STREAMABLES: BODYGUARD
Pulse-Pounding UK Thriller
Take Game of Thrones’ Robb Stark, but he’s now a traumatized war veteran and family man in 2018 London pulled into a global conspiracy — that is Bodyguard, starring Richard Madden.
Bodyguard is a six episode series focusing on London Metro Police Officer David Budd (Madden), newly assigned to protect the UK’s Home Secretary. Originally produced for the BBC, where it set viewership records, it can currently be watched on Netflix (in most territories).
Madden’s performance is wonderfully nuanced and earned him a Golden Globe amongst the show’s deserved accolades; the series being even further bolstered by a strong ensemble. Keeley Hawes portrays the aforementioned Home Secretary, showcasing the gravitas of a powerful politician and also the vulnerability of the human being behind the politics.
Particular character arcs worth paying attention to (not for any spoiler-y reasons, but because the performances deserve that attention) — Sophie Rundle as Madden’s estranged wife, and both Nina Toussaint-White and Ash Tandon as detectives investigating an increasingly complex web of red herrings and corruption.
Bodyguard’s six episodes are full of twists and turns and the story is constantly impressively reinventing itself. The series is particularly timely — without getting too into politics (and also in an attempt to avoid spoilers!)—a big story theme explores how the common man (or woman) can be forced, willingly or not, into the fight against a corrupt, tyrannical government, and how it may or may not change them. Just as relevant in 2026 as it was in 2018 — maybe even more-so.
Enjoy the watch…and then watch it again! Impossible to say more without spoiling.
STREAMABLES is an editorial series showcasing TV series we want to make sure you haven’t missed…or are definitely worth a rewatch.