You may not have noticed because of all the quality TV shows at your fingertips lately, but we’ve been living in a golden age of action TV shows for a while now. Where the pay cable network Cinemax once reigned supreme with dramas like Strike Back, Amazon’s Prime Video now stands tall and proud, thanks to equally addictive shows like Reacher and Jack Ryan. But what we think of when we think about “action shows” has evolved along the way. There is the more traditional fare: the high-octane dramas with massive set pieces that many refer to as “dad TV.” But then there are shows that focus on character and personal narratives that just happen to also feature incredible action sequences. Of course, then there are the shows that easily do both, like the Cinemax-turned-Max series Warrior, which recently began streaming on Netflix, allowing it to reach a wider audience. To celebrate this wonderful age in which we’ve found ourselves, Paste has rounded up the 10 best action shows you can watch right now, whether you’re a dad or not.
Banshee
You’ve never seen a show like Banshee (unless, of course, you’ve already seen Banshee, in which case you understand the sentiment). The pulpy Cinemax drama is, in some ways, the pinnacle of the genre. The show follows Lucas Hood (Antony Starr), an ex-con recently released from prison who assumes the identity of a recently-deceased small-town sheriff in order to remain close to his former lover (Ivana Miličević) and the teenage daughter he never knew he had. But as Hood begins doling out his own style of justice—much to the chagrin of his deputies—the Jonathan Tropper-created series ramps up the action and drama to meet him blow for blow. The show’s pedal-to-the-metal approach to storytelling gives it enough momentum to barrel through wall after wall after wall like a wild cartoon. But what’s even more impressive is its ability to balance the relentless action and expertly choreographed fight scenes found in every episode with instantly memorable characters, all with unique identities and competing interests, and compelling storylines that feature everything from Ukrainian gangsters seeking vengeance and conflicts with the local Native American population, to a local kingpin (Ulrich Thomsen) whose Amish roots make for one of TV’s best and most distinctive villains. Wildly ambitious from start to finish, Banshee truly has it all.
Reacher
If you’ve already binged Banshee, Reacher should be next on your list. The popular Prime Video series, which is adapted from Lee Child’s books, has a lot in common with the Cinemax drama, from a charismatic leading man who operates with his own sense of ethics, to adrenaline-fueled action sequences, to a surprisingly well-deployed sense of humor. But if Banshee operates at an 11, Reacher is a more manageable seven. Alan Ritchson stars as Jack Reacher, a veteran of the Army’s military police who now travels the country with nothing but the clothes on his back, delivering justice when and where it’s needed. With few exceptions, the show’s supporting cast is new each season, a reflection of Reacher’s nomadic lifestyle. The first season explores corruption and crime in small-town Georgia (which really helps sell the Banshee comparison), while the second moves the action to New York and finds Reacher reuniting with members of his old unit to investigate the disappearance and murder of some of their own. This built-in ability to reinvent itself each season is one of the show’s greatest assets, as it keeps things fresh in a genre that sometimes feels overly familiar.
Warrior
Based on the writings of Bruce Lee and set during the Tong Wars, Warrior is one of the finest examples of the action drama to date, and one of the most distinct in terms of style and tone. The series, which also hails from Banshee’s Jonathan Tropper, stars Andrew Koji as Ah Sahm, a martial arts prodigy who becomes a hatchet man for one of San Francisco’s tongs upon his arrival in the United States in the late 1870s. He soon discovers the sister (Dianne Doan) he crossed the ocean to find has become the leader of a powerful rival tong, setting the stage for ongoing familial conflict that rivals the political and racial tensions of the era that turned the city into a powder keg. With multiple entry points, well-choreographed fights, and some of the best action sequences you’ll ever find on the small screen, Warrior is must-see TV.
Strike Back
Strike Back was proof of concept for successful action shows on the small screen. Originally a Sky One drama starring Andrew Lincoln and Richard Armitage, the series was softly rebooted when Cinemax came aboard in Season 2 as a co-producer, and it took off from there. Philip Winchester and Sullivan Stapleton star as elite soldiers working for a covert operation known as Section 20, taking on would-be terrorists in feature film-worthy shootouts and combat sequences that prove there is room for high-stakes action on TV. But the show also balances its adrenaline-fueled story with emotionally resonant moments that never shy away from the human cost of war and the toll it takes on those who survive. Strike Back initially rode off into the sunset in 2015, but when Cinemax returned to its action roots two years later, it revived the series with a new cast, elevating it from a two-handed bromance to an ensemble drama by introducing more women and developing its supporting characters to be more than expendable targets. Strike Back is the rare series that knew what it was from the start, and that allowed it to become better than it had any right to be. Now that it’s signed off (again), television is a little less exciting without it.
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