14 Shows Like Netflix’s The Night Agent
Introduction
You have finished The Night Agent, the White House phone has stopped ringing, and now you need another thriller that can make “one more episode” turn into an accidental late night. This ranking gives you 14 shows to watch next, from fast action series to slower spy dramas built around secrets, divided loyalties and people who really should not trust their new contact.
The Night Agent works because it makes a huge political conspiracy feel personal. Peter Sutherland is not a distant chess master moving pieces from a safe office; he is the person answering the call, following the danger and trying to work out which powerful people are lying. Netflix’s official guide points fans of Jack Ryan, Jack Reacher and Bourne-style action toward the same mix of political intrigue and momentum. We used that combination as our compass, while including a few different flavors of espionage and investigation.
The list counts upward from shows that share one or two ingredients to the closest overall match. Some have a rookie agent in over their head. Others offer a government cover-up, a ticking clock, an undercover identity or a conspiracy so wide that every new answer creates three worse questions. They are all good starting points when you’re looking for the best shows like The Night Agent, a binge-worthy spy thriller, or your next political drama.
Streaming services change by region and over time. The links below point to UK listings checked for this guide; availability can move, so check the current listing before you settle in.
If you love a tense investigation, continue with our 20 Binge-Worthy TV Crime and Detective Dramas of 2026 So Far.
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For Netflix recommendations beyond spy dramas, save our guide to Netflix’s best shows and movies arriving in June 2026.
14. Reacher
If what you loved most about The Night Agent was watching a capable man walk into an impossible situation and keep moving, Reacher is an easy next click. Alan Ritchson plays Jack Reacher, a former military police investigator who travels light, asks sharp questions and has little patience for people who threaten the innocent. The first season finds him arrested for a murder in the small Georgia town of Margrave, where a quiet visit quickly grows into a knot of local corruption and conspiracy.
Reacher is less about intelligence briefings and classified programmes than The Night Agent, and that difference is part of its charm. The mystery gives each season a clear engine, while the action is satisfyingly physical and Reacher’s dry, literal way of speaking keeps the tough-guy material from becoming too solemn. Ritchson makes the character feel both imposing and oddly thoughtful; he notices details, reads people well and saves his force for when it is needed. It earns this spot as the most straightforward action pick here: not the closest spy story, but a hugely watchable answer to “what should I watch after The Night Agent?”
Where to watch in the UK: Reacher on Prime Video — check current availability.
13. Line of Duty
For viewers who like the suspicion and institutional rot in The Night Agent more than its shoot-outs, Line of Duty turns the pressure inward. Jed Mercurio’s British crime drama follows AC-12, an anti-corruption unit investigating allegations against fellow police officers. Martin Compston’s Steve Arnott, Vicky McClure’s Kate Fleming and Adrian Dunbar’s Ted Hastings lead cases where evidence is messy, interviews are tense and every polished public servant may be hiding something.
This is not an international spy series, and it moves at the rhythm of an investigation rather than a chase. But it understands the particular thrill of watching a small clue expose a much larger network. The interrogation scenes are gripping because the show lets people talk, deflect and trap themselves; a quiet question can hit harder than a car chase. Its long-running cases reward close attention, making it a strong binge for anyone who enjoys following a conspiracy from the first suspicious detail to an uncomfortable reveal. Think less secret agent, more relentless detective with a stack of files and a very strong instinct that the official story does not add up.
Where to watch in the UK: Line of Duty streaming options.
12. Slow Horses
Slow Horses is the spy show for viewers who enjoy the machinery of intelligence work but would rather see it run by sharp, bruised characters than glossy super-agents. Gary Oldman plays Jackson Lamb, the rude and frequently dishevelled head of Slough House, where MI5 sends agents whose careers have gone wrong. Jack Lowden’s River Cartwright is among the frustrated spies trying to prove he still belongs in the service, and their supposedly minor assignments have an annoying habit of becoming national emergencies.
The pace is more measured than The Night Agent, and the humour is drier, but the series shares its fascination with secrets, political pressure and people being underestimated. Oldman’s Lamb can look like he has just lost an argument with a laundry basket, then reveal that he has understood the room better than anyone in it. The ensemble gives the show texture, while its plots reward viewers who like betrayals, agency rivalries and plans that unravel in interesting ways. It is an excellent choice if you want a clever spy drama with less polished heroics and more character-driven tension.
Where to watch in the UK: Slow Horses on Apple TV.
11. The Terminal List
The Terminal List takes the conspiracy thriller into military-action territory. Chris Pratt stars as James Reece, a Navy SEAL commander whose team is ambushed during a covert mission. When he returns home with conflicting memories and a growing suspicion that the official explanation is false, Reece investigates what happened and who may be responsible. Taylor Kitsch, Constance Wu and Jeanne Tripplehorn are among the cast surrounding him as the story widens beyond one operation.
This is a much grimmer watch than The Night Agent. The violence is more direct, the emotional temperature stays high, and Reece’s investigation runs on grief, anger and military instincts. That intensity works for viewers who want an action thriller with a wounded lead and a conspiracy that keeps expanding; it may be a heavier evening than you planned if you hoped for light spy fun. Its strongest hook is the way each new piece of evidence changes Reece’s understanding of the mission. If you like shows about special operations, government secrets and an investigator who refuses to accept the tidy version, add it to your list.
Where to watch in the UK: The Terminal List on Prime Video.
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For more streaming picks, see 20 Best TV Shows of 2026 So Far, Ranked.
10. Rabbit Hole
Rabbit Hole puts Kiefer Sutherland back in the middle of a conspiracy, but this time he plays John Weir, a corporate espionage specialist rather than a president or government agent. After Weir is framed for murder, he has to go on the run while trying to understand who set him up. The people and information around him become increasingly difficult to trust, and the plot keeps nudging viewers to question whether the latest explanation is the real one.
If The Night Agent’s twists are your favorite part, Rabbit Hole has a similar appetite for misleading clues and shadowy players. It is energetic and knowingly twisty, sometimes to the point where you may want to pause and sketch the conspiracy on a napkin. Sutherland is comfortable in this territory: quick, suspicious and good at making a character’s certainty look like a liability. The show is strongest when it leans into the paranoia of a protagonist who cannot assume a familiar voice or clean-looking file is safe. Try it for an action conspiracy with a corporate-surveillance angle and a lead who is very hard to keep out of trouble.
Where to watch in the UK: Rabbit Hole streaming options.
9. The Agency
The Agency is a polished, character-focused spy drama starring Michael Fassbender as undercover CIA agent Brandon Colby, known by his codename Martian. When he is called back to London after a deep-cover assignment, the return to his old life becomes complicated by the reappearance of a woman he knew during the mission. Jeffrey Wright plays a senior CIA figure, and Jodie Turner-Smith is among the cast in a story that makes the emotional cost of long-term cover part of the espionage plot.
Compared with The Night Agent, this series is less interested in a single runaway crisis and more curious about what happens after an agent has spent years living as somebody else. That gives it a cooler, more reflective pace, with tension coming from divided loyalties and the risk that a personal connection could compromise an operation. Fassbender gives Martian a guarded quality that fits a man who has learned to keep too much of himself hidden. If you want an intelligence drama with international stakes, a serious ensemble and a complicated undercover romance threaded through the casework, this is a strong option.
Where to watch in the UK: The Agency on Paramount+.
8. Black Doves
Black Doves begins with a secret identity close to home. Keira Knightley plays Helen Webb, a woman who has spent years posing as the wife of a politician while passing information to a covert organisation. When her lover is murdered, her old friend Sam Young, played by Ben Whishaw, is drawn into a dangerous effort to find out who killed him and why. The London-set story mixes political secrets with an underworld investigation and an unexpectedly warm central friendship.
The show has more wit and stylish action than The Night Agent, but it shares the satisfying idea that the person nearest to power may be hiding an entirely different life. Knightley gives Helen a composed public face that gradually reveals its cracks, while Whishaw brings Sam both skill and unpredictable energy. Their relationship gives the thriller an emotional anchor, so the story is not only about who is pulling the strings but about who will show up when danger becomes personal. Pick Black Doves when you want a British spy thriller that can be sharp, tense and funny within the same episode.
Where to watch in the UK: Black Doves on Netflix.
7. Homeland
Homeland is the bigger, more politically layered choice for a viewer who wants the conspiracy side of The Night Agent to expand into a long-running character study. Claire Danes stars as Carrie Mathison, a CIA case officer whose investigations take her through terrorism, intelligence failures and shifting political alliances. Mandy Patinkin’s Saul Berenson is a steady presence in an agency where trust is never simple and a correct instinct can still lead to a damaging decision.
Across eight seasons, the series has room to examine how national-security work affects the people expected to perform it. That makes it a more complex, sometimes more patient drama than The Night Agent, but its core pleasures are familiar: urgent threats, incomplete evidence, competing explanations and the uneasy feeling that someone inside the system knows more than they admit. Danes plays Carrie with extraordinary intensity, and the show lets that intensity create friction rather than making her a frictionless action hero. Start this if you want a serious CIA thriller to binge and are ready to commit to a much longer story.
Where to watch in the UK: Homeland streaming options.
If you want to stay with Netflix recommendations, browse our guide to Netflix’s August 2026 releases.
6. The Night Manager
The Night Manager is the most elegant option on this list, and one of the best choices when you want espionage built on patience, performance and tense social manoeuvring. Tom Hiddleston plays Jonathan Pine, a former British soldier working as a hotel night manager who is recruited by intelligence officer Angela Burr, played by Olivia Colman. His assignment is to infiltrate the inner circle of Richard Roper, a charismatic arms dealer played by Hugh Laurie.
Where The Night Agent often races through a crisis, this series lets the danger gather around Pine as he learns to perform a role among people who could expose him at any moment. Hiddleston makes the undercover act compelling because Pine’s calm exterior never quite erases the risk underneath it; Laurie is charming enough to make the villain’s power feel plausible. The result is a gripping spy story with international locations, strong supporting performances and cat-and-mouse tension. It is ideal for viewers who want a polished, adult espionage drama, and the UK listing currently includes both seasons across services.
Where to watch in the UK: The Night Manager streaming options.
5. Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan
Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan is the obvious next step if The Night Agent’s combination of an analyst, field danger and global conspiracy was exactly your thing. John Krasinski stars as Jack, a CIA analyst whose work tracing suspicious financial activity pulls him out of the office and into increasingly dangerous situations. Wendell Pierce plays James Greer, his experienced colleague, and the series sends its characters across borders as the scale of the threats grows.
Jack Ryan delivers the accessible action thriller that is easy to start and hard to stop: clear stakes, a capable but imperfect lead, urgent investigations and enough momentum to keep the next episode tempting. Its geopolitical plots are broader than Peter Sutherland’s personal mission, while the partnership between Jack and Greer gives the show a human counterweight to the operations. It is not trying to reinvent the spy genre, which is precisely why it works as a recommendation. If you want more CIA missions and conspiracy-driven action after your Netflix binge, this is one of the cleanest matches.
Where to watch in the UK: Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan on Prime Video.
4. 24
24 is the classic choice when the ticking-clock tension in The Night Agent had you leaning toward the screen. Kiefer Sutherland stars as counterterrorism agent Jack Bauer, and each season builds around a single crisis unfolding across 24 hours. The real-time structure turns even an ordinary phone call into a potential emergency; clocks keep moving, plans collide and the people around Jack rarely have time to wait for perfect information.
The series is larger, louder and more openly melodramatic than The Night Agent, but its pace helped define the modern bingeable political action thriller. Jack’s methods and the moral compromises around national security give the show plenty to argue about, while the format gives it a relentless forward pull. It is also a good pick if you like a story with enough episodes to fill a week rather than a short limited series. The best reason to watch is simple: it turns “we have a problem” into a full evening’s entertainment, with enough cliffhangers to make stopping after one episode feel wildly optimistic.
Where to watch in the UK: 24 streaming options.
3. Designated Survivor
Designated Survivor takes a government emergency and asks what happens when an unexpected person has to lead through it. Kiefer Sutherland stars as Tom Kirkman, a lower-level cabinet member who becomes president after an attack kills the people ahead of him in the line of succession. Instead of a trained field agent, the central figure is a public servant learning the job under extraordinary pressure while trying to uncover who caused the attack.
The premise gives the show two useful engines: a political thriller about keeping a shaken government working, and a mystery about the conspiracy behind the crisis. Kirkman’s outsider status makes the story accessible, because he is discovering the same power structures and hidden motives that the audience is trying to understand. It can be more political melodrama than spy action, but the series keeps delivering the mix of emergency decisions, betrayals and new information that makes The Night Agent such an easy binge. Choose it when you want the White House setting and large-scale conspiracies, with a protagonist whose greatest weapon is often his judgement.
Where to watch in the UK: Designated Survivor on Netflix.
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2. The Recruit
The Recruit brings the closest workplace contrast to The Night Agent: it follows a young professional who discovers that government work can become life-threatening without asking permission first. Noah Centineo plays Owen Hendricks, a newly hired CIA lawyer whose attempt to handle a former asset’s threatening correspondence pulls him into international conflicts and dangerous agency politics. The job sounds administrative until Owen is suddenly negotiating with people who have leverage, weapons and a very different idea of office hours.
The show is lighter and more comedic than The Night Agent, which gives it a breezier binge while preserving the spy-thriller ingredients: secret agendas, shifting alliances, field missions and a novice lead forced to improvise. Centineo makes Owen’s inexperience an asset; he is smart enough to keep talking and unseasoned enough to be surprised by how bad the situation can get. The result is a fast, modern Netflix spy series that makes bureaucratic confusion part of the action. If you want a younger lead, a CIA setting and a lot of danger with a lighter edge, this is a very strong follow-up.
Where to watch in the UK: The Recruit on Netflix.
1. Bodyguard
Bodyguard is the strongest overall recommendation for fans of The Night Agent because it brings together the same urgent rhythm, political danger and close personal stakes in a tightly focused story. Richard Madden plays David Budd, a former soldier working as a protection officer who is assigned to guard Home Secretary Julia Montague, played by Keeley Hawes. After preventing a terrorist attack, Budd is pulled into a role that places him near the centre of a political storm—and close to people whose motives he cannot confidently read.
The six-part British thriller makes each assignment feel dangerous without losing sight of Budd’s private struggle. Madden gives him a tightly controlled exterior that can shift into fear, anger or uncertainty in a single scene, while Hawes makes Montague a formidable figure rather than a simple target. The show’s best tension comes from watching a protection officer stay physically close to someone he may not trust, while questions about surveillance and political power keep the story moving. It is short, propulsive and easy to binge in a weekend. For the closest match to The Night Agent’s high-stakes political thriller formula, start here.
Where to watch in the UK: Bodyguard streaming options.
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Conclusion
The best shows like The Night Agent share more than spies and dramatic phone calls. They put capable people inside systems full of secrets, then make the personal cost of finding the truth part of the suspense. Some picks are built around action and ticking clocks; others take a slower route through cover identities, agency politics or police corruption.
For a quick follow-up, choose Bodyguard. For a lighter CIA binge, try The Recruit. If you want a long, high-pressure ride, start 24 or Homeland; if your taste runs to dry humour and intelligence-office rivalries, pick Slow Horses. My No. 1 is Bodyguard because it delivers the closest balance of political stakes, immediate danger and a lead whose private doubts make the mission more compelling.
That is our ranking, but spy-thriller fans rarely agree on the order. Tell us which show you would put at No. 1—and what we should add to the list next time.
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10 FAQs About Shows Like The Night Agent
What is the best show to watch after The Night Agent?
Bodyguard is the closest overall match. It is a compact political thriller about a protection officer caught between immediate danger and powerful people whose motives are difficult to read. If you want a similar CIA setting but a lighter tone, try The Recruit.
What shows are most similar to The Night Agent?
Bodyguard, The Recruit, Designated Survivor and Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan are the closest picks for political conspiracies, government work and fast-moving action. The Night Manager and Black Doves add undercover identities and spycraft, while 24 is the choice for relentless ticking-clock suspense.
Is there a show like The Night Agent on Netflix?
Yes. The Recruit, Designated Survivor, Homeland, Black Doves and Bodyguard have UK Netflix listings at the time of writing. Catalogue availability changes, so follow the linked UK listings or search Netflix directly before subscribing for a particular show.
What is the best spy thriller series for binge-watching?
For a short binge, choose Bodyguard: its six episodes make a tight weekend watch. For a longer commitment, 24 has multiple seasons built around high-pressure crises. The Recruit is a good middle ground if you want a modern CIA story with action and comedy.
Which show on this list has the most action?
Reacher and The Terminal List lean hardest into physical action, while 24 keeps its plot in near-constant motion. The Night Agent itself balances chase scenes with investigations and White House intrigue, so Reacher is a good pick if you want more action and less agency procedure.
Is Bodyguard really similar to The Night Agent?
Yes. Both centre on a protagonist pulled into dangerous political events, with personal stakes and conspiracies unfolding close to government power. Bodyguard is a British six-part drama with a protection officer at its centre, so its setting and lead’s job are different, but the tension and bingeable pace make it a close match.
Which show has the closest CIA storyline?
The Recruit and Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan both put CIA work at the heart of the story. The Recruit follows a new CIA lawyer caught up in agency crises, while Jack Ryan moves a CIA analyst into field missions and international threats.
Is The Night Manager a good show for fans of The Night Agent?
Yes, especially if you like undercover operations and high-level political intrigue. The Night Manager is more polished and deliberate, following Jonathan Pine as he infiltrates an arms dealer’s circle. It trades some of The Night Agent’s speed for atmosphere and performances.
What should I watch if I liked the conspiracy in The Night Agent?
Try Rabbit Hole for a modern conspiracy built around corporate espionage, or Designated Survivor for a political mystery following an attack on the US government. Homeland takes the question of intelligence and national security across a much longer, more complex series.
Where can I stream these shows in the UK?
The list spans Netflix, Prime Video, Apple TV, Paramount+, Disney+, ITVX and other UK services. The linked JustWatch pages show current streaming options for each series. Availability can differ by season and change over time, so check the specific title and season before you start.
For another guide to Netflix’s action-and-politics appeal, visit Netflix Tudum’s The Night Agent guide.
More Places to Find Great Movies and TV Shows
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Explore these sites for more viewing ideas, and keep your next great binge within reach.
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