After Black Doves on Netflix, be sure to check out this stylish thriller on Peacock

You’ve finished watching Black Doves and are thinking about the ending. Wondering what will happen to Sam, Helen – and the nanny – in Season 2 There are several countries where there are so many close arguments that you may not be sure which side you are on. But probably not.

While Black Doves contains spy hijinks, double lives, hand-to-hand combat sequences, and has a mystery at its core, it is not 100% an assassin story. That’s why I highly recommend you check out the clever, suspenseful Peacock series The Day of the Jackal. There are moments when you grit your teeth.

I don’t know if you’ve ever seen Eddie Redmayne as a killer, but his Jackal – who goes by Charlie and many other names – has swagger, excellent marksmanship and extreme work-life balance issues like Keira Knightley’s Helen in Black Pigeons. However, these shows are not the same. The Jackal is a contract killer who makes millions from his illegal profession by taking advantage of technology and advanced prosthetics in his work.

Based on the 1971 novel by Frederick Forsyth, the 10-episode series adopts some parts of the 1973 film adaptation but expands the narrative to give the protagonist an origin story and a life of prosperity with his unsuspecting wife and baby. He speaks multiple languages, blends in, and is willing to hide and pee in the water bottle for three days to fulfill his end of the deal. That is devotion. Although he displays a certain degree of reserve, the jackal is not completely unflappable or unfeeling. At home he is Charlie, a loving husband, father and father-in-law.

Season 1 isn’t just about following him on missions. The series also stars Lashana Lynch as Bianca Pullman, an MI-6 agent who is on his trail after he murders a politician. As you watch, you learn that she’s smart as an agent, but creates messes at work and at home, some of which can’t be fixed. Bianca’s obsession with catching the jackal comes at a high price.

As she begins her investigation, our assassin is on the hunt for someone who chooses not to pay off their debts while also landing a high-paying job that comes with tough deadlines and conditions. If he succeeds, he can quit this profession, but if he fails, he must flee from MI-6 And the people who hired him. To complicate matters, his wife Nuria (played by Money Heist star Úrsula Corberó) becomes suspicious of him and starts digging.

Although the Jackal is very meticulous and plans almost every step, he cannot always accommodate last-minute logistical changes, police raids and checkpoints, or curious family members. Apparently there aren’t enough passports in the world to help him recover from a sloppy escape. And at one point in the show he breaks down emotionally. Have you ever seen an assassin cry?

As British intelligence gets closer and closer to discovering his true identity and whereabouts, tense scenes unfold as the Jackal comes dangerously close to being found, captured or killed. He has a little help, but it doesn’t always work out the way you expect. The season finale left me gasping for air.

Stream all 10 episodes of the first season of The Day of the Jackal and, like him, wait patiently for the second season to arrive on Peacock.