9 Modern TV Action Thrillers That Are Better Than Any Taylor Sheridan Show

Love him or hate him, Taylor Sheridan clearly understands what viewers want. After the huge success of Yellowstone, his spin-off series on Paramount+ kept coming, and he quickly became the leading creator of a particular style of TV. His shows are known for their sweeping landscapes, larger-than-life characters, and plenty of intense, thoughtful moments. He expertly combines familiar themes and elements, but if you’ve seen a lot of his work, you might notice it starts to feel a bit predictable.

While Taylor Sheridan was building his Western saga, a wave of truly excellent action thrillers emerged on streaming services. These shows offered fresh creativity, complex characters, and unexpected twists. From satirical takes on corporate greed in a post-apocalyptic world to a politically savvy Star Wars series and a surprisingly emotional spy thriller, there’s a lot of variety. Here are nine shows that surpass anything Taylor Sheridan has created.

‘Fallout’ (2024 – Present)

Ever imagined the end of the world in soft, pretty colors? It sounds strange, but it’s actually kind of cheerful. The new TV show Fallout brings the popular video game to life, and it’s a wild ride that mixes dark humor, gritty survival, and compelling characters. The story takes place in a ruined America after a nuclear war, and follows the journeys of three different groups of people trying to survive in the harsh wasteland.

The show centers around three characters: Lucy (Ella Purnell), a hopeful resident of Vault 33; Cooper Howard (Walton Goggins), a pre-war actor now a bounty hunter transformed into a ghoul; and Maximus (Aaron Moten), a young knight in the Brotherhood of Steel eager to prove his worth. Unlike other shows from the same creator, Fallout offers a deeper message beneath its violence and dark comedy. It cleverly blends satire about American capitalism and unwavering optimism with the established world of the Fallout games, creating a show that’s both bizarre, politically insightful, and visually impressive.

‘Bosch’ (2015 – 2022)

For seven years, the TV series Bosch consistently delivered high-quality entertainment. Based on Michael Connelly’s detective novels and streaming on Amazon Prime Video from 2015 to 2022, the show follows LAPD Detective Harry Bosch, played by Titus Welliver. Bosch is a complex character – a Vietnam veteran, a jazz enthusiast, and a dedicated single father – who is driven to solve every case, no matter how challenging. While structured as a police procedural, the series feels remarkably intricate, weaving together multiple investigations and exploring the impact of Bosch’s past on his work. The city of Los Angeles is also vividly portrayed, almost as a character in itself.

It’s a show that deserves your attention. Unlike many other series created by Michael Connelly, Bosch doesn’t glorify tough, idealized versions of American masculinity or heroes who are simply right by default. Harry Bosch is often flawed, sometimes acts impulsively, and is consistently stubborn. But Bosch respects its viewers by portraying a complex character without needing to turn him into an untouchable legend, and that’s what makes it stand out.

‘SEAL Team’ (2017 – 2024)

Many military dramas fall into predictable patterns, but SEAL Team stands out by focusing on the emotional toll the job takes on its characters. When it began in 2017 on CBS, the show followed a typical formula: the Bravo Team would go on missions, complete them, and return home. However, starting around Season 3, the series shifted its focus, becoming more character-driven and exploring themes of loss, friendship, and complicated relationships.

After its fifth season, SEAL Team moved to Paramount+, giving it more creative freedom. This allowed the show to move beyond simple action stories and explore the difficult realities faced by Navy SEALs. It stopped focusing solely on successful missions and started examining the lasting emotional and psychological toll of repeated deployments – impacting everything from personal relationships to everyday life. Ultimately, the show’s biggest strength is its focus on the aftermath of missions and what happens to the characters long after the action is over.

‘Andor’ (2022 – 2025)

Few people were expecting a prequel to Star Wars, so when Andor debuted in 2022, many longtime fans were ready to dislike it. Instead, it turned out to be the best installment in the franchise for many years. Created by Tony Gilroy—who brought the same sense of tense realism he used in the Bourne movies—and Michael Clayton, the show follows Cassian Andor (played by Diego Luna) in the years leading up to Rogue One, showing how everyday people gradually become involved in the rebellion.

The show’s first season has twelve episodes divided into four-episode stories, each feeling like a mini-movie. The second and final season brings the story up to the events of Rogue One, neatly tying up loose ends. What sets this show apart is its portrayal of the Empire – not as a monolithic evil, but as a complex bureaucracy filled with people focused on their careers and beliefs, who are shielded from the consequences of their actions. It’s a slow-burn, carefully crafted series that doesn’t rely on typical fan expectations, which is a bold move in today’s entertainment climate.

‘The Night Agent’ (2023 – Present)

The espionage thriller The Night Agent immediately grabs your attention with its suspenseful story of government conspiracies. The series stars Gabriel Basso as Peter Sutherland, an FBI agent relegated to a seemingly unimportant job – answering a rarely used emergency phone. But when the phone finally rings, he’s thrust into a complex and far-reaching plot that goes all the way to the top. The show expertly builds tension with each new twist and turn, and every character holds secrets that could dramatically change everything.

Netflix’s The Night Agent, which premiered in 2023, quickly became a huge hit, amassing over 168 million viewing hours within its first month. Though based on Matthew Quirk’s 2012 novel, the series takes significant liberties with the original story and reflects modern political issues. Unlike the shows created by Taylor Sheridan, which often center around a powerful, dominant male figure, The Night Agent spreads power among many characters, portraying the danger as more widespread and less focused on individual personalities.

‘Peacemaker’ (2022 – 2025)

As a huge action fan, I have to say Peacemaker is a blast. It’s a spin-off from the DC movies, and honestly, it’s way more fun than anything Taylor Sheridan’s been doing lately. John Cena is perfect as this messed-up, kinda-fascist superhero who’s surprisingly vulnerable – he’s always going on about his dad! And get this, he’s friends with a talking eagle. It sounds crazy, but James Gunn really pulls it off. The opening credits alone – the whole cast doing a straight-faced dance to Wig Wam’s “Do Ya Wanna Taste It” – instantly told me this show wasn’t taking itself too seriously, and it delivers on that promise throughout.

The show features a fantastic cast, including Danielle Brooks as Leota Adebayo, Steve Agee as John Economos, and Jennifer Holland as Emilia Harcourt, all of whom have well-developed storylines. The action is incredibly well-done. Because Peacemaker is a comedy at its heart, comparing it to the more serious Yellowstone universe doesn’t quite feel fair. Peacemaker actually challenges the idea of glorified violence often seen in Yellowstone and its spin-offs, all while being a more enjoyable watch.

‘The Old Man’ (2022 – 2024)

Jeff Bridges is known for his fantastic film work, so everyone was eager to see what he’d do on TV. What surprised viewers was how perfectly he played Dan Chase – a former CIA agent who’s been quietly living in rural Vermont for three decades. He seems harmless, until a night when two men try to kill him, and he effortlessly fights them off.

The first episode of The Old Man includes a fight scene designed around Jeff Bridges’s own physical abilities, making it feel raw, realistic, and a welcome change of pace. Another smart move was casting John Lithgow as Harold Harper, Chase’s former trainer and now the man tasked with hunting him down. Their relationship is complicated, built on a shared past but driven by conflicting goals. Unlike some of Taylor Sheridan’s other shows, The Old Man demonstrates that a series can be both exciting and intellectually engaging.

‘Reacher’ (2022 – Present)

Jack Reacher is a towering figure – six feet five inches tall and weighing 250 pounds – who drifts into quiet American towns that are often hiding dark secrets. Alan Ritchson stars as Reacher in the Amazon Prime Video series based on Lee Child’s novels, and many viewers feel he’s a much better fit for the character than Tom Cruise was, even making them imagine the books were written with Ritchson in mind.

The first season of Reacher expertly follows the plot of Killing Floor, with Jack Reacher immediately arriving in Margrave, Georgia, only to be arrested quickly and then discovering a complex counterfeiting scheme connected to the town’s elite. Seasons 2 and 3 are equally successful, largely thanks to Alan Ritchson’s natural commanding presence. Reacher stands out from other shows created by Taylor Sheridan because it’s focused and doesn’t rely on spectacle over substance.

‘Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan’ (2018 – 2023)

Spy thrillers don’t always need to be original; sometimes, they just need to do the familiar things exceptionally well. Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan does exactly that, telling the story of a CIA analyst who unexpectedly finds himself dealing with major international crises. John Krasinski brings a relatable, yet determined quality to the role, and the show consistently throws him into more dangerous situations than many similar action series would.

The series Jack Ryan feels like a big-screen movie, largely because each season takes place in a different part of the world and focuses on new dangers. It successfully combines exciting action with a compelling story. While creator Taylor Sheridan’s other shows usually stick to one location, Jack Ryan really benefits from its large scope, easily shifting between high-stakes meetings and intense action sequences. With John Krasinski set to return for a follow-up movie, the future of this thrilling series looks promising.

2026-04-15 04:20