The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

Amazon's $1 billion bet on J.R.R. Tolkien's Second Age mythology is the most expensive TV series ever made — and the scale is evident in every frame. The show's visual ambition is breathtaking: Númenor, Khazad-dûm at its peak, and the creation of the Rings themselves. It arrived to divided fan opinion but made converts of critics who engaged with its slower rhythms and moral complexity. Season 2's Sauron arc significantly elevated the series.