Ok, so you’ve just watched the last episode of Black Doves and now have no idea what to watch now to fill the gap in your evenings? Here are a few shows that share some similarities with Black Doves that you may be into – once you’ve had a chance to have a lie-down and a cup of tea to get over that ending!
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You know a show is good when, before its even had its premiere on TV, it’s already been green lit for a second series. And when, despite it having only been out for a week, it’s already listed in the Golden Globe nominations.
Black Doves has had one of the biggest TV launches of the year – barreling up the Netflix charts to #1 worldwide, as soon as it dropped. And, with good reason. If you haven’t tuned in yet, it’s a big budget British spy thriller that stars Keira Knightley (who is actually fantastic in it), Ben Wishaw (he’s one of those actors you can never quite remember what you’ve seen him in, but maybe it’s as Q from the Bond movies?) and Sarah Lancashire (just typing her name makes me want to watch Happy Valley again).
Keira plays Helen, the wife of the Secretary of State for Defence, but she’s also a member of the Black Doves – a seemingly female-exclusive agency of undercover operatives in the UK. But, her secret identity as a spy is thrown into danger after her lover is killed by London’s underworld. Her employers send Sam (Ben Whishaw), her old friend, to protect her – and her young children.
It’s fast-paced with lots of big, gun and gore-filled action sequences – sometimes at the detriment of creating a plot that actually makes coherent sense, but it’s very watchable, particularly as everyone gives fantastic performances.
If you haven’t tuned in, it’s well worth a watch – and if you’ve already steamed through it, here are five shows that are kinda similar that you might want to watch next:
The Day of the Jackal
First of all, hurrah, a free to air option, and, by Lordy, this really is a fantastic option. Spies? Check. Oscar winning actors? Check. MASSIVE budget? Check. Riveting (yet kind of insane and silly?) cat-and-mouse plot? This show has it all.
Like Black Doves, The Day of the Jackal is a new spy thriller – this time, starring Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne who plays a high-flying assassin. He flits around the globe from insane/ambitious/OTT job to the next, all the while evading capture from a MI6 agent, played by Lashana Lynch.
The Day of the Jackal is reported to be the most expensive production ever made by Sky in the UK, and, it really does show, with some insane action sequences and big ambitious shots. Eddie is fantastic in it and the whole thing is genuinely exciting to watch.
Where to watch it: TVNZ
The Diplomat
Okay, so the main plot of this show is a little different to Black Doves – the main character, Kate Wyler (played by Keri Russell – a dream) is the US ambassador to the United Kingdom, not a spy. But there are plenty of similar themes and parallels – and, both lead women deliver incredible performances.
On The Diplomat, Kate attempts to maintain order between the States and the UK, plus various other parties, in the face of many a challenge – all while she tries to also maintain some order in her personal life (it’s perhaps even more complicated?). Kate, like Helen, is often striving to understand the deeper issues that lead to her personal – and political – troubles.
There are two seasons of The Diplomat out now, with a third season in the making. It’s a great watch (does Keri Russell ever make a bad show?!) with season two having a slew of nominations in the recently announced Golden Globe noms. Don’t expect the same level of action as Black Doves though – there’s no knife fights, very few big explosions, and it’s generally just not so dark.
Where to watch it: Netflix
Treason
If Treason feels a little familiar, it’s hardly surprising – it’s another big, action-heavy British spy thriller miniseries bankrolled by Netflix.
The show follows Adam Lawrence (Charlie Cox) who is trained and groomed by Mi6 – his career looks to be set. But then, the past catches up with him in the form of Kara, a Russian spy with whom he shares a complicated past and he is forced to question everything – and everyone – in his life. A triangular relationship forms between Kara, Adam and his wife Maddy – there are three people hell bent on exposing each other’s secrets while they navigate political and diplomatic relationships all whilst trying to hold onto those whom they love most.
It’s a watchable thriller – but you’ll definitely notice the step down in budget (and, cast performances) after watching Black Doves.
Where to watch it: Netflix
The Night Manager
I have lost count of the number of times I’ve rewatched this British mini-series. It’s that good. It follows Johnathan Pine (played by Tom Hiddleston), a former British soldier who is now the night manager of a luxury hotel in Cairo. There, Jonathan is recruited by the manager of a Foreign Office task force, Angela Burr (the incredible Olivia Colman) to infiltrate the inner circle of arms dealer Richard Roper (Hugh Laurie).
It is a darn good watch, which is why it was nominated for 36 awards and won 11 when it came out in 2016.
It has that same dark suspense to it that Black Doves has, a similar spectacular level of actors, and a fair bit of action alongside a serving of humour.
Where to watch it: Three Now
Slow Horses
Black Doves is unmistakably British in its ability to present as a dark, action-packed thriller spy show, but also moonlight as a comedy with plenty of black humour rolled in. But no one does that combo quite as well as Slow Horses.
It’s another British spy thriller TV show, but is definitely less flashy and slick. But, it has one hell of a cast, is beautifully shot and boasts a more unique, refreshing plot.
It follows the team at Slough House – what is essentially an administrative purgatory for reject MI5 service agents. They’re all there because they have somehow stuffed up quite seriously, but rather than given the boot, they’ve landed in Slough House where they must endure mundane tasks and the wrath of an abusive boss (Jackson Lamb, played by Garry Oldman). But somehow, the slow horses wind up investigating cases that are important enough to endanger Britain.
There’s plenty of episodes to watch – there are already four series out, with a fifth one on the way in the near future.
Where to watch: Apple TV
