The 5 best political thriller series of the 21st century

frontal shot of two characters in the TV show Borgen talking at a desk — ‘Borgen’ is ‘one of the greatest TV series of the past decade’

(Image credit: Mike Kolloffel / Netflix)

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‘Borgen’ (2010-2022)
‘Homeland’ (2011-2020)
‘House of Cards’ (2013-2018)
‘Bodyguard’ (2018)
‘Say Nothing’ (2024)

Unlike in the real world, where politics can often be dreary, on the small screen, writers can spice up political fiction and nonfiction with potboiler plots and ripped-from-the-headlines drama. Case in point, Netflix’s soapy but glorious transatlantic political thriller “The Diplomat” returned on Oct. 16 for a third season. These are some of the other stellar political series of late.

‘Borgen’ (2010-2022)

A political thriller that doubles as an extended lesson in comparative politics, “Borgen” is the rare show that takes both politics and plot seriously. In season one, Birgitte Nyborg (Sidse Babett Knudsen) and her moderate Danish political party unexpectedly emerge as the winners of parliamentary elections. As she ascends to the country’s top political position, she has to maintain her fragile coalition with the help of her “spin doctor” Kasper Juul (Pilou Asbaek) and keep her marriage to Philip (Mikael Birkkjaer) alive as they raise their two children. “Borgen” is “one of the greatest TV series of the past decade” in large part because “you have to navigate” the country’s fascinating multi-party political system, said Vanity Fair. (Netflix)

The first season of Showtime’s “Homeland” dropped near the tail end of America’s Global War on Terror, and the show didn’t waste time diving into the story of Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis), a U.S. Marine captured in Afghanistan who may or may not have been turned into an al-Qaida sleeper agent. Claire Danes won two Emmy Awards playing Carrie Mathison, a CIA agent struggling with bipolar disorder who’s convinced that Brody is not on the level.

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A show that was integral to the rise of Netflix’s original programming empire, “House of Cards” is an especially cynical look at the inner workings of Washington, D.C. Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) is the Democratic House Majority Whip whose promised role as Secretary of State under newly elected President Garrett Walker (Michel Gill) is rescinded. Stung by the betrayal, Underwood and his wife, Claire (Robin Wright), plot their rise to power using any means necessary, including blackmail and murder. The show “revels in the familiar but always entertaining underbelly of government” and delivers a “delicious immorality play with an excellent cast,” said Alessandra Stanley at The New York Times. (Netflix)

Richard Madden is David Budd, a father of two small children and an Afghanistan veteran suffering from PTSD. He’s tapped to be head of security for U.K. Home Secretary Julia Montague (Keeley Hawes) after stopping a suicide bombing in the show’s gripping opening. Budd, however, is nursing explosive resentment against the government, and his assignment to protect the hawkish and conspiratorial Montague sends him further down the path of doubt and possibly madness. When Budd and Montague end up more than professionally involved, it all gets even more complicated. This six-episode limited series “excels at both the daring gasp-inducing twist and the methodical construction of slower-burning thrills,” said Variety. (Netflix)

A taught nine-episode limited series, FX’s historical thriller is told through the eyes of Irish Republican Army leader Dolours Price (played by Lola Petticrew and as an older woman by Maxine Peake). Structured as a series of flashbacks as she’s interviewed in 2001 for a Boston College oral history project, the show traces her radicalization after she and her sister, Marian (Hazel Doupe), are attacked by unionist police forces during peaceful protests in Northern Ireland. The sisters join the IRA, where they meet charismatic revolutionaries Gerry Adams (Josh Finan) and Brendan Hughes (Anthony Boyle). The show’s “longitudinal account of political disillusionment makes it one of the year’s finest shows,” said Inkoo Kang at The New Yorker. (Hulu)

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David Faris is a professor of political science at Roosevelt University and the author of "It's Time to Fight Dirty: How Democrats Can Build a Lasting Majority in American Politics." He's a frequent contributor to Newsweek and Slate, and his work has appeared in The Washington Post, The New Republic and The Nation, among others.