Blindspot, NBC’s action thriller series starring Jaimie Alexander as tattooed amnesiac sleeper agent Jane Doe and Sullivan Stapleton as her FBI handler-turned-husband Kurt Weller, comes to a close after five seasons and 100 episodes this week. Once it’s over, you may be on the lookout for a new show that features some combination of action, amnesia, conspiracy, an ass-kicking heroine, an unlikely partnership between a weird loner and a federal agency, and a casual sense of humor. We’ve assembled a list of seven shows guaranteed to do the trick. No blindspots here.
We would be remiss to not also recommend the two movies that directly inspired Blindspot: Memento, Christopher Nolan‘s breakthrough movie about an amnesiac using the tattoos that cover his body to solve the mystery of who he is, and The Bourne Identity, about an amnesiac discovered in dramatic fashion who turns out to be an ass-kicking operative. Those are available to stream on PlutoTV and Peacock, respectively.
All the TV Shows That Are Ending in 2020
Looking for more recommendations of what to watch next? We have a ton of them! And if you’re looking for more hand-picked recommendations based on shows you love, we have those too.
Absentia
Watch it on: Amazon Prime Video
Stana Katic, Absentia
Castle‘s Stana Katic stars in this thriller series that has a similar setup to Blindspot. She plays an FBI agent who disappeared without a trace while pursuing a serial killer and was declared dead in absentia. Six years later, she is found living in a cabin in the woods with no memory of what happened in the time she was missing. And she’s implicated in a new series of murders. It has more of a psychological thriller bent than Blindspot, but if you loved Blindspot‘s amnesia plot, you’ll want to remember Absentia.
Alias
Watch it on: Amazon Prime Video
Jennifer Garner, Alias
J.J. Abrams‘ classic action series that ran on ABC from 2001 to 2006 follows another ass-kicking female operative. Jennifer Garner became a star playing CIA double agent Sydney Bristow, who posed as a member of criminal organization SD-6 before becoming a full-fledged CIA agent who gets pulled deeper and deeper into a web of intrigue. The show’s gadgets, shadowy espionage conspiracies, and conflicted central character were all big influences on Blindspot.
The Blacklist
Watch it on: Netflix
James Spader and Hisham Tawfiq, The Blacklist
If you like Blindspot, chances are you watch The Blacklist, too, but if you don’t, now is the time to start! It’s the show most like Blindspot on this list, in terms of overall vibe (and title). It’s even been paired with Blindspot on NBC’s schedule on several occasions throughout Blindspot‘s run. Like Blindspot, it’s a show about an improbable ally helping the FBI solve crimes, in this case a most-wanted criminal mastermind named Raymond “Red” Reddington (James Spader). Red assists an FBI task force that’s not unlike Weller’s in exchange for immunity, but the real reason why he’s helping is still an active mystery as the show enters Season 8. It’s a twisty and action-packed conspiracy thriller with a quirky sense of humor provided by Spader, who elevates the show from decent to wildly entertaining.
Burn Notice
Watch it on: Amazon Prime Video, Hulu
Jeffrey Donovan, Burn Notice
USA’s breezy seven-season action drama has a lot in common with Blindspot. It has an episodic case-of-the-week format and a quippy sense of humor, as well as broader season-long arcs about intelligence agencies and espionage and conspiracies and stuff like that. The charming Jeffrey Donovan stars as Michael Westen, a CIA operative who is suddenly and without explanation blacklisted from the agency and sent home to Miami, where he has to work as an unlicensed private investigator to make ends meet while trying to figure out who burned him and why. It boasts the most entertaining supporting character of any show on this list, Bruce Campbell‘s well-connected, wisecracking intelligence operative Sam Axe.
Marvel’s Jessica Jones
Watch it on: Netflix
Marvel’s Jessica Jones
If your favorite part of Blindspot is watching a dark-haired, hazel-eyed woman beat people up all over New York City, watch Jessica Jones next. The Netflix Marvel series that ran for three seasons between 2015 and 2019 makes Blindspot‘s implicit superheroism explicit. Krysten Ritter stars as the titular anti-heroine, a hard-drinking private investigator whose tough exterior masks a deep well of pain due to a traumatic childhood and abuse she suffered while being mind-controlled by a psychic villain named Kilgrave (David Tennant). Oh, and she also has super-strength. It has a less episodic format and much less humor than Blindspot, but the action sequences are even better.
Scorpion
Watch it on: CBS All Access
Elyes Gabel, Scorpion
If you love Patterson (Ashley Johnson) and Rich Dotcom’s (Ennis Esmer) techno-hijinks, you should check out Scorpion, because it’s almost entirely that. The four-season CBS action drama follows a computer genius named Walter O’Brien (Elyes Gabel), who leads a team of super-smart scientists, hackers, and other assorted nerds as they carry out tech security missions for clients, most commonly the Department of Homeland Security, but also private individuals and businesses who need their expertise. It was conceived as a dramatic counterpart to the nerdy comedy The Big Bang Theory, and like Blindspot, mixes action, case-of-the-week conspiracies, and humor.
Strike Back
Watch it on: Cinemax
Sulliivan Stapleton and Philip Winchester, Strike Back
If you enjoy Sullivan Stapleton’s gruff action heroics, you have to check out Strike Back, the wall-to-wall action series he shot and punched his way through before Blindspot. Alongside Philip Winchester, he starred as ex-Delta Force operator Damien Scott. The British series filmed all over the world and essentially rebooted every season, so it continued through its tenth season, which aired this year. S.S. was on the show from Season 2 through Season 5, and did even crazier stunts and action sequences than he did on Blindspot.
Blindspot‘s series finale airs Thursday, July 23 at 9/8c on NBC.