New Amazon series dethrones Rings of Power as streamer's #1 show

The Peripheral
(Image credit: Amazon Studios)

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has been Prime Video's number one show for the past six weeks, but it's now been knocked off the top spot. The Peripheral, a new sci-fi series produced by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, the creators of Westworld, is now Prime the streamer's number one series.

Based on the bestselling novel by William Gibson, The Peripheral is described as a hallucinatory glimpse into the fate of mankind and what lies beyond. The story follows Burton (Midsommar's Jack Reynor), a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, as he's hired for a security job in what he thinks is cyberspace. However, when his sister Flynne (Chloë Grace Moretz) temporarily takes his place, she witnesses something terrible. 

The series has taken over The Rings of Power weekly release slot after the former's season finale aired on October 14. The first two episodes of The Peripheral were released last week, on October 21. Both installments were directed by Vincenzo Natali, who has also helmed episodes of Hannibal, Hemlock Grove, Westworld, and Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities.

The Peripheral has received mixed reviews from critics, with a current rating of 69% on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes. Some called the show "propulsive, imaginative, and visually dazzling", while others said it was "a slog". By contrast, The Rings of Power has an 85% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

New episodes of The Peripheral are released every Friday. In the meantime, check out our picks of the other best shows on Amazon Prime Video to stream right now.

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Entertainment Writer

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering everything film and TV-related across the Total Film and SFX sections. I help bring you all the latest news and also the occasional feature too. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism.