Legends is a British crime thriller drama series created by Neil Forsyth. Based on the 2022 book The Betrayer: How An Undercover Unit Infiltrated The Global Drug Trade by Guy Stanton and Peter Walsh, the Netflix series is set in the early 1990s, and it revolves around a group of Customs employees who are recruited to go undercover to infiltrate Britain’s most dangerous drug gangs to stop them. Legends stars Tom Burke, Steve Coogan, Hayley Squires, Aml Ameen, Jasmine Blackborow, Douglas Hodge, Charlotte Ritchie, and Tom Hughes. So, if you loved the thrilling drama, interesting story, and compelling characters in Netflix’s Legends, here are some similar shows you should check out next.
Slow Horses (Apple TV)
Slow Horses is a British spy thriller and dark comedy-drama series created by Will Smith. Based on Mick Herron’s Slough House novel series, the Apple TV series revolves around a group of disgraced MI5 agents as they are transferred to Slough House, which is run by Jackson Lamb, a verbally abusive and miserable man who used to be one of the best MI5 had to offer. Slow Horses stars Gary Oldman, Jack Lowden, Kristin Scott Thomas, Jonathan Pryce, Hugo Weaving, Saskia Reeves, Rosalind Eleazar, Christopher Chung, and Aimee-Ffion Edwards.
Dept. Q (Netflix)
Dept. Q is a British crime thriller series co-developed by Scott Frank and Chandni Lakhani. Based on Jussi Adler-Olsen’s book series Department Q, the Netflix series follows Carl Morck, a brilliant detective who returns to duty after a shooting that left his partner paralyzed and an officer dead. After his return, he is put in charge of a newly formed and poorly funded cold case unit. Dept. Q stars Matthew Goode, Kelly Macdonald, Chloe Pirrie, Alexej Manvelov, Leah Byrne, Steven Miller, Mark Bonnar, Jamie Sives, Shirley Henderson, and Kate Dickie.
Patriot (Prime Video)
Patriot is a political dark comedy-drama series created by Steven Conrad. The Prime Video series follows John Tavner, a troubled intelligence officer who’s tasked with going undercover as an employee at a Milwaukee industrial piping firm to stop Iran from getting a nuclear bomb. Patriot stars Michael Dorman, Kurtwood Smith, Michael Chernus, Kathleen Munroe, Aliette Opheim, Chris Conrad, Terry O’Quinn, and Debra Winger.
The Night Manager (Prime Video)
The Night Manager is a British spy thriller series written by David Farr. Based on John le Carré’s 1993 novel of the same name, the BBC series follows Jonathan Pine, a former British soldier now working as a night manager at a luxury hotel in Cairo, but he is soon recruited by a British spook to infiltrate the inner circle of a dangerous arms dealer. The Night Manager stars Tom Hiddleston, Hugh Laurie, Olivia Colman, Tom Hollander, Elizabeth Debicki, Diego Calva, Camila Morrone, Paul Chahidi, and Indira Varma.
The Game (Rent on Prime Video)
The Game is a British Cold War spy thriller series created by Toby Whithouse. The BBC series is set in the 1970s, and it follows Joe Lambe, a young MI5 agent, as he is recruited into a secret team of spooks to investigate a dangerous Soviet plot, but they soon discover that there is a mole in their team. The Game stars Tom Hughes, Brian Cox, Paul Ritter, Shaun Dooley, Chloe Pirrie, Victoria Hamilton, Jonathan Aris, and Judy Parfitt.
The Ipcress File (AMC+)
The Ipcress File is a British Cold War spy thriller series written by John Hodge. Based on Len Deighton’s 1962 novel of the same name, the ITV series is set during the Cold War, and it follows Harry Palmer, a former smuggler recruited to be a spook and tasked with going undercover to find a missing British nuclear scientist. The Ipcress File stars Joe Cole, Lucy Boynton, Tom Hollander, Joshua James, Anastasia Hille, and Ashley Thomas.
The Little Drummer Girl (Sling TV)
The Little Drummer Girl is an espionage thriller drama series co-written by Michael Lesslie and Claire Wilson. Based on John le Carré’s 1983 novel of the same name, the BBC One series is set in the late 1970s, and it follows Charmian “Charlie” Ross, an aspiring English actress, as she is recruited by the Mossad to infiltrate a Palestinian group who are planning a terror attack in London. The Little Drummer Girl stars Michael Shannon, Alexander Skarsgård, Florence Pugh, Michael Moshonov, Simona Brown, Clare Holman, and Charles Dance.