Ridley Scott’s “Unsettling” Dystopian Sci-Fi Thriller Remains One of Prime Video’s Best Original Series

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Ridley Scott is famous for directing blockbuster films like Alien and Gladiator, but he’s also a prolific producer. His production company, Scott Free Productions, has created a number of acclaimed movies and TV series, including The Good Wife, Dope Thief, Alien: Earth, and a highly-rated 2015 sci-fi thriller that’s still a standout original program on Prime Video.

As a huge fan of alternate history, I was really captivated by The Man in the High Castle. I was an executive producer on the show, which started as a novel by Philip K. Dick back in 1962. It first aired in January 2015, and the central idea is a truly unsettling one: what if Germany and Japan had won World War II? It paints a disturbing picture of what America could be like under Axis rule, and really digs into themes of control, who we are, and fighting back. Honestly, given everything going on in the world today, the show feels incredibly timely and relevant – it really makes you think.

Featuring actors like Alexa Davalos, Rupert Evans, Luke Kleintan, DJ Qualls, Joel de la Fuente, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, and Rufus Sewell, the acclaimed series The Man in the High Castle finished its four-season run on November 15, 2019. Throughout its run, the show received numerous award nominations and wins, including Creative Arts Emmys for exceptional cinematography and main title design. Here’s what the series is about:

I’m completely hooked on The Man in the High Castle! It’s a fascinating show that asks ‘what if?’ – what if the Axis powers had won World War II? It imagines a divided America, with Japan controlling one part, Nazis another, and a neutral zone in between. It’s a dark world, but then these mysterious films start appearing, showing glimpses of an alternate reality where the Allies actually won. I’m following the story of a woman who believes these films are the key to sparking a rebellion and she’s determined to find the person behind them. It’s seriously gripping!

‘The Man in the High Castle’ Was Prestige TV


Prime Video

When The Man in the High Castle launched, Netflix was already proving the value of original shows like House of Cards and Orange is the New Black. So, Prime Video took a risk with this series – it was their first major hour-long drama, and it was expensive. The first two seasons cost a whopping $179 million. While that might not sound like much now, considering the cost of shows like The Rings of Power, it was a huge investment in 2015 for a show that wasn’t guaranteed to succeed.

The risk of creating The Man in the High Castle was worth it, as the show quickly became popular on Prime Video, earning its place among must-see, high-quality television. Both critics and viewers agreed, giving the series an 84% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 79% score from its audience. Reviewers described it as everything from “ambitious and intelligent” to “haunting and disturbing,” as critic Bill Brioux noted in his review:

If you thought the recent peak in quality television ended with shows like Breaking Bad and Mad Men, prepare to be surprised by The Man in the High Castle.

If you haven’t already, now’s a great time to start watching The Man in the High Castle on Prime Video – it’s a truly captivating series, even if it can be a bit intense!

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2026-01-11 05:03