As one of the most compelling genres to find popularity in the modern era, crime thrillers like Prime Video's latest series Steal have been able to thrive on streaming platforms. Crime thrillers are tricky to create, as they require a specific blend of high stakes, believable premises, and well-developed characters to make their premises work well on screen, regardless of what their budget may be.
At their core, the best crime thrillers put viewers into tense situations where every decision feels consequential, even if that's not the case. From meticulously planned robberies, sprawling conspiracies, or desperate cat-and-mouse chases, that tension needs to feel earned and important. To sustain that tension across multiple episodes, a story needs stakes that feel real and urgent, characters whose choices matter, and a premise that works within the universe.
Streaming platforms have been particularly successful with the crime genre in general because they aren’t confined by the time restrictions and commercial breaks of network TV, which allows them to lean into the elements that create a true thriller. Instead of worrying about network constraints, streaming shows can lean into longer arcs, richer world-building, and cinematic production values that elevate the suspense in layered, unpredictable ways.
One of the most recently released crime thrillers to find success with audiences is Prime Video's Steal. The series, starring Sophie Turner as Zara Dunne, follows an ordinary office worker at a pension-fund investment company whose routine day is upended when a gang of armed thieves invades her workplace. The six-episode series sees her and her colleagues have to work with the criminals as they perform a large heist.
Steal quickly spirals into a broader conspiracy that involves law enforcement and forces the characters to confront high-pressure moral choices, strategizing their way through the crime. The show balances its central heist with a deeper look into the people behind the crime, creating a few layers of tension that hinge on both external danger and internal conflict. Steal is far deeper than the traditional crime thriller.
While Steal is one of the newest entries in the crime thriller genre, it's far from the only crime thriller available to audiences today. With a wealth of shows on streaming services that deliver similar thrills, there are series that document elaborate heists and others that deal with psychological suspense. Each offer their own takes on character development, especially the dark edges of human behavior.
The Blacklist
The Blacklist follows Raymond “Red” Reddington (James Spader), a former government agent turned high-profile criminal who mysteriously surrenders to the FBI and offers to help catch other dangerous fugitives. Initially working with a rookie profiler, Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone), each episode combines serialized mystery with standalone cases, revealing deeper conspiracies and shifting alliances.
The Blacklist, which ran from 2013 to 2023 on NBC, is a quintessential crime thriller because it builds tension through cat-and-mouse dynamics, moral ambiguity, and the constant question of Reddington’s true motives. The stakes remain high as federal agents race against time to thwart conspirators while grappling with the fallout of Red’s enigmatic web of secrets.
The Asset
Netflix's The Asset is a Danish crime thriller where a determined police cadet goes undercover to infiltrate a powerful drug smuggler’s world by befriending his wife, blurring her professional obligations with growing personal attachment. The series follows Clara Dessau (Ted Lind), and strives on its portrayal of moral conflict, portraying how undercover work forces characters to navigate deception, loyalty, and emotional strain.
The Asset focuses on the psychological cost of espionage and the rising stakes of conflicting loyalties, but does so within a tense, character-driven framework. This creates a fascinating crime thriller, as it brings character to the center of the story rather than plot. The Asset's tight narrative allows each twist and decision to carry real weight, pulling viewers deeper into jeopardy.
Good Girls
Good Girls begins with a somewhat darkly humorous premise as a trio of suburban mothers decide to rob a local supermarket to solve their financial troubles, but it quickly plummets into a deeply dark comedic crime drama. As the women become entangled with organized crime and law enforcement, every choice increases danger for them and their families.
The series, which aired on NBC from 2018 to 2021, stands out as a crime thriller because it combines relatable characters with escalating illegal stakes, forcing them into schemes, money laundering, and threats that push them past ordinary limits. Starring Retta, Mae Whitman, and Christina Hendricks the series is a different style of crime thriller.
Kaleidoscope
Kaleidoscope, a 2023 Netflix original series, focuses on a master thief who assembles an impeccable team to take on a $7 billion heist from a high-security vault. While the massive heist is the center of the show, the series' unique structure is what helped it stand out to audiences. Told in a non-linear structure, Kaleidoscope came with an interesting ploy.
Viewers were able to choose any of the 8 episodes of Kaleidoscope to begin the series with, as it plays with the narrative in a way that keeps its crime at the core, but weaves its story in a different way, removing the limitations of an episode-by-episode structure. Tension mounts with the high-stakes plot, but its kaleidoscopic storytelling offers something different.
Sneaky Pete
Prime Video's Sneaky Pete, which was created by David Shore and Bryan Cranston, follows Marius Josipović (Giovanni Ribisi), a con artist recently released from prison who assumes the identity of his former cellmate Pete Murphy. Taking on Pete's complicated life in order to hide from a dangerous crime boss, tension mounts as his lies swirl around genuine relationships.
As a crime thriller, Sneaky Pete finds itself in a unique space. Bringing a con artist story to life, the series is able to embed itself in the story of Marius' deception, escalating the risks involved with his plan as he becomes more entrenched in Pete's life. The compelling, unpredictable nature of the show allows for higher intensity.
Cross
Adapting James Patterson's famous Alex Cross novels for TV, Prime Video's Cross follows a brilliant forensic psychologist and homicide detective, Alex Cross (Aldis Hodge), as he hunts criminals in Washington, D.C. and beyond. The series allows for a simple adaptation of Patterson's work that builds upon the source material, creating a richer world for viewers.
Cross blends emotional depth with methodical investigation and escalating threats, bringing a similar energy to the table that other successful Prime Video shows like Bosch do. The series explores professional pressure and personal trauma, which for Cross stems from his wife's murder, and allows for consistent games of cat-and-mouse that raise the stakes each episode.
Leverage
Originally airing between 2008 and 2012, Leverage was a cable series that aired on TNT during its initial run. Hardly the traditional procedural, Leverage is about a team of reformed criminals who use their unique skills to take down corrupt corporations and people in positions of power. Led by Nathan "Nate" Ford (Timothy Hutton), the series explores the idea of former "bad guys" making the best "good guys".
Each episode is able to build suspense through its complicated cons and strategic twists, taking on an episodic format with various serialized storylines running through the season. The strengths of Leverage lie in the inventive setups that the team are able to build, blending a caper-style of storytelling with layered character development.
The Night Manager
Based on John le Carré’s novel, The Night Manager is a spy-infused crime thriller that follows former British soldier turned hotel night manager, Jonathan Pine (Tom Hiddleston). While The Night Manager season 2 is currently airing after a ten-year hiatus, the show's first season aired in 2016. Pine's original covert mission, infiltrating the inner circle of arms dealer Richard Roper (Hugh Laurie), created a high-stakes thriller.
The Night Manager shines in its ability to build atmospheric tension, along with its well-drawn characters and the ever-present threat of exposure or violence as Pine moves deeper into peril. The show's fusion of crime, espionage, and psychological intrigue makes it a standout example of a character-driven thriller.
His & Hers
Netflix's newest crime thriller, His & Hers, revolves around a news anchor Anna Andrews (Tessa Thompson), who returns to her hometown after a murder sparks old memories and secrets. Working alongside her estranged husband, Detective Jack Harper (Jon Bernthal), Anna uncovers layers of mystery tied to past betrayals and unresolved trauma.
His & Hers is able to weave slow-burn investigation with evolving suspects and emotional stakes that deepen the mystery. Personal history and professional duty collide within the series, and each revelation amplifies tension as she confronts both external danger and inner conflict. The mystery's focus on character and its layered plot development keep the stakes consistently high from episode to episode.
Money Heist
2017's Money Heist, a Spanish series on Netflix, chronicles the plan of a criminal mastermind known as The Professor (Álvaro Morte) as he attempts to pull off the biggest robbery in Spanish history. Hoping to infiltrate the Royal Mint Of Spain with a team of expert thieves, The Professor is hoping to print billions of euros, and takes viewers along on the journey to do so.
Money Heist is told using dynamic flashbacks and complicated character arcs, exploring the strategy behind rebellion. It uses high-stakes tension and emotional depth in order to show the level of loyalty it takes to move beyond a simple heist. Money Heist's layered plotting and iconic imagery make it one of the most compelling crime thrillers available on streaming.
'Game of Thrones' Sophie Turner Faces the Heist of the Century in New Thriller Series Trailer
Sophie Turner is an ordinary office worker caught up in the crime of the century in the new trailer for Steal. The Prime Video TV series will deal with the aftermath of a devastating heist, as an ordinary woman gets entangled with both the thieves and British intelligence. All six episodes of Steal will premiere on Prime Video on January 21, 2026.
As the trailer opens, office drone Zara (Turner) is working for Lochmill Capital, a pension fund investment company in the heart of London; the only thing dangerous about the job is that she might get bored to death. That all changes when a coterie of armed robbers burst in; disguised in high-tech prosthetics to cloak their true identities, they demand that Zara and best pal Luke (Archie Madekwe) transfer four million pounds into their account. Despite their objections over stealing millions from innocent people, they comply. As the thieves get away, Zara and Luke's troubles are only beginning. DCI Rhys (Jacob Fortune-Lloyd), a cop with a gambling problem, is nosing around Zara's life, the thieves are still on the loose, and MI5, Britain's national intelligence service, is entangled with the whole mess. Zara and Luke had better get to the bottom of this quickly, or they'll end up taking the fall...
Who Are the Stars of 'Steal'?
Sophie Turner rocketed to fame as Sansa Stark in HBO's blockbuster fantasy series Game of Thrones in 2011. She subsequently starred as Jean Grey in two X-Men films, and was featured in the film Do Revenge and the TV series The Staircase. Last year, she played a notorious British jewel thief in the miniseries Joan, and starred in the psychological thriller Trust. Next up, she'll reunite with Game of Thrones co-star Kit Harington in the historical horror film The Dreadful, and play the iconic video game heroine Lara Croft in Phoebe Waller-Bridge's Tomb Raider TV series. Madekwe broke out on the AppleTV series See, and has starred in the films Gran Turismo, Saltburn, and Lurker. Fortune-Lloyd made his screen debut in Wolf Hall, and has subsequently appeared in the TV series The Queen's Gambit, Bodies, and The Great; last year, he starred as legendary Beatles manager Brian Epstein in the biopic Midas Man.
Steal was created and written by Sotiris Nikias (Cafe 404). It is executive produced by Greg Brenman (Peaky Blinders) and Rebecca de Souza (The Confessions of Frannie Langton), produced by Nuala O’Leary (Who Is Erin Carter?), and directed by Sam Miller (I May Destroy You) and Hettie MacDonald (Normal People).
All six episodes of Steal will premiere on Prime Video on January 21, 2026. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.
![Sophie Turner Is the Woman of 'Steal' in Sneak Peek of Prime Video's New 'Money Heist' Replacement [Exclusive]](https://tv.bdszota.vn/uploads/posts/post_1787257600_6a876300111da.avif)
Be the first to comment on this article!