The Northern Irish actor is no stranger to starring in gripping thriller series. Here are some of his most nail-biting shows

ou know you’re in for a gripping watch when James Nesbitt appears on the screen. The Northern Irish actor is no stranger to starring in compelling crime dramas and nail-biting thrillers, from Bloodlands to The Missing, plus a range of Harlan Coben shows, including Netflix’s Missing You and Stay Close. 

With plenty of charisma and grit, James continually delivers compelling performances, often portraying an ordinary man faced with extraordinary situations. The 60-year-old is currently on our screens in Run Away, Netflix’s latest New Year thriller hit in collaboration with Harlan. In the eight-part series, inspired by Harlan’s 2019 novel, James plays Simon, whose perfect life implodes when his daughter Paige runs away. In his desperate search for his daughter, Simon is led to a dangerous underworld and threatens to unearth deep secrets.

If you’ve already binge-watched the new series and are on the hunt for your next James Nesbitt fix, we’ve got you covered. Here are some of his best crime thrillers…

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James plays a desperate father whose young son goes missing

1. The Missing

An absolute must-watch that introduced us all to Julien Baptiste, James kicks things off in season one as Tony, a desperate father who is devastated when his five-year-old son Oliver goes missing on a family holiday to France.

As France’s finest detective Julien Baptiste (Tcheky Karyo) leads the manhunt, Tony and his wife Emily (Frances O’Connor) find themselves in a media maelstrom. Eight years later, the couple has split and with Oliver still missing, Tony can’t move on.

The synopsis continues: “After years of searching, Tony is given new hope when a shred of evidence emerges. This reignites the interest of Julien Baptiste, the lead French detective at the time of the disappearance, who returns to Chalons Du Bois to try and finally get to the bottom of what happened to Oliver Hughes.”

The first season received BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations and boasts an impressive score of 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. Plus, the show comes from writers Harry and Jack Williams, whose production company Two Brothers Pictures is behind TV hits such as Fleabag, Liar and The Tourist.

This one will keep you guessing until the very end.

© Vishal Sharma

Cush Jumbo and Richard Armitage also star in the Netflix show

2. Stay Close

This 2021 limited series centres around three people living comfortable suburban lives who each conceal dark secrets that even the closest to them would never suspect. James portrays Broome, a detective unable to let go of a missing person’s cold case, while Cush Jumbo also stars as Megan, a working mother of three, and Richard Armitage plays Ray, a once-promising documentary photographer now stuck in a dead-end job.

The synopsis teases: “As the past comes back to haunt them, threatening to ruin their lives and the lives of those around them, what will be their next move?”

The eight-part series holds a respectable 92 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, while The Guardian described the thriller as “irresistible”.

Watch on Netflix. 

James plays DCI Tom Brannick in this cat-and-mouse thriller

3. Bloodlands

Love cat-and-mouse thrillers? Then it’s time to check out Bloodlands. James portrays DCI Tom Brannick in the series, which opens when a car containing a possible suicide note is pulled out of Strangford Lough. It’s not long before Brannick connects his investigation to an infamous cold case with huge personal significance.

The series follows the determined detective as he hunts for a legendary assassin.

The drama, which ran for two seasons, received four stars from The Guardian for its first outing, while Radio Times described the series as “an unpredictable thriller with all the hallmarks of a Jed Mercurio drama”.

Watch on BBC iPlayer.

James plays a detective who finds his estranged daughter’s body in a mortuary

Suspect

In this eight-part crime thriller, James plays troubled detective Danny Frater, who gets a terrible shock when he finds the corpse of his estranged daughter Christina lying in the hospital mortuary during what he thought was a routine ID check. While the pair had a complicated father-daughter relationship, Danny refuses to accept that she would have ended her own life and sets out to uncover the truth.

The series, which is an adaptation of the original Danish series Forhøret by Christoffer Boe, was met with mixed reviews from TV critics, while many viewers were “hooked” from the start and praised the show as “compelling” in online reviews.

Watch on Channel 4.

© Steffan Hill / © 2015 Carnival Film & Television Ltd

James stars in this supernatural crime drama

Stan Lee’s Lucky Man

Is he a detective again? Yes he is, but this time with a supernatural twist! In this 2016 crime drama, which comes from comic book legend Stan Lee and produced by the team behind Downton Abbey, James plays DI Harry Clayton, who hits rock bottom after a series of gambling debts mount up.

Harry is on the verge of losing everything, including his family, when he meets a beautiful and mysterious stranger named Eve, who gives him an ancient bracelet with magical properties that can change a man’s luck.

The synopsis teases: “Soon afterwards, the detective’s world is turned around as fortune finds him, but it comes at a hefty price.”

While The Telegraph described the show as a “little silly” in its review of episode one, it did highlight the “terrific” cast. Meanwhile, The i Paper commented on the “several pulse-racing set pieces”.

Viewers, on the other hand, have praised the series as “excellent” and a “compelling watch” while also applauding the performance of the cast, which also features Eve Best and Darren Boyd.

Watch on NOW TV.