If you’ve been locked into Hostage since you hit “play” on episode one, and are only now coming up for air after THAT tense finale, then you’re in good company.
Netflix’s newest addition to the political thriller genre was an addictive watch, largely owing to the stand-out performances from the show’s leads Suranne Jones and Julie Delpy, as fictional British prime minister Abigail Dalton and French President Vivienne Toussaint respectively.
What started out as a stubborn rivalry between two political leaders (each up against their own individual battles with the patriarchy) soon blossomed into an unshakable allyship with bittersweet consequences.
What to Read Next
Sadly this good thing had to come to an end, but if you’re not ready to let go of the adrenaline that Hostage delivered, you don’t have to. Here are seven shows to turn to next.
Netflix
The Diplomat
Amid an international crisis, newly-appointed United States ambassador to the United Kingdom Kate Wyler (Keri Russell) is tasked with de-escalating tensions and striking up strategic alliances.
This she must undertake all while adapting to her new position, meanwhile her turbulent marriage to a political star is also on the brink of collapse.
Netflix
Black Doves
Black Doves might have its differences to Hostage, but the spy series boasts an equally strong female-driven narrative, also with a tense and gritty premise. So we’d argue it’s living in the same neighbourhood as Jones’ political thriller when it comes to what fans will enjoy.
The limited series follows Helen Webb (Keira Knightley), an undercover spy who is also a politician’s wife. A tragedy that is personal to her sparks a quest for the truth and revenge, but Helen is not alone as an old assassin friend joins her. Black Doves also stars Ben Whishaw (Skyfall) and Sarah Lancashire (Happy Valley).
Prime Video
The Assassin
If anyone knows what it’s like to operate in a male-dominated field like Suranne Jones’ Abigail Dalton, it’s The Assassin’s Julie (played by Keely Hawes).
In the recent Prime Video series, the retired assassin is forced on the run with her estranged son Edward (Freddie Highmore) – but her dangerous past comes looking for revenge. Along the way, they uncover a dark conspiracy that threatens their already fractured relationship.
BBC
The Night Manager
If political conspiracy and scheming ticks your boxes, then The Night Manager should definitely be on your list.
Starring Tom Hiddleston, this thriller finds former British soldier Jonathan Pine (Hiddleston) working as a night manager of a luxury hotel. But life soon gets complex for him when he is hired by a senior official running a Foreign Office task force.
With new seasons of the hit show on the way, there’s no better time to revisit The Night Manager.
Giovanni Rufino/ABC via Getty Images
Scandal
As the name suggests, the Shonda Rhimes show is dripping in more scandal than President Vivienne Toussaint’s one dalliance with indiscretion.
Known as the “fixer”, Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) heads up a crisis management firm in Washington DC, where she and her team work to massage the blunders of those in power, including the political elite.
Netflix
The Recruit
To All The Boys’ Noah Centineo stars as the character Owen Hendricks, a newly-recruited CIA lawyer, in this fast-paced thriller.
His first week on the job is anything but smooth after he finds a threatening letter from a former asset of his agency Max Meladze (played by Laura Haddock). Owen soon “finds himself entangled in a dangerous and absurd world of power politics and mischievous players”, according to Netflix.
Sky
Day of the Jackal
If it’s not a politician’s spouse in danger, then it’s the politicians themselves – or at least that’s the case in the Sky drama Day of the Jackal.
Eddie Redmayne plays the character known as The Jackal, an elusive assassin, while British intelligence officer Bianca (Lashana Lynch) is hot on his heels.
What ensues is a cat-and-mouse chase all over Europe, but as the hunt progresses it becomes even clearer that there are other forces at work…
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TV writer, Digital Spy Janet completed her Masters degree in Magazine Journalism in 2013 and has continued to grow professionally within the industry ever since. For six years she honed her analytical reviewing skills at the Good Housekeeping institute eventually becoming Acting Head of Food testing. She also freelanced in the field of film and TV journalism from 2013-2020, when she interviewed A-List stars such as Samuel L Jackson, Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson. In 2021 she joined Digital Spy as TV writer where she gets to delve into more of what she loves, watching copious amounts of telly all in the name of work. Since taking on the role she has conducted red carpet interviews with the cast of Bridgerton, covered the BAFTAs and been interviewed by BBC Radio and London Live. In her spare time she also moonlights as a published author, the book Gothic Angel.