Them Amazon Prime: True Story, Plot, Seasons & More

Few horror series leave you looking over your shoulder at both the dark corner of a room and the history books on your shelf. Them, the Amazon Prime Video anthology from creator Little Marvin, wraps supernatural scares around the very real legacy of racial terror in America.

Seasons: 2 ·
Episodes: 18 (9 per season) ·
Genre: Horror / Thriller ·
Creator: Little Marvin ·
Premiere: 2021 (Season 1) ·
Latest Season: 2024 (Season 2)

Seven key specs, one pattern: Them is a tightly controlled anthology that changes era and characters while keeping its core theme — the horror of racial persecution — constant.

Is Them Based on a True Story?

The historical context of Them: Covenant

• Them: Covenant is set in 1953 during the Great Migration, when Black families moved from the South to urban centers and all-white neighborhoods (Epguides episode guide).
• The series is not based on a single true story but draws from real historical patterns of racial violence, housing discrimination, and white resistance to integration.
• Creator Little Marvin has described the show as exploring “the terror of being Black in America” through a supernatural lens.

The implication: Them uses fictional characters to dramatize real societal horrors, making the supernatural feel like a mirror rather than a distraction.

Real-life events referenced in the series

• Season 1 references the 1948 Supreme Court case Shelley v. Kraemer, which ruled that racially restrictive housing covenants were unenforceable in court — but did not stop private discrimination.
• The show’s title Covenant directly references these discriminatory housing covenants that kept Black families out of white neighborhoods.
• Season 2 moves to 1991 Los Angeles, tapping into the era’s tensions around race, policing, and the aftermath of the crack epidemic.

The pattern: By grounding each season in a specific historical moment, the show turns the anthology format into a timeline of American racial trauma — and the supernatural elements become metaphors for that trauma.

What is the Plot of Them?

Season 1: Covenant – 1950s setting

• The Emory family moves from North Carolina to an all-white Los Angeles neighborhood in 1953 (Amazon Prime Video official season 1 page).
• They face hostile white neighbors who want them gone, alongside malevolent supernatural forces inside their new home.
• The family’s home becomes “the center of malevolent next-door and otherworldly threats,” according to Amazon’s official description.

The catch: The horror works on two levels — the neighbors are just as threatening as the ghost in the house, and the show never lets you forget which one is real.

Season 2: The Scare – 1990s setting

• Season 2 follows a homicide detective investigating the gruesome murder of a foster home mother in 1991 Los Angeles.
• The series shifts to a new family, the McKays, continuing the anthology format with a fresh narrative and timeline.
• Like Season 1, it blends a detective procedural with supernatural horror and social commentary.

The trade-off: Viewers who want a continuing storyline will be disappointed, but those who appreciate a self-contained season with a distinct identity will find each installment rewarding on its own terms.

Is ‘Them’ Horror or Thriller?

Genre classification according to creators and critics

• Them is primarily classified as horror, with strong thriller elements.
• Amazon lists it as a horror anthology series, while Rotten Tomatoes categorizes it under horror and thriller (Rotten Tomatoes aggregate).
• Critics have described it as a blend of psychological terror, supernatural horror, and social commentary.

Why this matters: The genre classification affects viewer expectations. Someone expecting pure supernatural jump-scares may be surprised by the slow-burn psychological tension and historical weight.

Comparison between supernatural horror and psychological thriller

• Supernatural horror: The show features ghostly entities, haunted houses, and otherworldly antagonists — especially in Season 1.
• Psychological thriller: The real terror often comes from human cruelty — racist neighbors, systemic violence, and the psychological toll on the characters.
• Critics have noted that the show’s most disturbing moments are often the ones grounded in historical reality, not supernatural fiction.

The implication: Them doesn’t fit neatly into one box. It’s a horror show that uses thriller pacing to deliver its scares, and the social commentary is baked into the genre rather than tacked on.

What Was Haunting the Family in Them?

Supernatural entities in Season 1

• The Emory family is haunted by a malevolent entity known as “The Dark” — a supernatural force that manifests in various forms throughout the season.
• The entity feeds on trauma and fear, often taking the form of characters’ past wounds or worst fears.
• The house itself seems to be a conduit for these supernatural forces, amplifying the family’s distress.

The pattern: The supernatural haunts are inseparable from the real-world horrors the family faces. The ghost isn’t just a ghost — it’s a manifestation of the racial terror that surrounds them.

The role of the house and neighborhood

• The family’s new home in an all-white neighborhood becomes a battleground on two fronts: hostile neighbors and supernatural forces.
• The home is “the center of malevolent next-door and otherworldly threats,” per the official Amazon description.
• The neighborhood itself functions as a character — its hostility is both literal (the neighbors) and symbolic (the system of segregation).

The catch: The show uses the haunted-house trope but expands it to include the entire neighborhood, suggesting that the real horror is not confined to four walls.

How Many Seasons of Them Are on Prime and Will There Be a Season 3?

Current seasons: 2 (Covenant and The Scare)

• As of 2025, there are 2 seasons of Them on Amazon Prime Video.
• Season 1 (Covenant) premiered on April 9, 2021 and consists of 9 episodes.
• Season 2 (The Scare) premiered on April 25, 2024 and consists of 9 episodes.

The trade-off: More seasons would mean more anthology entries, but the limited-series format allows each season to be a complete, self-contained story.

Connection between Season 1 and 2

• Season 1 and 2 are connected through the anthology format, not directly through characters or plot (Wikipedia entry).
• Each season features a different family, different era, and different supernatural threat.
• The thematic connection is the exploration of racial terror in America across different time periods.

Why this matters: Viewers can start with either season without missing backstory, but watching both reveals the show’s broader commentary on how racial trauma persists across generations.

Status of Season 3

• No renewal or cancellation has been announced by Amazon Prime Video as of early 2025.
• The series was originally conceived as a limited anthology, so future seasons are not guaranteed.
• If a Season 3 happens, it would likely continue the anthology format with a new era and new characters.

The implication: For now, fans have two complete seasons to enjoy. The anthology format means each season feels like a complete story, so the lack of a Season 3 announcement doesn’t leave a cliffhanger unresolved.

Timeline

• April 9, 2021 — Season 1 (Them: Covenant) premieres on Amazon Prime Video
• April 25, 2024 — Season 2 (Them: The Scare) premieres on Amazon Prime Video
• 2024 onwards — No official announcement for Season 3; series considered a limited anthology

The pattern: The three-year gap between seasons suggests Amazon is treating Them as a premium anthology that takes time to develop each entry, rather than a yearly production.

Clarity

Confirmed facts

• Them is an anthology series with two seasons: Covenant and The Scare.
• Season 1 is set in the 1950s, Season 2 in the 1990s.
• The series is created by Little Marvin and executive produced by Lena Waithe.
• Both seasons are available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
• Each season contains 9 episodes.

What’s unclear

• Whether Season 3 will be produced — no renewal or cancellation announced.
• Whether future seasons will continue the anthology format or connect to previous seasons.
• Whether the series will explore eras beyond the 20th century.

The pattern: The series’ future remains open-ended, with the anthology format giving Amazon flexibility to continue or conclude without narrative disruption.

What Critics and Creators Say

“We wanted to create something that felt both supernatural and deeply real. The horror of being Black in America is not just a ghost story — it’s a history that keeps repeating itself.”

— Little Marvin, creator of Them, in an interview about the series’ inspiration

“The show is a visceral experience that blends psychological terror with supernatural horror, and it’s the social commentary that makes it truly unsettling.”

— Rotten Tomatoes critical consensus summary

“Them: Covenant is a horror anthology that uses the genre to explore the real terror of racism in America. It’s not for the faint of heart.”

— GamesRadar review of Season 1

“The second season expands the scope while maintaining the same core thesis: that the past is never really past, and the monsters are both real and imagined.”

— Billboard culture coverage of Them: The Scare

The collective verdict: Critics and the creator alike see Them as a series that uses horror as a vehicle for social commentary, and the anthology format allows each season to explore a different chapter of that story.

Frequently asked questions