11 international thrillers that you should be watching
If you love a little intrigue, adventure, and suspense when it comes to your TV viewing, we've pulled together a list of TV shows set all around the world that will have you on the edge of your seat. From a Spanish male stripper who sets out to prove his innocence for a crime he didn't commit, to a German hotel manager whose life is ripped apart following a cyber attack, we've got all of your thriller needs covered.
<i>The Tunnel</i>
Based on the 2011 Danish-Swedish series The Bridge, The Tunnel centers on British detective Karl Roebuck (Stephen Dillane) and French police detective Elise Wassermann (Clémence Poésy). They must work together when a body is found at the midpoint between their countries. While the crimes are gruesome and sometimes personal, the show's biggest asset is the dynamic between the two detectives. Captain Wassermann is unrelenting and often pisses off her co-workers in order to close cases, but DCI Roebuck sees the charm in her approach — even when it gets on his nerves, too. But Wassermann slowly starts to change her ways thanks to her interactions with the grizzly Roebuck and his family. The result is three seasons of thrilling crimes featuring a dynamic duo that is more than worth the watch.
The Tunnel is available to stream on Amazon Prime.
<i>Tehran</i>
Tamar Rabinyan (Niv Sultan) stars in Tehran as a Jewish computer hacker who returns to her home country of Iran on her first mission for Mossad. Tamar's place in the world creates a situation where Iran and Israel's battle lines and competing objectives get even more complicated. Within all the espionage is a more subtle story about Tamar returning home after leaving Iran as a child. Filled with thrills and heart, this gripping spy show — featuring dialogue in Hebrew, English, and Persian — is one you'll want to make time for. Plus, Glenn Close shows up in season 2 for the second leg of Tamar's adventure.
Tehran is available to stream on Apple TV+.
<i>The Marked Heart</i>
The Marked Heart is an organ trafficking series that will have your heart racing. When a crime syndicate murders Valeria (Margarita Muñoz) to transplant her heart into the wife of a wealthy man, her husband Simón (Michel Brown) won't stop until he finds out the truth. Making matters even more complicated is when Simón begins bonding with a woman named Camila (Ana Lucía Domínguez) who happens to be the person who received Valeria's heart. Simón ends up putting his family in danger while looking for answers, while Camila's search for her donor has significant implications for her loved ones. The Colombian thriller is an incredibly messy tale full of shocking moments that will absolutely keep you hanging on to Simón's every move.
The Marked Heart is available to stream on Netflix.
<i>Lupin</i>
Decades after his father was framed for a theft, Assane Diop (Omar Sy) sets out to get revenge on the powerful family behind the injustice, using a book about gentleman thief Arsène Lupin as inspiration in the French series Lupin. Equally clever and charismatic, Sy's central character keeps authorities on their toes because he is often a step ahead — and enthralls audiences because he is so much fun to watch. In addition to Assane using disguises and misdirection to pull off low-fi heists in place of violent showdowns and gunfights, you also get to travel to Paris via Netflix to see the beautiful sites where the series is filmed.
Lupin is available to stream on Netflix.
<i>My Name</i>
Yoon Ji-woo (Han So-hee) is driven by revenge in the South Korean drama My Name. After her father is murdered, Yoon Ji-woo puts her trust in crime boss Choi Mu-jin (Park Hee-soon), and decides to become Oh Hye-jin in order to infiltrate the police force. Lead actress Han So-hee shines as a wounded woman who will do anything to avenge her father as she manipulates her fellow officers and digs for the truth. In addition to her performance, Park Hee-soon does an incredible job as the crime boss whose true motivations are unclear, and there are many exciting fight sequences to keep viewers captivated. There's a fair amount of gore in the violence, but if you can stomach it, you're in for a tightly told tale about the dangers of committing to a cause at all costs.
My Name is available to stream on Netflix.
<i>You Are Wanted</i>
You Are Wanted is a German thriller that doubles as a cyber security nightmare. When hotel manager Lukas Franke (Matthias Schweighöfer) is the victim of a cyber attack, his life is ripped apart. Not only do his loved ones start to doubt him, but German intelligence gets involved in the case because the hack has left him implicated as part of a terrorist organization. Essentially alone, Lukas has to figure out how to clear his name and discover who is responsible for the data alteration that wrecked his life. On the other end of the equation is federal investigator Sandra Jansen (Catrin Striebeck). She may be lead on the case, but that is complicated by the law enforcement organizations in her country and the truth she finds herself stepping closer to as each development unfolds. While she's not necessarily on Lukas' side, she is only interested in the truth, which may be his saving grace. The most thrilling part of You Are Wanted is the scariest part: any of us could be Lukas.
You Are Wanted is available to stream on Amazon Prime.
<i>Toy Boy</i>
Spanish series Toy Boy delivers shocking twists, Magic Mike-like stripping scenes, and a magnificent Spanish city as its backdrop. Set in stunning Costa del Sol, this thriller follows handsome stripper Hugo Beltrán (Jesús Mosquera) as he returns to his former club after spending seven years in prison for a crime he says he didn't commit. Hugo and his new lawyer Triana Marin (María Pedraza) must navigate the privilege of the 1 percent, deadly stakes, and their growing attraction to one another. Come for the mystery and intrigue, stay for the killer dance routines.
Toy Boy is available to stream on Netflix.
<i>Stella Blómkvist</i>
Stella Blómkvist is not your average lawyer. With an unorthodox approach and a moral compass that one could describe as wobbly, the tough lawyer fights for her clients with all she has in the Icelandic legal series Stella Blómkvist. Lead actress Heida Reed excels in the role as a mostly well-meaning legal mind who wades into perilous territory after getting a call from a friend on the police force asking her to help a criminal in need of a lawyer. That one random case sends Stella on a ride that includes government secrets and plots by politicians that have the power to reshape her country. Prepare for a standout performance by scene-stealer Kristín Þóra Haraldsdóttir as Stella's closest confidante Gunna.
Stella Blómkvist is available to stream on AMC+.
<i>Ultraviolet</i>
Polish crime series Ultraviolet takes an atypical approach to crime. When Aleksandra "Ola" Serafin-Łozińska (Marta Nieradkiewicz) believes the police aren't working hard enough to solve a young woman's murder, she teams up with a group of amateur detectives calling themselves Ultraviolet. Using their skills, they work together remotely to solve crimes, with Ola typically investigating on the ground. They build a loving community while trying to speak up for victims they feel are falling through the cracks. Ola's joining the group pushes them from solving closed cases to getting involved with ongoing investigations, putting the group under police scrutiny and in increasingly dangerous situations.
Ultraviolet is available to stream on Netflix.
<i>Ganglands</i>
When his niece is a pawn in a deadly situation with a ruthless drug dealer, professional thief Mehdi (Sami Bouajila) teams up with a crew of young criminals, including his niece's girlfriend, in the French series Ganglands. Filled with gunfights and car chases, Ganglands is a thrilling action tale. The emotional core of this series is the unlikely partnership between Mehdi and Liana (Tracy Gotoas), his niece's girlfriend. Starting out believing Liana and her crew are just kids without experience, Medhi does not put much stock in their abilities. We watch the bond and rely on one another throughout, going from strangers with incredibly different worldviews to a bonded duo in a world that keeps getting more dangerous.
Ganglands is available to stream on Netflix.
<i>Bad Banks</i>
In the German thriller Bad Banks, ambitious young professional Jana Liekam (Paula Beer) has to decide how far she is willing to go to make her career happen when she sees just how unscrupulous the world of finance is. Jana has to wrangle the peers she's competing against to succeed in a workplace full of toxic men, competing interests from higher-ups, and finding new ways to break the rules in order to make lots of money. But viewers don't have to worry about the series bogging them down with financial jargon. Instead, the show turns up the dial on the thrills of Jana's journey. Telling stories set in cities including Brussels and Luxembourg, there's no shortage of beautiful European locales in Bad Banks.
Bad Banks is available to stream on Hulu.
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