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5 Best Amazon Originals

With all the attention that Netflix gets, you’d think that they’re the only streaming service worth talking about. While it’s true that Netflix dominates the streaming market and it’s the streaming service most Canadians choose, there are other options on the market. Case in point: Amazon. They’ve really increased their original programming and have something for everyone, from the preschool set to parents-only TV. For example . . . 

Tumble Leaf

Tumble Leaffollows the adventures of Fig, a blue fox, and Stick, his caterpillar friend. They live on a wrecked ship full of wonderful characters. Each episode, they learn basic science lessons and use what they learn to help solve their problems. One of the show’s brightest spots is its use of intricate stop-motion animation. If you’re a parent tired of lazy and lacklustre kids TV, give Tumble Leafa shot. 

The Grand Tour 

If you were wondering: yes, The Grand Touris basically Top Gear. Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May are back and doing all the car stuff you love. They have unconventional races, do imaginative challenges, shoot little featurettes on particular cars, make celebrity guests race around a track, and engage in all the goofy car comedy you’d expect from the BBC’s most famous trio. If you’ve never watched Top Gearor you don’t consider yourself much of a car person, you should still consider giving The Grand Tour a watch. It’s surprisingly accessible, even if you’re a public-transit taking urbanite. 

Mozart in the Jungle

As it turns out, what happens backstage at the symphony is more interesting than what’s onstage. Based on oboist Blair Tindall’s memoir, Mozart in the Jungle is a dramady that follows a new superstar conductor taking a job at the New York Symphony and shaking things up. Backstage romances, battles between musical stars, and the occasional ego being taken down a peg makes for a highly bingable show. 

The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle

We’re not sure how this classic 60’s series got rebooted, but we’re glad it did. Rocky and Bullwinkle are back, doing things like saving an alien named Cloyd from an alien zoo and escaping from Weird Monster Island. Of course, Fearless Leader, Boris, and Natasha are there to make things difficult for Rocky and Bullwinkle. Also, Gordon Ramsay has a cameo, so there’s that. 

Sneaky Pete

Sneaky Pete follows con man Marius as he gets out of prison only to find himself hunted by a gangster he once crossed. So, he does what any good con man would do: he steals the identity of his old cellmate Pete. Then, he tracks down Pete’s estranged family and starts to ingratiate himself to them. Equal parts comedy, drama, and crime caper, Sneaky Pete is sinister and highly original.

Image credit: Amazon Studios.