then check out best Netflix TV showsThese are the best movies on Netflix UK

Amazon Prime or Netflix? Check out our comparison video below!

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Absentia 

If you've had a Stana Katic shaped hole in your life since Castle ended in 2016, you'll be glad to know she's starring in a brand new series on Amazon Prime. Katic takes up the role of FBI agent Emily Byrne who, six years after being declared dead, returns to the world and has to try and piece her life and memory back together. 

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 1

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New Season Added: The Expanse

Arguably the best sci-fi show since Battlestar Galatica, The Expanse is based on the series of novels by James S. A. Corey, the pen name of authors Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck. It's set in a future where humans have colonised most of the solar system, but there are big divisions between the occupants of Earth, Mars and 'Belters', who reside on space stations beyond the asteroid belt. It's full of politics, heart-wrenching emotional stories and some of the most breath-taking scenes of outer space we've ever seen. If you're a fan of sci-fi, you'll love this.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 3

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Alias

US action series Alias ran for five seasons between 2001 and 2006 and fans will be happy to hear every single episode is available to stream on Amazon Prime Instant Video right this instant! Created by J. J. Abrams, the TV show stars Jennifer Garner as Sydney Bristow, a double agent who is working for the CIA, but also posing as an operative for an organisation called SD-6, which is a big criminal and espionage network.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 5

Update: Alias is still available via Amazon Prime Video, but it's no longer free. You'll have to pay £2.49 per episode, or buy a whole season for £13.99.

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Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan

The long-awaited latest re-imagining of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan is now available on Amazon Prime, with the fantastic John Krasinski (best known for his role in the US version of The Office) playing CIA analyst Ryan. The show has received mostly positive reviews and it's definitely worth giving the first few episodes a watch, particularly if you're a fan of political dramas, the Jack Ryan stories or Krasinski. 

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 1

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Ray Donovan

Set in LA, Ray Donovan is a drama about a guy called, you guessed it, Ray Donovan, who is a fixer for a top law firm in the city. That means he gets caught up in all kinds of drama, like threats, bribes and every other kind of shady activity you can imagine. 

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 6

Update: Ray Donovan is still available via Amazon Prime Video, but it's no longer free. You'll have to pay £2.49 per episode, or buy a whole season for £13.99.

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New Season Added: American Gods

Based on the novel by Neil Gaiman and brought to the screen by the ever-excellent Bryan Fuller, American Gods is an existential look at what would happen if gods were to walk the earth. 

Starring Ricky Whittle (who has made the transition from Hollyoaks to Hollywood with ease) and Ian McShane, the show is both bizarre and brazen, cultish and controversial. It may take a while to figure out just what the hell is going on, but this is one smart, celestial slice of entertainment that's already got us hooked. 

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 2

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Animal Kingdom

Looking for a new crime drama to get stuck into? Animal Kingdom could be what you're looking for. The show follows teenager J Cody who moves in with extended relatives in Southern California after the death of his mother. Far from being boring, Cody finds his relatives live a wild life of excess and it's all funded by crime.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 3 

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Black Sails

Johnny Depp may have spent the latter half of his career convincing the world that pirates all look, smell and talk like a Rolling Stone but we prefer Black Sails' interpretation. Exclusive to Amazon Prime, Black Sails treats the pirate legend with a touch more reality and this is pretty much all down to Shakespearean thesp Toby Stephens.

Number of seasons on Amazon Prime: 4

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New Season Added: Bosch

With 20-something novels to mine for source material, Bosch is a character that was always destined for the small screen. Created by Michael Connelly but brilliantly brought to life by actor Titus Welliver, the series follows the exploits of LA Homicide detective Harry Bosch and features enough grit to pave the longest of driveways.

This is no surprise – the series has been created by Eric Overmyer, who was part of the alumni that created The Wire. Bosch is another show that has been put together by Amazon Studios – proving that streaming services are becoming just as powerful as the HBOs of the world when it comes to producing compelling drama.

Bosch Season 5 has now landed on Amazon Prime, continuing the saga of Harry Bosch and it comes with a nice uplift in quality too, building season upon season to become one of our favourite shows on Prime at the moment. 

Number of seasons on Amazon Prime: 5

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Goliath

Billy Bob Thornton stars as a washed-up lawyer looking for a big break who stumbles on to a big case that may well give him the solace he needs. Made by David E Kelly who loves a bit of courtroom drama, having already created Boston Legal, The Practice and Ally McBeal, the show works well as a standalone series but there's talk that it may get a second season. Goliath is part of Amazon's Original series of TV shows.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 2

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The Good Fight

If you were a fan of US legal and political drama The Good Wife, then you're going to love The Good Fight. It's set one year after the events of the final episode of the The Good Wife and this time shifts the focus of the story to Diane Lockhart.

Season one has been a success and now the second season is available to stream via Amazon, but unfortunately it's not free. But while you either wait for it to become free (it may take a while) or wait to decide whether it's worth it, catch up on the first season now to help you make your mind up.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 3 (The 3rd season is available, but you'll have to pay for it.)

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Hand of God

Last seen in Sons of Anarchy, Ron Perlman has moved from the mad world of biker gangs into the stranger world of law. Perlman plays a vice-riddled barrister who, after suffering a breakdown, starts to believe he is a messenger from god.

The full first season for Hand of God arrived on Amazon Prime, after a successful pilot. A second season is also available, which will sadly be the last as Amazon has decided to not renew the show. This is a shame as it may not be a light-hearted ride – but it is one drama that takes dark turn after dark turn and is all the better for it.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 2

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Hell on Wheels

Hell on Wheels sounds like it should be a Sons of Anarchy rival, about motorcycle gangs or the like. But it’s actually centred on the construction of the US’s First Transcontinental Railroad. The first season begins soon after the assassination of President Lincoln and from there the show plays out like a western, showing myriad sides of the railway being built – from slaves to their owners, to the money me behind the scheme. It’s a show that’s been a massive hit for AMC – falling just behind The Walking Dead in their ratings for original shows.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 5

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The Last Tycoon

F Scott Fitzgerald may be known for The Great Gatsby and Tender Is The Night but The Last Tycoon – his last and unfinished novel – is perhaps his most ambitious piece of work. It peels away the glitz and glamour of Hollywood in the '30s to show a time when backstabbing was the norm, fascism was on the rise and everyone had an unbelievable amount of money. Kelsey Grammer is superb as movie mogul Pat Brady, while Matt Bomer is also great as Monroe Stahr, the up and coming film exec who wants to make it big. The Last Tycoon is occasionally flawed but it's a sumptuous watch.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 1

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The Looming Tower

The 8th episode of The Looming Tower are now available on Amazon Prime Video, but despite the fact there still aren't many compared to most TV shows, it hasn't stopped this tale of threat and politics from proving to be a hit. Based on the book by the same name, it's about the unease around Al-Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden in the 1990s, as well as the rivalry between the CIA and FBI.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 1

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Downton Abbey

Like watching fictional posh people live their lives in early-twentieth century opulence? You're not alone – millions of people tuned in to Downton Abbey during its TV run, and it's now available to stream in its entirety on Amazon Prime Video.

Following the trials and tribulations of the Crawley family on the titular Downton Abbey estate, it's a kitchen sink drama of sorts – except all the cutlery is made of silver, and it's an army of servants doing the washing up. 

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 7

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Masters Of Sex

Yes, Masters Of Sex could have ended up being a Mad Men rip-off when it first arrived in 2013 but thanks to the brilliance of Michael Sheen and Lizzy Caplan the show soon elevated above being a copycat.

Sheen is Dr William Masters, a fertility expert who turns his hand to researching the world of sex. Turns out researching sex means having a lot of it, which would all be rather gratuitous if it wasn't wrapped in some of the most intelligent script work around.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 2

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Outlander

Game of Thrones with kilts and time travel, Outlander was a solid show in its first season – by the second it was a great one. Based on the eight-book series by Diana Gabaldon, Outlander is about Claire Randall, a nurse who is transported from 1945 to 1743, where she meets a Scottish outlaw and a simmering romance ensues. Given it’s shot in the Scottish highlands, the show looks fantastic, is well acted and should be your next binge watch.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 4

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The Path

Aaron Paul is back on TV, thanks to The Path. And while his role might not be as enticing as Jesse in Breaking Bad, The Path is decent enough. Revolving around the Meyerist movement, and its ‘not a cult / definitely a cult' cult, the show is a gripping and beautifully shot look at what happens when people truly believe.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 3

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Rogue

Now in its fourth season, Rogue has matured into a great crime drama. While it may not be the Sopranos in its scope, it has a realness to it that makes the violence that's shown on the screen hit home hard. Thandie Newton stars a Grace Travis, an undercover detective who is trying to balance being a wife and mother with the illicit affair of a crime boss. Gritty stuff.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 4

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Sneaky Pete

Sneaky Pete's plot maybe a little cliche – a con man assumes the identity of someone else to try and make a new break in the world – but Giovanni Ribisi is superb as Marius, the titular character and there's plenty of intrigue to keep you glued to this new Amazon Original. 

Interestingly, the show is co-created by Bryan Cranston which makes him the streaming king, given he's done so well with Breaking Bad on Netflix. Don't expect Sneaky Pete to be as intense as Breaking Bad – it's a crime caper, yes, but it doesn't take itself too seriously. 

The third season of the show is coming on May 10, 2019. 

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 2

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Startup

Not content with becoming a Hobbit, starring in the Marvel universe or playing Dr Watson, Martin Freeman goes back to his TV roots for Startup – a great look at what happens when a bunch of tech entrepreneurs create something that is much bigger than they ever thought it would be. It may occasionally be too gritty for its own good, but it's great to see Freeman hamming it up as the big bad. 

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 3

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UnREAL

UnREAL focuses on the fictional goings-on behind the scenes of a fictional reality show. It's a show that holds a broken mirror up to the vacuous and plentiful reality shows that litter TV channels at the moment and actually goes into some rather dark territory. Yes, it's melodramatic and will wave numerous moral flags at you while you are watching it, but it's nonetheless engrossing television.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 4

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Transparent

Anything Netflix can do, Amazon Prime can do better it seems, especially when it comes to winning a Golden Globe. Netflix may have made history by being the first streaming service to win a Golden Globe, courtesy of the acting talents of Kevin Spacey in House of Cards, but Amazon went and topped this by winning the Best TV Show prize in 2014 for Transparent.

It was much deserved. Transparent is everything you want in a TV show. It's heartwarming, funny and packs a real punch about a subject that doesn't get enough attention: transgenderism. Jeffrey Tambor's Maura Pfefferman is a television character we hope will be around for a long time.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 4

Comedy

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Fresh Off the Boat

The critically acclaimed series based on the memoirs of chef and food personality Eddie Huang is back for a fourth series. The show follows the hip-hop obsessed Eddie and his family as they reconcile their Taiwanese roots with their new life in Florida, where they have moved to open a cowboy-themed restaurant. 

Funny and heartwarming, Fresh Off the Boat is not only totally binge-able, but it also represents an important milestone in the portrayal of Asian-American families on the small screen. 

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 4

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Black-ish

Black-ish is brilliant. Not brilliant-ish, but brilliant. It's made by two Nightly Show writers and is about adman Andre, who thinks his kids aren't, er, black enough because they've lived in the very white suburbs all their life. This means a (car)crash course in black culture ensues. Two seasons of the show are on Amazon Prime and it's well worth a watch, filled with the warm humour ABC has brought to the world with the likes of Modern Family and The Goldbergs.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 4

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Casual

The final eight episode season of Casual is now available on Amazon Prime. It's about a newly divorced single mother who lives with her brother and daughter. The comedy drama is about dating, romance, families and all kinds of other modern dramas with a funny, and sometimes dark, twist. It's received a fair bit of critical acclaim over the years, but won't be returning for a fifth season. So enjoy it while you can!

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 4

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Catastrophe

From the minds of Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney comes one of the funniest, most well-written sitcom in years. The plot is slight: a one-night stand turns into a relationship once Sharon announces she is pregnant. But the series contains some of the most cut-to-the-bone humour seen on TV. Combine this with a nice slab of pathos – nestled among many a sex joke – and what you have is a modern classic.

The third series, which recently aired on Channel 4, is now available on Amazon Prime Video – it features the last ever performance from the imitable Carrie Fisher.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 3

Image Credit: Amazon Prime Video

Comrade Detective

Comrade Detective is a weird gem on Amazon. Starring Channing Tatum and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the show is a parody of gritty American buddy cop shows and Communist Propaganda from the Cold War.

It's an unusual combination, but it works. Each episode is presented as though it's a remastered real episode of a lost Romanian Communist Propaganda series from the 80s which was used to entertain and promote Communist ideals. The entire show was filmed in Romania with Romanian actors and then dubbed over by Tatum and Gordon-Levitt.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 1

Image Credit: Amazon Prime Video

New Season Added: The Tick

We like a dark twist on the superhero genre as much as the next person, and The Tick delivers it: it's about an accountant with mental health issues, who may or may not be a superhero – it could all be in his head. Peter Serafinowicz is the eponymous Tick, and despite that rather sombre-sounding plot outline, this is a black and surreal comedy worth seeking out.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 2

Image Credit: Amazon Prime Video

The Grand Tour

Clarkson, Hammond and the other one are back for Grand Tour: Season 2. Well, we kind of knew that they would be as they all have massive contracts that mean we will be seeing quite a few seasons of the Definitely Not Top Gear But Quite A Bit Like Top Gear show. This season sees Clarkson drive a fast car, Hammond drive a faster car and nearly die, and the other one drive a fast car considerably slower than the rest. If you enjoy watching middle aged men burn rubber in the middle of the desert, like a scene out of Mad Max: Fury Road, then this is for you. And if we haven't quite convinced you yet – Gizmodo offered up this quote about the show: "Some men doing stuff for no clearly defined reason." Lovely stuff. 

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 3 (new episodes weekly)

Image Credit: Amazon Prime Video

I Love Dick

Graduating from Amazon Originals pilot to fully fledged TV show, I Love Dick is a great subversive watch. The show stars Kevin Bacon and is based on the celebrated book that looks at a married couple who are having marriage issues and their relationship with college professor, Dick. Bacon is on top form as the charismatic Dick and the show's multiple POV storytelling (Rashomon style) works well.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video TV: 1

Image Credit: Amazon Prime Video

New Season Added: The Last Man On Earth

Not many people can find the funny in the post-apocalypse, but Will Forte has managed it with The Last Man On Earth. He writes and stars in this comedy where he is the only survivor on earth after a virus kills everyone else. The cast is brilliant, with the likes of January Jones and Kristen Wiig join him on his adventures and there’s a smattering of decent cameos too – including Will Ferrell and Jon Hamm in season 3. 

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 4

Image Credit: Amazon Prime Video

The League

Created by Jeff and Jackie Schaffer and starring Mark Duplass, The League is very much a US focused comedy – based around a group of friends in an American Fantasy Football league – but don’t let that put you off as it’s nearly always hilarious. The lengths the group go to to win The Shiva – the league trophy – is great to watch, as is there balancing of trying to win week in week out with their normal lives. All seven seasons of the show are available on Prime Video. 

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 7

Image Credit: Amazon Prime Video

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

A new series from Gilmore Girls creator, Amy Sherman-Palladino, The Marvelous Mrs Maisel tells the story of 1950s Jewish housewife Miriam Maisel. After her husband confesses he's been having an affair, Midge drunkenly gets on stage at a comedy club and discovers that she's utterly hilarious. In a time when women aren't encouraged to be publicly funny, Midge pursues her new-found comedic talent in the male-dominated stand up comedy world. 

Seasons to watch on Amazon Prime: 2

Image Credit: Amazon Prime Video

Mad Dogs

The UK version of Mad Dogs was a breath of fresh air when it first aired. Well, the first season was then it all went a little too strange. This remake – green-lit from Amazon's burgeoning Originals series – takes the best from the UK version and mixes it with a plot that's a little easier to follow and humour that's more laugh out loud than pitch black.

The premise is the same: a bunch of mates go and visit one friend at his luxury villa to celebrate his early retirement, only for murder, mayhem and mind-boggling plot developments to ensue. A touch of genius is the recasting of Ben Chaplin. While he played the rich, retiring Alvo in the UK version here he gets to try his luck in a bigger and better role.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 1

Image Credit: Amazon Prime Video

Mozart in the Jungle

Now into its fourth series, Mozart in the Jungle was this surprise winner at the 2015 Golden Globes, where it won Best Comedy Series. The show is a comedy set in the strange world of classical music. Gael García Bernal plays young conductor Rodrigo who replaces a retiring conductor played by Malcolm McDowell. Based loosely on a true story and created by the likes of Jason Schwartzman and Roman Coppola, it's well worth a watch.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 4

Image Credit: Amazon Prime Video

Parks and Recreation

Parks and Rec is a joy of a show. Originally seen as a quasi spin-off of the Office – using the same documentary style camerawork, awkward pauses, asides to camera – it soon grew from an amusing first season, about the goings on in the parks department of Pawnee, to a comedy phenomenon that spanned a fantastic seven seasons. It's not just the script that makes it great, it's also the characters – headed up by the ever-brilliant Amy Poehler.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 7

Image Credit: Amazon Prime Video

Seinfeld

Seinfeld is comedy gold. It’s the sitcom that was self reflexive and knowing. It was about Jerry Seinfeld who was played by Jerry Seinfeld but was playing a version of himself. It’s a similar trick Larry David used when spinning off his character for the show Curb Your Enthusiasm. He even took it a step further to make a whole season of Curb dedicated to bringing back Seinfeld. Over nine seasons this show, which is essentially about nothing, will captivate you, make you laugh and think. It’s fantastic.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 9

Thrillers

Image Credit: Amazon Prime Video

New Season Added: The Americans

The Americans was cruelly mishandled when it originally came to UK TV, so we are glad it has finally found a decent place to reside. The show is a cracking crime period thriller that follows the exploits of a couple of KGB agents posing as US citizens around the time Ronald Reagan became US president.

It may occasionally flit between the ridiculous and the sublime but you would expect nothing more from a show that's main conceit comprises characters duelling with duality. The '80s setting is fantastic, too, though there aren't enough shell suits for our liking.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 6

Image Credit: Amazon Prime Video

The Crossing

This sci-fi thriller has a really interesting premise. A group of refugees trying to escape a war arrive in an American town looking for somewhere to live. The sci-fi twist? They seem to be from 180 years in the future. Gasp! The story centres around a local sheriff, a federal agent and a mum looking for her missing daughter. It's full of conspiracy, mystery and there might be a superpower or two thrown in for good measure. But shh, we don't want to spoil anything.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 1

Image Credit: Amazon Prime Video

The Exorcist

There has been an influx of TV adaptations of movies recently, with many of them actually hitting the mark. The ones that succeed the most are those that take the theme/feeling of the films they are adapting and go in their own direction – Fargo is a perfect example of this. Another example is The Exorcist. Although it takes a couple of episodes to get going, the TV series is a decent spin-off of the movie, with just a slither of a thread attaching the two. 

Don't expect full-on scares, as this is definitely a slow burner. But when the exorcisms come (and there are a few) they will send a chill down your spine. The show is now into its second season, too, so you can watch the first season with the knowledge that the tale of terror is set to continue.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 2

Image Credit: Amazon Prime Video

The Fall

Before he was whipping up a storm as Mr Grey, Jamie Dornan played an effortlessly charming and equally chilling serial killer in The Fall, a fantastic Irish drama that deserves all the acclaim it gets.

Dornan is Paul Spector, a care worker who has a sideline in killing woman. To help track him down, hard-nosed detective Stella Gibson (Gillian Anderson) heads to Belfast to try and capture the murderer. The Fall is a perfect blend of intelligent scripting, nuanced acting and a fantastic premise. Knowing who the killer is from scene one amps up, rather than releases, the show's tension.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 3

Image Credit: Amazon Prime Video

Fear The Walking Dead

Fear The Walking Dead is a show that tries its hardest to be more than a spin-off. Set in Los Angeles, the show follows high school guidance counselor Madison Clark (a brilliant Kim Dickens fresh from Treme) and English teacher Travis Manawa (Cliff Curtis) as they adapt to a life after the 'zombie' outbreak. The show is slow paced, each episode is an hour and there's a 90-minute pilot, but it manages to approach the Walking Dead world in a wholly different way.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 4

Image Credit: Amazon Prime Video

Halt And Catch Fire

Now in its fourth season, Halt And Catch Fire is another surefire hit by AMC – the folks that brought us Mad Men and Breaking Bad. Set around a fictionalised version of the computer revolution of the 1980s and the rise of the web in the '90s, Catch Fire is a fantastic look at how technology has improved all our lives, while nearly tearing apart the innovators at the same time. 

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 4

Image Credit: Amazon Prime Video

Hap and Leonard

Filmed in Baton Rouge and based on the stories of Joe Lansdale, Hap and Leonard is a great swampy noir thriller of a show that’s based on the relationship of two friends and the sometimes violent scrapes they get into. James Purefoy and Michael K Williams are superb as the pair, one a Vietnam vet, the other a draft dodger. Set in the 80s, the show is similar to Cold In July, the movie from the same writer and is only six episodes long, so perfect for a binge watch.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 3

Image Credit: Amazon Prime Video

Haven

Stephen King has had a rocky journey to the big and small screen. For every adaptation that works (Misery, Shawshank Redemption), there’s a dozen that don’t (The Langoliers, Under The Dome TV show). Haven is a strange one – it’s a show that started as an adaptation of a Stephen King short story, The Colorado Kid, and has mutated into a love letter to King and his stories. Over the course of five seasons, the show has becomes a great watch – especially if you are a King fan and can spot the many references. 

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 4

Update: Haven is still available via Amazon Prime Video, but it's no longer free. You'll have to pay £2.49 per episode, or buy a whole season for £13.99.

Image Credit: Amazon Prime Video

Into The Badlands

Into The Badlands is a heady mix of brilliant martial arts and high drama as trained fighter Sunny (Daniel Wu) takes a group of people on a twisted road trip through the mystical badlands, a post-apocalyptic landscape some 500 years after a devastating war. There's plenty of bite in each episode, and it also contains some of the best fighting seen on television.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 3

Image Credit: Amazon Prime Video

Mr Robot

It was an agonising wait for Mr Robot in the UK – the first season had all-but ended in the US before we even got a sniff of it. But its popularity meant that there was something of a bidding war to see who would show it in the UK. Amazon, Netflix and other more traditional broadcasters fought for it, proving that even bean counters can see the worth in counter culture.

Amazon won in the end and is the perfect place for a show that focuses on the exploits of hacker Elliot (a superb Rami Malek). Mr Robot is Fight Club for the Tor generation, lifting a lid on a world where what Linux kernel you use is not just a badge of honour but a way of life.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 3

Image Credit: Amazon Prime Video

The Man In The High Castle

There have been a number of successful Amazon pilots that have made it to a full series but none have the epic potential that Man In The High Castle has. This Philip K Dick adaptation is finally available to stream – with all episodes ready for your consumption. High Castle imagines what the world would be like if Germany had won World War II and the Nazis had taken global control. Turns out it's a bit worse than us all driving around in VW Beetles and wearing Hugo Boss coats.

Season 2 is now available and expands on the mythos. Given this is a cautionary tale about what could happen when the hard right takes over America, things suddenly don't feel too far fetched.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 3

Image Credit: Amazon Prime Video

Preacher

Amazon of a Preacher, man! Preacher is the next big comic-book adaptation and my god it's good. It takes the deranged feel of the graphic novels and translates it well to the small screen. Dominic Cooper is great as small-town preacher Jesse Custer who, inhabited by a strange spirit, starts to do God's work in a small America town with his ex girlfriend (a brilliant Ruth Negga) and an Irish vampire, played by Misfits' Joe Gilgun as his cohorts.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 3

Image Credit: Amazon Prime Video

Ripper Street

For a show that’s steeped in murder, it’s pleasing to note that we all have Amazon to thank for breathing new life into Ripper Street. After two series of the show, which focuses on the lives of the East End of London in the 19th Century where there is a copycat Jack the Ripper on the loose, it was cancelled by the BBC. Amazon decided there was enough fan love out there, thankfully, and revived the show for three more series. Great acting masks some of the hokier moments of the script but this is all good, grizzly fun.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 5

Image Credit: Amazon Prime Video

Sons Of Anarchy

Seemingly always vying for the top spot of Best Recently Finished Drama (we may have made up that award) with Breaking Bad, Sons Of Anarchy is a long brooding menace of a show that deserves your attention. Centred on a motorcycle gang that live by their own rules (you can probably guess what their name is from the title) the show is positively Shakespearean in its storytelling and will have you gripped from episode one.

While Ron Perlman steals the show as Clay, Charlie Hunnam's Jax is one of the best tortured souls you will see on any television show. All seven seasons of the show are now streaming on the service.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 7

Image Credit: Amazon Prime Video

Vikings

If you have any interest in Norse mythology then the name Ragnar Lothbrok will mean a whole lot to you. Basically he was a king and powerful ruler that was a right git to the English and the French.

Vikings is a series that traces his Norse-based goings on with enough charm and scope to take on Game of Thrones in the sword and sandals stakes. Yes it takes a number of liberties with its source material but the acting is top class, as is the cinematography in a historical romp that's now deservedly in its fourth season – the second half of which is now available.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 5

Image Credit: Amazon Prime Video

The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead has been reanimated more times than the zombies that harruange the group of survivors we have all come to know and love. Initially created with Frank Darabont at the helm, he left after the first season then his replacement was eventually replaced and their replacement replaced.

With this in mind, it's amazing that not only has the show consistently managed to improve season after season it has become one of the most successful series ever. Yes it sometimes slumps along slower than a zombie with its legs hacked off but give it time and it will reward you with more drama than you can shake a bloody stump at.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 9

Image Credit: Amazon Prime Video

The X-Files

The X-Files was one of the first shows that embraced event TV. Yes, it had many 'monster of the week' storylines but creator Chris Carter managed to produce a nine-season long mythology arc that kept viewers coming back for more. That and the brilliant casting of David Duchovny as Fox Mulder and the ever-excellent Gillian Anderson and Dana Scully. With a new 10th season on the horizon, Amazon has put all nine previous seasons on to Prime – all remastered in widescreen. Lovely stuff.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 9

The best of the rest, and coming soon

All or Nothing

We definitely recommend you get stuck into All or Nothing, a football documentary that follows Manchester City behind-the-scenes during the Premier League winning and record-breaking 2017/2018 season. It's an 8-part series that features all kinds of exclusive footage, from locker room pep talks with coach Pep Guardiola, and a look at the players' lives off and on the pitch. It's a must-watch for everyone from die-hard Man City fans to even those with a vague interested in footy.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 1

Image Credit: Amazon Prime Video

Batman: The Animated Series

You've seen all the Nolan and Burton Bat flicks, and you're wisely avoiding the new Batfleck films. If you're still hankering for a Batman fix, you could do far, far worse than jumping into Batman: The Animated Series. Kicking off back in 1992, it bridges the gap of the Burton aesthetic and the comic book series, and is regarded by Batman fans as having perhaps the definitive onscreen take on the Dark Knight.

It's ostensibly a kids cartoon, but the ongoing storylines are captivating and stylishly noir-like in delivery. And to cap things off, the voice cast is superb – Kevin Conroy is an assuredly-good Batman (reprising the role for the recent Batman: Arkham games), while Star Wars' own Mark Hamill is a fantastically unhinged Joker.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 4

Image Credit: Amazon Prime Video

Grand Prix Driver

This new Amazon Original documentary takes viewers underneath the glitz and glamour that is the surface of Formula 1, to explore the inner-workings of the 2017 McLaren team. Narrated by Michael Douglas, this documentary follows  rookie driver Stoffel Vandoorne over four episodes, as he and his team prepare for the 2017 Formula 1 World Championship. 

Season on Amazon Prime Video: 1

Image Credit: Amazon Prime Video

Grimm

Merge a fairy tale fantasy with a police drama and you get Grimm. It's all about Nick Burkhardt, a detective based in Portland in the US who discovers he's a Grimm. Which basically means he's a kind of mystical guardian who must keep the peace between humans and creatures called Wesen. As you might expect, a lot of the characters are inspired by Grimms' Fairy Tales, but the show draws from many other sources too to create a story that's a little like Buffy The Vampire Slayer, but with fairy tale creatures.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 6

Image Credit: Amazon Prime Video

Coming Soon: Good Omens

From the genius literary and fantasy minds of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett comes the TV adaptation of their magical book Good Omens. Starring David Tennant and Michael Sheen in the lead roles of a demon and an angel, the story is told over six parts and is anticipated to be the hottest new TV show this Spring. 

Release Date: May 31, 2019

Image Credit: Amazon Prime Video

Coming Soon: Fleabag (Season 2) 

Fleabag season 1 changed everything we knew about comedy, breaking the fourth wall and bringing the very authentic, laugh out loud funny and, at times, completely heartbreaking private moments of the lovable but deeply flawed lead character to our TV screens. Season 2 was a huge hit when it first aired earlier this year, and you can relive all the 'sexy priest' magic on Amazon soon.

Release Date: May 17, 2019

Read more: techradar.com

[garyzarrt-blog]

My Wall 7 & 8

7          The battle of the diner!

“Leave him alone!” a tall man I had seen my building shouted at the diner owner. “Take your hands off him!” cried a Haitian nurse who worked in the nearby hospital (the one with the excellent ER unit that I had used when several of my girlfriends were hurt when my rather heavy gentle tortoise, Freedom, nested peacefully on their chests in bed causing suffocation and even in serious cases, afib. At least there weren't any severe allergic reactions like with cats. I'm not sure this mattered to my hospitalized girlfriends.) “No, throw him out – he is a scumbag! The wall stands of exclusion!” “Social justice for all!” “Give him his eggs and toast!” “Go fuck yourself!” “No, you go fuck yourself!” The fat owner was beside himself – he had no hair so he rubbed his head like a madman. “You are bad for my business! I always knew it! I always knew it about you!  Even though you were a good eater – you want to kill my business!” He punched my wall but his hand bounced off the surface. (I laughed the way truly great celebrities and giants of history do when they are under attack by pygmies.) “Call the cops!” “They won’t do shit!” “The cops are the walls themselves! They kill black men!  They kill the poor! They kill innocent people!" “The police keep us safe! Fuck you! They have nothing to do with this moron and his wall or any other walls. They keep us safe.” Some people clapped. Others jeered. I had no idea, really, that my wall would have this immediate impact. I had no idea of the virulence it would unleash. “The cops will only ask for a free breakfast."  Laughter. "So let them have it – they work their asses off like us.” More laughter. But then more screaming and cursing and yelling. I noticed everyone in my neighborhood diner – African-Americans, Asians, older white retirees, Millennials, students, Latinos, even children with their mothers -- began to stand up. The middle-aged Korean guy who ran the dry cleaner across the street was jumping up and down. “I am for the wall! I am for the wall! We need law and order!  The wall will bring law and order! I am for the wall!" The diner owner was right – my invention had uncorked long dormant emotions inside his usually placid customers.  The truth of my wall was America's truth, too. In some ways my wall showed the divisions among people who rarely talked politics or religion or other heavy topics. Spam and hash fries flew around me. I ducked further within my wall for protection. Dishes and bialys splattered against the colored stucco walls painted with bulky, malformed Greek gods and goddesses and voluptuous nymphs with tiny eyes who seemed to be doing steroids. Bowls of oatmeal, and cups of the watered-down diner coffee I knew and loved (and which powered most of New York) were being hurled by diners with varying degrees of accuracy, at each other, at the bald owner, and at me. My hair was sticky from the maple syrup that had splashed over the top of my wall when I suffered a direct hit with a buttered short stack. (But, otherwise, my Stayaway walls made me impregnable.) My wall had incited a full scale riot in my neighborhood diner. Later, I would become the darling of some and a pariah to others. I feared for my life. Food was flying, the shouting was making my wall vibrate. Then I heard sirens. I escaped by plunging under the fat Greek owner’s flailing arms, and past Elvis, who was trying to mop up the floor which was slick and treacherous.  Two frail senior citizens in wheelchairs and oxygen tanks struggled, and held each other by the throat in a prehistoric death lock. I ran out, no, more accurately, I hopped and skipped, because my wall, at least during this early phase, didn’t permit Olympic dashes or long distance running. Not seeing where I was going, once on the sidewalk, I rushed west, towards Broadway.

8          I flee

I was starting to feel cold; even with my coat on (I had gotten my coat extended at the tailor so it fit nicely beneath my wall), I began to shiver. I found it tricky to trot. I bumped into passersby, many of them smiled and nodded, and at one point I found myself face-to-face with the sweet man from Yemen who sells coffee from behind one of those steaming street carts. (His coffee is no better than the diner, but I felt compelled to buy one since Jose, and even Elvis, never got around to serving me.) “I have to get out of here -- fast,” I said in a harried voice since I figured the police would be following me after the riot in the diner. My hands may have been shaking as I reached over the top of my wall. The coffee man from Yemen, who once showed me a photo of his young family in Queens, also had an odd American-sounding name, I mean for a person like him. It was Willie. (Note to self and the world – immigrants use ultra-American-sounding names because they want to fit in, they want to make it in America, because they are seeking their own golden bowling alley like my Dad back home leading to wealth and fame. How admirable. Wait till they all have their own walls!) Willie handed the coffee to me over the wall. “Thanks, I wish I could stay to talk, but I have to get out of here fast,” I yelled. (I screamed to make sure people beyond my wall would hear me.) “Inshallah,” Willie replied, beaming as always, trying to shove a blueberry doughnut the size of a baseball mitt over the wall.  (Sensing my distress, Willie wanted to make sure I had enough food – this is another touching American trait, in particular among groups who overly harsh critics of our country choose to call “marginalized.” These recent Americans make sure to eat a lot, and as quickly and often as possible, most likely because their nutrition is never assured. (My turtle, Freedom, used to eat this way when I first got her. She was very skittish. Back then, Freedom barfed a lot. I guess gorging is a survival instinct.  It’s certainly American.) I’m not sure what Willie meant when he spoke in his language (I think it was Arabic) but it sounded very kind. Feverish and expecting the worst at any moment, I headed in the direction of the subway, with Willie waving the sugary baseball mitt-size doughnut. An accountant I knew from the neighborhood advised me, “Take it. Take it. Don’t be proud. Willie’s a generous man. Take it. Take it.” I knew I didn’t have time. And I didn't have to go to work. (I could get away with a few more mental health days). While I had always found the subway to be an escape, right now it was a literal escape – from the police and the bald diner owner, and perhaps others who seemed to be trailing me as I made my way along 23rd Street. I knew people from the diner were running after me, too – either to carry me on their shoulders like a modern day hero, or to trash my wall which I knew (and hope you understand) is impossible because of how it was constructed – the material and design. (I didn’t realize until much later in the day, when my fortune had been made in the most unlikely way, when I saw the chaos of my retreat from the diner captured on local evening TV news, that I had caused chaos during morning rush hour on East 23rd Street. Months after, when some of my supporters in Miami filed a Freedom of Information Act with the government, I found out that because of what had happened when I went outside the first time wearing my wall, I was considered such a threat that Homeland Security had been called just in case my wall was evaluated to be an act of homegrown terrorism. I was on the edge of disappearing into a black ops site, which I hear are mostly located on Staten Island; there are many in New Jersey, too. In the midst of my confusion, a homeless guy asked me for money. He took a swing at me when I rushed past, and because of the Stayaway protection of my wall he bounced, not just his left fist but all of him, out into traffic. (Note to self and the world – my wall, when used by others can become the central part of an American self-defense system. Another sign of the relevance and timelessness of my idea!) I heard a clanging Salvation Army bell. I looked up at the green neon sign of a bar I knew but had avoided because the music was way too low, making conversation actually audible, something I found undesirable when socializing with others; particularly on dates.  (Note to self and the world – perhaps the fact that my wall baffles sound is grounded in the deep need we Americans have to stay in our own worlds, to maintain our mental space. It enhances the suspicion we seem to have for each other, and especially for strangers, people who don’t look like us. There are so many – in a place like New York. My wall will sell like hot cakes!) I could hardly breathe. I did not want know what was going to happen next. I was blacking out. (Note to self and the world – doing things in the real world is way more stressful than online. Why is this so?) That’s when I heard the consoling rumble beneath me. I knew I had reached the subway near Madison Square Park. For a moment, very hungry, I thought about seeing if the original Shake Shack was open. (I was hungry because I had never had my scrambled eggs and buttered whole wheat toast.) I had refused the jelly doughnut from Willie.  But, Shake Shack opened later, of course. I was delirious, and anyway there would be the usual endless line.   I couldn’t wait.  I had not time to waste. “Get him!” They weren’t far behind. I tried to turn to see through the holes in the wall who was behind me. I saw a mob not far away. “That’s him! That’s the crazy scrambled eggs guy!” "He's a martyr for all progressives!" A couple, tourists, started taking photos of me. “Hey, check out that guy with the walls!” “What a cool costume!” I gulped the rest of my coffee and sky hooked the cup out from behind my wall into the closest litter basket. (I played basketball in high school. Kareem Abdul Jabar was one of my Dad's idols.) I peered through my wall and saw the subway steps.  Before I could move, I felt something warm and wet on my left shoe. A small dog that was walked by a sad pretty young girl stopped, sniffed, deliberated, and then decided to use my impervious Stayaway wall as the perfect new spot to mark his territory.  As the warm liquid, ran down my ankle and into my sock, the girl giggled, said “Woah,” and tugged on the leash. The midget dog yapped and nipped the bottom of my pants. I got in one good kick before I practically fell down the subway steps. The urination was public shaming, if you ask me. It was time to get our country back - to fight back - even against entitled miniature dogs with serious attitude. Revolutions always start small.

Monday afternoon January 9, 2017

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