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250 voters

The Best Action Drama Series Ever Made

Updated April 7, 2021 1.7k votes 250 voters 7.8k views79 items

List RulesVote up your favorite action dramas that ever have aired on television.

The best action drama shows are a rush, perfectly pairing the excitement of an action series with the emotion of a drama. The best action drama series ever shown on television breaks up the intrigue and interpersonal tension with moments of physical conflict. If you’ve been looking for the best action dramas to add some excitement to your TV nights, this list of the best action drama series of all time will help you figure out what needs to go into your queue.

The really good action dramas keep you watching through either emotional manipulation or awesome action scenes. Will they or won't they? Who cares because one thing they will do is throw some punches or chase after the bad guys. Action dramas are also particularly good at removing main characters from the lineup in dramatic and heartbreaking ways. Mind-bending dramas like Legion and Orphan Black deliver the action as well as shows with a little more emphasis on the fight scenes, such as Xena: Warrior Princess or Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.

Which shows balance being dramas and action series the best? Vote up the best action drama shows, vote down the shows that don't deliver the drama with their adrenaline rush.

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Game of Thrones
Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey
Premiered: 2011-04-17
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Breaking Bad
Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul
Premiered: 2008
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3
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Prison Break
Dominic Purcell, Wentworth Miller
Premiered: 2005
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24
Kiefer Sutherland, Mary Lynn Rajskub
Premiered: 2001
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Person of Interest
Jim Caviezel, Taraji P. Henson
Premiered: 2011
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The Punisher
Jon Bernthal, Ben Barnes
Premiered: 2017
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Vikings
Travis Fimmel, Katheryn Winnick
Premiered: 2013
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Antony Starr, Ivana Milicevic
Premiered: 2013
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The Last Kingdom
Alexander Dreymon, David Dawson
Premiered: 2015
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Daredevil
Charlie Cox, Deborah Ann Woll
Premiered: 2015
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11
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Justified
Timothy Olyphant, Nick Searcy
Premiered: 2010
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Xena: Warrior Princess
Lucy Lawless, Renée O'Connor
Premiered: 1995
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Spartacus
Lucy Lawless, Jaime Murray
Premiered: 2010

14
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Stargate SG-1
Richard Dean Anderson, Michael Shanks
Premiered: 1997
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24: Live Another Day
Yvonne Strahovski, Kiefer Sutherland
Premiered: 2014
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Arrow
Stephen Amell, Katie Cassidy
Premiered: 2012
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Spartacus: Gods of the Arena
John Hannah, Manu Bennett
Premiered: 2011
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The Legend of Korra
Janet Varney, P.J. Byrne
Premiered: 2012
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Hunter
Fred Dryer, Stepfanie Kramer
Premiered: 1984
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20
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The Umbrella Academy
Elliot Page, Tom Hopper
Premiered: 2019
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Hunters
Jennifer Jason Leigh, Logan Lerman
Premiered: 2020
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22
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Combat!
Vic Morrow, Rick Jason
Premiered: 1962
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23
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The Expanse
Thomas Jane, Steven Strait
Premiered: 2015
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Black Sails
Jessica Parker Kennedy, Toby Stephens
Premiered: 2014
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The Pretender
Michael T. Weiss, Andrea Parker
Premiered: 1996
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