12 Best TV Shows Like Countdown

Dropping on Amazon Prime in summer 2025, "Countdown" comes from prolific TV producer Derek Haas. A tense, high-adrenaline conspiracy thriller, "Countdown" begins with the high-profile murder of a federal agent and the intra-agency task force assembled to find the perp, who's still at large. But when the investigation into the heinous crime begins, it becomes clear that the murder was only the tip of the iceberg, setting into motion a much more dire series of events. At the center of it all is LAPD detective Mark Meachum (Jensen Ackles), a loose cannon and terminally ill detective standing between the city of Los Angeles and disaster.

At just 10 episodes, it didn't take many viewers long to breeze through the show's debut season. And since it's too early to tell whether it'll get picked up again and continue the story of Detective Meachum, the next best thing for fans to get their action thriller fix is to take a look at what else is out there. With that in mind, we've compiled a list of the 12 best shows like "Countdown" for you to check out next, with enough murder, conspiracy, and high-stakes action to keep you busy while we wait for word on Season 2.

When it comes to quality action television, especially in the era before streaming, there are few equals to the 2001 series "24." Unfolding in real time across 24 episodes, which add up to one full in-universe day, the first season of "24" is centered around a terrorist plot unfolding in Los Angeles targeting Maryland senator and presidential hopeful David Palmer (Dennis Haysbert). But standing between the would-be murderers and their plan is Jack Bauer (Keifer Sutherland), a highly-skilled member of the nation's Counter Terrorist Unit. The series sees him travel across the city of Los Angeles, and later the globe, hunting down and stopping the world's most dangerous criminals.

One of the most similar series to "Countdown" on our list, sharing an L.A. setting and even featuring a literal ticking clock on screen throughout the series, "24" quickly earned a name for itself as one of the best thrillers on television. Spanning nine seasons, with an additional spin-off series and a movie, every bit of the "24" franchise utilizes its unique method of real-time storytelling to add a twist to its already gripping action, espionage, and shocking betrayals. For fans of "Countdown" looking for another great show that'll keep you busy for a while, "24" is an absolute must.

One of the best espionage series ever made, "Homeland" takes the gangland intrigue of "Countdown" and swaps it out for international terrorism. The series is led by former sitcom star Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison, a gung-ho FBI agent who, like Meachum in "Countdown," struggles with her own health issues: In this case, bipolar disorder. But it doesn't get in the way of her mission, tracking down the world's worst terrorists.

With a crack team that would make "Countdown" jealous, Mathison has her sights set on one man in particular: Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis from "Band of Brothers"), a Delta Force soldier who was once held in captivity by Al Qaeda, and who she is convinced the enemy has brainwashed into becoming a double agent. But thanks to her mentor Saul Berenson (Mandy Patinkin of "Chicago Hope" fame), Mathison must also work beside Brody, who is part of her counter-terrorism team. With a possible enemy in her midst, Mathison must navigate the world of international espionage even more carefully.

With an impressive eight seasons and nearly 100 episodes, "Homeland" will also give "Countdown" fans a lot to sink their teeth into. The series is widely regarded as one of the best conspiracy thrillers ever made, with plenty of action, adventure, and shocking twists and turns. Earning plenty of awards recognition, too, it might also be the best show to watch on this list.

If you're looking for a show like "Countdown" that leans into the conspiracy elements, you can't do much better than "Condor." The 2023 series is a TV remake of one of the greatest spy movies ever made, "Three Days of the Condor," the 1975 film from acclaimed director Sydney Pollack and starring Academy Award winner Robert Redford. The series can never match those incredible heights, but it does deliver a fresh new take on an old story, with Max Irons taking over for Redford in the role of bookworm and CIA analyst Joe Turner.

Turner works at the CIA, but that doesn't mean he gets to see any action. Instead, he works in a unit that scours publicly available materials to gain insight into foreign operations. His humdrum job at the agency is upended, though, when on one otherwise ordinary day he returns to the office from a lunch break to find every other agent in his office dead. When he tries to escape to another field office, though, he quickly discovers that he's been caught in the middle of a much bigger conspiracy, and he's the only man left alive who can get to the bottom of it. Now, the one-time desk agent is a man on the run, making narrow escapes from would-be assassins. 

While "Countdown" explores a gangland conspiracy that threatens government agents, "Condor" deals with a conspiracy from within. Despite following in the footsteps of a legendary cinematic classic, "Condor" manages to carve out its own identity as a first-rate political thriller that benefits from its longer format.

After you've finished binging "Countdown," stick within the Amazon Prime app and pull up "The Terminal List," starring Chris Pratt. Like "Countdown," it centers on a former military man who's returned from duty only to discover a deep conspiracy that goes far further than he ever imagined. In this story, though, the conspiracy links back to his wartime service, as he was engaged in heavy fighting with a group of US Navy SEALs in Syria who were on a mission to track down a chemical weapons expert nicknamed Chemical Kahani.

During the mission, the entire squad is killed, with the lone survivor being Commander James Reece (Pratt). But after returning home following his doomed mission, Reece begins to notice that he's suffering from a curious form of memory loss. He's been having debilitating headaches, and with a fuzzy recollection of the mission gone wrong, Reece has doubts about what really happened. Worse still, he starts to question who was really responsible, and if he might have been involved in the attack that killed his entire platoon. And when his wife and daughter turn up dead, Reece sets out to find answers, leading to a blood-soaked mission for the truth.

A gripping thriller and captivating mystery all rolled into one, "The Terminal List" is precisely the kind of story you want after watching "Countdown." With a more paranoid conspiracy angle and a hero whose own memory can't be trusted, it's also a series that will have you questioning everything. 

Another mystery-driven political thriller perfect for fans of "Countdown" is The Night Agent," a series created by producer Shawn Ryan, the same man behind "The Shield" and the police procedural "S.W.A.T." Based on a novel of the same name by author Matthew Quirk, "The Night Manager," like "Countdown," is led by a tough-as-nails hero who will stop at nothing to get to the bottom of a sinister conspiracy. In this case, it's FBI agent Peter Sutherland, played by Gabriel Basso.

Set in a world of spies, "The Night Manager" introduces a clandestine service called the Night Action Program, which operates out of an underground facility beneath the White House. The NAP serves other three-letter government agencies in an effort to assist undercover American agents around the world. Agents of the Night Action Program like Sutherland are there to help when an undercover agent gets into trouble and has nowhere else to turn. But when Sutherland learns that there might be a mole in their midst leaking inside information to the enemy — and has been getting agents killed in the field — Sutherland must untangle a web of conspiracy to get to the truth. 

You might wonder why a Marvel Comics series would appeal to fans of "Countdown," but bear with us here. For those unfamiliar, "The Punisher" isn't about a superhero with otherworldly powers, and the 2016 Netflix series barely features any mention of the wider world of comic book heroics. Instead, its hero is Frank Castle, who, like Detective Meacham, is a former soldier scarred from service, who returns home to find trouble on his doorstep.

While Meacham is hunting for the killer of a DHS agent in "Countdown," Frank Castle in "The Punisher" has a much more personal mission, vowing to take down the nastiest criminals in New York City after his family is murdered. But the series has a conspiracy at its heart, just like "Countdown," with a Department of Homeland Security agent named Dinah Madani (Amber Rose Revah) believing he might have been involved in the death of her former partner during one of Castle's previous missions in Afghanistan. Though the DHS is hunting Castle for his vigilante killings, Madani uncovers evidence of something far more sinister.

Airing for two seasons on Netflix, "The Punisher" is a rip-roaring, bullet-riddled drama with a brutality that's hard to match. And much of that can be credited to series star Jon Bernthal, who gives a truly jaw-dropping performance as the bloodthirsty Frank Castle. Though it was canceled in 2018, Bernthal returned to play the character in "Daredevil: Born Again." A "Punisher" TV movie will air in late 2025 on Disney+, too, while a team-up with Tom Holland's Spider-Man is also on the way — so now is the perfect time to play catch-up.

"Countdown" features a season-long story arc, while "FBI: International" is a weekly procedural. Yet they share a lot in common. Most notably, both shows are the brainchild of producer Derek Haas, who is also the man behind such prime-time hits as "Chicago Fire" and its multiple spin-offs. He's also the screenwriter of such big-screen favorites as "2 Fast 2 Furious," "Wanted," and the 2007 remake of "3:10 to Yuma."

Like "Countdown," "FBI: International" features a group of government agents brought together to search out and hunt down terrorists. But this time, it's a much broader mission, and each week we follow the team on a new case, led by FBI Supervisory Special Agent Scott Forrester (Luke Kleintank). Based out of Budapest, Forrester and his team work mostly across Europe, following the trail of enemy combatants across the continent. Assisting them is Katrin Jaeger (Christiane Paul), a German agent who works for the European law enforcement agency Europol.

With a decidedly foreign flavor, "FBI: International" is a spin-off of the long-running "FBI" series, but is the better of the two for fans of "Countdown" with its emphasis on foreign espionage. Running for four seasons, the series came to a close in 2025.

In "Countdown," Detective Meachum and FBI Agent Blythe (Eric Dane) work together to hunt down those responsible for a deadly attack on a Department of Homeland Security agent. It kicks off a manhunt that reaches far and wide, and it's the same kind of manhunt we see in "The Hunting Party," a 2025 crime drama starring Melissa Roxborough. The former "Manifest" star plays FBI Agent Rebecca "Bex" Henderson, who is tasked with an impossible mission: To track down and recapture a swath of escaped serial killers.

The action begins at a remote underground prison located in Wyoming, where the nation's most vicious killers are kept far away from society. When a mysterious explosion leads to the worst prison breakout ever recorded, with numerous bloodthirsty monsters getting loose, it's up to a crack team of FBI agents to get them back behind bars where they belong. As a criminal profiler who's spent years putting away murderers — including several who are now at large –  Agent Henderson is the best person for the job, and she's quickly joined by CIA agent Ryan Hassani (Patrick Sabongui), prison guard Shane Florence (Josh McKenzie), and U.S. Army intelligence officer Jennifer Morales (Sara Garcia).

With a group of criminal investigators comprised of officers from multiple agencies, "The Hunting Party" mirrors many elements in "Countdown," with a twist. Rather than looking to take down a single killer, they're out to nab a whole swath of vile, deranged serial murderers, making their mission far more terrifying.

Based on a series of military spy novels by Tom Clancy, "Jack Ryan" is the latest in a series of adaptations that began with Alec Baldwin in "The Hunt for Red October" in 1989. Now, after the likes of Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck, and Chris Pine all had a shot at playing Jack Ryan, it's John Krasinski's turn to play the intrepid CIA analyst who hunts down the world's most devious terrorists.

Like "Countdown," the Amazon series revolves around a former Marine who is now serving domestically in a new role. For Jack Ryan, it's gathering intelligence on America's worst enemies, alongside a dedicated team of officers that includes Admiral James Greer (Wendell Pierce). But where the movies based on the character's adventures had to compress the books into a 2-hour runtime, the season-long arcs allow the stories to breathe. We get deeper looks at the more complicated aspects of intelligence work and the villains behind the greatest threats to national security (not to mention plenty of intense scenes that were difficult to film).

Fans of "Countdown" will be drawn to "Jack Ryan" for its gripping drama, action-heavy story, and strong leading man. Like Ackles, Krasinski is the perfect blend of complicated hero, determined investigator, and guns-blazing action star, all rolled into one. That it's also on Amazon makes it an easy watch after finishing "Countown," and with four seasons under its belt, there's plenty to keep you busy, while a spin-off and a film are currently in development.

The best reason to watch "Countdown" might be Jensen Ackles, who plays LAPD detective Mark Meachum and will do whatever it takes to find justice after the death of a DHS agent. If that's why you're watching, and you want to check out another series with a similar hero, your best bet might be "Reacher," the Amazon original starring Alan Ritchson. 

Like Meachum, Jack Reacher is a former soldier who has taken on a new role in law enforcement after coming back home to civilian life. But Reacher is no cop this time around, choosing instead to be an independent investigator who takes on tough cases, helping those in need, often when the authorities are powerless to get the job done. Motivated by a rigid sense of justice, Reacher is a maverick hero who refuses to play by the rules, especially when those rules get in the way of nabbing the bad guy. 

Never afraid to go toe-to-toe with the worst criminals around, Reacher is a man on a mission to help the little guy. And with a combination of brains and brawn, he's the perfect man for the job, whether that's tracking a murder suspect, saving a kidnap victim, or unraveling a conspiracy. It all adds up to a riveting series that mixes fist-first action and smartly crafted crime stories, so it's no surprise that it's one of the biggest hits in the genre. But if you're hoping for a spin-off movie, you might be disappointed.

If Detective Meachum were a more typical action hero, he'd be a retired soldier trying to put his military life behind him when he's called back into action for one more mission. Well, that's the situation in "Shooter," starring Ryan Phillippe and based on a series of thriller novels by Stephen Hunter. Phillipe plays Bob Lee Swagger, a former Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant and elite sniper who is the best in the business — he's so good behind the scope that he's earned the nickname "Bob the Nailer."

Following his retirement from the service, Swagger is trying to live a quiet life when he's approached by an old friend who needs his skills. His friend works for the U.S. Secret Service, and he wants Swagger's help to prevent an assassination. But once Swagger realizes that there is indeed a deadly plan to kill the U.S. President, he suddenly finds himself with a target on his back. Forced to go on the run, many believe he was behind the plot, and now he must evade authorities while proving his innocence.

A taut suspense story, "Shooter" is a pure adrenaline rush, with the same kind of nail-biting manhunt to find a killer as "Countdown," but in reverse.

In a sleepy town nestled in the Poconos, media pundit Muncie Daniels (Colman Domingo) is getting started on a much-needed break from work. But just as soon as his vacation begins, it takes a turn for the horrific as he happens upon the scene of a grisly murder. Barely escaping with his life after being pursued by the real killers, Muncie finds himself out of the frying pan and into the fire as he becomes the prime suspect in the killing, given the deceased's ties to extremist groups. Now, he must go on the run and try to clear his name in a situation suggesting he may be being framed for the crime.

While the setting and protagonists in "Countdown" and "The Madness" are pretty different, there are a few key similarities that warrant its spot on our list. Both series revolve around an all-out manhunt for a murderer, with "The Madness" flipping the script and making our protagonist the one on the run. Additionally, the murders that kick off both series wind up having far-reaching implications that point towards larger conspiracies. All in all, "The Madness" is a criminally underrated, senses-rattling thriller that's elevated by a stellar performance by its lead, Colman Domingo.