Peacock’s ‘Reacher’-Inspired Spy Thriller Is the Perfect Weekend Binge Before Season 2

Published Aug 23, 2026, 7:43 AM EDT Amanda M. Castro is a Network TV writer at Collider and a New York–based journalist whose work has appeared in Newsweek, where she is an Associate Editor, and The U.S. Sun, where she previously served as a Senior Consumer Reporter. She specializes in network television coverage, delivering sharp, thoughtful analysis of long-running procedural hits and ambitious new dramas across broadcast TV. At Collider, Amanda explores character arcs, storytelling trends, and the cultural impact of network series that keep audiences tuning in week after week. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Amanda is bilingual and holds a degree in Communication, Film, and Media Studies from the University of New Haven. There are plenty of shows about assassins, spies, and impossibly competent killers, and there are fewer still that can make watching a man assemble a rifle, change his face, or spend several minutes figuring out exactly where to stand feel genuinely tense. The Day of the Jackal is one of them. Peacock’s sleek spy thriller takes Frederick Forsyth’s classic story and drops it into the present day, turning a familiar premise into a globe-trotting cat-and-mouse game that is much more interested in the person behind the trigger than its title might suggest. That makes it an especially easy recommendation for anyone looking for something in the vein of Reacher. The two shows aren’t identical, but they share an appreciation for hyper-competent protagonists, meticulously planned action, international intrigue, and the simple pleasure of watching someone who is very, very good at their job. The difference is that The Day of the Jackal makes you wonder whether you should actually be rooting for its protagonist. What Is 'The Day of the Jackal' About? Image via Peacock Eddie Redmayne stars as the Jackal, an elite assassin who accepts extraordinarily expensive contracts and has made himself nearly impossible to identify. He’s a master of disguise, a meticulous planner, and an exceptional marksman capable of pulling off shots that seem almost impossible. His latest job puts him on a collision course with Bianca Pullman (Lashana Lynch), an MI6 firearms expert who becomes obsessed with figuring out who is behind a seemingly impossible assassination. From there, the series becomes a long game of cat and mouse. The Jackal moves across Europe preparing his next assignment while Bianca follows increasingly tenuous leads, constantly getting close enough to make his escape feel like a miracle. The series doesn’t rush that process, either; some of its best sequences are built around the mechanics of the Jackal’s work: scouting a location, studying security, constructing a weapon, creating an identity, and waiting for precisely the right moment. The modern update also gives the Jackal a very different target from the original story. Instead of assassinating a real-world political figure, he’s hired to kill fictional billionaire tech entrepreneur Ulle Dag Charles, whose revolutionary technology threatens to expose the financial dealings of the world’s richest people. That gives the series a contemporary political undercurrent without turning it into a lecture about current events. Eddie Redmayne and Lashana Lynch Make the Cat-and-Mouse Game Work Image via Peacock The main reason why The Day of the Jackal is such a success is the duo of Redmayne and Lynch. Redmayne depicts the Jackal as highly competent and someone who can change his character as frequently as he changes clothes. One second, this person is an innocent civilian; the next, he’s planning the murder. The way he seems not to be dependent on anyone else creates an unsettling feeling. Lynch gives the series its counterweight. Bianca is just as relentless, but she’s considerably messier. Her determination to catch the Jackal repeatedly collides with her personal life, and the show isn’t afraid to ask how far someone can go in the name of doing the right thing before the distinction between investigator and killer starts to disappear. That moral ambiguity is what keeps the premise from becoming another simple good-spy-hunts-bad-assassin story. Neither character is particularly clean, as both cause collateral damage and can convince themselves that those consequences are righteous. As the season progresses, it becomes increasingly uncertain who is worthy of sympathy. The production also gets plenty of mileage out of its European locations. Budapest, Vienna, Croatia, Germany, Spain, and Estonia give the series the scale of a much larger spy franchise, while its cinematography and disguises help sell the Jackal’s ability to disappear into almost any environment. There’s a tactile quality to the show that makes its espionage feel physical rather than abstract. And there’s also Redmayne himself; his performance is deliberately strange at times, particularly when he’s buried under prosthetics or adopting another persona, but that unpredictability is part of the appeal. You never quite know which version of the Jackal you’re going to get. Season 2 Makes Now the Perfect Time to Catch Up Image via Peacock The Day of the Jackal isn’t flawless. Although there are occasions where the plot of the 10-episode first season extends beyond what is necessary, and some of the family drama involving Jackal and Bianca feels like it should belong to another show, the principal thriller still manages to get the job done. When the series focuses on the two leads, the assassination plots, and whether Bianca can finally corner her target, it becomes exactly the kind of addictive weekend binge that streaming television was built for. And there’s a good reason to catch up now rather than letting the series sit in your watchlist indefinitely. Peacock has renewed The Day of the Jackal Season 2, with the debut coming in 2027. The first season is currently available for streaming on Peacock, and all 10 episodes can be watched without restrictions.