Hostage is a basic Netflix restricted sequence. Filled with tensions, twists, and turns, with some explosive (actually) moments to maintain you trying to determine all of it out.
My solely gripe is that it ended too quickly, and as a restricted sequence, there will not be a follow-up. The clue is, after all, within the title.
So, in case you’re like me, you may need to know precisely what to observe when you end having fun with Hostage. Fortunately, there are heaps of British thrillers to maintain you looking forward to weeks—and on the sting of your seat.
5
Line of Obligation
Watch Line of Obligation on HBO Max
The BBC’s greatest fashionable thriller, Line of Obligation, is constructed on one easy query: who can you actually belief?
Following the work of AC-12, the anti-corruption unit, each season dives into a brand new case of police misconduct, besides nothing is ever simple. The sequence is legendary for stunning reveals, interrogation scenes that really feel like high-stakes chess matches, and cliffhangers that preserve viewers glued.
Throughout six seasons, Line of Obligation mastered the artwork of long-term thriller and explosive payoff, making it the gold commonplace for British thrillers. Nevertheless, I will throw in a single caveat to this sequence: it additionally made my most disappointing TV present endings record, too.
However even with that sobering level, there’s some excellent news about Line of Obligation. Sequence 7 is because of hit screens in 2026, and will lastly resolve who the mysterious “H” is (as a result of everyone knows the particular person revealed in Sequence 6 is simply not the one!).
4
Lacking You
Watch Lacking You on Netflix
I am pretty sure I’ve watched each one among Netflix’s dramatizations of Harlan Coben’s thrillers. Lacking You is the most recent addition to the long-running sequence, and it is undoubtedly up there with one of the best.
Detective Kat Donovan’s (Rosalind Eleazar) life is thrown the wrong way up when she spots her long-lost fiancé on a courting app—the identical man who vanished greater than a decade earlier. That discovery rips open previous wounds, together with the unsolved homicide of her father, and drags her right into a conspiracy that blurs the road between previous and current.
Like all of Coben’s dramatizations, Lacking You blends emotional rawness and depth with twists, suspense, and appreciable intrigue. There are a number of layers to unpack right here, and as quickly as one is revealed, extra arrive to darken the waters once more.
With solely 5 fast-paced episodes, it’s a binge you possibly can knock out in a weekend, however the story lingers due to its mixture of heartbreak, betrayal, and Coben’s trademark “only one extra episode” cliffhangers.
3
Luther
Watch Luther on Hulu
Luther is a correct British police thriller, with some actually darkish and violent moments to maintain you pulled in.
Idris Elba’s portrayal of DCI John Luther is unforgettable. An excellent detective with a thoughts for catching killers, however a soul weighed down by obsession and rage. Throughout its 5 seasons, the sequence explores what occurs when a detective blurs the road between justice and vengeance, typically breaking guidelines in pursuit of criminals who’re as clever as they’re terrifying.
After which there’s the sociopathic presence of Alice Morgan (Ruth Wilson), a continuing within the present who turns into each Luther’s nemesis and his confidant. Their wild, twisting relationship provides an entire further degree to what’s already a deeply engrossing, “only one extra episode” crime present.
When you love Luther and wish extra, it is best to take a look at Luther: The Fallen Solar on Netflix. It options Elba as Luther as soon as once more, with some severely darkish, morally ambiguous moments. I would love one other Luther sequence, or on the very least, one other movie. In 2024, Display Rant reported that Elba thought there was a great probability of one other movie, and that is one thing I will should cling to.
2
Vigil
Watch Vigil on Peacock
Vigil takes the basic police thriller format and locations it in one of the vital claustrophobic settings possible: a nuclear submarine. When a sailor’s mysterious loss of life places DCI Amy Silva (Suranne Jones) on board to research, she finds herself navigating not only a crime scene but additionally army secrecy, Chilly Struggle politics, and the ever-present hazard of being trapped underwater.
It felt darkish and dingy, consistently chilly, and like each flip is a brand new entice, ready to occur. It evokes a robust sense of ambiance that strongly contributes to Vigil’s suspense, which solely builds. As Silva digs deeper, she uncovers a conspiracy that reaches far past the submarine, connecting to nationwide safety and political pursuits again on land, ending in a dramatic tying of tales to provide you some closure.
However then, Vigil returned with a second sequence, this time specializing in the Royal Air Power slightly than the Royal Navy. It may be troublesome for a sequence to maintain the identical pacing and elegance and preserve its intrigue, however Vigil pulls it off properly. What I like is that a number of the headline moments from Vigil really feel like they might come straight from the entrance web page of a newspaper on a given day, giving the present some actual fashionable relevance on this difficult world.
1
Dept. Q
Watch Dept. Q on Netflix
The latest British thriller on the record is Dept. Q, an adaptation of a sequence of Danish novels written by Jussi Adler-Olsen.
Set in Edinburgh (as an alternative of Copenhagen), it introduces us to DCI Carl Mørck (Matthew Goode), a detective reeling from a traumatic capturing that left one colleague useless and one other paralyzed. As a type of injury management, he’s assigned to Division Q, a newly fashioned unit tasked with fixing long-cold instances. What begins as a desk job shortly spirals into one thing a lot darker as Carl discovers that a few of these forgotten instances are very a lot alive.
The British public loves a Scandi-noir crossover, and Dept. Q duly delivers, melding the darkish storytelling with the pacing and elegance of a basic British thriller. Mørck is a posh character, haunted and abrasive, however unwilling to let victims be forgotten (on this, he jogs my memory a bit of of Bosch in some methods). He’s paired with Akram Salim (Alexej Manvelov), a newcomer who brings each cultural clashes and contemporary power to the division.
With its combine of non-public trauma, unsolved mysteries, and conspiracies that refuse to remain buried, Dept. Q appears like the proper subsequent step after Hostage. It’s darkish, layered, and addictive, with sufficient twists to maintain even seasoned thriller followers on edge—and with a second season already confirmed, it’s solely getting began.
British thrillers will preserve you wanting extra
I am clearly biased, being from England, however British thrillers are a number of the greatest TV you possibly can watch. The stability of grit, stress, and intelligence makes it a number of the greatest TV on this planet, and with suspense constructed by character, dialogue, and a way of realism, each twist hits tougher.
After all, there are lots extra British thrillers that would have (and perhaps ought to have!) made this record. Bodyguard is without doubt one of the greatest lately, and actually units the requirements excessive, whereas Marcella takes it a unique route with an unpredictable lead detective.
Then there are every of Netflix’s dramatizations of Harlan Coben’s books, which now stands at 11 and counting. It is onerous sufficient pinning down one of the best of these, not to mention amongst different thrilling TV exhibits.
That’s the great thing about British thrillers: there’s at all times one other gem ready to be found—and whichever one you select subsequent, you’re in for a trip.
