Television series

SIX

Name: SIX
Genre: Drama, Action, War
Released: 2017
Cast: Dominic Adams, Juan Pablo Raba, Barry Sloane, Kyle Schmid, Nadine Velazquez

Military action

SIX is a grounded military drama following Navy SEAL Team Six through high-stakes operations and impossible personal choices. It balances tactical intensity with genuine character work—these aren't invincible action heroes but exhausted professionals carrying psychological weight. Smart, visceral, and surprisingly human for a war show.

TVMaze rating

3.6

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like military drama where the raids are only half the story, and the men's home lives get as much screen time as their missions.

Skip it if you want a lean, tightly plotted thriller, since the storytelling wanders between the team's private lives and its operations and can feel loose.

What it asks of you: Expect hour-long episodes with a slow build, several threads running at once, and patience for quiet character scenes between the mission beats.

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

If you liked this

The Americans2013

Two Soviet spies pose as an American couple while raising a family—same tension between duty and love, same moral ambiguity about which side you're actually rooting for. Masterful character work in a genre that usually skips it.

But Slower than SIX and heavily focused on domestic drama rather than operations; some seasons feel deliberately repetitive to show the grinding exhaustion of their double life.

Homeland2011

CIA officer versus terrorist prisoner in a cat-and-mouse game that keeps reframing who the real threat is. Season one especially nails the paranoia and moral quicksand that SIX explores in a military context.

But Later seasons lose the plot considerably and become frustratingly melodramatic; even early on, some viewers find the protagonist's choices infuriating rather than tragic.

Strike Back2010

British-American special forces thriller with similar team dynamics and international locations. Fast, brutal, and genuinely committed to showing combat's cost rather than glorifying it.

But Shifts tone and focus wildly between seasons; some cast changes mid-series feel jarring, and the writing isn't always consistent in quality.

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

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Bodyguard2018

Both explore what happens when soldiers must choose between personal conviction and institutional orders, and what the cost is when institutions prove untrustworthy.

British protection officer assigned to a controversial politician—it's about state loyalty, institutional betrayal, and PTSD from military service. Structurally tighter than SIX but explores the same scars operators carry home and the impossible politics they navigate.

But Six episodes and very British in pacing; the final twist divides viewers and some feel the ending undermines what came before.

Generation Kill2008

David Simon's Iraq War miniseries captures a unit's perspective with documentary precision and dark humor. Feels lived-in and authentically weird in ways most war drama doesn't attempt.

But Seven episodes and deliberately slow; some find it anti-war preaching rather than drama, and the narrative ambition sometimes exceeds the execution.

Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan2018

CIA analyst versus a terrorist mastermind across multiple continents, with real operational sequences and character stakes that matter. Scratches the same international military thriller itch.

But Relies heavily on Jack Ryan's heroic competence; less interested in moral ambiguity than SIX and more interested in being a conventional action show.

SEAL Team2017

Literally about SEAL Team operations, domestic struggles, and command decisions. If you liked SIX's world, this is the obvious next step—same milieu, different unit, different stories.

But Moved to Paramount after cancellation and became more formulaic; early seasons are stronger but it's also more comfort-watch than SIX's psychological intensity.

Fauda2015

Israeli undercover agent embedded in Palestinian society—explores similar moral complexity through a protagonist living two simultaneous lives. Tense, intimate, and genuinely uncertain about who deserves sympathy.

But Subtitled; deeply political and doesn't pretend neutrality; some find the protagonist's choices so morally compromised it stops being drama and becomes difficult viewing.

The Unit2006

Dennis Quaid leads a covert military unit in operations worldwide while managing complex home lives. Predates SIX but does the exact same balancing act with surprising warmth and character specificity.

But Aired on ABC so it's lighter than SIX; the action sequences feel dated now and some plots drift toward soap opera.

Special Forces2011

A French special forces unit's mission to extract a journalist from Afghanistan becomes a study in leadership failure and human limits. Brutal, unsentimental, and genuinely hard to watch in the right way.

But Grim without relief and doesn't resolve neatly; shot in a deliberately unglamorous style that some find punishing rather than immersive.

MINDHUNTER2017

Both are about highly trained specialists operating in morally gray territory, collecting intelligence under institutional pressure, and discovering that conviction doesn't guarantee you're right.

FBI profilers interviewing serial killers in the 1970s. Methodical, cerebral work with the same underlying tension: small teams making high-stakes decisions while broader institutions remain skeptical. Fincher's visual language makes interrogation feel as dangerous as combat.

But Barely qualifies as action—it's almost entirely conversations in rooms; cancelled after two seasons; glacially paced if you're not deeply interested in psychological process.

The Killing2011

Both treat their protagonists as professionals doing skilled work in morally murky contexts, both are skeptical of institutions and authority, both ask whether chasing the right answer costs you your humanity.

Danish detective drama about a single murder investigation. Not military but operationally brilliant—shows obsessive investigation, team fractures under pressure, and the question of whether you can trust the institutions you serve. Visually and emotionally bleak in the same register.

But Four seasons of deliberately slow-burn plotting; the third season especially tests patience; some find the bleakness not earned but merely aesthetic.