12 min read
Today, this page is about action series. But the kind of action I am talking about here is not something defined only by what happens on screen. It has more to do with how a story manages to move forward, step by step. There are series where, as you watch, you start noticing how events shift direction and how the characters’ room to move slowly narrows. When an episode ends, the question that stays with you is simple: was it inevitable that they ended up here?
That was exactly what I paid attention to while putting this list together. Do the events carry real weight? As the seasons go on, are things forgotten, or do they leave marks on the characters?
If you feel like action series are exactly your thing, then you should give the shows on this list a chance.
Now come along, and let’s take a closer look at these series I think you might enjoy, one by one.
Money Heist
Country: Spain
Year: 2017–2021
Creators: Álex Pina
Cast: Úrsula Corberó, Álvaro Morte, Itziar Ituño
Seasons: 5
Network / Platform: Antena 3 / Netflix
About the Series
When watching Money Heist, the first word that comes to mind is “the plan,” but what truly drives the series is not the plan itself — it is the people inside it. Everyone has a role, yet no role is flawless. As pressure increases, cracks start to appear, and that is where the action really comes alive.
The series keeps you in a constant state of anticipation. You are not watching to see if something will happen, but when it will happen. Small decisions made by the characters turn into major consequences. One moment they seem in control, the next everything begins to slip. That back-and-forth is what keeps the series standing across multiple seasons.
What makes Money Heist memorable is not only the tension, but watching how the characters change under that pressure. Some become bolder, some panic, some cross lines they cannot return from. As the episodes go on, the viewer slowly becomes part of that game as well.
Sky Rojo
Country: Spain
Year: 2021–2023
Creators: Álex Pina, Esther Martínez Lobato
Cast: Verónica Sánchez, Lali Espósito, Yany Prado
Seasons: 3
Network / Platform: Netflix
About the Series
Sky Rojo pulls you in from the very first minute with a story built around escape. The series does not slowly build toward chaos — it begins at a point where everything has already spun out of control. The characters are running, but the real question is not where they are going, it is what they are leaving behind.
Action is always present. Chases, confrontations, and sudden encounters flow with a natural rhythm. Beneath all of that, there is a strong bond between the characters. The way these three women hold on to each other prevents the story from becoming just another chase narrative.
While watching Sky Rojo, the pace never really slows down, yet it never feels exhausting. Each scene completes the one before it. As a viewer, you feel pulled into that escape, with very little room to stop and catch your breath.
Çukur
Country: Turkey
Year: 2017–2021
Creators: Gökhan Horzum
Cast: Aras Bulut İynemli, Erkan Kolçak Köstendil, Perihan Savaş
Seasons: 4
Network / Platform: Show TV
About the Series
When you start watching Çukur, the first thing that pulls you in is not the action itself. It is how quickly you are drawn into that world. The neighbourhood is not just a backdrop here; it is a space that shapes everyone’s life, a place no one can easily escape. The characters live in it, fight in it, make mistakes in it, and pay the price.
The action grows directly out of that reality. Gunfights, confrontations, and sudden tension never feel random. Each scene feels like a continuation of the choices the characters have already made. That is why, when something happens, you do not ask “why now?” — you can sense that the story has been heading there all along.
Over time, your connection with the characters deepens. You begin to understand why they do what they do, even when you do not agree with them. This is what keeps Çukur standing for so long: not just curiosity, but the desire to see where these characters will be pushed next. It is one of those series that quietly makes you say, “just one more episode.”
Üç Kuruş
Country: Turkey
Year: 2021–2022
Creators: Damla Serim
Cast: Uraz Kaygılaroğlu, Ekin Koç, Nesrin Cavadzade
Seasons: 3
Network / Platform: Show TV
About the Series
From its very first episode, Üç Kuruş invites you into a grey zone. The line between good and bad is never clear, and that uncertainty keeps the story alive. Both the police side and the criminal world operate by their own rules, and those rules clash constantly.
The action scenes feel like a natural extension of the story. Chases, confrontations, and sudden explosions do not exist only to create excitement. They usually emerge from moments where the characters feel trapped. A move is made, and its impact does not disappear easily.
As you watch, the main question shifts from “what will happen now?” to “where is this going?” The characters’ choices push them further into corners, with fewer ways out each time. That is what holds the viewer’s attention: as the story moves forward, options shrink and tension builds on its own.
The Boys
Country: United States
Year: 2019–present
Creators: Eric Kripke
Cast: Karl Urban, Antony Starr, Jack Quaid
Seasons: 4
Network / Platform: Amazon Prime Video
About the Series
The Boys constantly reminds you that you are watching an action series, but it does so without relying on familiar shortcuts. It places the idea of power right at the centre and keeps asking the same question: what is the cost of it? That question grows harsher with each season.
The action scenes are brutal, direct, and often uncomfortable to watch. Yet they never feel empty. Every confrontation shifts the balance of power between characters. Who controls whom, who submits, and who resists slowly becomes clear.
As the series progresses, you start watching more cautiously. You feel that no one is truly safe. This is where The Boys finds its strength: it entertains through action while carrying a constant sense of unease underneath.
Banshee
Country: United States
Year: 2013–2016
Creators: Jonathan Tropper, David Schickler
Cast: Antony Starr, Ivana Miličević
Seasons: 4
Network / Platform: Cinemax
About the Series
Banshee is a rare find for those looking for raw action. Fistfights, gunfights, chases — everything is there, yet nothing feels random. The story may take place in a small town, but what happens there is anything but small.
The series moves forward by keeping its main character at the centre. His past, his choices, and the identity he hides continuously fuel the action. One scene ends, and the next one feels almost inevitable.
Watching Banshee is intense but never dull. Each moment sets the ground for what follows, allowing the series to stay strong across seasons.
Taxi Driver
Country: South Korea
Year: 2021–2023
Creators: Park Joon-woo
Cast: Lee Je-hoon
Seasons: 3
Network / Platform: SBS
About the Series
Taxi Driver centres on the idea of justice, but it chooses an unconventional way to explore it. Each episode brings a different story, yet they all connect through the same moral line — people who have been wronged, and the responses to that injustice.
The action is clear and physical. Fight scenes, pursuits, and planned operations form the backbone of the series. Still, what stays with you most is how these interventions affect the characters themselves.
Taxi Driver often leaves you alone with a simple question: were they right? When the episode ends, it is not the scenes that linger, but the choices the characters made.
Bad Guys
Country: South Korea
Year: 2014–2018
Creators: Han Dong-hwa
Cast: Kim Sang-joong, Park Hae-jin
Seasons: 3
Network / Platform: OCN
About the Series
Bad Guys tells a story that approaches crime from an unusual angle. The idea of criminals being used to fight crime places the action on a different level from the start.
The series is harsh, sometimes ruthless, but honest in its tone. Fight scenes and confrontations are shown without filters. The characters are forced to rely on each other, yet trust never fully settles in.
That constant tension keeps the series alive season after season. As a viewer, you are always wondering who will cross the line next.
Gomorrah
Country: Italy
Year: 2014–2021
Creators: Roberto Saviano
Cast: Marco D’Amore, Salvatore Esposito
Seasons: 5
Network / Platform: Sky Atlantic
About the Series
Gomorrah is one of those rare series that refuses to glamorise the criminal world. Power here is fragile, constantly shifting hands, and no one stays comfortable for long.
The action is sudden and sharp. Something happens, and its consequences are immediately felt. One wrong step can push a character into a point of no return.
While watching, it becomes less important to know who wins. What matters more is what this world takes away from the people inside it. Gomorrah manages to carry that weight throughout its seasons.
Suburra: Blood on Rome
Country: Italy
Year: 2017–2020
Creators: Daniele Cesarano, Barbara Petronio
Cast: Alessandro Borghi, Giacomo Ferrara
Seasons: 3
Network / Platform: Netflix
About the Series
Suburra blends crime and politics into a single narrative, where the streets and the upper circles are always pulling on each other. What happens at ground level is shaped by decisions made far above, and those decisions rarely stay clean once they reach the street.
Action grows naturally out of that tension. As characters try to rise, they take calculated risks, and each step forward comes with a heavier cost. Alliances are built out of necessity, not trust, and they can shift without warning.
The series keeps you alert because nothing ever feels settled. Power moves quietly, loyalties change fast, and no relationship lasts long enough to feel safe.
Mr Inbetween
Country: Australia
Year: 2018–2021
Creator: Scott Ryan
Cast: Scott Ryan, Damon Herriman
Seasons: 3
Network / Platform: FX / Showcase
About the Series
Mr Inbetween builds its action from close range. Violence is direct, fast, and rarely dramatized; it appears as a natural extension of the life Ray Shoesmith leads rather than as a spectacle designed to impress.
The series places its characters in ordinary settings—cars, kitchens, quiet streets—then lets tension erupt without warning. Decisions are made quickly, consequences arrive even faster, and control is often lost in moments that feel almost casual.
What gives the show its weight is how action reshapes identity. Ray is not chasing chaos, yet chaos follows him everywhere. Each confrontation subtly changes his balance between family, loyalty, and survival, making the action inseparable from the character’s inner erosion.
NCIS: Sydney
Country: Australia
Year: 2023–
Creators: Morgan O’Neill, Don McGill
Cast: Olivia Swann, Todd Lasance, Sean Sagar, Tuuli Narkle
Seasons: 2 (ongoing)
Network / Platform: Paramount+
About the Series
NCIS: Sydney builds an investigative framework around crimes connected to the sea, but it does not limit resolutions to analysis and interrogation alone. Some cases push the team directly into the field; ports, vessels, and military zones become natural extensions of the narrative.
The series places team coordination and decision-making at its core. Choices made under time pressure can force plans to change rapidly, which at times introduces physical encounters and direct interventions into the story. These moments emerge not for spectacle, but as a consequence of the investigative process.
Australia’s geographic and institutional structure has a clear influence on the series’ tone. The balance established between investigation and field operations allows NCIS: Sydney to maintain procedural discipline while adopting a more dynamic narrative rhythm.
Dark
Country: Germany
Year: 2017–2020
Creators: Baran bo Odar, Jantje Friese
Cast: Louis Hofmann, Lisa Vicari
Seasons: 3
Network / Platform: Netflix
About the Series
In Dark, action does not arrive loudly, but tension never fades. There is a constant sense of threat that quietly grows stronger with each season, shaping the atmosphere rather than overwhelming it. Danger is rarely obvious, yet it always feels close, as if something is about to shift at any moment.
The characters are forced to confront not only external events, but also the consequences of their own choices. Decisions made in one moment echo much later, creating a chain of cause and effect that cannot be ignored. This slow accumulation of pressure keeps the story moving forward.
What lifts the series beyond a standard thriller is this focus on responsibility and consequence. The action is never separate from the characters; it is woven into their paths, making every turn feel deliberate and every outcome earned.
Alarm für Cobra 11 – Die Autobahnpolizei
Country: Germany
Year: 1996–2022
Creators: Hermann Joha
Cast: Erdoğan Atalay, Semir Gerkhan (character)
Seasons: 28
Network / Platform: RTL
About the Series
In Alarm für Cobra 11 – Die Autobahnpolizei, action is not an element added to the story — it is the story. Each episode is built around high-speed chases, large-scale crashes, and physical confrontations that define the rhythm of the series from start to finish. The highway setting is not just a backdrop but an active force, shaping every decision and consequence.
The series focuses on immediate threats rather than long-term conspiracies. Danger arrives fast, escalates quickly, and is resolved through direct action rather than psychological tension or political subtext. Over the years, while characters and partners change, the core remains the same: momentum, impact, and relentless forward motion.
Final Words
If you have made it this far, chances are at least one of these series is already sitting in the back of your mind. Maybe it is a character, maybe a moment, or simply that quiet “this might be worth a try” feeling. Some action series are just watched, others end up keeping you company longer than expected. The shows here fall somewhere in between. Where you start is up to you — but we both know that once you do, that “just one episode” rarely stays just one.
If your interest extends beyond series and toward films from different cultures and perspectives, you may also want to explore the Movies section, where stories from around the world are brought together.
