10 Elite Action Thrillers To Watch If You Can't Get Enough Of Lioness

Published Sep 22, 2026, 9:00 PM EDT

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As one of the most popular Taylor Sheridan shows on the air, Lioness has become a standout action thriller by combining high-stakes military operations with complex personal stories about the lives of those carrying the operations out. While the Paramount+ series, which stars Zoe Saldaña as Joe McNamara, the CIA operative overseeing the Lioness program, puts the military work at the forefront, the personal side of Joe's life has come into the forefront as the series has continued. Lioness season 3, which recently came to an end, succeeded to a point that it became clear military thrillers are in demand.

Lioness is far from the only series to explore the dangerous intersection of espionage, military operations, and political sacrifice. With shows that delve into the intensity of what it does to the family of an operative, and others exploring the missions themselves, there are many shows that are on par with Lioness. While some focus heavily on covert operations, others emphasize the psychological consequences of secret identities and working in the shadows. For viewers who are already prepared for another season of Lioness, there are a ton of shows that could fill the void for viewers of the Sheridan series.

10 Nikita

Inspired by La Femme Nikita, the series stars Maggie Q as the titular Nikita, a former assassin who escapes a government organization, Division, after discovering its corruption. Determined to bring the agency down, Nikita wages a war against those who trained her while her former mentor, Michael (Shane West), slowly but surely becomes her only ally. Blending espionage, undercover operations, and explosive action with grounded character work, Nikita has the same respect for its operations as Lioness. Balancing duty, survival, and personal sacrifice, Nikita would appeal to Lioness fans in the way it questions the morality of the parent organizations.

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  Maggie Q

9 Alias

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Starring Jennifer Garner as Sydney Bristow, Alias is about a spy who believes she works for a secret CIA division before she ultimately finds out she's been serving a rogue criminal organization. Becoming a double agent as the series continues, Alias sees Sydney as she begins working for the actual CIA and navigates dangerous missions, complicated relationships, and a ton of family secrecy between herself and her father, Michael (Victor Garber). A defining spy series, Alias would work for Lioness viewers, as both shows focus on women operating in high-risk intelligence environments where any mistakes can prove to be fatal.

8 Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan

Starring John Krasinski as the titular Jack Ryan, Prime Video's original series sees Jack as the CIA analyst who finds himself pulled into international crises involving terrorism, political conspiracy, and global security threats. Despite his job being behind a desk, Ryan works alongside CIA officer James Greer (Wendell Pierce) while confronting dangers that span over continents and push him to his limits. The show leans heavily into action, which would work for Lioness viewers, and has many large-scale sequences that viewers of the Sheridan series are likely to enjoy. Both shows explore CIA operations and their impact on those involved.

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  Jack Ryan

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  Wendell Pierce

  James Greer

7 Covert Affairs

A series starring Piper Perabo as CIA recruit Annie Walker, Covert Affairs sees its main character thrust into the world of international espionage. Through her work, Annie is guided by blind intelligence officer Auggie Anderson (Christopher Gorham) and evolves from a rookie agent into one of the most capable in her field. Along the way, she faces terrorists, foreign threats, and difficult moral choices as she's drawn further and further into the world of international espionage. Like Lioness' Cruz (Laysla De Oliveira), Annie has limited field experience when the show begins, but her overall character growth changes her life entirely.

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  Annie Walker

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  Christopher Gorham

  Auggie Anderson

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  Kari Matchett

  Joan Campbell

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  Peter Gallagher

  Arthur Campbell

6 The Unit

A series created by David Mamet, The Unit follows an elite Delta Force team that takes on classified missions around the world while their families back home struggle with the secrecy surrounding their work. The Delta Force team, led by Sergeant Major Jonas Blane (Dennis Haysbert), takes on high-value missions that balance military action and covert operations all at once, setting the tone for the show as a whole. The series gives equal attention to the combat missions of the team along with the struggles on the homefront, which is a perfect blend for viewers who have loved Lioness' depiction.

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  Dennis Haysbert

  Uncredited

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  Regina Taylor

  Next-Door Neighbor

5 Black Doves

Ludovic Robert / Netflix

Netflix's recent series, Black Doves, stars Keira Knightley as Helen, a covert operative embedded deep within British political circles. The series reveals that for years, she's secretly passed information to her handler Reed (Sarah Lancashire), while maintaining a carefully crafted cover life, but when someone close to her is murdered, things go off the rails. Helen teams up with assassin Sam Young (Ben Whishaw) to uncover a conspiracy that threatens far more than either understand. With a female-led series, dangerous intelligence operations, and high emotional stakes, Black Doves is much like Lioness in both the personal stakes and professional ones.

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  Helen Webb

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  Ben Whishaw

  Sam Young

4 The Agency

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Starring Michael Fassbender, The Agency follows Martian, a CIA operative who's spent years undercover and blurred the line between his actual identity and his cover persona. After returning home, he struggles to leave behind a relationship that he formed during his mission, creating complications that ripple throughout the larger intelligence community. Lioness viewers who enjoy the psychological espionage side of the story will find a lot similarities between The Agency and the Sheridan series, which both examine how prolonged undercover work can change people. Watching the way each show navigates the separation of personal and professional is an interesting ride.

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  Henry Ogletree

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  Martian

3 The Terminal List

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Based on Jack Carr's novel, The Terminal List follows Navy SEAL James Reece (Chris Pratt) after his platoon is ambushed during a mission, which leads him to uncover a conspiracy. Reece is determined to expose the truth behind what happened, and embarks on a relentless quest for answers while battling through his own grief, trauma, and finding enemies on multiple fronts as he goes on. Combining military realism, emotional intensity, and moral gray areas that complicate decisions, Lioness and The Terminal List are wonderful examples of modern action thrillers. With both shows focused on similar stories, they're a great match.

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  James Reece

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  Jeanne Tripplehorn

  Secretary Hartley

2 Homeland

Image via Showtime

Homeland saw Claire Danes deliver an award winning performance as CIA officer Carrie Mathison, who was exceptionally gifted as an intelligence analyst and followed her intuition surrounding American war hero, Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis), who she felt may have been turned by terrorists. Chasing the truth, Carrie is drawn into complicated geopolitical conflicts that span the globe, and Homeland follows for seasons as the tension mounts consistently. Few modern shows capture the tension of intelligence work in the way Homeland did, and Lioness is one of them. Thriving on high-stakes operations, shifting loyalties, and personal sacrifice, both shows are intense.

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  Carrie Mathison

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  Mandy Patinkin

  Saul Berenson

1 Reacher

Based on Lee Child's bestselling novels, Reacher stars Alan Ritchson as former military police investigator Jack Reacher. As he travels from town to town, Reacher repeatedly finds himself caught up in criminal conspiracies, corruption schemes, and violent conflicts that require his physical strength and mental abilities. Combining action, mystery, and military expertise in equal measures, Reacher is less espionage-focused than Lioness, but Reacher's military background and relentless pursuit of justice makes it a great choice for Lioness fans who enjoy watching highly trained professionals dismantle dangerous threats. Lioness fans would definitely enjoy the way Reacher moves through his intense investigations.