2024’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 Jackal has 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 between The Day of the Jackal’s first and second seasons.

10 Reacher (2022-Present)

Starring Alan Ritchson & Willa Fitzgerald

Reacher is 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 Reacher whose professional background gets him involved in an endless series of dangerous and explosive conspiracies that only somebody with his expertise could solve.

Each season of Reacher is based on a different one of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher books, 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 as The Day of the Jackal, but its method of storytelling is just as exciting and action-packed.

9 Black Doves (2024)

Starring Ben Whishaw & Keira Knightley

Black Doves is 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 conspiracies for the audience to solve, though its complex storytelling never makes that easy.

Much like The Day of the Jackal, the best part of Black Doves is 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.

8 The Continental (2023)

Starring Mel Gibson & Colin Woodell

The Continental is a spin-off series based in the world of John 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 Continental answers many secrets from the John Wick movies that 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 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.

7 The Blacklist (2013-2023)

Starring James Spader & Megan Boone

The Blacklist was 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 talent in the precinct. Much like The 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 like The Blacklist is 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 of James Spader’s most underrated performances.

6 Citadel (2023-Present)

Starring Richard Madden & Priyanka Chopra Jonas

Citadel was 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 with The Day of the Jackal - it’s a tale of spies, international espionage, and global surveillance.

Citadel may 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 chase across the world, exploring the topical question of how much our governments are prepared to operate in the shadows to protect their secrets.

5 Slow Horses (2022-Present)

Starring Gary Oldman & Jack Lowden

Slow Horses is one of the best 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 unit who 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.

Like The Day of the Jackal, Apple TV’s Slow Horses is a product of two things: the show’s biting, witty scripts, and the hugely entertaining performances that drive the story forward.

Like The Day of the Jackal, Apple TV’s Slow Horses is 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 makes Slow Horses such a fun watch, as their characters attempt to navigate a world that they’re not always cut out for.

4 Mindhunter (2017-2019)

Starring Jonathan Groff & Holt McCallany

David Fincher’s Mindhunter is 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 made Mindhunter such an intense viewing experience, beyond the dynamic direction and strong performances, was the show’s ability to forge intricate, complex mysteries that were impossible to solve despite all the clues being there. It really allowed the audience to get absorbed into the narrative - a quality it shares with The Day of the Jackal.

3 The Serpent (2021)

Starring Tahar Rahim & Jenna Coleman

Narratively, The Serpent shares many qualities with The 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 Serpent is 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.

2 Bodyguard (2018)

Starring Richard Madden & Keeley Hawes

Bodyguard is a British TV series that takes the complex, intricate storytelling of The Day of the Jackal and 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 Bodyguard is much more of a personal, character-driven story than The Day of the Jackal.

Although its story takes place on a national stage with prolific characters, The Bodyguard is much more of a personal, character-driven story than The 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.

1 Homeland (2011-2020)

Starring Claire Danes & Mandy Patinkin

Homeland is 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 ed 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.

Homeland was a huge critical success, beating shows like Game of Thrones and Mad Men at the Emmys during the peak of their popularity. It was praised for its sharp, topical exploration of the American government’s foreign policy and 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 than The Day of the Jackal, but both shows benefited from their ability to effectively navigate the more secretive, private aspects of government and diplomatic relations.