Original programming has been dominating Prime Video's top 10 in August, with Reacher season 4 and Sterling Point season 1 sitting at Nos. 1 and No. 2, respectively. Beyond the list of new and returning shows this month, Prime Video has a stacked library of licensed shows that appeal to mass audiences.
One of the shows on the list is a procedural that premiered in 2005. That staying power is only possible because of its strong following. The next show is a CBS drama that ran for more than a dozen years. The final show, which happens to be our top selection of the weekend, is the second season of a horror anthology series from Ryan Murphy. All three shows are available to stream on Prime Video in the U.S.
Whenever I watch a procedural, it's a stress-free experience. I don't necessarily need to understand every single detail of the episode, nor do I need to spend hours on Reddit combing through fan theories. It's not as pressure-inducing as House of the Dragon or Stranger Things. There is real value to adding a show like Criminal Minds to your streaming lineup.
From crime labs to emergency rooms — can you identify these iconic
procedural dramas from a single clue?
Which procedural drama features the Behavioral Analysis Unit, a team of FBI
profilers who hunt down serial killers using psychological analysis?
In NCIS, what is the full name of the long-running lead character played by Mark
Harmon, who served as Special Agent in Charge for nearly two decades?
Blue Bloods follows the Reagan family, a multi-generational dynasty of law
enforcement officers. In which city does the show primarily take place?
Law & Order is famous for its two-part structure. Which two phases does each episode
typically follow?
Law & Order: SVU focuses on a specialized unit that investigates what type of crime
in New York City?
In CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, which Las Vegas criminalist served as the
original lead character, known for his philosophical musings and passion for entomology?
NYPD Blue, one of the most groundbreaking police dramas of the 1990s, aired on which
broadcast network for its entire 12-season run?
ER, the long-running NBC medical drama created by Michael Crichton, was set in the
emergency room of which fictional Chicago hospital?
Created by Jeff Davis, Criminal Minds is a police procedural focusing on the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU), a special group of profilers who investigate peculiar cases and study mysterious suspects known as unsubs (unknown subjects). The best way I can describe it is that the BAU solves crimes committed by criminals who resemble fictional villains like Hannibal Lecter and Jigsaw.
The first five seasons are streaming on Prime Video, so the characters you gravitate toward include Jason Gideon (Mandy Patinkin), Aaron Hotchner (Thomas Gibson), Dr. Spencer Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler), Emily Prentiss (Paget Brewster), and Penelope Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness). The show primarily follows a case-of-the-week format, so you can watch most of the episodes in any order you like. When you don't know what to watch, there's a benefit to having a go-to procedural like Criminal Minds to put on.
I don't know what it is about this weekend, but my mind is drifting toward procedurals. Perhaps it's due to the fact that we're approaching the end of summer, and there aren't as many new shows right now as there will be once September begins. I find myself looking for shows to kill an hour. Blue Bloods satisfies those criteria.
