Poised to premiere on June 16, 2022, the new FX/Hulu series The Old Man is a dramatic action thriller that follows Dan Chase (Jeff Bridges), a retired CIA operative in hiding who is thrust back into his old life when an assassin attempts to take his life. Teaming with a young woman to find answers about who is hunting him, Chase must survive long enough to uncover a conspiracy involving the FBI's Director of Counterintelligence.
The Old Man joins a fertile crop of dramatic TV thrillers that deal with the FBI, CIA, assassins, terrorism, devious double-crosses, and highly capable operatives being pressed back into action against their will.
The Blacklist (2013-Present)
Stream On Netflix
When thinking of the longest and most well-received TV crime dramas dealing with the FBI and a former government official becoming a wanted man, The Blacklist is the first show that comes to mind. The acclaimed series follows Raymond Reddington (James Spader), a former U.S. Naval officer who spent a decade on the FBI's most-wanted list, only to deliberately turn himself with the condition of working as a criminal profiler with rookie partner Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone).
Aside from the legal FBI angle, both The Blacklist and The Old Man feature strong central characters out to redeem themselves by requesting the help of young women, which actually becomes the most provocative and emotionally resonant parts of each story. Moreover, the subplot involving the Russian assassin Karakurt is quite redolent of The Old Man's overarching premise.
Hanna (2019-2021)
Stream On Prime Video
If one swapped a retired CIA vet for a 15-year-old girl, The Old Man would resemble Hanna quite a bit. Adapted from the 2011 film of the same name, Hanna follows the titular teenager (Esme Creed-Miles) who, after being raised off the grid by a father figure to become a highly-trained assassin, sets off to avenge a devious CIA operative while learning more about her cryptic past.
Fusing a coming-of-age formula with that of an intense search-and-destroy assassination thriller, Hanna has been praised as one of the best Amazon original action series for its gritty and realistic action sequences, commanding central performance, and provocative moral complexity bound to be found in The Old Man as well.
Quarry (2016-Present)
Stream On Max GO
Set in 1972 Memphis, Quarry is another riveting crime thriller about a former Marine who finds himself on the other side of the law after a major life change occurs. The story tracks Quarry (Logan Marshall-Green), a wayward Vietnam vet whose dead-end existence finds new hope when a mysterious figure known as The Broker offers him a job as one of the most lethal TV hitmen on record.
As Quarry gets swept up in a conspiracy of corruption and hired killing, he faces a slew of back-stabbings, double-crosses, shady characters with their own ulterior motives, and the like, pitting him in a one-man-against-the-establishment formula that perfectly aligns with The Old Man's existential conflict.
Condor (2018-Present)
Stream On Epix
The AT&T Original series Condor is a supremely underrated yet worthy crime thriller about a lone CIA operative doing his best to stay alive, clear his name, and get to the bottom of a grand conspiracy that has been taking his co-workers' lives. As such, it's another excellent companion piece to watch alongside The Old Man.
Adapted from the 1975 Robert Redford film, the paranoia that Joe Turner (Max Irons) faces makes him mistrust almost everyone he encounters as he tries to uncover who massacred his office workers and to what end, leading to a wildly unpredictable series of events that fly by at a breakneck pace, doing so with breathless action sure to sate The Old Man fans.
Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan (2018-Present)
Stream On Prime Video
Whereas Dan Chase is a grizzled CIA op thrust back into action against his will, Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan flips the script to equally intriguing effect. John Krasinski stars as the title character, a budding CIA superstar who willingly leaves his boring desk job to investigate mysterious bank activity. Upon entering the field, Jack is confronted with a grand conspiratorial terrorism plot that keeps him on the run throughout the world.
While it has a larger political international scope, Jack Ryan is still a one-man-versus-the-world redemption story that centers on a morally complicated main character who the audience can identify with and root for, but also question from time to time regarding their ethical practices.
The Enemy Within (2019)
Buy On Amazon
For a female-centric CIA redemption story that also deals with untrustworthy intelligence institutions, tune into the underrated NBC series The Enemy Within. Jennifer Carpenter gives a commanding turn as Erica Shepherd, the CIA Deputy Director of Operations whose daughter is threatened by a terrorist. Told to give up the names of four CIA agents in exchange for her daughter, Erica complies and must deal with the aftermath of having four of her colleagues killed.
Worse yet, Erica is charged with the crime and put away for life. But when the FBI Agent Will Keaton (Morris Chestnut) enlists the help of Erica to bring the terrorist down, she gets a shot to redeem herself while also protecting her daughter, calling to mind Dan's interactions with Zoe McDonald (Amy Brenneman) in The Old Man.
Covert Affairs (2010-2014)
Stream On Peacock
USA's well-received crime drama Covert Affairs traces Annie Walker (Piper Perabo) as she climbs the ranks of the CIA as a novice trainee to become a hardened operative willing to take on the most perilous spy missions possible, doing so under the aegis of her blind supervisor, Auggie (Christopher Gorham). Think The Old Man meets Alias.
Just like The Old Man, much of the appeal of Covert Affairs comes via the ways in which Annie tries to keep her true identity as a CIA operative hidden, using a bevy of covers such as an importer/exporter or museum employee to keep a low profile and act clandestinely. The charming chemistry between Annie and Auggie goes a long way toward the overall entertainment value.
Instinct (2018-2019)
Stream On Paramount+
Despite lasting only two seasons, Instinct took a similar premise to The Old Man and created 30 highly entertaining episodes out of it. Alan Cumming stars as Dylan Reinhart, a former CIA operative who has created a new life as a professor only to be pulled back into his old world of violence, danger, deceit, and the like when the NYPD seeks his help to catch a serial killer.
Just like Dan does with Zoe, Dylan is forced to team up with a brilliant woman, Lizzie Needham (Bojana Novakovic), who knows far more than she leads on, making for a great two-handed dynamic among heroes who may or may not be trusted.
Treadstone (2019)
Stream On Hulu
Sharing the same universe as the Bourne films, Treadstone is a stellar new spy series on the USA Network that refers to a covert CIA project that turns recruits into super-soldier assassins by using behavior modification techniques. Jeremy Irvine stars as John Randolph Bentley, a rogue recruit who escapes his captors in 1973 Berlin before operating in the shadows in the present day.
With governmental conspiracies, morally complicated characters on both sides of the law, and a clear-cut assassination plot, Treadstone is another worthy Hulu companion to watch with The Old Man.
Nikita (2010-2013)
Buy On Apple TV
Subtract the CIA subplot and swap an elderly gent for a femme fatale, and the basic revenge plot of The Old Man can be found in The CW's hit show, Nikita. Maggie Q owns the title role, playing a lone wolf assassin who rebels against the agency that trained her, making it her life mission to avenge those who took her fiance's life.
Beyond the badass female character at the center of the show who symbolizes her own sense of empowerment, agency, and independence, the show fuses thrilling espionage with action-packed assassinations, sleek production values, and morally murky characters whose actions can't always be trusted.