Less Than Peaceful Alternate Picks
Peacemaker serves as the spiritual sequel to The Suicide Squad movie which dropped last year. With James Gunn in the driver’s seat and a diverse cast helping to leverage the mix of action and comedy, this one’s certainly an acquired taste.
If you’ve finished watching this and are looking for alternate shows, fret not! We’ve combed through the archives and saved you the hassle of having to try and find something similar with our top 10 picks for alternate viewing.
To keep things simple for skim-readers we’ve added what similarities these have.
Of course for all the shows we’ve reviewed, we’ve also added a handy link so you can check out our full thoughts on that series and see if it’s something you want to invest your time with.
So without further ado, we present 10 TV shows that should whet the appetite when you’ve finished streaming Peacemaker.
Doom Patrol
Similarities – Characters & Action
Doom Patrol is one of the quirkier superhero shows out there and much like The Umbrella Academy, thrives on its character-driven set-up. Doom Patrol really leans into its absurdity and the character development thrives because of it.
The characters are interesting, with multiple issues that manifest across the three seasons.
The team have their own problems to contend with and the second season does end on a pretty abrupt cliffhanger. However, there’s some excellent material here that’s well worth checking out.
You can read our thoughts on Doom Patrol in our full season review here!
Harley Quinn
Similarities – Quirky Characters & Tone
Harley Quinn is everything 2020’s Birds Of Prey should have been. Set in the world of Gotham, Harley Quinn is a surprisingly well written and quirky animation.
The story here centers on Harley Quinn, who sets out to make a name for herself in Gotham City. Stuck in the shadows, and referred to as “Joker’s Girlfriend”, Harley remains determined to change the opinions of all those who would stand in her way.
With lots of action and some nicely timed humour, this is one of the more surprising small-screen comic book series.
Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency
Similarities – Supernatural Mystery
Based on the books of the same name, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency is a frenetic, witty, intelligently paced show with a great mystery at its heart.
The series revolves around an eccentric, enthusiastic amateur sleuth called Dirk who whisks up unimportant nobody Todd on a supernatural, time bending adventure to solve a bizarre mystery.
Dirk begins as a comedy before quickly growing into a really engrossing, endearing comedic drama that only becomes more wild and wacky as it moves into the second season. If you’re in the mood for a fantastical adventure, complete with trippy visuals, crazy shenanigans and a few hearty laughs along the way, this may be the show for you.
You can read our thoughts on Dirk Gently in our full season reviews here!
The Tick
Similarities – Superhero Action
When the original Tick aired back in the 90’s, the fusion of comedy and superhero action made it a hilariously wacky cartoon.
Rebooted on Amazon, this live action remake does a great job capturing the essence of what made the original so enthralling.
The story follows uninspiring Arthur who finds himself wrapped up within a sinister plot that becomes more complicated as The Tick joins the fray. Suffering from short term memory loss and a lovable thirst for the superhero life, The Tick takes a reluctant Arthur under his wing as they set out to uncover a big conspiracy.
Funny, action packed and every bit as campy as it was back in the 90’s, this one’s well worth a watch.
You can read our thoughts on The Tick in our full season reviews here!
The Boys
Similarities – Good Characters & Violence
Amazon’s Original Series The Boys bucks the trend of tired Marvel and DC spin-offs to deliver one of the most refreshing superhero takes on TV.
Armed with a compelling narrative, an interesting satirical look at superhero culture, and a smattering of blood and gore along the way, this one is a bloody good time.
The characters are well written, the continuing storyline nicely paced and with a third season on the horizon, The Boys is certainly one of the easiest recommendations to give.
You can read our thoughts on The Boys in our full season reviews here!
Preacher
Similarities – Violence & Craziness
Based on the comic book series of the same name, Preacher is a well written, bloody, violent romp that’s certainly worth checking out. The basic premise revolves around a preacher enlisting the help of a vampire and his ex to find God. Only, the story goes so much deeper than that.
This one does require a bit of patience to begin with, introducing a host of different characters and jumping around a lot. If you can take to the tone though, this one should definitely quench your thirst for more craziness. Across the four seasons, this one quickly becomes one of AMC’s best originals.
Happy!
Similarities – Violence, Humour and Satire
Happy! has no reason to be as good as it is. The basic premise revolves around an injured hitman who awakens in an ambulance and can suddenly see his daughter’s imaginary friend – an innocent flying unicorn. The premise is suitably ridiculous but the execution is anything but.
With two seasons to get through, Happy! balances some well-written action sequences with a perfect dose of dark comedy and satire. The result is something that sees everything from dabbing blood-spattered corpses to S&M wearing maniacs. It’s a heck of a good time and one of the more unusual and creative uses of an action-orientated hero series.
You can read our thoughts on Happy! in our full season review here!
Watchmen
Similarities – Superhero Drama
While Watchmen is a series predominantly tackling superheroes, there’s an undercurrent of racial and societal examination that make it such an enthralling watch. Watchmen is as grim as it is artistic, playing up the political aspects of the comics it’s based upon.
For those unaware, Watchmen takes place in an alternate history where masked vigilantes are treated as outlaws. Playing up the political aspects of the comic, this 9 part miniseries delivers a concise and incredibly endearing stand-alone season of action.
The various heroes (using that term lightly here) all feel part of this world, and thematically the series knocks it out the park.
You can read our thoughts on Watchmen in our full season review here!
Invincible
Similarities – Characters & Action
Invincible essentially takes everything great about other superhero shows and dials that up to 11.
Boasting an all-star voice cast and 8 episodes of twists, turns and thrilling fights, Amazon Prime have struck gold again with this hellraising brother to The Boys.
Playing out as part-parody and a more straightforward superhero thriller, Invincible is faithful to its source material and depicts a world where superheroes and humans live side by side across the globe.
Declared the strongest and most powerful superhero on the planet, Omni-Man helps the Guardians of the Globe to thwart any threats that come their way. Only, the real villain could well be hiding in the same room as them…
To give much more away would be a disservice to this wonderful show. Invincible is an incredible animated trip and well worth your time.
You can read our thoughts on Invincible in our full season review here!
Future Man
Similarities – Characters & Humour
Future Man knows exactly what sort of show it wants to be and who it’s targeting. This tunnel focus means if you’re sold on the first few episodes, you’re bound to fall in love with this one.
The story follows Josh Futturman (Josh Hutcherson), a janitor by day but whizz kid video-gamer by night. When Josh completes the last level of a difficult video game, a duo of time travelling fighters recruit him for a secret mission.
What transpires is a hilarious journey through different time periods to try and change the future before humanity’s inevitable destruction.
It’s not perfect and some of the crude humour overpowers the narrative but Future Man defiantly defies expectation and produces a pretty decent comedy offering that’s well worth the time to watch.
You can read our thoughts on Future Man in our full season review here!
So there we have it, our 10 TV show picks to check out when you’re finished with Peacemaker on HBO Max.
What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!