7 Shows Like ‘Citadel’ to Watch if You Like Spy Action Thrillers

Citadel, the Russo Brothers' epic espionage thriller starring Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, just wrapped up its first season on Prime Video. If you're looking for more shows about James Bond-types unraveling conspiracies that go all the way to the top, we've put together a list of seven shows to watch if you like Citadel.

If You Like Action-Packed Conspiracy Thrillers: 'Alias' 

This classic early-2000s ABC series from creator J.J. Abrams launched Jennifer Garner to stardom. She plays Sydney Bristow, a CIA double agent who goes undercover to bring down SD-6, an international criminal espionage organization. Citadel — with its sexy spies in glamorous costumes, thrilling action, elaborate but comprehensible conspiracy plot, and sense of fun and romance — has Alias deeply embedded in its DNA. 

Rotten Tomatoes: 86% critics, 87% audience

Watch on Disney+

If You Like Richard Madden: 'Bodyguard' 

Before Citadel, Richard Madden proved he’s not just Game of Thrones’ Robb Stark with this agonizingly tense political thriller, which is one of the biggest hits in the history of British television. He plays David Budd, a PTSD-stricken Afghanistan war veteran who is assigned to serve as the personal bodyguard to controversial politician Julia Montague (Keeley Hawes). Madden won a Golden Globe in 2018 for his performance, and the show was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series. A long-awaited second season is in the works at Netflix. 

Rotten Tomatoes: 93% critics, 84% audience

Watch on Netflix

If You Like Priyanka Chopra Jonas: 'Quantico' 

The Nadia Sinh portrayer became a superstar in India in the mid-2000s with films like Aitraaz and Fashion. After conquering Bollywood, she moved on to Hollywood, starting with Quantico, the 2015-18 ABC thriller that made her the first South Asian actor to lead an American broadcast drama. She plays Alex Parrish, an FBI agent who becomes a suspect in a terror attack. On both Quantico and Citadel, Chopra Jonas plays a talented operative who may or may not have done something very bad, the nature of which unspools over two timelines. She knows what she likes to do. 

Rotten Tomatoes: 70% critics, 46% audience

Watch on Hulu

If You Like Globetrotting Spy Shows: 'Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan' 

Citadel isn't Prime Video's only big-budget spy thriller; Jack Ryan has been traversing the globe on top-secret missions since 2018. John Krasinski stars as the titular CIA analyst, a desk jockey who gets unexpectedly swept up into an international adventure. Jack Ryan is a little more grounded than Citadel — unlike Citadel, the CIA is a real organization, you know? — but equally action-packed. A fourth and final season is coming June 30. 

Rotten Tomatoes: 75% critics, 74% audience

Watch on Prime Video

If You Like Thrillers That Don't Take Themselves Too Seriously: 'The Blacklist'

The most fun part of Citadel is its shameless absurdity. It's a show about dueling good and evil non-governmental spy organizations called Citadel and Manticore. Amnesiac characters get their memories back by injecting a serum given to them by a scenery-chewing Stanley Tucci. It's silly and it knows it. The recent show most like Citadel in its willingness to go all out with goofy ideas that are just crazy enough to work is The Blacklist, NBC's long-running thriller series that will soon wrap up its final season. The incredibly charismatic James Spader stars as Raymond "Red" Reddington, a global criminal mastermind who works with the FBI to help capture crooks for his own inscrutable reasons. The NBC crime drama is much more modest in scope than Citadel, but it has a similar tone; they're both concerned with being entertaining before anything else.

Rotten Tomatoes: 91% critics, 77% audience

Watch on Netflix

If You Like 'Citadel's Writing: 'Hunters' 

Speaking of Citadel's tone, a lot of it comes from the mind of co-creator and showrunner David Weil. Before he got involved with Citadel, Weil created Hunters, another over-the-top Prime Video action drama. The series is set in the 1970s and follows a group of vigilantes tracking down Nazis living secretly in America. Weil is obviously interested in clandestine organizations and characters who technically aren't superheroes but act like they are. If you're interested too, check this one out.

Rotten Tomatoes: 68% critics, 65% audience

Watch on Prime Video

If You Like 'Citadel's World-Building: 'The Family Man'

Amazon's plan to turn Citadel into a global franchise includes local versions in India, Italy, and Mexico. The Indian version is already in the works. If you want to get a sense of what it will be like, watch The Family Man, showrunners Raj & DK's previous Hindi-language Prime Video action series. It's an exciting spy thriller about a counterterrorism agent who's trying to keep his job a secret from his family. It's one of Prime Video's most-watched shows. You'll see why the Russo Brothers picked Raj & DK to oversee Citadel India. 

Rotten Tomatoes: 100% critics, 88% percent audience 

Watch on Prime Video