The best AI shorts right now, ranked by opener

How we picked

Three tests, in this order. First, does the story make sense inside one minute? Second, does the cast give you somebody to root for or against? Third, does the free opener end on a question you want answered?

We also mixed the three leagues on purpose. A list of twelve from one platform would only tell you what that platform does best, and what are AI shorts shows how different the three really are.

The twelve, in order

1. Couples Therapy With Margot Vey: a therapist who does not stay in her chair, and a couple who asked for advice. Candy at its most character-led.
2. Common Ground: two feuding farmers, one snowed-in lambing night. Slow, funny and warm.
3. Grim: Death arrives a few days early and needs you alive until Friday. Supernatural comedy with a good engine.
4. Connecting Door: a cruise, a balcony and a door between two cabins. It runs long, so the tension has room.
5. Matched: the state pairs two people and gives them a month to prove it works. Sci-fi with a thriller edge.
6. Under the Boss: a nervous new hire in a London office and a boss who notices. His assistant has plans of her own.
7. Elapsed: a failed teleporter strands an astronaut on a desert planet for decades, while her partner arrives an hour late.
8. The Witch Who Made Me King: a knight with a week to claim a throne and a witch who wants payment.
9. Protective Custody: an agent, a witness and a cabin with no signal. One rule, tested daily.
10. Full English: a Yorkshire B&B and a landlady with a repair list. Cozy, with an edge.
11. Your Wish is my Command: a handyman, a lamp from a safe and a genie who wants results.
12. Yes Ma'am: a military base and a very long run, for when you want to stay a while.

What to start with, by taste

If you like laughing as much as flirting, begin with Grim or Common Ground. If you want a puzzle, go for Matched or Elapsed. If you want tension to simmer for a dozen episodes, Connecting Door is the pick.

Fantasy fans should try The Witch Who Made Me King first, since it moves fast. For a rainy weekend, Yes Ma'am has the length. Our call: if you only have time for one opener tonight, make it Couples Therapy With Margot Vey.

What it costs after the opener

Every opener above plays free. Later episodes cost money on each platform, and the details sit on the pricing page, with the rules for each side. All three let you sample first, so free episodes is a safe place to roam before you spend anything.