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| Best Shows Like Line of Fire. |
If Line of Fire has you hooked on federal agents, dangerous conspiracies and the slightly inconvenient problem of having your own family dragged into the mess, there is no shortage of shows ready to fill the gap. The NBC drama combines family drama, federal investigations, political intrigue and action crime thriller elements, following the Hollingsworth family as members of the FBI, Secret Service, US Marshals Service and Department of Justice are forced to work together after a marshal is killed and a wider conspiracy begins targeting them.
That mix of professional duty and family loyalty gives the series a particularly useful lane: it can deliver a case-of-the-week while keeping a larger mystery moving underneath. If that combination sounds like your kind of television chaos, these 23 shows are worth putting next on the list.
Shows Like LINE OF FIRE
1. 24 (2001)
24 is a natural recommendation for anyone drawn to the relentless federal-action side of Line of Fire. The series follows counter-terrorism agent Jack Bauer through increasingly dangerous national security crises, with investigations, political manoeuvring, personal sacrifices and ticking-clock emergencies constantly colliding.
Like Line of Fire, it turns government agencies into pressure cookers where professional responsibilities rarely stay neatly separated from personal consequences. Jack also has an impressive talent for having the worst possible day repeatedly, which is practically a genre requirement.
2. The Blacklist (2013)
The Blacklist follows FBI profiler Elizabeth Keen after notorious criminal Raymond Reddington unexpectedly surrenders and offers to help the government catch other dangerous criminals. The procedural cases gradually become part of a much larger mystery involving secrets, identities and political connections. Its combination of federal investigations and a sprawling serialised storyline makes it particularly close to the structure of Line of Fire, especially for viewers who enjoy discovering that every answer somehow creates three more questions.
3. Homeland (2011)
Homeland places intelligence work, national security and deeply personal conflicts at the centre of its story. CIA officer Carrie Mathison becomes convinced that an American Marine may have been turned by an enemy organisation, setting off a chain of investigations that become increasingly complicated. Like Line of Fire, the series explores the price of protecting a country while personal relationships become tangled in professional secrets. The difference is that Homeland leans much harder into psychological tension and espionage.
4. NCIS (2003)
NCIS brings federal investigations into the world of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, following a team handling cases involving military personnel and national security. While its tone can be lighter than Line of Fire, the basic appeal is similar: highly trained government investigators solve cases while developing complicated relationships with their colleagues. The team gradually feels like its own dysfunctional family, although thankfully most families do not have to process evidence before dinner.
5. Criminal Minds (2005)
Criminal Minds follows the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit as its members investigate difficult cases involving dangerous offenders. Its strongest connection to Line of Fire comes through the balance between professional investigations and the emotional lives of federal agents. The characters face demanding cases while carrying their own histories, relationships and personal pressures. Viewers who enjoy watching a team operate under enormous pressure while a broader character story develops should find plenty to enjoy here.
6. Quantico (2015)
Quantico begins with FBI recruits training at the bureau's academy before a devastating national-security incident turns one of them into a suspect. The series jumps between training, investigation and hidden conspiracies, creating a mystery-driven structure that feels familiar to anyone watching Line of Fire for its larger political storyline. Its characters are also constantly forced to question who they can trust, which is never an especially relaxing situation when everyone around you works for federal law enforcement.
7. Designated Survivor (2016)
Designated Survivor begins after a catastrophic attack wipes out much of the US government, leaving low-profile cabinet secretary Tom Kirkman unexpectedly elevated to the presidency. What follows is a mixture of political conspiracy, government investigations and personal survival. Its strongest similarity to Line of Fire is the collision between public duty and family protection, with national threats constantly reaching into private life. It also understands that Washington politics can become considerably more dramatic when everyone has something to hide.
8. Scandal (2012)
Scandal focuses on Washington fixer Olivia Pope and the network of political figures, investigators and power brokers surrounding her. Rather than concentrating primarily on federal field operations, the series explores how political secrets can spread through government institutions and private relationships. That makes it a useful companion to Line of Fire for viewers interested in the political conspiracy and family-secret side of the story rather than simply the action.
9. Madam Secretary (2014)
Madam Secretary follows Elizabeth McCord, a former CIA analyst who becomes the US Secretary of State. The series combines international crises and government decision-making with the character's responsibilities as a wife and mother. That family-versus-duty balance gives it a clear connection to Line of Fire, where federal service is never simply a nine-to-five job. It is less explosive, but the central question about how public service affects family life is remarkably similar.
10. The Night Agent (2023)
The Night Agent follows FBI agent Peter Sutherland after he answers a mysterious emergency phone line and becomes involved in a conspiracy reaching deep into the US government.
The story mixes federal investigations, political intrigue, assassins, government secrets and escalating danger. Like Line of Fire, it turns Washington into a maze where agents cannot simply assume the people around them are trustworthy. It also moves quickly enough to make the phrase “one more episode” a dangerous promise.
11. Jack Ryan (2018)
Jack Ryan follows CIA analyst Jack Ryan as he moves from desk-based intelligence work into increasingly dangerous field operations. The series combines intelligence gathering, international threats, political decisions and personal stakes. Its connection to Line of Fire comes from the contrast between bureaucratic government work and sudden high-pressure action. Both stories are interested in what happens when professionals have to move beyond normal agency boundaries because the threat has become too complicated for one department to handle.
12. Bodyguard (2018)
Bodyguard centres on David Budd, a war veteran and police officer assigned to protect a senior British politician. His professional assignment soon becomes entangled with a wider political conspiracy and questions surrounding terrorism, government decisions and personal loyalties.
Although it is set in the UK rather than Washington, the series shares Line of Fire's interest in protective services, political danger and blurred personal loyalties. The result is tense television in which even a seemingly routine security assignment can turn spectacularly complicated.
13. The Enemy Within (2019)
The Enemy Within follows former CIA operative Erica Shepherd, who is serving a life sentence after being accused of betraying her country. FBI agent Will Keaton eventually turns to her for help hunting a dangerous terrorist.
The show therefore combines federal investigation with questions about loyalty, trust and hidden motives. Like Line of Fire, it places professional codes under enormous pressure and asks whether government agents can work together when their personal histories make cooperation extremely difficult.
14. Condor (2018)
Condor follows CIA analyst Joe Turner after he discovers that his colleagues have been killed and realises he has become a target himself. Suddenly, an intelligence employee accustomed to analysing threats has to survive one. That reversal fits neatly with Line of Fire's central idea of protectors becoming targets. Both shows also build their stories around larger conspiracies, institutional secrets and characters who cannot afford to trust the obvious answers.
15. FBI (2018)
FBI is perhaps one of the most direct choices for viewers who enjoy the federal-investigation component of Line of Fire. The CBS procedural follows FBI agents investigating major cases in New York while balancing demanding work with their personal lives.
Its episodic structure provides the familiar satisfaction of individual cases, while recurring characters and longer-running conflicts add continuity. The biggest difference is that Line of Fire puts a much heavier emphasis on one family's connection to multiple agencies.
16. FBI: Most Wanted (2020)
FBI: Most Wanted expands the same federal universe by following a specialised team tasked with tracking down fugitives. The show is more focused on pursuit and field operations, but it shares Line of Fire's interest in the personal cost of federal service. Agents must constantly balance their dangerous work with relationships outside the job. It is a particularly suitable choice if the action and investigation elements of Line of Fire are what keep you watching.
17. FBI: International (2021)
FBI: International takes federal investigations beyond US borders, following a specialised team dealing with cases involving Americans overseas. That broader geographical scope gives it a different flavour from Line of Fire, but the underlying appeal remains familiar: federal agents, international threats, institutional cooperation and personal pressure. It also reinforces the idea that when a serious investigation crosses jurisdictions, working within one agency's rules is not always enough.
18. The Brave (2017)
The Brave follows a specialised team of military personnel and intelligence operatives handling dangerous missions around the world. The series mixes tactical action with intelligence work and gives attention to the relationships between team members. Like Line of Fire, it focuses on professionals whose jobs require extraordinary levels of trust while placing their personal lives under constant strain. It is the choice for viewers who want the action dial turned up several notches.
19. Lioness (2023)
Lioness follows a CIA programme involving female operatives working on high-risk intelligence missions. The series combines covert operations, political interests, military action and complicated personal relationships.
Its strongest similarity to Line of Fire is the way government service affects the people doing the work and those waiting for them at home. The characters are expected to maintain professional discipline while dealing with situations that make ordinary family life look wonderfully uncomplicated.
20. The Recruit (2022)
The Recruit follows a young CIA lawyer who becomes caught in an international operation after encountering a former agency asset with dangerous information. The show is lighter and more comedic than Line of Fire, but it shares the central idea of an ordinary government professional suddenly being pulled into a much larger conspiracy. It is also useful for viewers who want federal intrigue without spending every episode looking as though everyone desperately needs a holiday.
21. The Family (2016)
The Family begins when a politician's son, presumed dead for years, suddenly returns home, throwing an already complicated political family into turmoil. The mystery gradually exposes secrets involving the family, the government and the people surrounding them.
It is less focused on federal agencies than Line of Fire, but its combination of family conflict, political intrigue and a central mystery makes it a compelling alternative for viewers most interested in the Hollingsworth family's private problems.
22. The Terminal List (2022)
The Terminal List follows Navy SEAL James Reece after a disastrous mission leaves him questioning what really happened to his team. As he investigates, he uncovers a conspiracy involving powerful interests and becomes increasingly determined to uncover the truth.
The show is much darker and more heavily focused on military action, but it shares Line of Fire's central engine: a devastating event exposes something far larger, forcing a professional to challenge institutions that should have been trustworthy.
23. Tracker (2024)
Tracker follows Colter Shaw, a lone investigator who travels around the US helping people solve difficult cases in exchange for rewards. It is not as deeply rooted in federal agencies as Line of Fire, but its case-driven storytelling and recurring personal mystery make it a useful choice for viewers who enjoy episodic investigations alongside a continuing character storyline. The show also understands the eternal television rule that the person asking for help usually has considerably more going on than they initially admit.
The appeal of Line of Fire is not simply the federal-agency setting; it is the collision between professional duty, family loyalty and a conspiracy big enough to make everyone suspicious. That gives the show several doors into the same genre, which is why the alternatives above range from hard-edged thrillers such as 24 and The Night Agent to political dramas such as Scandal and Designated Survivor.
Personally, the most interesting comparisons are the ones that preserve that family-versus-duty tension rather than simply replacing the Hollingsworths with another team of agents. A procedural can be entertaining, but give those characters complicated relatives, buried secrets and a national crisis landing on the doorstep, and suddenly the paperwork gets much more interesting. Which of these shows would you put at the top of your next-watch list, and which one do you think deserves to be added to this Line of Fire lineup?