The Day of the Jackalis a TV adaptation of Frederick Forsyth’s iconic novel of the same name, and it’s already proven to be one of2024’s most popular shows. The series tells the fictional story of a killer named the Jackal, an assassin-for-hire whose dangerous methods and mastery of disguises have allowed him to evade the police for many years. It’s a high-stakes game of cat-and-mouse that takes place throughout Europe, with the Jackal leaving a trail of destruction and chaos in his wake.
The Day of the Jackalhas become a streaming sensation, but it’s not the first project to tell this kind of epic, sprawling story.The series is clearly inspired by many other thrillers that came before it, and thankfully, these are perfect shows to watch in the tantalizing gap betweenThe Day of the Jackal’s first and second seasons.
Reacher
Cast
Reacher follows Jack Reacher, a former military police investigator, as he navigates civilian life. Without a phone and carrying minimal belongings, Reacher drifts across the country, experiencing the nation he once served, and encounters intriguing challenges along the way.
Reacheris another high-stakes thriller, this time based on Lee Child’s internationally successful series of books.The novels, much like the show, follow an ex-military soldier named Jack Reacherwhose professional background gets him involved in an endless series of dangerous and explosive conspiracies that only somebody with his expertise could solve.
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The Day of the Jackal is getting tense as the finale is fast approaching and secrets are starting to be peeled back, with episode 8’s massive reveal.
Each season ofReacheris based on a different one ofLee Child’sJack Reacherbooks, telling a complete narrative over the course of eight episodes while building character relationships and sprawling arcs that connect the seasons in rich, thematic ways. Its narrative isn’t quite as sprawling or high-stakes asThe Day of the Jackal, but its method of storytelling is just as exciting and action-packed.
Black Doves
Black Doves is a suspenseful thriller released in December 2024. It follows a spy masquerading as a politician’s wife who, after discovering her lover’s murder, joins forces with an old assassin associate to uncover the truth and seek revenge.
Black Dovesis another huge streaming hit from 2024, following the story of two ex-spies who are brought together when a mysterious group of assassins enters their lives and threaten their loved ones.It’s an original story that’s brimming with mysteries and conspiraciesfor the audience to solve, though its complex storytelling never makes that easy.
Much likeThe Day of the Jackal, the best part ofBlack Dovesis the fierce lead performances that bring these unique characters to life in absorbing ways.Whishaw and Knightley have excellent on-screen chemistry in the show, and it’s the evolving dynamic between their characters that allows this show to thrive.
The Continental
The Continental: Set within the John Wick universe, this miniseries follows Winston Scott as he is drawn into a network of assassins. After his brother’s attack on the Continental hotel, Winston must navigate the underworld to restore order, positioned in the backdrop of the iconic hotel.
The Continentalis a spin-off series based in the world ofJohn Wick, which in itself is clearly inspired by the cloak-and-dagger mysteries of Forsyth’s original novel. The show takes place many years before the films take place, following a younger version of Ian McShane’s Winston during his formative years climbing the ladder of the Continental organization.
By design, the entire story is built on lies and betrayals that keep the audience at a distance and never let the truth of the narrative prevail, which makes for a fascinating viewing experience where you’re never entirely sure who’s telling the truth.
The Continentalanswers many secrets from theJohn Wickmoviesthat were certainly rewarding for long-time fans, but it also has a standalone narrative of power and deception that’s just as engaging for complete newcomers. By design,the entire story is built on lies and betrayalsthat keep the audience at a distance and never let the truth of the narrative prevail, which makes for a fascinating viewing experience where you’re never entirely sure who’s telling the truth.
The Blacklist
The Blacklist follows Raymond “Red” Reddington, a notorious fugitive, who shocks the FBI by surrendering and offering to help capture dangerous criminals. With a mysterious agenda, Reddington insists on working exclusively with rookie FBI profiler Elizabeth Keen, using his deep knowledge of an elusive criminal network.
The Blacklistwas one of the most formative crime shows of the 2010s. The series follows a notorious criminal named Raymond Reddington who’s brought in to assist a group of skeptical law enforcement agents in catching some low-level criminals, with the only condition that he’s allowed to work with an upcoming talent in the precinct. Much likeThe Day of the Jackal,this show really thrives in its character development- particularly through the villainous Reddington.
One benefit of having such a long-running show likeThe Blacklistis its ability to craft grounded, slow-burn narratives that plant their seeds right at the beginning and don’t let them bloom until the very end. The entire show is an extremely rewarding watch, brought to life by one ofJames Spader’s most underrated performances.
Citadel
Citadel is a 2023 action-thriller series developed by the Russo Brothers. The narrative follows agents Mason Kane and Nadia Sinh, played by Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, who work for a global spy agency intent on maintaining world stability. They must confront a new threat from a shadowy organization bent on global chaos. Stanley Tucci and Lesley Manville co-star in this high-stakes, globe-trotting espionage drama.
Citadelwas infamous for being one of the most ambitious and pioneering streaming shows of all time, with a huge budget that allowed the show to jump across the globe and visit several different locations in this sweeping narrative.Thematically, it shares many similarities withThe Day of the Jackal- it’s a tale of spies, international espionage, and global surveillance.
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The Day of the Jackal’s director Brian Kirk explains the finale’s shocking twist and how they came to the decision to derive from the source material.
Citadelmay not have been a huge success, but the first season did a great job of laying the groundwork for what’s to come in future episodes.It’s a slow-burn thriller that evolves into a deadly cat-and-mouse chaseacross the world, exploring the topical question of how much our governments are prepared to operate in the shadows to protect their secrets.
Slow Horses
Slow Horses follows a dysfunctional team of MI5 agents led by the notorious Jackson Lamb. Set against the backdrop of the espionage world, the agents must navigate complex operations and defend England from sinister forces, all while dealing with internal struggles and their abrasive boss.
Slow Horsesis one of thebest shows on Apple TV, but the series doesn’t receive anywhere near the amount of acclaim that it deserves.The story follows the obnoxious boss of a dysfunctional MI5 unitwho are tasked with protecting the safety of their country while trying to see through the fog of an ever-changing diplomacy that puts their job at risk.
LikeThe Day of the Jackal, Apple TV’sSlow Horsesis a product of two things: the show’s biting, witty scripts, and the hugely entertaining performances that drive the story forward.
LikeThe Day of the Jackal, Apple TV’sSlow Horsesis a product of two things: the show’s biting, witty scripts, and the hugely entertaining performances that drive the story forward. In this case, it’s Academy Award-winner Gary Oldman and Jack Lowden whose on-screen dynamic makesSlow Horsessuch a fun watch, as their characters attempt to navigate a world that they’re not always cut out for.
Mindhunter
From executive producers David Fincher and Charlize Theron comes Mindhunter, a series that chronicles the founding of the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit used to track and apprehend serial killers. Mindhunter follows Agent Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and Bill Tench (Holt McCallany) as they work to establish a framework for understanding the minds of some of America’s most dangerous serial killers. Mindhunter adapts a number of true crime stories, including the BTK murders and the notorious Co-Ed Killer, Edmund Kemper.
David Fincher’sMindhunteris a show infamous for its premature cancelation, but the show is still worth watching for the incredible quality of the two seasons that were commissioned. The series centers around a team of FBI agents who work alongside criminal psychologists to get inside the minds of some of America’s most notorious killers, using what they’ve learned to build profiles and apply them to other criminals who haven’t yet been caught.
What madeMindhuntersuch an intense viewing experience, beyond the dynamic direction and strong performances, wasthe show’s ability to forge intricate, complex mysteries that were impossible to solvedespite all the clues being there. It really allowed the audience to get absorbed into the narrative - a quality it shares withThe Day of the Jackal.
The Serpent
The Serpent is a true-crime drama series based on the real-life story of Charles Sobhraj, a serial killer who preyed on tourists in Thailand in the 1970s. The series follows the story of Herman Knippenberg, a junior diplomat at the Dutch Embassy in Bangkok, who becomes obsessed with tracking down Sobhraj.
Narratively,The Serpentshares many qualities withThe Day of the Jackal. Both shows center around a serial killer who uses disguises and fake identities to avoid suspicion, both shows follow these killers as they travel across the world to multiple different locations, and both shows explore how the authorities ultimately used the killers’ weaknesses to track them down and pick up the clues they leave behind.
Additionally,The Serpentis loosely based on a true story- which gives an extra dimension of intrigue and eeriness to everything that happens on the show. It blends fact and fiction in a way that’s consistently interesting, avoiding the many pitfalls of true crime dramas and instead forging a well-written story that merely uses this case as inspiration for something truly gripping.
Bodyguard
Bodyguard tells the fictional story of David Budd, a heroic but volatile war veteran now working as a Specialist Protection Officer for the Royalty and Specialist Protection Branch of London’s Metropolitan Police Service.
Bodyguardis a British TV series that takes the complex, intricate storytelling ofThe Day of the Jackaland applies it on a more intimate, personal level.The narrative follows a war veteran who finds himself assigned as the personal bodyguard of a prolific politician, which becomes complicated when he develops a mistrust of her personal beliefs and policies.
Although its story takes place on a national stage with prolific characters,The Bodyguardis much more of a personal, character-driven story thanThe Day of the Jackal.
Although its story takes place on a national stage with prolific characters,The Bodyguardis much more of a personal, character-driven story thanThe Day of the Jackal. It focuses primarily on the shifting relationship between these unlikely colleagues, using the diplomatic uncertainty of their work merely as a backdrop to explore their own ideologies and conflicting beliefs.
Homeland
Homeland is a suspenseful drama series centered on CIA officer Carrie Mathison, portrayed as a top agent despite her bipolar disorder. Released on June 30, 2025, the series follows her as she navigates the complexities of intelligence work with the guidance of her mentor, Saul Berenson.
Homelandis arguably the definitive political thriller of the 2010s, and that’s proven both in its undeniable longevity and continuing popularity even today. The show centers around a CIA operative working alongside the Department of Homeland Security to identify an American prisoner who’s suspected of having joined forces with a dangerous terrorist organization that could pose a serious threat to the United States.The show ran for eight seasons between 2011 and 2020, receiving huge critical acclaim for its early episodes before ultimately being canceled by Showtime in 2020.
Homelandwas a huge critical success, beating shows likeGame of ThronesandMad Menat the Emmys during the peak of their popularity.It was praised for its sharp, topical exploration of the American government’s foreign policyand the looming threat of terrorism in the country, which was at its most prevalent in the first season but remained an important theme. Its narrative was on a much more global scale thanThe Day of the Jackal, but both shows benefited from their ability to effectively navigate the more secretive, private aspects of government and diplomatic relations.
