Prime Video’s Gritty 2-Part Crime Drama Is Hooking ‘True Detective’ Viewers

1 week ago 13

Published Feb 15, 2026, 8:40 PM EST

Adam Blevins began working in the entertainment industry in 2022 as a Staff Writer for Agents of Fandom, where he progressed to Senior Editor and interviewed talent from Marvel Studios, House of the Dragon, and Planet of the Apes. He joined Collider as a News Author in April 2024, was promoted to a Senior position in December 2024, and has written over 3,000 articles for the site, including exclusives relating to Avengers: Doomsday, The Penguin, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, and more. He primarily writes about the latest box office numbers and the hottest movies and TV shows on streaming, while also covering superhero and sci-fi news. He has completed a set visit for The Chosen and even has several months of experience writing Gaming Features at ScreenRant. You can find him on X, LinkedIn, and Muckrack.

The first season of True Detective is irrefutably one of the all-time great seasons of TV. Between the star power of Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, mixed with some of the best writing for any TV script, it’s no wonder the show picked up several Emmys and earned renewals for three more seasons. Everyone loves a good detective drama/police procedural, which is part of why the genre has flourished as well as it has on network TV. There’s something about watching a cop crack a case over the course of an intense and methodical season.

Prime Video has attempted to recreate the magic of True Detective with Cross, the hard-boiled detective series starring Aldis Hodge. The show is based on the series of Cross novels by James Patterson, and it has been brought to the screen in the past by other actors such as Morgan Freeman. Prime Video’s Cross first premiered back in 2024, and despite mixed reviews, the show was an instant hit. It earned a Season 2 renewal, and after months of anticipation, the first three episodes of Cross Season 2 debuted on Prime Video earlier this week. It’s sitting at a strong 91% score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.

Cross has returned to Prime Video with a splash, wasting no time becoming the third most popular TV show on the platform at the time of writing. It has still yet to pass the new season of Beast Games, the reality TV show from popular YouTube personality, Mr. Beast. It’s also trailing Fallout, but now that the video game adaptation is off the air for now, it will likely surge past the Walton Goggins-led series in the coming days.

What Else Is Streaming on Prime Video Right Now?

In addition to Cross, Beast Games, and Fallout, a few other shows are hanging around in the Prime Video top 10. One of those series is Steal, the hit new crime thriller starring Game of Thrones veteran Sophie Turner. The second season of The Night Manager, which stars Loki veteran Tom Hiddleston, is also a hit streaming on Prime. The most popular movie on the platform right now is The Wrecking Crew, the action smash starring Jason Momoa and Dave Bautista. Ana de Armas’ John Wick spin-off, Ballerina, is also in the Prime Video top 10.