10 Best Shows Like The Terminal List You Need to Watch
The Terminal List is an Amazon Prime Video Original TV Series that premieres on July 1st, 2022. It’s based on a novel of the same name written by Jack Carr and follows a former Navy SEAL, James Reece (Chris Pratt), who returned home after his entire platoon had been ambushed, and he’s trying to cope with what happened – and how it happened.
It’s a story of grief, conspiracy, war, and justice, and how all these things combined can affect an individual and their family. If you are into similar stories – I got you covered. While we wait for The Terminal List – all eight episodes drop on the same day – here’s an awesome list of the ten best shows like The Terminal List you need to watch right now.
10. M*A*S*H (1973-1983)
IMDb Rating: 8.4/10
Genre: Comedy, Drama, War
Synopsis: “The 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital is stuck in the middle of the Korean War. With little help from the circumstance in which they find themselves, they are forced to make their own fun. Fond of practical jokes and revenge, the doctors, nurses, administrators, and soldiers often find ways of making wartime life bearable. Nevertheless, the war goes on.”
Why it’s like The Terminal List: M*A*S*H is actually quite different from The Terminal List in terms of the overall tone of the series. They do their best to present it in a lighthearted, satirical way, which is probably why people loved it so much when the show premiered.
If you’re expecting tension, distress, and horror, this one is not for you. However, if you expect some great humor in a not-so-humorous setting, you’re in for a treat. This show is a classic for a reason, and I had to find room for it on the list.
Watch the trailer here.
9. Strike Back (2010-2020)
IMDb Rating: 8.1/10
Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller
Synopsis: “The flashy adventures, all over the world, of British secret service MI6’s dashing special ops team Section 20’s fearless hotshots. Scott and Stonebridge eagerly chase Latif, the Pakistani Al-Qaeda mastermind behind many terrorist crimes, but also other rogue threats to peace.”
Why it’s like The Terminal List: Section 20 is a special operations team that deals with the most dangerous missions, much like James Reece’s SEAL team in The Terminal List. The show is very well written, brutal, and does a great job at representing all the horrors of such a line of work – even if you’re the good guys. There’s love, sorrow, grief, friendship, and a whole lot of killing.
Watch the trailer here.
8. Homeland (2011-2020)
IMDb Rating: 8.3/10
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Synopsis: “The winner of 6 Emmy Awards including Outstanding Drama Series, Homeland is an edge-of-your-seat sensation. Marine Sergeant Nicholas Brody is both a decorated hero and a serious threat. CIA officer Carrie Mathison is tops in her field despite being bipolar.
The delicate dance these two complex characters perform, built on lies, suspicion, and desire, is at the heart of this gripping, emotional thriller in which nothing short of the fate of our nation is at stake.”
Why it’s like The Terminal List: Navy SEALs and CIA aren’t really similar, but the plot for the main characters are similar. In The Terminal List, James Reece has conflicting memories about what happened during the mission where he lost his troops.
In Homeland, not many people believe Carrie Mathison when she claims Nicholas BRody might not be the hero everyone thinks he is because she’s bipolar. Overall, the show is awesome, and the plot changes quite fast. You’ll be on the edge of your seat most of the time.
Watch the trailer here.
7. Our Girl (2013-2020)
IMDb Rating: 7.6/10
Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller
Synopsis: “Drama following the extraordinary adventures of female medics in the British Army.”
Why it’s like The Terminal List: Most military-based TV shows and movies usually revolve around male characters. That’s why Our Girl feels like a breath of fresh air, apart from being an extraordinary show. It revolves around female medics on missions across the globe.
The show tackles what it’s like to be a war medic, especially for a woman. And, just like The Terminal List, it’s riddled with loss, grief, and the horrors of war. If you’re looking for something different within the genre, make sure to check this one out.
Watch the trailer here.
6. SEAL Team (2017- )
IMDb Rating: 7.7/10
Genre: Action, Drama, War
Synopsis: “The lives of the elite Navy SEALs as they train, plan and execute the most dangerous, high-stakes missions the United States of America can ask.”
Why it’s like The Terminal List: It revolves around a Navy SEAL team, just like The Terminal List. However, this show goes a bit more in-depth about their lives, training, planning, and delivering on many different missions instead of focusing on one particular incident.
It’s a great show with David Boreanaz in the lead role. Some seasons are better than the others, but if you’re looking for something similar to The Terminal List, you won’t go wrong with SEAL Team.
Watch the trailer here.
5. Six (2017-2018)
IMDb Rating: 7.2/10
Genre: Action, Drama, History
Synopsis: “Navy SEAL Team Six, whose 2014 mission to eliminate a Taliban leader in Afghanistan goes awry when they uncover a U.S. citizen working with the terrorists.
Stemming from an idea by Harvey Weinstein, the drama is inspired by real missions, capturing SEALs’ complex personal lives and the life-and-death decisions they make, with each season set in a different location, starting with Africa.”
Why it’s like The Terminal List: Again, the series revolves around a Navy SEALs team and their death-defying missions across the globe. This one shows how bonded the team members get – it’s not just a job; it’s a brotherhood where no one gets left behind.
The show is inspired by real Navy SEAL missions, but it’s riddled with some extra drama and spice you might enjoy. It’s not my favorite entry on the list, but it’s a high-quality show nevertheless.
Watch the trailer here.
4. The Old Man (2022- )
IMDb Rating: 8.6/10
Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller
Synopsis: “A former CIA officer, who’s living off the grid, finds himself on the run from people who want to kill him.”
Why it’s like The Terminal List: I wanted to Include The Old Man on this list because it’s quite contemporary. In fact, the first season is coming out at the time of writing this article, and it’s absolutely brilliant so far.
Like The Terminal List, the show follows a guy who’s back home from his missions, trying to live a peaceful life, but his past is catching onto him. Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow work phenomenally together, and I can’t wait for more of The Old Man. If you’re looking for something similar to The Terminal List but not quite the same, you’ll enjoy this one very much.
Watch the trailer here.
3. Generation Kill (2008)
IMDb Rating: 8.5/10
Genre: Drama, War
Synopsis: “Following multiple recon Marines during the invasion of Iraq in 2003, a group of mixed personalities, you see the dysfunctionality of the military, and on other times, how formalized and heroic it can be. A Rolling Stones reporter joins reconnaissance marines invading Iraq and recounts the mix of horrors and hilarity he encounters during his time there.”
Why it’s like The Terminal List: It follows a group of special-ops Marines through all the horrors of a warzone. Generation Kill finds irony, cynicism, and dark humor in some of the toughest moments in the lives of the soldiers who go out there and give their life for an end goal that’s nowhere in sight.
And, like The Terminal List, the show is based on an award-winning book of the same name.
Watch the trailer here.
2. The World At War (1973-1974)
IMDb Rating: 9.2/10
Genre: History, War, Documentary
Synopsis: “A multi-volumed documentary mini-series, “The World at War” covers the entire history of World War II from the causes of the 1920s to the aftermath of the Cold War in the 1950s.
Emphasis is also placed on several inside story episodes, where events are covered which occurred inside Germany and Japan such as resistance to Hitler, life in general under a dictatorial regime, and particular emphasis is focused on the Jewish Holocaust.”
Why it’s like The Terminal List: The only thing that The Terminal List and The World At War have in common is that they’re both revolving around war. However, it was such a groundbreaking documentary that it would be a sin not to have it on this list.
It comes in 26 episodes and details the years and events prior to, during, and after World War II. It’s one of the best – if not the best – war documentaries I’ve ever seen, rich in history but also packed with emotion and a perfect representation of the horror the world was coated in during WWII.
Watch the trailer here.
1. Band Of Brothers (2001)
IMDb Rating: 9.4/10
Genre: Drama, History, War
Synopsis: “This is the story of “E” Easy Company, 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, from their initial training starting in 1942 to the end of World War II. They parachuted behind enemy lines in the early hours of D-Day in support of the landings at Utah beach, participated in the liberation of Carentan, and again parachuted into action during Operation Market Garden.
They also liberated a concentration camp and were the first to enter Hitler’s mountain retreat in Berchtesgaden. A fascinating tale of comradeship that is, in the end, a tale of ordinary men who did extraordinary things.”
Why it’s like The Terminal List: Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks produced a masterpiece. There’s a reason why Band of Brothers is one of the best-rated TV shows on IMDb ever. Even if you dislike the war genre, you need to watch Band of Brothers.
No list revolving around war-based TV shows or films can be complete without the Band of Brothers. I’m not even going into details. If you haven’t watched it already, do it now. In fact, you know what? I might rewatch it myself!
Watch the trailer here.