The Terminal List (2022)

TV show · 2022 · Action & Adventure, Drama · English

Curator score: 2.7/10 (127.9K ratings)

Your memory makes you question the truth.

Overview

Navy SEAL Commander James Reece turns to vengeance as he investigates the mysterious forces behind the murder of his entire platoon. Free from the military’s command structure, Reece applies the lessons he’s learned from nearly two decades of warfare to hunt down the people responsible.

Ratings

Production

Amazon Studios, Civic Center Media, MRC, Fuqua Films, Indivisible Productions, DiGilio Films

Cast

Chris Pratt, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Riley Keough, Taylor Kitsch, Constance Wu, Arlo Mertz

Where to watch

Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Amazon Prime Video Free with Ads

Curator Review

Verdict

A blunt, high-octane revenge thriller with strong tactical action and a muscular lead performance, but it leans hard into grim wish-fulfillment and often sacrifices nuance for momentum. If you want a straightforward military conspiracy hunt with big set pieces, it delivers; if you need complexity, emotional subtlety, or a less macho worldview, it may wear thin.

Best for

  • Viewers who like revenge-driven thrillers
  • Fans of military action and tactical gunplay
  • People who want a fast, bingeable conspiracy plot
  • Audiences comfortable with dark, violent, brooding stories

Skip if

  • You prefer character nuance over pure catharsis
  • You dislike graphic violence and relentless grimness
  • You want a more grounded or politically layered military drama
  • You are tired of lone-wolf vigilante narratives

Overview

The Terminal List is built to hit like a sledgehammer: a betrayed operator, a conspiracy that widens episode by episode, and a steady escalation of violence and paranoia. It knows exactly what kind of show it is, and when it stays in that lane, the pace is efficient and the action is satisfyingly hard-edged.

Worth noting

The appeal is mostly in the execution rather than the originality. Chris Pratt plays James Reece with a severe, haunted intensity that fits the material, and the show’s best stretches are the procedural hunt-and-reveal sequences where the military detail and revenge mechanics line up cleanly. It also benefits from a polished, expensive-looking production that sells the scale of the manhunt.

Bottom line

That said, the series often trades complexity for blunt-force emotion. The plotting can feel schematic, the moral universe is very narrow, and the show’s fascination with vengeance sometimes crowds out deeper character work. It’s an easy recommendation for action-first viewers, but a mixed one for anyone hoping for a richer thriller with more ambiguity.

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Topics

action thriller, military drama, conspiracy, revenge story, dark tone, violent, bingeable, modern, prestige-adjacent, male-led

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