Chris Pratt has been having quite the year. Aside from starring in Jurassic World Dominion and appearing in Thor: Love and Thunder, now comes his latest television project, The Terminal List. The American action thriller follows Lt. Commander James Reece, played by Pratt, as he returns from an unsuccessful covert mission in which his entire platoon of Navy SEALS is ambushed.
Pratt comes back home to his family, still haunted by his previous mission and doubts about his guilt. But, when he comes across new evidence about the ambush, Reece realizes that the dark forces are only getting started with him, and he must do whatever it takes to protect his life and those he cares about. The Terminal List, based on Jack Carr's novel of the same name, is now available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Liked watching the series? Check out these other shows like The Terminal List.
Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan (2018-Present)
Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan follows CIA analyst Dr. Jack Ryan (John Krasinski) as he leaves the safety and comfort of his office job for a dangerous game of cat and mouse. After encountering a string of suspicious bank transfers carried out by a rising international extremist, Dr. Ryan scours across Europe and the Middle East to hunt for the terrorist figurehead before time runs out. One might underestimate Dr. Ryan’s capabilities. After all, he is just a financial analyst. But don’t let his appearance fool you. Initially, a Marine veteran, Dr. Ryan has a significant role in the Terror Finance and Arms Division (T-FAD), which is overseen by the Counterterrorism Center (CTC). So yeah, our little doctor definitely knows a thing or two about tackling terrorism and global threats to the U.S. In the second season, we find Dr. Ryan handling a different crisis in the middle of Venezuela.
Audiences might question Krasinki’s portrayal of the national superhero. After all, he is famous for playing the loveable prankster Jim Halpert from the hit NBC sitcom The Office. But Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan is proof that Krasinski has done his homework before taking on the lead character. To prepare for his role, the actor takes major inspiration from Harrison Ford’s interpretation of Jack Ryan in the 1992 thriller action Patriot Games. Krasinski explains that Ford’s portrayal shows that to be a hero, you don’t have to be a superhero. Ryan is an everyman hero - he has heroic values and an undeniable spirit to match. Still, just like any other human, he has his vulnerabilities and isn’t afraid of showing them. Ryan is both a regular man and a hero.
Bodyguard (2018)
What happens when your work and personal beliefs clash with each other? That’s the central premise of Bodyguard, starring Richard Madden as David Budd, a Scottish war veteran from Afghanistan who’s now taken a different career path as a Specialist Protection Officer for the Royalty and Specialist Protection Branch of London’s Metropolitan Police Service. Like most veterans pulled from the war, Budd is volatile and still has trouble overcoming PTSD, an unfortunate result of his tumultuous time as a soldier. Tensions rise when Budd is tasked as the Principal Protection Officer (PPO) for Home Secretary Julia Montague (Keeley Hawes), the ambitious politician whose values and beliefs Budd absolutely abhors. Budd finds himself torn between his professional responsibility and personal views, all while dealing with Montague’s safety. So just how far is Budd willing to go to protect the person he despises?
The celebrated six-part series is the brainchild of Jed Mercurio, who is recognized as one of the United Kingdom’s leading television writers. Bodyguard goes beyond your ordinary action thriller - it touches on the controversy surrounding government monitoring and regulation of private information and PTSD. But, of course, that doesn’t mean action scenes don’t pack a punch. Madden, who’s gained worldwide acclaim for playing Robb Stark in the first three seasons of Game of Thrones, is praised for his performance and dedication to his breathtaking action scenes, executed in a more gritty, realistic manner without any extra shazam to it. Combining a tight screenplay, visionary cinematographers, and a talented cast, The Bodyguard was nominated at the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Drama Series.
The Blacklist (2013-Present)
Nothing screams tension more than working with your mortal enemy, especially if said enemy is on the FBI's Wanted List. The Blacklist explores the relationship between high-profile criminal Raymond "Red" Reddington (James Spader) and rookie FBI profiler Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone). Before diving into the dark world of crime, Reddington was a former U.S. Navy officer. After 20 years of escaping the FBI's watchful eye, eventually landing him a titular spot on the "10 Most Wanted List" of countless U.S. law enforcement establishments, he finally surrenders himself voluntarily to the FBI. Reddington then tells the agency that he has something more rewarding for them - a long list of the world's most sought-after criminals kept throughout the years. He is willing to exchange this list and provide more details on their operations, provided he receives immunity from prosecution and only works with Keen.
Having Spader play the articulate, cocky, and, more importantly, intelligent Reddington is central to The Blacklist's long-running success. Spader, whose previous works include Boston Legal and Stargate, heightens the stereotypical criminal template and introduces another layer of complexity to Reddington. He's both clever and elusive, a former hero and now a criminal. With his list, he becomes the captain that controls the FBI, but at the same time, he's willing to be its crew to get the job done. Reddington's intimidating presence contrasts nicely with Keen's naivety and somewhat clueless personality, but don't doubt her just yet. True, the idea of having a criminal interested in only working with you may scare some, especially if you did not share any former interactions. But Keen isn't so easy to back down from his adamant character, and throughout the show, audiences will slowly learn how Reddington and Keen are connected.
HANNA (2019-2021)
HANNA is an American action drama revolving around 15-year-old Hanna (Esme Creed-Miles), an extraordinary young girl raised by her father, Erik Heller (Joel Kinnaman), in a remote forest in Poland. Before exiling himself to nowhere land, Heller was a former CIA operative who was part of UTRAX. This program recruits pregnant women into the agency and ensures that their children’s DNA is enhanced with super-soldier abilities. However, when Heller falls in love with Johanna Zadek (Vicky Krieps), one of the women recruited for the program and Hanna’s mother, Heller goes rogue and rescues baby Hanna from the project, altogether escaping from the CIA. After learning of Heller’s actions, on-site agent Marissa Wiegler (Mireille Enos) is assigned to shut down UTRAX and eliminate all the children.
There is something fascinating about the concept of a deadly killing machine disguised as a teenage girl. It’s easy to pin Hanna down as some emotionless vessel who doesn’t understand the concept of becoming a regular teenager, especially if you’ve been isolated in the woods for so long (and not to mention escaping an off-book CIA agent). But what makes HANNA interesting is that we see Hanna going through a coming-of-age period as she tries to unravel the truth behind who she is, all while evading government authorities. Miles lends surprising depth and maturity to her alien character. She transforms from a robotic figure who only knows how to fight her way through challenges into a fearless and resolute young girl who is starting to have a handle on her emotions.
Hunters (2020-Present)
Loosely based on actual historical events, Hunters is a conspiracy drama set in 1977 New York City, following a young man’s road to revenge against high-ranking Nazi officials who are currently hiding to create the Fourth Reich. Logan Lerman plays Jonah Heidelbaum, a mathematics genius who joins a group of Nazi Hunters in his quest for vengeance, taking over his grandmother’s original position. Leading the Hunters is Meyer Offerman (Al Pacino), a Polish-Jewish philanthropist and Holocaust survivor who is responsible for new recruitments into his group. The show draws from real-life Nazi hunters who’ve worked throughout the decades. However, it’s not an actual representation of them. Still, having a group of vigilantes fighting against evil is pretty cool.
Created by David Well, Hunters is a collaboration between other massive names in Hollywood, notably Jordan Peele, Nikki Toscano, and Alfonso Gomez-Rejon. It's one of the reasons why Lerman decided to join the project. On top of that, Hunters mark Pacino’s first-ever lead role in a TV series. Despite receiving numerous television offers in the past, some of which Pacino had a great interest in, the idea of doing television back then was impossible as his advisors were against it. Underneath all the action and mayhem, Weil emphasizes that this show was created in honor of his grandparents, who were survivors themselves and made it out of the Holocaust. Hunters will keep you hooked from episode to episode thanks to its wit and intelligence and solid acting from its leading and supporting cast. A second season is currently in the works.
The Night Manager (2016)
The Night Manager revolves around Jonathan Pine (Tom Hiddleston), a former British soldier who now works as the night manager of an exclusive luxury hotel in Cairo. Pine is involved with a local woman, who happens to be the girlfriend of a local gangster. Through the woman's relationship with the gangster, Pine learns of the illegal international arms sales conducted by English billionaire Richard Roper (Hugh Laurie). When things take a deadly turn, Pine immediately relocates to a remote hotel in Switzerland. But soon enough, he finds himself recruited by Angela Burr (Olivia Colman), the manager of a Foreign and Commonwealth Office task force, and is assigned to infiltrate Roper's inner circle and criminal schemes. A classy thriller, it is a time bomb of a show - a slow-burning game of intrigue and deception that keeps you wanting for more.
The Night Manager, directed by Susanne Bier and based on the John Le Carré novel of the same name, features a stellar cast that includes some of showbiz's biggest names. In addition to the three actors mentioned above, the show features Tom Hollander, Elizabeth Debicki, and Alistair Petrie. Give them a great script and brilliant cinematography, and we've got one of the best thrillers of the decade. Forget about dodgy plots; the suspense of the story will keep you watching for hours. The six-part series was nominated for 36 awards and won two Primetime Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards.
The Spy (2019)
Inspired by real-life events, The Spy is a miniseries based on the life of Eli Cohen (Sacha Baron Cohen), Israel's top Mossad spy. A massive portion of the show's storyline is adapted from the book "The Spy Who Came from Israel," which details the spy's years under espionage leading up to the Israel-Syria Six-Day War in 1967. The show follows Eli's story starting from his past as an army reject in Egypt to the peak of his career when he infiltrates the Syrian Ministry of Defense. As a spy, Eli goes undercover and takes the identity of Kamel Amin Thaabet and puts himself in Syrian high society. He befriends the very people who have complete control of Syria's future, eventually becoming the country's Deputy Defense Minister himself and rubbing shoulders with future president Amin al-Hafiz (Waleed Zuaiter).
The Spy is a tremendous example of Cohen's versatility as an actor. We've seen him playing eccentric characters in films like Borat and The Dictator. To see Cohen take on a role that is 180 degrees different from his usual comedic tropes is a surprising breath of fresh air. His performance in the show has earned Cohen a nomination for Best Actor - Miniseries or Television Film at the 77th Golden Globe Awards. While the drama-thriller is executed concerning the true hero's operation and how the spy extraordinaire can remain undercover for so long, the show reveals a much larger conflict. It's the story of a man dealing with the psychological strains of being torn between two worlds and how one small mistake can cost so many lives if exposed.