Television series

Hawkeye

Name: Hawkeye
Genre: Drama, Action, Adventure
Released: 2021
Cast: Jeremy Renner, Hailee Steinfeld, Fra Fee, Tony Dalton, Alaqua Cox

Superhero

Hawkeye strips away the spectacle and grounds Marvel in the messy geometry of a father trying to get home for Christmas. It's smaller in scope than the films—six episodes of dialogue-heavy, character-driven action where the real plot is about legacy, mentorship, and whether a hero can ever truly retire. It's for people who prefer talking and jokes to explosions, and who think Jeremy Renner underused is a genuine tragedy.

TVMaze rating

3.9

If you liked this

The Bourne Identity2002

A spy thriller built on practical action, close-quarters fights, and a protagonist haunted by their own competence. The DNA of Hawkeye's gritty street-level investigation is here, along with the same question: what does a skilled killer do when they want out?

But Lacks the humour and warmth of Hawkeye; it's dour and paranoid where Hawkeye is funny and familial. The editing is deliberately disorienting in ways some find exhausting.

Marvel's Daredevil2015

Netflix's best Marvel series: six seasons of a superhero actually dealing with consequences, collateral damage, and the small criminals of a single city. It has the same mentor-student dynamic, the same commitment to hand-to-hand fighting, and the same willingness to let drama breathe.

But Darker and more sadistic than Hawkeye, with extended sequences of graphic violence that serve the story but won't appeal if you want something lighter. Seasons four onward lose focus.

Severance2022

A prestige thriller that treats character and emotion as the real engine, not the mystery. It shares Hawkeye's gift for making small, intimate moments between people feel as crucial as the plot twists, with perfect tonal balance between dread and humour.

But The pacing is slow and deliberately evasive—if you need answers delivered fast, this will frustrate you. Requires patience and re-watching.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Hawkeye

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Kill Bill: Vol. 12003

Both centre on a parent with a particular set of skills returning to finish something and claim the future they sacrificed. Both understand that protecting the next generation is the deepest heroism available.

Tarantino's hymn to a mother reclaiming her power, told through stunning action sequences that stop to let character breathe. Like Hawkeye, it's about a skilled fighter with a family to protect, but it swings for complete visual transcendence—balletic, arch, operatic. It's Hawkeye if Hawkeye wanted to be a poem.

But The violence is stylised rather than grounded, the tone is absurdist rather than warm, and it takes itself seriously in ways Hawkeye refuses to. If you love Hawkeye's humility, this will feel alien.

The Americans2013

Two spies trying to balance marriage, family, and the work that defines them—a perfect thematic mirror. It's tense, beautifully acted, and understands that the real conflict is between duty and the people you love.

But Spans ten seasons; the time commitment is enormous and the show gets denser and more exhausting before it ends, not easier.

Extraction2020

A contained action thriller with Chris Hemsworth fighting through one city to extract a boy. The action is shot to be understood—no chaotic cutting—and the emotional core is about protecting someone, much like Hawkeye's Kate-and-Clint partnership.

But The plot is thin and serviceable; you're watching for the action sequences, and if that doesn't grip you, there's nothing else holding it up.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier2014

The best MCU film: a political thriller wrapped in a superhero film, with real stakes, practical action, and a protagonist forced to question everything he thought was true. It understands that small personal stakes matter more than world-ending ones.

But It's still a Marvel film with all the baggage—some plot points feel obligatory, and the third act relies on spectacle. If you wanted Hawkeye to be bigger, you'll like this; if you wanted it smaller, you won't.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier poster

Slow Horses2022

British spy thriller about damaged, brilliant people trying to do good in a world that doesn't care. It has Hawkeye's warmth, its sharp dialogue, its willingness to find humour in dysfunction, and Gary Oldman as a mentor figure that echoes Clint.

But Slower and drier than Hawkeye, with less action and more bureaucratic intrigue. The British idiom might feel distant if you prefer American directness.

The King's Man2021

A mentor-protégé spy action film with charm, style, and genuine affection between its leads. It doesn't take itself seriously, the fights are inventive, and it understands that mentorship is about passing something on—a theme Hawkeye nails.

But Relies on a kind of heightened theatricality that doesn't land for everyone. The plot is slight and sometimes silly in ways that undercut the emotion.

The Diplomat2023

Smart, fast, character-driven show about a woman solving political crises while managing her marriage. It shares Hawkeye's rhythm—plot-driven but people-focused, funny but serious when it needs to be, with excellent supporting ensemble work.

But It's a political thriller first, which means some episodes get tangled in espionage minutiae that don't always land. Less action-heavy than Hawkeye, so if you watched for the fights, you'll miss them.

Andor2022

Both are franchise properties that reject their genre's default settings to become something intimate and grounded. Both believe that competent people doing careful work under pressure is more interesting than saving the world.

A Star Wars show that plays nothing like Marvel: gritty, slow, character-obsessed, about ordinary people becoming revolutionaries. It's proof that franchise television can be serious art. The writing is immaculate, the acting is subtle and real, and it trusts you entirely.

But Glacially paced, almost anti-dramatic. Minimal action, no humour, and it spends entire episodes on procedure and dread. If you need momentum and jokes, this will feel like a punishment.

The Ocean's 11 Story2001

Both are about a skilled older figure assembling and mentoring a team of specialists, and both understand that the real pleasure is watching people who are good at things work together with affection and trust.

A film about a team working together with perfect chemistry, where the pleasure is watching smart people with specific skills execute a plan. It has Hawkeye's warmth and camaraderie, its refusal to take things seriously, and its absolute confidence in its ensemble. Pure fun that respects your intelligence.

But The plot is deliberately light and sometimes contrived. If you came for emotional depth or thematic weight, you'll find surface gloss instead. It's enjoyment without meaning.