The Night Agent ended in explosive fashion, solidifying the action thriller’s place on the list of Netflix’s most popular shows. There’s something about the series, with its high-action intensity and unique storyline, that had fans enthralled right from the get-go.
With a second season already confirmed for the surprise hit series, fans are excited to see where a new story might take Peter (Gabriel Basso). Until then, there are shows you can check out that are comparable in nature with similar plots, pacing, and/or genres. Each of these shows will likely appeal to the same audiences who love The Night Agent.
Jack Ryan (2018-Present)
Jack Ryan is another political thriller about a CIA analyst (The Office‘s John Krasinski) who works a desk job but somehow finds himself thrust into the dangerous world of fieldwork. Sound familiar? In the case of Ryan, it’s because a series of questionable bank charges from an Islamic extremist leads to him investigating the threat. Each subsequent season follows a new story and presumably as will also happen with The Night Agent, a new setting.
The two shows share intense, action-packed themes and episodes that leave you wanting more. Jack Ryan is the perfect show to watch while you wait for the confirmed season 2 of The Night Agent to arrive.
Stream Jack Ryan on Prime Video.
Homeland (2011-2020)
The protagonist in Homeland is a woman named Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes), a CIA operations officer who is skilled at her job, particularly when working with foreign countries and potential terrorist plots. She often finds herself in dangerous situations, like Peter from The Night Agent. She relies heavily on her mentor Saul (Mandy Patinkin) in the same way Peter does on Diane (The Whale‘s Hong Chau), though the two political players are revealed to be much different from one another.
The spy thriller might be slower moving than The Night Agent at times, but Homeland has similar undertones of corruption, lies, deceit, and sinister plots. There’s also the same type of conflict and back and forth between the CIA and politicians.
Lupin (2021-Present)
Lupin is one of the few series on this list that isn’t about spies and politicians. Rather, it’s about a professional thief named Assane (Omar Sy) who decides to avenge his father’s death 25 years after the fact. When he was just a child, his father was framed for stealing an expensive diamond necklace. Feeling shameful for being in prison when all he wanted to do was make a better life for his son, his father hangs himself.
After having developed his thieving skills over the years, not to mention a formidable charm, Assane is ready to expose his father’s former billionaire boss and the crimes he committed. A French series, Lupin was, like The Night Agent, a surprise hit for Netflix. Similar to The Night Agent, it’s a show that plays out more like a movie.
Stream Lupin on Netflix.
The Shield (2002-2008)
Going back to the early 2000s, The Shield also examined the concept of corrupt people in power. Except on this show, it’s police officers and not political players. Just like how Peter works in a covert, somewhat experimental role in the FBI, The Shield is based around a task force that secretly deals with gang-related violence, drug trafficking, and prostitution.
The show isn’t as intense and action-packed as The Night Agent. But the themes of law, order, justice, and crime are all present. The Shield stars Michael Chiklis (Fantastic Four) and counts a number of notable actors among its cast throughout the seasons, including Glenn Close, Anthony Anderson, Michael Pena, and Forester Whitaker.
Stream The Shield on Hulu.
Hijack (2023)
At first glance, Hijack might not seem like it has anything in common with The Night Agent. But the two shows will appeal to the same audience. In Hijack, Idris Elba (The Wire, Luther) is Sam, a man who works a corporate job that doesn’t typically involve dangerous situations. Rather, he helps massive companies negotiate business deals, and he’s the best there is. But Sam unsuspectingly finds himself in an urgent and dangerous situation when a plane he’s on is hijacked. It’s a similar trajectory to Peter from The Night Agent, who is pulled from his desk job when a young woman calls him, terrified that an assassin who just murdered her aunt and uncle is after her, too.
The reasoning and who is behind the plot are mysteries for some time in both shows. Each show provides edge-of-your-seat moments. With Hijack, the episodes tell the story in real time, with plenty of thrills to keep you excited for the next.
Stream Hijack on June 28 on Apple TV+.
The Diplomat (2023)
Fans are already comparing The Diplomat to The Night Agent so it’s only logical you should watch it. Keri Russell stars as Kate, the U.S. Ambassador to the U.K., who is tasked with dealing with everything from international crises to strategic alliances. But while Kate feels pressures on the job, she also has to deal with struggles at home involving her husband Hal (Rufus Sewell), who also happens to be a career diplomat.
The Diplomat hails from Debora Cahn, who was the writer and executive producer of the last two seasons of Homeland and started her career as a writer for The West Wing. Thus, she’s no stranger to the political thriller genre. With the ties with politics, planned attacks, and someone looking out for the U.S. president, the show is in the same wheelhouse as The Night Agent, making it a perfect next watch.
Stream The Diplomat on Netflix.
Bodyguard (2018-Present)
Renewed for a second season though no details have been announced about when that might debut, Bodyguard shares a lot of similarities with The Night Agent. Notably, both center around a man who is trained and skilled in combat, and assigned to protect someone being hunted. In this political thriller, David Budd (Game of Thrones’ Richard Madden) is a British Army war veteran who has been assigned to protect the Home Secretary Julia (Keeley Hawes).
The pair initially don’t see eye-to-eye, particularly because David’s political beliefs are completely opposite to hers. But the two, like Peter and Rose (Luciane Buchanan) on The Night Agent, get closer and closer, especially as they uncover a conspiracy that coincidentally also involves a plot to bomb a train. Right from the get-go, fans will immediately see why this show makes sense if you love The Night Agent.
Stream Bodyguard on Netflix.
Slow Horses (2022-Present)
Gary Oldman stars in this Apple TV+ original series as Jackson, a man with a job slightly similar to, and initially as mundane as, Peter’s in The Night Agent. He’s head of the Slough House, a department of MI5 that houses all the rejects who messed up on the job but haven’t been fired. Instead, they are sent to this administrative purgatory to do nothing but push papers in hopes that they’ll get so bored, frustrated, or dejected that they’ll just quit.
But one day, Jackson and his team become involved in schemes going on in Britain, and their typically boring, monotonous jobs become thrilling, dangerous ones, filled with adventure. It’s time to prove themselves worthy. With such a similar trajectory to Peter’s, Slow Horses is an easy choice as a great show to watch while you bide your time until season 2 of The Night Agent.
Stream Slow Horses on Apple TV+.
Designated Survivor (2016-2019)
Similarly looking at the intertwining, often dysfunctional relationships among politicians, FBI agents, Secret Service, and other officials, Designated Survivor also shares the theme of a heroic protagonist who loves his country deeply but doesn’t know who he can trust. There are political conspiracies, bombings and attacks, and legal issues, with the lead character Thomas (Kiefer Sutherland) never knowing who to believe or what’s real or contrived.
Designated Survivor is built on a unique angle: in the political thriller, Thomas is the lowly U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. During the State of the Union, he is chosen to be the designated survivor, the one official who watches from a different location as a precaution to protect the administration in the event of a worst-case scenario. As it happens, an explosion kills everyone there, leaving Kirkman as the only one left in the line of succession. So, he instantly becomes President of the United States. Just like Peter, Kirkman is thrust into a position that, as it turns out, he has the ability and confidence to take on, but has always been underestimated.
Stream Designated Survivor on Netflix.
House of Cards (2013-2018)
When it comes to political thrillers with despicable characters who are willing to hurt, maim, and even kill to fulfill their own political desires, there’s arguably none better than House of Cards, Netflix’s first-ever produced original series. The series, based on the novel of the same name (and adapted from the BBC series), is heavily focused on the goings-on in the White House, various politicians, and their aspirations for power. In particular, that includes Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) and his wife Claire (Robin Wright).
Like Peter, Frank finds himself in a job he doesn’t quite like, believing he deserves more. Frank isn’t the hero of his story, however. He can be likened to Vice President Redfield in The Night Agent. But when it comes to ruthless characters, twists, turns, betrayal, and murder, House of Cards fits the bill. With six seasons to watch, it’ll keep you busy while you anxiously await another season of The Night Agent.
Stream House of Cards on Netflix.
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