5 TV Shows To Watch If You Like Citadel

From a twist-filled espionage universe to intense stunts that left star Priyanka Chopra Jonas scarred, Amazon Prime Video's "Citadel" has been bringing a lot of excitement to spy fiction fans since its debut in 2023. Chopra plays Nadia Sinh, one of the best secret agents in the business. Her partner, Mason Kane (Richard Madden), is also her husband, and the two of them are just as adept at toppling shadowy organizations together as they are at making sparks fly between missions. At least, that's who they think they are...

Initially considered one of the most expensive flops in TV history after disappointing Season 2 ratings, "Citadel" has seen renewed popularity that justified spawning its own interconnected universe. That includes two spin-offs: "Citadel: Diana" and "Citadel: Honey Bunny." Unfortunately, all three shows have either officially ended or have yet to confirm new material on the way. But not to worry, because Looper has you covered on similar shows to check out during what might be an indefinite wait for more "Citadel" content.

All five of these shows are spy thrillers, which is the baseline for our list. We didn't stop there, however, as we also wanted to find shows that either featured a current or former romantic pairing at the center; is part of a larger connected universe; or starred one of the leads of "Citadel." Each of these shows has one or more of those components, on top of all just being great spy shows. 

TV shows that reboot movies can be a mixed bag. At worst, they fail to replicate anything that made the movie popular, making their existence feel entirely unnecessary. But at best, they reinvent the movie in a clever way, managing to justify sharing the name and without cheaply capitalizing on it. That latter description definitely applies to Amazon Prime's "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" series, which changed everything we know about the film, but also brought back the vibes that made the story work.

When two people who have never met before are recruited to commit spy shenanigans for a mysterious organization, they have no idea that they are about to be paired with each other and asked to start playing the role of a married couple during their missions. Assuming the codenames John Smith (Donald Glover) and Jane Smith (Maya Erskine), the duo have to quickly learn to get in step with one another as both a spy duo and also a convincing couple — and on that second point, it ends up becoming a "fake it 'til you make it" situation. 

For this one, we aren't recommending "Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan" because it focuses on a duo, romantic or otherwise. Jack Ryan (John Krasinski) has most missions pretty well handled with little to no help, which is especially impressive given he used to work a desk job and was drawn into dangerous field work somewhat reluctantly. Soon, he's off getting embroiled in major political warfare in the Czech Republic, Venezuela, and more.

So why, other than being a spy thriller, should "Jack Ryan" appeal to "Citadel" fans? Well, the show is loosely connected to an entire Jack Ryan timeline that spans novels, shows, and movies dating all the way back to the character's 1984 print debut. Sometimes referred to as the Ryanverse, every project that falls under the umbrella doesn't follow as strict of a lore bible as something like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but there's still a sense while watching "Jack Ryan" that it's part of something that stretches beyond the bounds of that particular show. Just like "Citadel" has done with its spin-offs. 

Considering it topped our list of the best spy shows of all time, "The Americans" is an easy recommendation for fans of pretty much any other spy show ever made. But it doubly earns its place among our suggestions for "Citadal" watchers because it centers around not only a married spy couple, but a pair struggling with something of an identity crisis.

It's the 1980s, and the world is in the grip of the Cold War. There doesn't seem to be anything unusual about mild-mannered American couple Philip and Elizabeth Jennings (Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell). They work at a travel agency while raising their two kids, and are doing all the things a typical American family does. Only, Philip is actually Mischa and Elizabeth is actually Nadezhda — the pair are KGB sleeper agents who have recently been activated and are carrying out various covert operations against the United States. And right under the nose of their FBI agent neighbor (Noah Emmerich), no less. 

Apple TV's "Liaison" is a six-episode miniseries that hit the service in 2023. The spy fiction bona fides of its main stars speak for themselves, with Eva Green previously playing Bond girl Vesper Lynd in "Casino Royale" and Vincent Cassel taking roles in both "Jason Bourne" and "Secret Agents." They bring that experience to "Liaison" in the roles of Alison Rowdy and Gabriel Delage, respectively, both involved in spy work to varying degrees. They are also former lovers.

Specifically, Gabriel is a mercenary and Alison works for Britain's Ministry of Security. Despite seeming to be on two different sides of the law, as it were, the former romantic partners are forced to work together to stop a series of dangerous cyberattacks. Their dynamic is not only complicated by their differing ideals, but also their contemptuous past relationship, which has baggage attached to it that neither of them are fully prepared to deal with. This one flew under the radar a bit, but if you're an Apple TV subscriber who liked "Citadel," you should definitely check it out.

If your favorite part of "Citadel" is Priyanka Chopra Jonas — and we couldn't say we blamed you if that's the case — then "Quantico" should be your next watch. We probably only need to tell you that it's another spy thriller starring Chopra in order to get you interested, but it's a great show even apart from that.

Alex Parrish (Chopra) is an FBI agent who finds herself falsely of accused of a terror bombing in a New York City train station. While working to prove her innocence, she finds many of her professional and personal relationships strained in the fallout of the accusation. However, the show doesn't only focus on that, as it also flashes back to Parrish's time in the titular academy. We learn more about not only her but some of her future colleagues — including the ones that are actually responsible for what later happened at that train station.

While garnering critical acclaim, the reason "Quantico" was canceled after just three seasons ultimately came down to it being a show ahead of its time. Its narrative was a little too complex for primetime TV viewers in 2015, and streaming wasn't really a thing yet. That is where the show would have thrived.