As you settle in for another cold weekend indoors, do it with no worries about what you’re going to watch, thanks to Amazon Prime Video. While their library of new content grows, their selection of previously released titles remains fresh and very much in your face, which I appreciate.
This weekend, we’re warming up by heading to the Deep South for a comedy drenched in so much Florida humor, it’ll have you in stitches, especially if you’re a southerner. After that, we’re buckling up for an action-crime series that has the potential to be a solid Yellowstone replacement. Then, we’ll dive into a brilliant sci-fi series for some shocking and life-saving time-traveling exploits.
Commit to the weekend binge with these three must-see Prime Video shows.
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Florida Girls
Since it’s freezing outside right now, I thought I’d start off with a little warmth, and there’s no better place for that than in the Deep South, specifically the Sunshine State. Florida Girls is a hilarious sitcom from creator and executive producer Laura Chinn about her real-life experiences growing up and living there.
When their best friend moves out of their mobile home to start her career, her four broke roommates are left with no choice but to confront their lives. Unmistakably lowbrow and low-rent, the foursome must lean on their tight-knit, non-judgmental, and loving friendship while they struggle to handle the comedic curveballs life throws at them. This means battling to find self-worth in a society that deems poor, uneducated women as having no value.
If you live or have lived in Florida, or if you’re a fan of shows like It’s Florida, Man and Trailer Park Boys, you’ll be happy with your decision to binge-watch Florida Girls. It’s humor aptly plays on typical Sunshine State stereotypes but is careful to avoid offense. With just 10 episodes running about 22 minutes each, the show makes for an excellent weekend binge.
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Blue Ridge: The Series
If you’ve been on a search for a Yellowstone replacement series in the wake of the show’s conclusion, you might just find some solace in Blue Ridge: The Series. Based on the film of the same name, the series is a direct continuation of former Green Beret Justin Wise’s story as he begins his new life in the rugged Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina.
Johnathon Schaech (That Thing You Do!) stars as Justin Wise, an outsider who moves to a small mountain town to be near his ex-wife and their young daughter. After a highbrow murder takes place, Wise discovers the town isn’t as quaint, quiet, or safe as he thought. After he takes on the role of sheriff, Wise fights to protect his town and everyone in it from criminal forces trying to rip it apart.
There’s more than enough moonshine, family drama, and murder mysteries to go around in this first season, which also features some breathtaking Blue Ridge scenery. The small-town crime series does a good job at creating that old-school Western feel in a modern setting, and with its honorable hero working self-contained cases, the show makes for a quietly thrilling, easy watch. Oh, and in case you’re wondering, yes, season 2 is on the way.
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12 Monkeys
A loose adaptation of the 1995 film of the same name, 12 Monkeys is a wickedly fascinating science fiction thriller full of action, mystery, and time travel. Our plot follows a post-apocalyptic scavenger named James Cole (Nikita’s Aaron Stanford) as he time travels from 2043 to the present day, in 2013. His goal is to stop the Army of the 12 Monkeys cult from releasing a deadly virus that wipes out 94 percent of humanity.
Assisting Cole on his mission is virologist Dr. Cassandra Railly (Suits’ Amanda Schull), who soon faces the kind of decision she never thought she’d encounter. When Cole discovers that the Army’s mastermind, who is known as The Witness, plans to destroy time and create a timeless, deathless realm called the Red Forest, Dr. Railly must decide whether to break her Hippocratic oath and do harm to save the world.
12 Monkeys features a heavily layered plot with intricate time loops, paradoxes, and shocking revelations, which culminates with a conclusion that, much like the Dude’s rug, really ties everything together. Its storytelling abilities are clever and cohesive, the characters are deeply complex, and the finale is incredibly satisfying. Do you need to watch the movie before the series? Not necessarily, but it helps for context, so I’d recommend it if you haven’t seen it. The flick features Bruce Willis in one of his career-defining performances.
Any of these shows will make for a great binge, and there’s more than enough entertainment here to keep you warm and occupied over the next few days. However, should you seek more out of your weekend than bingeworthy TV shows, don’t forget to check out this week’s must-see movies on Prime Video. Either way, you won’t be disappointed, and hopefully the recommendations keep you coming back for more.
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