With COVID-19 still raging, it appears that we’re still going to be shut in our homes a while longer. By now, you’ve likely made a huge dent in your TBR pile and are looking for new shows to watch. If Amazon Prime is your streaming service of choice, they’ve got some wonderful adaptions of books to fill your queue. Happy streaming!

Jane Eyre

This classic tale by Charlotte Brontë actually has four different adaptions available for free on Amazon Prime! Whether you choose the digitally remastered movie from 1970 starring George C. Scott and Susannah York, the 1983 BBC miniseries with Zelah Clarke and Timothy Dalton, the 1997 movie starring Deborah Findlay, or the 2006 BBC miniseries with Ruth Wilson and Toby Stephens, this is a story that never gets old.

BBC Televisions Live Production of George Orwell’s 1984

George Orwell’s 1984 pioneered the genre of dystopian fiction. While there is a more traditional movie adaptation of this tale of rebelling against a totalitarian regime by falling in love, the version that is available for free on Amazon Prime is actually a live BBC telecast from 1954. Starring as Winston Smith, Peter Cushing took home the Guild of Television Award for Best Actor for his performance.

Conan the Barbarian

While this is not the first adaption of the Conan myth, this 2011 version opened at #4 at the box office. The Conan mythology was first introduced in a series of short stories, starting with “The Phoenix on the Sword” written by Robert E. Howard and published in Weird Tales magazine in 1932. He eventually went on to write a novel in the mythos. This film’s ceaseless, gory violence is truly faithful to the stories by Robert E. Howard.

Anna Karenina

Between film, television, musical theatre, ballet, and opera, there are dozens of adaptions of Leo Tolstoy’s classic tale. The two that are available for free on Amazon Prime are the 2015 Italian two-part miniseries and the 2017 TV show in the original Russian. If you prefer to watch without subtitles, there are other versions in English available to rent or buy.

Adventures of Paddington Bear

If your kids loved the new Paddington movies, check out the original 1997 television show. Two seasons of Paddington Bear’s adventures provides hours of family-friendly entertainment. You may recognize the voice of Jonathan Philip Glover, who voices Mr. Henry Brown, from his role as the Management in Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

Good Omens

This delightful show about the battle between good and evil is based on the Terry Pratchett novel of the same name. The show stars David Tennant as Crowley, a demon, and Michael Sheen as Aziraphale, an angel. When the Antichrist is born, they have one final chance to tip the balance in favor of evil to bring about the end of the world—or in favor of good to stop it.

True Blood

This fantasy horror drama television show is actually based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris. It follows Sookie Stackhouse, played by Anna Paquin, a telepathic waitress, two years after a synthetic blood that allowed vampires to “come out of the coffin” and be a part of society. When Sookie falls for a vampire, her world is turned upside-down.

Tales from the Loop

While the stories told in this brand-new Amazon Original are not derived from any source material, the settings in which they take place are derived from an art book by Swedish artist Simon Stålenhag. This show follows the adventures of the people who live above the Loop, a machine designed to unlock the mysteries of the universe.

Heartland

This family drama is the longest-running one-hour scripted drama in Canadian television history. Last year, it was renewed for it’s 13th season. Based on the Heartland book series by Lauren Brooke, it follows sisters Amy and Lou Fleming, their grandfather Jack Bartlett, and ranch hand Ty Borden as they experience the highs and lows of life on a ranch.