Bates Motel (2013)
Together until the end.
A "contemporary prequel" to the 1960 film Psycho, depicting the life of Norman Bates and his mother Norma prior to the events portrayed in Hitchcock's film, albeit in a different fictional town and in a modern setting. The series begins after the death of Norma's husband, when she purchases a motel located in a coastal Oregon town so she and Norman can start a new life.
| Type | TV series |
|---|---|
| First aired | 18 March 2013 |
| Status | Ended, last episode 24 April 2017 |
| Genre | Drama, Crime, Mystery |
| Created by | Carlton Cuse, Kerry Ehrin and Anthony Cipriano |
| Starring | Vera Farmiga, Freddie Highmore and Max Thieriot |
| Seasons | 5 seasons, 50 episodes |
| Episode length | about 45 min |
| Time to watch it all | about 38 hours |
| Rated | TV-MA |
| Scores | TMDB users 8.0/10 |
Where to watch Bates Motel
Bates Motel is streaming on Prime Video ($8.99 a month) in the US. At ten hours a week, all of the series takes about 1 month of Prime Video, or $8.99 at list price.
We check availability daily. Page last updated 26 October 2026. Prices are standard monthly plans and change often, so check with the service before you sign up.
Where to watch Bates Motel in 58 other countries
| Country | Streaming on (price a month) |
|---|---|
| Albania | Prime Video, SkyShowtime about |
| Andorra | Prime Video, SkyShowtime |
| Australia | Prime Video $12.99 AUD |
| Austria | Prime Video €8.99, Joyn free |
| Bosnia & Herzegovina | SkyShowtime about |
| Bulgaria | Prime Video €5.99, SkyShowtime €6.99 |
| Burkina Faso | Prime Video |
| Cameroon | Prime Video |
| Cape Verde | Prime Video |
| Congo - Kinshasa | Prime Video |
| Croatia | Prime Video €5.99, SkyShowtime €8.99 |
| Cyprus | Prime Video €5.99 |
| Czechia | Prime Video 149 Kč, SkyShowtime 259 Kč |
| Côte d’Ivoire | Prime Video |
| Denmark | Prime Video 69 kr DKK, Viaplay 159 kr DKK, SkyShowtime 109 kr DKK |
| Equatorial Guinea | Prime Video |
| Estonia | Prime Video €5.99 |
| Finland | Prime Video €6.99, Ruutu, SkyShowtime €9.99, Viaplay €13.99 |
| France | Prime Video €6.99 |
| French Guiana | Prime Video |
| French Polynesia | Prime Video |
| Germany | Prime Video €8.99, Joyn free |
| Ghana | Prime Video |
| Greece | Prime Video €5.99 |
| Hungary | Prime Video 1900 Ft, SkyShowtime 2590 Ft |
| Iceland | Prime Video 880 kr ISK, Viaplay 799 kr ISK |
| Ireland | Prime Video €6.99 |
| Italy | Prime Video €4.99 |
| Kenya | Prime Video KSh560 |
| Latvia | Prime Video €5.99 |
| Lithuania | Prime Video €5.99 |
| Madagascar | Prime Video |
| Malawi | Prime Video |
| Mali | Prime Video |
| Monaco | Prime Video |
| Mozambique | Prime Video |
| Netherlands | SkyShowtime €9.99 |
| New Zealand | Prime Video $8.99 NZD |
| Niger | Prime Video |
| Nigeria | Prime Video ₦2300 |
| North Macedonia | Prime Video, SkyShowtime about |
| Norway | Prime Video 79 kr NOK, Viaplay 169 kr NOK, SkyShowtime 109 kr NOK |
| Poland | Prime Video 25.99 zł, SkyShowtime 34.99 zł |
| Portugal | SkyShowtime €8.99 |
| Romania | Prime Video 19.99 lei, SkyShowtime about 37.39 lei |
| San Marino | Prime Video |
| Senegal | Prime Video |
| Serbia | Prime Video 818 din, SkyShowtime about 1056 din |
| Seychelles | Prime Video |
| Slovakia | Prime Video €5.99, SkyShowtime €8.99 |
| Slovenia | Prime Video €6.99, SkyShowtime €8.99 |
| South Africa | Prime Video R79 ZAR |
| South Korea | Wavve ₩10900, Watcha |
| Spain | Prime Video €4.99, SkyShowtime €8.99 |
| Sweden | Prime Video 69 kr SEK, Viaplay 169 kr SEK, SkyShowtime 109 kr SEK |
| Switzerland | Prime Video CHF8.90 |
| Tanzania | Prime Video |
| Uganda | Prime Video |
Subscription, free and ad-supported services we track; prices where Binge Boss has a price list for the country. "About" marks a price the service bills in another currency, converted at the day's rate. All countries as data.
What kind of watch this is
Bates Motel is a 5-season mystery drama that tracks the life of a mother and son in coastal Oregon. It runs 38 hours total, a specific amount of time you must spend watching two people slowly convince themselves they are the sane ones. The hook is the quiet tension of a domestic life where the walls are closing in. It is a slow burn that relies on dread rather than jump scares. You are watching to see how a normal family becomes a crime scene.
What the critics said
Critics warmed up to the show as it went on. Season 1 started with 84% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 66 on Metacritic. By season 3, those numbers climbed to 95% and 72. Season 4 hit 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, while season 5 closed the run with a 100% rating and an 81 on Metacritic. Alan Sepinwall of Uproxx argued the series only became good midway through season 4, after finding "tragic grandeur." The consensus shifted from uncomfortable family dynamics to a satisfyingly creepy conclusion. It’s a rare case where the ending actually earns the hype.
How it did with audiences
TMDB users rate Bates Motel 8 out of 10. That is a solid score for a limited series, suggesting the horror worked for people who actually watched it. The data table remains empty of box office figures, which makes sense given the show's distribution. We have no budget or global revenue to weigh against that rating. The audience verdict stands on its own. It is a rare case where the score says everything needed, and the silence elsewhere says the rest.
If you liked this
TMDB's recommendations for people who watched Bates Motel.
Read more: The Purge
Sources
- Bates Motel on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q323722 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “Bates Motel (TV series)” on Wikipedia, by its contributors (history) — reception, audience figures and legacy, summarised and adapted here under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Where to watch and prices: Binge Boss, from TMDB watch-provider data (powered by JustWatch) and our own provider list
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