There’s no denying that Reacher is one of the most exciting action thrillers of the last decade. Based on the stories from the Lee Child novels, Alan Ritchson takes on the tall order of playing the vigilante-like former U.S. army military police major who has made it his personal mission to fight back against criminal injustices.
While Reacher Season 4 is on its way, there are plenty of great action thrillers on Netflix that you can watch in the meantime. In fact, some would even argue that they’re even better than the Amazon Prime Video series.
‘The Night Agent’ (2023–)
The Night Agent Season 3 was recently released on Netflix, and the series is only improving with age. The action thriller ups the ante each season, and the stakes are high as FBI agent Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso) works in the shadows as a secret Night Action agent. Adding elements like thwarting terrorist attacks, handling international relations, and political intrigue, the show has become one of Netflix’s most popular and remains one of the streamer’s most-watched series ever.
The Night Agent has just as much action as Reacher, but with a more relatable hero who is young and still learning the ropes. He’s a lone wolf with a strict moral code like Jack Reacher. The fact that he isn’t as seasoned makes The Night Agent so intriguing to watch. While Peter makes mistakes and gets caught up in tricky situations, he also fights for what’s right and puts himself in danger at every turn.
‘Lupin’ (2021–)
The French mystery thriller Lupin, which is based on the master thief character Arsène Lupin, who appears in Maurice Leblanc’s 1900s novels, became Netflix’s most-watched non-English series when it first debuted in 2021. Omar Sy plays Assane Diop, a man on a mission who seeks to avenge his father’s death. He becomes a charismatic thief and master of disguise, hunting the man whom he deems responsible for his father’s death in prison, seeking to clear his dad’s name and take down a wealthy and powerful family in the process.
Lupin, which is coming back for Season 4, has short seasons, and only 17 episodes have been released so far. That makes it an easy binge. It’s a tense espionage thriller with a unique premise and cliffhanger endings that keep you invested in the plot. With a 98% Rotten Tomatoes score, it’s the perfect watch that is superior to Reacher in many ways, from Sy’s magnetic performance to the wild storylines.
‘Black Doves’ (2024–)
Keira Knightley plays Helen Webb in Black Doves, the wife of the Secretary of State for Defence in the U.K., who is also secretly a spy. When her lover is murdered, the organization she works for wants to sell government secrets to the highest bidder, and Sam (Ben Whishaw) is sent to protect her from harm. However, she’s pretty tough herself.
Critics enjoy the spy action thriller, and many have praised Knightley’s performance. Black Doves takes the plot in different directions, and it has a mix of genres. It’s risqué with a talented list of guest actors and a signature British spin.
‘Bodyguard’ (2018)
Similar in many ways to The Night Agent, Bodyguard is arguably one of the most underrated shows on Netflix and one of its best British crime dramas. The six-episode political thriller stars Richard Madden as PS David Budd, a British Army war veteran who suffers from PTSD. His personal life is in shambles, but he becomes a hero when he stops an attack on a train. Tasked with protecting the Home Secretary Julia Montague (Keeley Hawes), he uncovers a massive conspiracy that puts them both in danger.
Bodyguard is a tightly written story from beginning to end, with high action and intense moments. The political intrigue adds another element missing from shows like Reacher,and the story follows a fractured but equally confident protagonist. The series also explores psychological issues instead of just presenting surface-level action.
‘The Recruit’ (2022–2025)
Fans feel Netflix canceled The Recruit too soon, and the spy adventure series follows Owen Hendricks (Noah Centineo), a CIA lawyer who gets mixed up in a case involving international conflict. He has an asset that has been helping them, but when she threatens to expose her ties to the agency, Hendricks finds himself in a dangerous situation.
Hendricks is not nearly as refined as Reacher, and unlike Alan Ritchson’s protagonist, he doesn’t take down bad guys with fists of fury. However, The Recruit is a smarter series that covers more complex topics and angles. With an equally charming lead, some viewers may find that The Recruit has elements that Reacher is missing, including a healthy dose of humor, which cuts through the intensity.
‘Fauda’ (2015–)
If you want a lot of action, Fauda is it. This Israeli series, one of the best TV thrillers with more than five seasons, centers around Doron (Lior Raz), a commander working for the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) on a mission to find and take down a terrorist. He was initially credited with killing the leader but rejoins the force when he learns a year and-a-half later that the man is, in fact, still alive.
Since Raz served in the military, his experience adds a level of realism to Fauda. Co-creator Avi Issacharoff is also an Israeli journalist. While Ritchson portrays a former military man with ease and confidence, Raz has actually lived that life, which is why he is so convincing in the role. It’s no surprise that even after four seasons, Fauda maintains a perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes score. Season 5 is coming in 2026, and there’s a rumored movie as well.
‘Alice in Borderland’ (2020–2025)
In the Japanese sci-fi thriller drama Alice in Boderland, based on the Haro Aso manga, two men are trapped in a parallel version of Tokyo where they are forced to compete in a series of deadly games. If they lose, their visas expire, and they’ll die. Like a warped version of Squid Game meets The Hunger Games, Alice in Borderland has also been compared to Battle Royale.
Concluding after its three-season run, Alice in Borderland has far deadlier stakes than Reacher. The stakes are high since the characters can die at any moment. It has more gore and added sci-fi elements, which make it stand out as one level above Reacher
‘Money Heist’ (2017–2021)
While Reacher focuses on a good guy fighting bad guys, Money Heist is told from the perspective of the bad guy (rather, woman), who walks us through a massive heist that she was part of. While Tokyo (Úrsula Corberó) is somewhat of an unreliable narrator, that’s part of the show’s intrigue. You never really know the truth, are simply along for the ride, and want to hear her version of the story.
The Spanish heist crime drama takes you back and forth through time, which makes it a much more sophisticated show than Reacher. Money Heist also follows more than one main character, since a team of eight thieves all work for a man known only as the Professor. Money Heist is much deeper than Reacher and adds a feminist twist and a different perspective.
‘Bloodline’ (2015–2017)
In this psychological thriller, Bloodline, which streamed for three seasons on Netflix, the dysfunctional Rayburn family harbors deep, dark secrets. When Danny (Ben Mendelsohn), the brother considered the “black sheep” of the family, returns home, all the trauma from their past comes bubbling to the surface.
Also starring Kyle Chandler as John Rayburn, the brother who works as a detective and loyal deputy, and Linda Cardellini as Meg Rayburn, the youngest sibling who works as an attorney, Bloodline is a highly addictive series that delivers a more family-centric story than Reacher. With lots of twists and turns, it’s not as action-packed as the Prime Video series, but it has a Breaking Bad-like focus on an antihero. Bloodline is also more complex and goes beyond the cookie-cutter “good guys” and “bad guys” labels of Reacher. It’s one of those underrated TV thrillers that everyone forgot about.
Have you seen any of these Netflix action shows that are better than Reacher? Is there a great one you would add? Let us know in the comments!
