7 Shows Like Lioness to Watch If You Like Action-Packed Spy Thrillers

Lioness, creator Taylor Sheridan's high-octane spy/military thriller, has become one of the better shows on Paramount+. Zoe Saldaña stars as Joe, the CIA case officer in charge of the agency's Lioness program, which embeds undercover female operatives inside of terrorist organizations. It's dangerous work that takes a heavy psychological toll, and the show is both action-packed and character-driven. It's one of Sheridan's best creations, and bears many of his signatures, including amoral characters, a split between work and family drama, and a star-studded cast — Nicole Kidman and Morgan Freeman feature in prominent supporting roles. 

If you're looking for more shows like Lioness to watch, we've assembled a strong list of spy and military shows. But we're doing this one a little differently than usual, staying away from hugely popular shows that — if you like Lioness — you've almost certainly already watched, like Jack Ryan and The Terminal List. Instead, we're emphasizing some more under-the-radar and international shows (as well as a couple of more familiar shows, too) that take you inside the lives of people who work behind the scenes to protect their country at any cost. 

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The Agency

Michael Fassbender stars as CIA agent "Martian" in this well-appointed spy thriller. As the series starts, he is suddenly called back home after spending several years undercover, forcing him to leave the woman he loves, Dr. Samia Zahir (Jodie Turner-Smith) — who only knows him as his cover. His relationship with her is a problem, and his effort to continue the relationship creates even bigger problems. The Agency is a psychologically complex story about what happens when an agent becomes someone else for so long they no longer know who they really are. Like Lioness, it has a top-tier cast — Jeffrey Wright and Richard Gere costar — and is available to stream on Paramount+. It's an American remake of the French series The Bureau, which is also highly recommended, as it's one of the best spy shows ever made. It's also available to stream on Paramount+. 

Elite Force

Speaking of French shows, this action thriller follows the GIGN, France's most elite tactical unit specializing in counterterrorism and hostage rescue. High-ranking officer David (Tomer Sisley) delays his retirement — much to the dismay of his wife and daughter — in order to look after rookie Max (Tristan Zanchi), his godson, who just joined GIGN even though David did everything he could to keep him out. Max's father was also in GIGN, and he died in the line of duty 15 years ago. And when Max finds out that David had more to do with his father's death than he previously realized, things get volatile. If your favorite part of Lioness is the explosive action setpieces, make Elite Force your next watch. 

Black Doves

If you're looking for another thriller about a female spy, land on Black Doves. Keira Knightley plays Helen, a member of the titular mercenary spy organization, who is so deep undercover that she is married to and has children with her target, England's Secretary of Defence, whom she's been passing information about to her handler Reed (Sarah Lancashire) since he was a low-level politician. When the man she truly loves is assassinated, she is pulled into an elaborate web of mystery that she and her hitman friend Sam (Ben Whishaw) try to unravel — without getting killed in the process. Like Lioness, it's a dark, violent show about a woman trying to be a mother to her children while doing heinous things that put her life at risk every day; unlike Lioness, it's funny and colorful. 

Tehran

This Israeli series follows a Persian Jewish Mossad agent, Tamar Rabinyan (Niv Sultan), as she goes undercover in the titular Iranian capital, which is where she was born but left when she was a child. She's there to destroy a nuclear reactor, but when the mission goes sideways, she has to hide out in the city, where she reconnects with her history while trying to avoid being captured by the Revolutionary Guard. Tehran is a tense and twisty thriller that won the International Emmy for Best Drama Series. Glenn Close joined the cast in Season 2 and Hugh Laurie did the same in Season 3, and a fourth season is in the works. 

The Unit

The Unit, which ran for four seasons on CBS from 2005 to 2009, has achieved hidden gem status. The David Mamet-created series follows the operators of an Army unit based on Delta Force as they carry out top-secret missions all over the world — missions so secret, not even their wives can know details about them. This pressure-cooker environment leads to a lot of action in the field and character drama at home, which should be familiar to Lioness fans. The cast is led by Dennis Haysbert, who is best known for playing the President on another show Lioness fans probably loved, 24. 

Marshals

If you're looking for another Sheridan show in the vein of Lioness, the closest one is Marshals. The Yellowstone spin-off follows Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes), a Montana rancher who in a past life was a Navy SEAL. After losing basically his entire family except his son, Tate (Brecken Merrill), he decides to get a fresh start by becoming a deputy U.S. Marshal alongside his former SEAL commander Pete Calvin (Logan Marshall-Green). Kayce works as part of a team catching bad guys in Montana's rough backcountry. If you like the strike team element of Lioness, that's what Marshals is all about. While it's the Sheridan show most like Lioness, it's not the most similar thing he's written overall; that would be the movie Sicario, a fantastically cynical thriller set at the U.S.-Mexico border about a DEA agent (Emily Blunt) who gets roped into providing cover for the CIA to work domestically against a drug cartel. 

SEAL Team 

Okay, we'll close with one very familiar one. This David Boreanaz-led military drama ran for five seasons on CBS and two on Paramount+, telling the story of Bravo Team, the most elite of the most elite, as they carry out dangerous missions all over the world and then come home to their families and try to be normal. It's very hard. It's a very similar vibe to Lioness, if maybe a little less intense, but still with good action scenes. SEAL Team is Sheridan-esque enough that the showrunners of both Yellowstone sequels, Marshals and Dutton Ranch, are SEAL Team alumni.