While the brave new worlds of sci-fi and the derring-do of fantasy can be brilliant fun when streaming networks fund shows properly, I think it's fair to say that most of the best streaming services know that people crave thrillers slightly more regularly than they do some other genres.
That said, thrillers can come in all shapes and sizes, including plenty that get into scary territory, others that lean more into action, and some that actually end up being a little milder in the end. I've taken a fine-toothed comb to the listings of every big show coming to the major streaming services in the next year, to pick out this selection of absolute must-see options.
If you're on the hunt for some thrillers to circle in your diary, you're in the right place, so keep reading to see what's coming down the pike, with trailers for your convenience.
Cape Fear
- Streaming on: Apple TV from 5 June
Of all the shows I've selected this time, I think Cape Fear is the one that most fits the name "thriller". It looks like a psychological rollercoaster, rebooting a pretty famous Robert De Niro movie and transforming it into a slower-burn show, starring Javier Bardem in a role that he looks like he's eating up.
He's played terrifying villains quite a few times before, of course, but this time around he has a righteous sense of justification, as he hunts down and taunts the lawyers who potentially colluded to send him to jail. Now released, he's going to make their lives a terrifying hell as he reminds them of what they did, and what he might be able to do in revenge.
Man on Fire
- Streaming on: Netflix from 30 April
Apple isn't the only streaming giant bringing back a movie that had a great reputation with a massive star in its central role – Netflix is remaking Man on Fire, and it's replaced Denzel Washington with Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and he looks like he's going to have a great time in this action-thriller series.
The show will see him take on the role of a highly-skilled ex-soldier with crippling PTSD now working in private security. He's going to get dragged into a far bigger conspiracy than he realises when the young woman he's meant to protect gets targetted, and there will clearly be both big twists and big action sequences to enjoy.
Widow's Bay
- Streaming on: Apple TV from 29 April
A return to Apple TV, next, for Widow's Bay, which looks like it's going to take us to properly creepy territory. Matthew Rhys plays the beleaguered mayor of a small coastal town that seems to have a baffling number of mysteries and, frankly, murders, given its size.
He's hoping to revitalise the town and make it a tourist destination once again, but from the looks of the teasers that Apple has put out so far, he's going to have his work cut out. Expect terrifying sequences but also a tone that clearly manages to veer between lightness and darkness, making it perfect thriller material, to my mind.
The Boroughs
- Streaming on: Netflix from 21 May
Netflix is back for another entry, and in The Boroughs it has a thrilling show that I'm hoping won't be all that traumatic. It's set in a seemingly idyllic retirement community, and sees Alfred Molina moving into the place slightly unwillingly, but he soon discovers (along with some other residents) that there's more to the place than meets the eye.
The first big trailer, embedded above, all but confirms that there's going to be alien activity in the show, and it seems like it'll be an interesting twist on the thriller genre since its stars are almost all on the older side. That gives it a charming tone, though, and it could be a really fun series to binge.
The Punisher: One Last Kill
- Streaming on: Disney+ from 12 May
Disney+ doesn't always get as many thrillers as some of the other streamers since it's a little more family-focused, but this looks like one of the most mature and, frankly, violent entries that the modern MCU will ever have produced. It's unclear whether it'll actually be Frank Castle's last outing, not least because he's in the new Spider-Man trailers, but this is being billed as a "Marvel Television Special Presentation" which is quite rare.
That might be one way of upping expectations without actually committing to making a movie, so you can probably chalk this up as an hour-long standalone special. It promises at least a couple of proper fight scenes, and there will doubtless be more than enough to raise your pulse in classic thriller style.
