Prime Video is well-known for its action and drama shows like Reacher, Jack Ryan, and Bosch, as well as teen romance series such as Off Campus, Every Year After, and The Summer I Turned Pretty. However, their comedies don’t get the attention they deserve. This is unfortunate, because Prime Video currently has what many consider to be the best comedy series of 2026.
And this isn’t about the Prime Video show Ride or Die with Hannah Waddingham and Octavia Spencer. I’m referring to Bait, a British series created by and starring Riz Ahmed. It premiered on Prime Video in March 2026, but didn’t get much attention, which is unexpected given its original and ambitious concept.
The series features Ahmed as Shah Latif, a charismatic British Pakistani actor vying for the role of the next James Bond. As the audition approaches, Shah deals with intense media attention, complicated family dynamics, and a personal identity crisis. All six episodes of Bait season 1 are now available to stream, making it a fantastic three-hour watch and a hidden gem on Prime Video.
Bait Could Be The Most Overlooked Show Of 2026
Comedies that spoof James Bond, like Austin Powers and Johnny English, are usually a safe bet for laughs. That makes the lesser-known film Bait quite different. While those other movies aim for lighthearted fun, Bait is much more unsettling and strange.
The trailer for Bait, focusing on action and poking fun at Hollywood, doesn’t fully represent the show itself. Viewers expecting a simple James Bond parody might be surprised to find Bait is closer in tone to Barry than The Studio. While it’s not as widely appealing as the trailer suggests, Bait‘s humor is both clever and genuinely funny – though it may not appeal to all tastes.
Prime Video released all six episodes of Bait at the same time, which is typical for new shows on the platform. This approach can be very successful if the series quickly gains popularity, but if viewers don’t start watching immediately, it risks being overlooked. Weekly releases often build more buzz and encourage people to talk about the show.
When Bait launched on Prime Video on March 25th, it faced strong competition. Earlier in the month, the highly anticipated mystery thriller Scarpetta, starring Nicole Kidman, and Guy Ritchie’s Young Sherlock both premiered. With the final season of The Boys also debuting in early April, Bait struggled to gain attention.
Bait’s Mashup Of Genres Is Entirely Original
Although The Studio is a standout Hollywood satire, Bait is just as good – and it cleverly mixes humor with other types of storytelling. While The Studio focuses on the often ridiculous process of making movies within the world of premieres and awards shows, its characters mostly stay inside that glamorous scene.
Despite poking fun at James Bond tropes, the film Bait is fundamentally a deeply emotional and realistic story about family. It contrasts the glamorous world Shah aspires to with the stark realities of working-class life in London, revealing how his rising fame often creates more problems than benefits for his loved ones.
While Bait isn’t as based on personal experience as shows like Curb Your Enthusiasm, Riz Ahmed did pull from his own life as a British Pakistani actor. The show explores the challenges he faced being cast in famous Hollywood franchises traditionally starring white actors – like when he landed the role of Bodhi Rook in 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. With a mix of dark humor and surreal moments, Bait offers a truly unique television experience, and that’s a positive thing.
2026-07-28 17:58