on is a politically charged thriller that marks ’s debut leading role in a . While the political has received mixed reviews, it’s a riveting take on topical subjects, from government control to tech takeovers, skewed public perception and media influence.

The series is just six episodes long, all of which premiered at once in late February 2025. For those who enjoyed Zero Day, there are some great shows worth watching after that are similar in tone and feel, but arguably even better.

received an Emmy nomination for her role in this political thriller in which she stars as Kate Wyler, who is thrust into the position of the new United States ambassador to the United Kingdom following a massive international crisis. As she navigates this post, she’s also dealing with her failing marriage to Hal (), former U.S. ambassador to Lebanon who constantly makes her second-guess her decisions, even if he does so in a way that suggests he isn’t trying to interfere.

Filled with political intrigue, conspiracies, and plenty of political dialogue, is much more intense and serious than Zero Day, dealing with issues on a worldwide versus America-focused scale.

A fantastic popcorn action thriller, centers around Peter Sutherland (), an FBI agent who gets caught up in a political conspiracy in the first season, unable to know who he can trust. Like in Zero Day, there are betrayals and people working on the sidelines to fuel their own interests.

In season two, Peter is now working as a secret night agent, investigating the sale of government secrets. The Night Agent isn’t as focused on political commentary as Zero Day, serving more like a 10-episode long action movie in each season. There are lots of . It’s a more fun, lighter watch after letting all the heavy storylines from Zero Day digest.

is another political thriller that looks at the relationship between government and tech. Samantha “Sinatra” Redmond () is a powerful tech billionaire who, it turns out, is calling the shots in an exclusive community of the wealthy and elite. It’s not the president who is in charge beyond face alone, but her. The goal in Paradise isn’t to change the government, however. There’s somewhat of a sci-fi twist in this story. But the show is just as intriguing, if not more, than Zero Day, both interesting revealing big twists at the end of their first episodes.

Both shows have strong lead performances, Paradise with as Xavier Collins, lead agent on the president’s protective detail. Filled with secrets to be uncovered, ulterior motives, and murder, Paradise is similar yet also a step up in every way.

One of that was cancelled too soon, similarly covers a catastrophic event in The White House. In this series, a bomb goes off at the State of the Union address, killing everyone from the current administration. That is, except for Thomas Kirkman (), who was deemed the designated survivor, the one person to remain offsite in the event of a massive event like this. Now, he’s sworn in as president and has to prove that he’s up for the job while dealing with pushback at every turn and the perception that he isn’t qualified.

Designated Survivor tackles similar themes of betrayal and corruption, and centers around a president (or, in the case of Zero Day, a former president) who has to make tough decisions, knowing that no matter what he chooses, there’s always a group who disagrees.

One of the first high-profile political thrillers in the age of streaming was , and it remains one worth watching even so many years later. Based on the novel of the same name and adapted from the 1990 British series, stars as politician Frank Underwood and as his ambitious wife Claire. Together, they are a formidably evil pair who are willing to do just about anything to work their way to the White House. And they do.

Both shows are about struggles for power, influence, and groups who feel they know the best way to do things, leading by ego. De Niro’s George Mullen would have been a staunch adversary of Underwood’s, likely caught in his crosshairs. Mullen is a president for the people, while Underwood is a president for himself.

A drama thriller, similarly tackles the concept of a powerful hacker desperate to take down an entity in power. For Elliot Alderson (), it’s a massive conglomerate, not the government. And while he does not have the billions of dollars and influence that Silicon Valley tech mogul Monica Kidder () does in Zero Day, he’s just as skilled and motivated.

Both also touch on the concept of mental capacity, as Elliot suffers from social anxiety disorder, clinical depression, and dissociative identity disorder, while George is having hallucinations as the result of likely being targeted by a bioweapon. Arguably one of the best shows of this decade, Mr. Robot is far more complex, one of and the type of show that viewers can catch different things on a re-watch.

Just a single season, the British political thriller follows David Budd (), a var veteran who is tasked with serving as protective detail for the home secretary Julia Montague (). While doing his job, he uncovers secrets that put him in the crosshairs of powerful people and threaten his freedom.

An intense six-episodes culminating in an explosive finale, Bodyguard is an easy show to binge on with similar topics of powerful politicians, threats to the public, and a desire to protect people at all costs.

Based on the character from , is Alex Cross in , a brilliant homicide detective and forensic psychologist who is grieving the loss of his wife, just as George is grieving the loss of his son. Similar to George, Cross becomes obsessed with doing the right thing. In his case, his instincts tell him that the death of a young recovering addict and activist was not a suicide or accidental overdose but rather the work of a serial killer.

No matter how much others in law enforcement want to sweep the case under the rug and move on, Cross wants to uncover the truth and pursues the investigation his way. Both lead characters have the same determination, fearlessness, and sense of moral justice.

While the media handling of major events is only one part of Zero Day, it’s the primary focus of , which tells the behind-the-scenes goings-on of a fictional cable news channel. Will McAvoy () is the jaded anchor who is now dealing with his ex MacKenzie McHale (), as his new executive producer. It’s a similar situation to George in Zero Day, who finds himself working again with Valerie Whitesell (), his former chief of staff with whom he had a brief romantic encounter.

The Newsroom is a deeply intelligent, eye-opening series about one side of covering the political space, just as Zero Day is. While some might say Zero Day has moments that are like life imitating art, The Newsroompulls actual news headlines into its story from one season to the next.

This one might seem like a stretch because the tone and feel of The Boys couldn’t be more different from Zero Day. But some viewers have eclectic tastes and if gory, gruesome, and profane fits as well, there’s a good reason The Boys might appeal to fans of Zero Day. Zero Day doesn’t necessarily take a specific political stance, but it certainly covers some of the most topical issues going on today in the world of politics.

The Boys does the same but serves as scathing commentary on one side of the political spectrum. Things that happen in The Boys might be done in the most outlandish way, like Supes brutally murdering a man, then placing his body outside in front of the opposite side of activists to blame it on them. But it has the same sentiments about how the influence of government and powerful players and individuals protecting their own interests can skew public perception whichever way they want the wind to blow.

Keep Reading: 10 Essential Political Thriller Movies, Ranked