Netflix's Action-Packed Political Thriller: Bodyguard

2 days ago 9

Published Apr 21, 2026, 11:30 AM EDT

Zach Moser is a Philadelphia native who writes about film and television news. Zach has been published in Points In Case, Business Insider, Slackjaw, ROCA Travel, and McSweeney's Internet Tendency.

Netflix has a six-episode action thriller that's a little Jack Ryan, a little The Night Agent, and a whole lot of fun. The political thriller genre is jam-packed with hits and award-winning series. It's a conceit that really lends itself to compelling drama with real-world stakes and recognizable characters.

Of course, there are plenty more variations on the idea, but these two are particularly illustrative for another great political thriller that can be found on Netflix. Bodyguard comes from BBC One, premiering on the channel in the UK and Ireland and on Netflix everywhere else.

The six-episode miniseries premiered in 2018 and stars Richard Madden as Police Sergeant David Budd, a Scottish veteran of the Afghanistan war with PTSD who now works for Protection Command, a branch of British Special Operations concerned with private security for the royal family and government officials.

David is assigned to Julia Montague MP (Keeley Hawes), whose politics David can't stand, and who supported the war. Like Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, David is just a regular soldier accidentally pulled into something country-shaking, and like The Night Agent, the conspiracy hole runs very deep.

At Only Six Episodes, Bodyguard Makes For A Great Weekend Binge

Bodyguard is a quick and easy binge that you could finish in a weekend as easily as you could finish two extra-long movies. It's pulpy and tense in the best way, and the added dash of psychological thriller makes the show unexpectedly multi-layered. We are with David every step of the way through an incredible experience.

The series is filled with revelation after revelation, and because David is as new to this world as we are, we never feel like we are falling behind the characters in understanding what is going on. Bodyguard almost demands to be binged-watched, with mysteries piling on mysteries, you will be laser-focused on everything that's going on.

Bodyguard earned two Golden Globe nominations and one win for Richard Madden in the Best Actor category, and two Emmy nominations. It should be ranked among the best miniseries of the last 10 years, and if you're craving a political thriller this weekend, give it a shot.

Bodyguard Only Needed One Season

Richard Madden as David Budd staring at someone in Bodyguard

Bodyguard is such a great binge-watch because there's only one season to get through, and the ending is as satisfying as you are going to find in a political thriller. It wraps up the major questions of the series, completes David's arc, and leaves just enough lingering so that you're still thinking about the series after it ends.

Bodyguard's interest in issues about surveillance, intervention, and our understanding of PTSD has only gotten more relevant in the years since the show aired. Like all great political thrillers, it's timeless in its themes and stories and will have you returning to binge it often.