The first season of The Man in the High Castle is the best television I’ve ever seen.

Powerful, inventive and surprising with blow-your-mind moments, it is one of my must-watch programs.

Available on Amazon Prime, The Man in the High Castle is an adaptation of the novel by Philip K. Dick, and tells a wonderful What If… What if the Axis powers won World War II?

In the show, the United States was defeated. Japan and Germany have divided control of the country, split at the Rocky Mountains. The Japanese control the Pacific States, Nazi Germany controls the everything East of the Rockies, while the demarkation between the two occupations is split into a ruthless area called the neutral zone. The story takes place in an oppressive world in the late 50s/early 60s and we get a glimpse how tough it would be to exist under two competing thumbs of fascism.

This is a glimmer of hope, however. Newsreels appear from our history, of the Allies winning the war, of the United States’ victory. They are appearing in this world and no one knows why, but many believe the myth that the newsreels are being provided by someone called The Man in the High Castle.

The show, which recently released its third season, is exemplary story telling, with rich characters trying to make the best in a world that crushes individuality. The newsreels give people hope and start the main characters on an adventurous and dangerous journey, where every answer fosters more compelling questions.

Season three continued to take the story down its logical path, while still providing surprise and more blow-your-mind moments. A hard thing to do after the viewer has acclimated to their unique existence.

The Man in the High Castle can be hard to watch, at times, forcing us to see the consequences of actions through a world that could have existed for us, but it is artful television told in powerful ways.

Watch it. Watch it now.