Television series

Hunters

Name: Hunters
Genre: Drama
Released: 2020
Cast: Logan Lerman, Al Pacino, Louis Ozawa Changchien, Jerrika Hinton, Josh Radnor

Hunters is a stylish revenge thriller set in 1977 New York, following a ragtag team of Nazi hunters tracking escaped war criminals plotting a Fourth Reich. It's pulpy, violent, and formally playful—think Tarantino meets historical reckoning. For viewers who want moral clarity wrapped in genre thrills and don't mind anachronistic swagger.

TVMaze rating

3.6

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like revenge stories that take the Holocaust seriously and still want to play with pulp, 1970s grindhouse grit, and a crew of misfits with a plan.

Skip it if you want restraint and a sober history lesson, because this leans on bloody set pieces and abrupt shifts of tone that can feel uneven.

What it asks of you: Eighteen hour-long episodes across two seasons, with a finished arc, so the commitment is real but bounded; expect frequent brutality and a brisk, lurid pace.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Inglourious Basterds2009

Tarantino's fantasy of righteous violence against Nazis, with the same blend of meticulous dialogue, sudden brutality, and the pleasure of watching bad people lose. Al Pacino in Hunters channels that same energy.

But Deliberately fictional and indulgent in ways that might feel flippant about real atrocities if you're looking for sobriety instead of catharsis.

The Plot Against America2020

HBO's alternate history of 1940s America descending into fascism. Like Hunters, it's about recognizing the threat when it's already among you, and the moral calculus of resistance. Slower burn but equally gripping.

But Lacks the pulpy B-movie style of Hunters—it's grimmer and more intimate, which some find harder to watch than outright revenge fantasy.

The Man in the High Castle2015

Another alternate-history where Axis powers won. It's about ordinary people discovering they live under occupation and finding ways to resist. Shares Hunters' premise: the enemy is already here, embedded in everyday life.

But Sprawls across four seasons and loses momentum. The mythology becomes convoluted and the plotting uneven by the end.

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

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Come and See1985

Both track hunters pursuing Nazis, but Come and See refuses the catharsis Hunters offers, asking whether justice through violence is justice at all.

A Soviet film about a young partisan hunter in WWII Belarus. Structurally mirrors Hunters' hunt-for-Nazi premise, but in devastating documentary style rather than pulp fantasy. Shows the moral and psychological cost of that hunt in ways Hunters deliberately avoids.

But Brutally nihilistic and visually harrowing—not entertainment in the Hunters sense, but an interrogation of revenge narratives themselves. Emotionally exhausting.

Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood2019

Another Tarantino fantasy of retribution, set in '70s LA with a similar aesthetic to Hunters—cool, digressive, steeped in period detail, building to eruptions of violence. Pacino's energy is all over this film too.

But Almost plotless for long stretches; if you want a tight narrative instead of mood and character, this will frustrate you.

MINDHUNTER2017

Fincher's methodical procedural about profilers hunting serial killers in the '70s. Same era, same obsessive hunt for monsters hiding in plain sight, same focus on how good people build systems to catch evil.

But Glacially paced and cerebral—no cathartic action sequences. Discontinued after two seasons on an unresolved note.

American Crime Story2016

A crime series about the hunt for a killer, set in the late '90s, with incredible style and a diverse ensemble cast. The same mix of obsession, moral complexity, and pulpy storytelling that makes Hunters work.

But Not a revenge fantasy—the killer's perspective is given real weight, which some find morally queasy rather than cathartic.

Fatale2020

A sharp revenge thriller with a diverse cast and a '70s-inflected visual style. Compact, satisfying, unapologetic about its pulpy pleasures. The kind of tight genre exercise that Hunters aspires to at its best.

But Lower budget and more formula-driven than Hunters—you'll see the twists coming, and it doesn't have the ambition to surprise you structurally.

The Diplomat2023

A slick political thriller with Keri Russell and a stellar ensemble cast navigating conspiracies and moral compromises. Stylish, fast-paced, built on the pleasure of watching smart people outmaneuver each other.

But Contemporary and political rather than historical; lacks the genre satisfaction and clear moral framework of hunting literal Nazis.

Q: Into the Storm2021

A documentary-thriller that hunts a conspiracy in real time, with the obsessive energy of Hunters applied to actual contemporary mystery. Compelling procedural momentum and genuine uncertainty throughout.

But It's a documentary about an unsolved conspiracy, not a narrative thriller—no catharsis, no revenge, just unanswered questions.

The Leftovers2014

Both build their power on ensemble chemistry and the rituals of a chosen family united by purpose, though Leftovers looks inward where Hunters looks outward.

An ensemble drama about people searching for meaning and justice after a mystery tragedy. Like Hunters, it's about ragtag teams finding each other and bonding through shared mission. Formally inventive, emotionally complex, deeply moving.

But Slow, introspective, and ultimately spiritual rather than action-driven. If you want Hunters' revenge thrills, you won't find them here.

Under the Skin2014

Both are hunt narratives set in specific eras, but Under the Skin inverts the power dynamic—the hunter is unknown, the victim never sees it coming, forcing us into uncomfortable complicity.

Scarlett Johansson as an alien predator prowling 1970s Glasgow. Formally radical and hypnotic—long sequences of quiet stalking and observation. A hunt film that strips away exposition and genre comfort, leaving only texture and dread.

But Deliberately opaque and anti-narrative; no plot clarity, no payoff in the traditional sense. Deeply alienating by design, which some experience as boring rather than profound.