4 shows to watch on Amazon Prime Video instead of the Emmys

It may be the 70th Primetime Emmys tonight, but you don’t need to watch the awards show if you don’t want. Here are four shows that are certainly worth watching instead and they’re all on Amazon Prime Video.

Amazon Prime Video has received its most nominations for the Emmys every, with 22 nominations across the board. More than half of those (14 to be exact) have come from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, which walked away with a number of wins from the Creative Arts Emmys last week.

If you’re not an awards show person (I know the feeling), you’re likely looking for something else to watch tonight. It’s time to turn to Amazon Prime Video. Why not watch the shows that have been nominated?

There are four on the list that are definitely must-watches and they are all Prime Originals. You’ll get through a good amount of episodes, too. Get ready to laugh, cry, and rejoice.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

This is an obvious but necessary choice. After all, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel has helped Amazon get its most ever Emmy nominations this year.

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Set in post-World War II America, the story is about Jewish housewife Midge Maisel. After years of supporting her husband through his dreams and passions, she learns that he has been having an affair and he’s leaving her for his secretary–Penny Pan who can’t even sharpen a pencil.

We see her get to grips of being a divorcee in a time when it was certainly frowned upon. She has to figure out what to do, especially when her ex-father-in-law makes it clear that he’s the one that owns the apartment she’s lived in with her husband.

While it sounds sad, it’s a comedy that will have you laughing from the first episode. The second episode is far better and then it only goes on up. I can’t wait for the second season, so you’ll definitely want to check it out if you haven’t already.

The Tick

The Ben Edlund series, The Tick, has been nominated once for the Emmys tonight, so it’s one that you’ll want to check out. Based on Edlund’s comic series, it tells the story of superheroes with a twist. This isn’t a look at one superhero saving lives because he feels like it’s his destiny and that’s it.

A lot of the focus is on his relationship with his new sidekick Arthur, who is a nervous young man but honorable at the same time. As their bond grows, they learn that a supervillain The Tick believed to be dead is actually still possibly alive. Can they take down The Terror?

The comedy live-action series was nominated for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music.

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Mozart in the Jungle

If you haven’t already checked this one out, make sure you do it right now. Mozart in the Jungle is one of the older Prime Originals, which was canceled this year after four seasons. Inspired by Blair Tindall’s memoir “Mozart in the Jungle: Sex, Drugs, and Classical Music,” the series goes through the high-profile New York career and everything that came with it.

Lola Kirke plays lead character Hailey Rutledge, who is an aspiring oboist and wants to play in the New York Symphony. You’ll want to get to the third and fourth season to see more of the underrated and unfairly forgotten female composers and musicians.

Mozart in the Jungle has been nominated for Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (Half-Hour) and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Animation (Half-Hour).

The Last Tycoon

Finally, let’s take a look at the show that received three nominations at the Emmys this year. The Last Tycoon is something worth tuning into even if you’re not interested in seeing why shows are nominated for awards.

Matt Bomer and Kelsey Grammer star in the series loosely based on the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel of the same name. There’s only one season of the series and it has been canceled, so you’ll get to the end of the story relatively easily.

For the Emmys, the series is in the mini-series list, suggesting that this may have always been intended as a short series not to be renewed.

Honorable mentions

If you’re looking for something that’s different and not been nominated for Emmys, I can suggest these three shows:

• The Man in the High Castle
• Sneaky Pete
• Jack Ryan

What are you watching instead of the Emmys? Which is your favorite Prime Original? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

The 70th Primetime Emmys starts at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.