15 Shows To Watch If You Like Netflix’s Bodyguard

Summary

• Bodyguard was a huge hit for the BBC and Netflix, hailed as the drama of the decade for its intense political thriller story.
• Richard Madden’s award-winning performance in Bodyguard captivated viewers worldwide, with plans for a highly anticipated second season.
• Shows like Bodyguard, including The Terminal List and Slow Horses, explore the complexities of modern spy thrillers with brilliant performances.

Bodyguard was a massive hit when it was originally broadcast by the BBC in the UK, where it achieved the highest viewing figures of any new drama in the multichannel era and created interest for other shows like Bodyguard. It was hailed as the drama of the decade by many viewers, and while it has been over five years since its first season, the second has still yet to arrive. When it was released internationally on Netflix the success kept growing, with US audiences becoming hooked on its heart-pounding political thriller story.

Bodyguard follows a war veteran turned Specialist Protection Officer (played by Richard Madden) tasked with protecting a controversial Home Secretary (Keeley Hawes), whose politics stand for everything he despises. The show received several awards and great acclaim, with Madden winning the Golden Globes Award for his performance and the big twist halfway through the first season picking up the British Academy Television Awards “Must-See Moment.” With the second season reportedly in development, there are plenty of shows like Bodyguard for fans to watch in the meantime.

1 The Terminal List (2022-)

A Deep But Important Action-Thriller Chris Pratt

One of the big themes explored in Bodyguard is protagonist David Budd dealing with PTSD from his time in the war. The trauma inflicted on soldiers who return home from battle is also explored in the thrilling action series The Terminal List, based on the novels by Jack Carr. Chris Pratt stars in the series as a Navy SEAL who goes on a mission of revenge when his family and former comrades are targeted as part of a government cover-up.

Along with the same heavy themes of the trauma of soldiers, The Terminal List displays similar brutal action sequences as seen in Bodyguard. The show was a huge hit for Prime Video in its first season, leading to The Terminal List season 2 and a Terminal List spinoff being in development.

2 Slow Horses (2022-)

Gary Oldman’s Slow-Burn Apple Intelligence Drama Is A Must-Watch

Bodyguard is a thrilling look at the murky and complex modern spy world. While many shows explore this topic as well, few do it as well as Slow Horses, which combines the grounded and smart spy story with some unexpected humor. Slow Horses follows agents of an infamous house that is home to the disappointing and burned-out operatives of MI6. However, when they find themselves stumbling upon a real threat, they have a chance at redemption.

While Bodyguard features almost none of the humor that makes Slow Horses so enjoyable, both are smart, exciting, and clever in their spy stories. Slow Horses‘ Jack Lowden also plays a hero who feels like a more light-hearted take on David Budd as a once-promising agent trying to prove himself again.

3 The Americans (2013-2018)

One Of The Most Underseen But Critically Lauded Series In US History

The relationship that emerges between David Budd and Julia Montague in Bodyguard takes the show into another intriguing territory as it mixes an intense romance amid the spy thrills. This is an approach that is expertly done by The Americans for six seasons. The show stars Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys as two Russian spies posing as a married couple in 1980s America.

The show begins with the tense relationship between the two characters, forced into a relationship as strangers. However, over the course of the show, they find genuine love for each other. The complication between love and duty is a theme wonderfully explored in both shows, but it helped to make The Americans one of the best spy series.

4 The Night Manager (2016)

Tom Hiddleston’s Hugely Impressive John Le Carre Adaptation

Bodyguard and so many other projects in the spy genre owe so much to the writing of author John le Carré, who defined the genre with his novels over the years. One of the best adaptations of his work was the thrilling spy miniseries The Night Manager. It stars Tom Hiddleston as a manager of a Cairo hotel who is recruited to infiltrate the inner circle of an arms dealer (Hugh Laurie).

The series is a pulse-pounding ride, much like Bodyguard, as Hiddleston’s hero goes undercover and risks being found out at any moment. However, there are more similarities in the central love story. As in Bodyguard, The Night Manager explores the danger of passion and romance within the spy world as Hiddleston develops a forbidden affair for Laurie’s wife (Elizabeth Debicki).

5 The Diplomat (2023)

A Smash Hit For Netflix With Politics In Its Blood

Keri Russell stars in another political thriller show like Bodyguard which has become a smash for Netflix. The Diplomat stars Russell as a lower-level political figure who is assigned to be the United States’ new ambassador to the United Kingdom amid a turbulent political time. Though underqualified for the role, she must do her best to fix the endless issues surrounding her.

Like Slow Horses, The Diplomat injects a bit of humor into its political story but plays things grounded and with high stakes. Russell excels in the lead role and her character of Kate Wyler shares similarities to Madden’s Budd as they are both people who have been plucked for an unexpected assignment only to find themselves in the middle of a conspiracy that grows more and more dangerous.

6 Doctor Foster (2015-2017)

A Rabbit Hole Mystery Unfolds As Britain Turns Into A Nightmare

Doctor Foster stars Suranne Jones in the titular role of Dr. Gemma Foster, a notable general practitioner who lives a picturesque life, or so she thinks. The mystery drama follows Gemma after she begins to believe that her husband is having an affair, and she begins investigating further.

Unfortunately, in the process, Gemma uncovers a whole host of other mysterious secrets that trigger a train reaction that affects her world and everyone in it. Like Bodyguard, the series brings audiences deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole of conspiracies and intrigue with each new episode while following a protagonist trying to make sense of it all.

7 Peaky Blinders (2013-2022)

The Sprawling Epic Tragedy Of Tommy Shelby’s Family In 1920s Birmingham, UK

Peaky Blinders is a crime drama series that stars Cillian Murphy and features guest stars like Tom Hardy. It is set after the Great War in 1919 Britain when soldiers and criminal gangs are duking it out for control in the streets after catastrophic economic crises. The Peaky Blinders is a notorious gang run by Thomas Shelby and the Shelby crime family. However, Thomas wants more in life than simply running a gang. Unfortunately, he soon realizes that it won’t be easy to change his path.

Both shows have characters with wartime experiences who can’t fit into society as a whole and are drawn into a violent and chaotic life that feels more familiar. Tommy Shelby’s spiral into a dark and more violent path is reminiscent of the one Bodyguard‘s David Budd finds himself struggling against in the first season.

8 Medici (2016-2019)

Richard Madden’s Other (Non-Fantasy) Starring Role

Medici: Masters of Florence is substantially different from shows like Bodyguard. in tone but is a worthy series that features actor Richard Madden. The series tells the story of the real Medici family and their rise to power in medieval Italy. Madden played Cosmo de Medici in season 1, and it charted his journey as he moved to succeed his father as head of the family.

Following his time as Robb Stark on Game of Thrones, this role, along with Bodyguard, cemented that Madden was an exciting and versatile acting talent in television. Though set centuries apart, Medici does also include political intrigue that fuels Bodyguard. There are three seasons in total and each is about a different chapter in the Medici saga, although Madden is only in the first season. Interestingly, Madden’s Game of Thrones father Sean Bean stars in the second season.

9 Unforgotten (2015- )

Another British Crime Drama Stacked With Talent

Unforgotten is a compelling crime drama that follows DCI Cassie Stuart and DS Sunny Khan as they try to solve a murder that happened 39 years ago. The case is opened after the bones of their victim are discovered beneath a newly-demolished house.

Solving the murder won’t be easy and as the detectives begin digging around in the decades-old case, they uncover dark secrets, sinister suspects, and a conspiracy that may have been better off if it remained buried for good. That level of intrigue makes it a gripping mystery that offers the same sort of thrills Bodyguard did.

10 Ozark (2017-2022)

Netflix’s Crime Drama That Improved Each Season

Netflix’s four seasons of Ozark offered some of the most intense and pulse-pounding moments in television in recent memory. The show stars Jason Bateman and Laura Linney as a couple that gets wrapped up in the world of money laundering. Family patriarch, Marty Byrd, forces his family to relocate after the scheme goes wrong but finds that he can’t escape the criminal life, even in his new home in the Ozarks. It doesn’t take long for Marty to become embroiled with more dangerous criminals and crime families.

Much like shows like Bodyguard, Ozark uses action to enhance the tension and both build to almost unbearable levels. These moments of suspense are often punctuated by shocking violence that also feels similar to the bloody conflicts that arise in Bodyguard.

11 Line Of Duty (2012–2021)

A Modern Claim To Britain’s Greatest Crime Drama

Fans of the intricate plotting and sweaty-palmed tension of shows like Bodyguard should love Line Of Duty, which was also created by writer Jed Mercurio. Over the course of its time on the air it has become one of the most popular BBC dramas around.

The show follows the AC-12, a police anti-corruption unit headed up by Superintendent Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar), DS Steve Arnott (Martin Compston), and DC Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure). The first series featured The Walking Dead actor Lennie James, and subsequent seasons saw Thandiwe Newton (Westworld) and Stephen Graham (Boardwalk Empire) join the cast, along with Bodyguard‘s own Keeley Hawes.

12 Luther (2010-2019)

Idris Elba’s Effortlessly Cool, Broken Cop Is On The Case

For anyone who likes British cop thrillers that embrace their pulpy nature more than the likes of shows like Bodyguard, Luther is the perfect option. It stars Idris Elba as DCI John Luther, a troubled London detective who is almost impossibly brilliant, with an unrivaled deductive mind, and the adversaries he goes up against are exaggerated to almost comic book-level villains.

It makes the show devilishly dark, brooding, and, above all, wildly entertaining. Perhaps what really puts the show over the top, though, is Luther’s relationship with brilliant psychopath Alice Morgan (The Affair’s Ruth Wilson), who functions as the Catwoman to his Batman. Elba and Madden both excel in their respective series as troubled yet effective heroes whose determination to see justice done may destroy them. The popularity of the show led to a Netflix Luther movie.

13 Jack Ryan (2018-2023)

John Krasinski Impresses As Tom Clancy’s Most Famous Creation

Bodyguard offers terrific grounded spy thrills which is also reflected in Jack Ryan which brings Tom Clancy’s iconic hero to the small screen. John Krasinski becomes the fifth actor to play Jack Ryan, a CIA analyst-turned-action-hero, alongside his gruff-but-with-a-heart-of-gold boss James Greer (played by The Wire actor Wendell Pierce). The show captures the smart look at the modern intelligence world as seen in Clancy’s novels with each season sending Ryan on a new globe-trotting adventure.

While Kransinki’s Ryan is a more typical hero compared to the troubled Budd from Bodyguard, both are former soldiers trying to make a difference in the modern complex world. They are drawn into dilemmas bigger than themselves but are relentless in their fight against the villains.

14 Homeland (2011-2020)

A Tense, Political Drama That Reinvented Itself Successfully

Homeland aired its eighth and final season in 2020 and was one of the best shows to hit Showtime in that network’s history. The first two seasons were particularly strong, receiving universal critical acclaim and racking up several Emmy Awards. Claire Danes stars as Carrie Mathison, a CIA officer with bipolar disorder who becomes convinced that Damian Lewis’ US Marine Nicholas Brody has been ‘turned’ by Al-Qaeda, who had held him captive as a prisoner of war.

Like Bodyguard, the series takes a tense and thrilling look at the world of national security with threats popping up endlessly while also questioning the responses to those threats. Like Budd, Carrie is excellent at her job though the rest of her life is in shambles.

15 24 (2001-2014)

The Original Event TV Show That Reinvented The Episodic Format

Kiefer Sutherland’s 24 ran for eight seasons, had a TV movie and a revival season, and then introduced a short-lived spin-off, cementing it as a beloved show in the spy action genre. For fans looking for shows like Bodyguard, this is the longest-running US espionage/counter-terrorism-themed drama ever. It gave Kiefer Sutherland both a late-career renaissance and a career-defining character in CTU Agent Jack Bauer.

24 was truly groundbreaking, with each episode taking place in ‘real-time’ and each season showing audiences 24 hours in the lives of Bauer and his CTU colleagues. It meant there was always a ticking clock working against them. Bauer is another complicated television hero who seems more like a weapon than a human who is willing to bend any rule if he thinks the threat is high enough.

16 Broadchurch (2013-2017)

Tense British Crime Procedural With Excellent Labyrinthine Twists

Broadchurch is a British series starring Olivia Colman and Doctor Who’s David Tennant as two detectives as they investigate the murder of 11-year-old boy Danny Latimer in the fictional seaside town of Broadchurch. It explores how a child’s murder affects the close-knit local community and how the characters react to the media attention and mutual suspicion that arises.

The acting is phenomenal throughout and the story truly hits hard emotionally. While it is a more intimate setting with a more slow-burn approach to the chaotic and action-packed Bodyguard, both shows are able to grip viewers with a can’t-miss mystery that unravels gradually.

17 Killing Eve (2018-2022)

Instant Classic Modern Black Comedy With A Star Making Role For Jodie Comer

Killing Eve is a spy thriller about a desk-bound MI5 Officer named Eve Polastri who becomes obsessed with assassin Villanelle, who in turn becomes obsessed with her pursuer. The two then play out a deadly game of cat-and-mouse. However, the show is so much more because of its off-kilter, oddball tone and truly incredible performances from leads Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer.

The show is as funny as it is thrilling, as sexy as it is frightening, and as mundane as it is glamorous. Not only do Killing Eve and Bodyguard both explore the complex intimacy that creeps up in this dangerous world of spies but they are also filled with shocking twists and unexpected character deaths that set the show down a different path and keep the audience guessing.

18 House Of Cards (2013-2018)

The Original Netflix Original That Launched An Empire

House Of Cards was the first ever Netflix Original series when it debuted in 2013, and it was at the forefront of the changing television landscape of the streaming era. It could not be ignored, with David Fincher directing the first two episodes and assembling a tremendous cast led by Robin Wright. It concluded its run with a sixth season that put Claire Underwood at the forefront of the show and features a powerful female president.

Like Bodyguard, House of Cards is a darker look at the world of politics than most other series of its kind with betrayal and murder around every corner. There is even an unexpected storyline about an affair between a bodyguard and the politicians he is meant to be protecting.

19 The Blacklist (2013-2023)

A Twisting Spy Drama Headed By An Excellent James Spader Performance

The Blacklist is an espionage-based action thriller that skews toward 24, but that is precisely why fans love it. It features James Spader as Raymond ‘Red’ Reddington, a former US Navy Officer turned international criminal mastermind. He agrees to work with the FBI to capture dangerous criminals they’d never have access to without his ‘blacklist’, which he has compiled over the years, in exchange for immunity from prosecution. Of course, he also has his own motives, which are often nefarious (and very complicated).

While the 10-season Blacklist is much more of a procedural spy thriller series than Bodyguard, they both offer unique and interesting characters in this world. Most fascinating of all, the shows explore developing relationships among the main characters while always making it feel like no one can truly be trusted.

20 Happy Valley (2014-2023)

Critically Acclaimed British Crime Drama At Its Best

Happy Valley is another British crime drama that achieved significant critical acclaim. It starred Sarah Lancashire as strong-willed police sergeant Catherine, who finds out that the man who assaulted her teenage daughter (and drove her to suicide) has been released from prison. She becomes obsessed with finding him, unaware that he has also become embroiled in the capture plot of a local woman.

Lanchashire’s performance is genuinely astonishing, and the show is a harrowing yet fascinating journey. The show shares the obsessive protagonist trope that makes Bodyguard‘s David Budd so exciting to follow. However, Catherine is a particularly interesting detective at the center of the crime show as she is somewhat eccentric and likable while still stopping at nothing to get the job done.