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The Old Man

The Old Man

The lines are blurred, the mission is clear.

2022–2024Ended2 seasons15 episodes~61 min/epTV-MAMidcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows

Dan Chase absconded from the CIA decades ago and now lives off the grid. When an assassin arrives and tries to take Chase out, the old operative learns that to ensure his future he now must reconcile his past.

Your rating, lists and review

Where to watch

Where can I watch The Old Man?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists The Old Man streaming on Hulu and to rent or buy on Apple TV and Prime Video.

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Highlights

What stands out about The Old Man?

The Old Man earns 7 badges, led by Binge-worthy and Standout acting.

  • Reception
  • Craft and mood

Reception

Is The Old Man worth watching?

The Old Man's Midcredits score is the 71st percentile of all shows, from 68K ratings across 5 sources. 84% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

71st percentile

Better received than 71% of shows

63rd percentile among Action75th percentile among 2020s
Acclaim (how much people like it)56th
Approval (how many liked it)81st

Acclaim

Crowd Pleaser: Rating-distribution shape vs the catalog

How much people like it

72 /100

56th percentile of all shows

50th percentile among Action61st percentile among 2020s

Critics 70 · Audience 72

Critics and audiences broadly agree.

Rating distribution

Most people land high, with a thin tail of low scores from those it didn't reach.

Approval

How many liked it

84% liked it

81st percentile of all shows

75th percentile among Action85th percentile among 2020s
84% rated it 7–1016% rated it 1–6

Critics 80% · Audience 68%

On Rotten Tomatoes, a bigger share of critics approved than audiences.

Reach

How many have seen it

82nd percentile

67K ratings across platforms

53rd percentile among Action84th percentile among 2020s
TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Up 25% in 30 days

What reviewers say

Fans praised

  • Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow deliver phenomenal, committed performances
  • visceral, realistic fight choreography avoids over-the-top Hollywood tropes
  • intelligent, twisty plotting with moral complexity

Detractors panned

  • glacial pacing and endless, pretentious dialogue grind the show to a halt
  • Zoe's character arc is pointlessly padded and undermines narrative focus
  • season 2 abandons the taut spy thriller for a meandering soap opera

What stands out

Acting85

Bridges and Lithgow praised as magnetic and authentic; detractors agree on quality but note some supporting actors falter

CharactersDivisive60

Dan Chase and Harper well-drawn; Zoe and Angela criticized as unnecessary or poorly written

TensionDivisive55

First episodes gripping, but momentum lost as dialogue dominates

OriginalityDivisive55

Fresh spin on retired spy trope, but derivative of Bourne and other thrillers

Plot and storyDivisive50

Intriguing premise but gets bogged in convoluted subplots and plot holes

DialogueDivisive35

Overly wordy, pretentious monologues that feel like 'riddle me this' rambling

PacingDivisive30

Starts strong, then grinds to a crawl with padded scenes and filler

Ending25

Finale widely panned as rushed, anticlimactic, leaving many threads hanging

Preferred by

Under-30s vs over-30s

Preferred by Over-30s

Over-30s scored it 29 points higher than under-30s.

US vs non-US

Preferred by US Viewers

US viewers scored it 12 points higher than non-US viewers.

No notable difference between the other groups: each pair ranks it within 10 percentile points.

  • Women vs men 4 points apart
  • Critics vs users 8 points apart

Episodes

2 seasons

Season 2 · 2024 · 8 episodes · 6.5 average across 8 rated episodes

  • S2E1

    VIII

    Sep 12, 202449 minTMDB rating 6.9
  • S2E2

    IX

    Sep 12, 202451 minTMDB rating 6.6
  • S2E3

    X

    Sep 19, 202441 minTMDB rating 7.1Season best
  • S2E4

    XI

    Sep 26, 202444 minTMDB rating 6.2
  • S2E5

    XII

    Oct 3, 202443 minTMDB rating 6.2
  • S2E6

    XIII

    Oct 10, 202440 minTMDB rating 6.1
  • S2E7

    XIV

    Oct 17, 202448 minTMDB rating 6.4
  • S2E8

    XV

    Oct 24, 202448 minTMDB rating 6.6Finale

Watch experience

What is The Old Man like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Earnest, dark and intense — a relentless watch that leaves you haunted.

ToneFeelDemandexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

What it feels like

Moods
TenseColdContemplative
Heaviest: middle
Wry humor: Amused and slightly dry about it.
Register
Brooding: Heavy, inward, weather-beaten.Solemn: Grave and dignified; treats its subject with weight and respect.
Told as
Nonlinear · 5% of shows: Events shown out of chronological order.Multiple perspectives · 2% of shows: The same events retold from different characters' points of view.SerializedNew arc each season
ToneThe series plays its espionage and personal drama with dead seriousness, favoring brooding tension and solemnity over action-hero glibness.
The rideThe series builds sustained tension, with reflective interludes amid the chase, and the emotional weight peaks as the past catches up around the midpoint.
StructureThe series uses flashbacks to reveal the protagonist's past, creating a nonlinear narrative that also shifts perspectives between characters.
Episode formatThe show presents one continuous narrative across episodes, with each instalment advancing the central hunt and flashbacks to the past.
Season formatEach season follows a new self-contained hunt and set of threats while maintaining the core characters and unresolved past.

How it leaves you

what you carry away
Haunting · 9% of showsUnsettling
Why it leaves you this wayThe show's psychological depth and unresolved past leave a haunting sense that lingers after the credits.
How it ends · evidence
Ambiguous ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all shows
Monster — 18% of shows. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of shows. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 6% of shows. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 2% of shows. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 12% of shows. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 4% of shows. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 7% of shows. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 8% of shows. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 40% of showsPredator — 7% of shows. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 3% of shows. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of shows. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 3% of shows. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of shows. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of shows. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of shows. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of shows. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of shows. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of shows. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — 1% of shows. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of shows. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of shows. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of shows. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of shows. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 2% of shows. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 4% of shows. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of shows. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — under 1% of shows. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of shows. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 1% of shows. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — under 1% of shows. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of shows. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — under 1% of shows. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 2% of shows. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of shows. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of shows. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of shows. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 2% of shows. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of shows. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — under 1% of shows. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 1% of shows. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 1% of shows. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 1% of shows. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 1% of shows. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 3% of shows. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of shows. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 1% of shows. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of shows. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 6% of shows. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 1% of shows. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).Monster
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 18% (this title): Predator 7% · Tyrant 3% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 3% (this title) · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 6%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 2% · Mission 4% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage under 1%
  • Voyage 2%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 1% · Survival ordeal under 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent under 1%
  • Comedy 12%: Romantic comedy 2% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 2%
  • Tragedy 4%: Hubris 1% · Obsession under 1% · Corruption arc 1% · Doomed love 1% · Crushed by fate 1%
  • Rebirth 7%: Redemption 1% · Healing 3% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 1%
  • Mystery 8%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 6% · Enigma 1%
  • No archetype 40%

Overcoming the monster: A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated. · Oppressive state: A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).

18% of shows fit this archetype

A loose fit — the map only half-holds this one.

Why this archetypeA retired CIA agent is hunted by the agency he worked for, forced to confront his past and fight for survival, fitting the overcoming the monster archetype with the oppressive state as the monster.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 31% of showsSelf — 27% of showsPower — 7% of showsMorality — 11% of showsSurvival — 9% of showsSociety — 10% of showsIdeas — 5% of showsRomantic love — 10% of showsMarriage — 2% of showsFamily bonds — 22% of showsParenthood — 1% of showsFriendship — 18% of showsLoyalty — 7% of showsIdentity — 20% of showsComing of age — 9% of showsAging — under 1% of showsSelf-worth — 7% of showsAmbition — 14% of showsPurpose — 16% of showsMemory — 3% of showsObsession — 2% of shows. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 5% of showsCorruption — 3% of showsGreed — 2% of showsClass — 4% of showsOppression — 2% of showsFreedom — 4% of showsJustice — 14% of showsDuty — 2% of showsRevenge — 1% of showsGuilt — 1% of showsRedemption — 3% of shows. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — under 1% of showsSacrifice — 2% of showsBetrayal — 3% of showsDeception — 6% of showsSurvival — 12% of showsWar — 1% of showsViolence — 2% of showsMortality — 2% of showsGrief — 4% of showsTrauma — 5% of showsMental illness — under 1% of showsAddiction — under 1% of showsIllness and disability — under 1% of showsCommunity — 25% of shows. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 3% of showsPrejudice — 2% of showsDisplacement — 1% of showsFaith — 1% of showsTradition vs change — 3% of showsFame — 5% of showsLegacy — 3% of showsFate — 1% of showsFree will — under 1% of showsTruth — 6% of showsHope — 4% of showsNature — 3% of showsArt — 2% of showsTechnology — 1% of showsSelfMemorySelf
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 31%: Romantic love 10% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 22% · Parenthood 1% · Friendship 18% · Loyalty 7%
  • Self 27% (this title): Identity 20% · Coming of age 9% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 14% · Purpose 16% · Memory 3% (this title) · Obsession 2%
  • Power 7%: Power 5% · Corruption 3% · Greed 2% · Class 4% · Oppression 2% · Freedom 4%
  • Morality 11%: Justice 14% · Duty 2% · Revenge 1% · Guilt 1% · Redemption 3% · Forgiveness under 1% · Sacrifice 2% · Betrayal 3% (this title) · Deception 6%
  • Survival 9%: Survival 12% (this title) · War 1% · Violence 2% · Mortality 2% · Grief 4% · Trauma 5% · Mental illness under 1% · Addiction under 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 10%: Community 25% · Isolation 3% · Prejudice 2% · Displacement 1% · Faith 1% · Tradition vs change 3% · Fame 5% · Legacy 3%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 6% · Hope 4% · Nature 3% · Art 2% · Technology 1%

Self

Memory · 3% of showsBetrayal · 3% of showsSurvival · 12% of shows
Interrogates its theme: Questions its theme without settling the answer.Societal stakes: Consequences reach a whole social order.Dual lead
How it treats its themeThe show explores how past choices and buried memories resurface to define the present, forcing the protagonist to confront what he fled.
StanceThe show interrogates the lingering cost of espionage and the unreliability of memory, refusing to endorse the spy's world as heroic.

The world

ContemporaryUrbanInstitutionalDomesticRealistic
AmbientOrchestral modernSupportive music · hybrid
SettingThe series spans US cities and international locations, moving between quiet suburban retreats and shadowy agency offices.

Content guide

Is The Old Man okay for kids?

TV-MA

The Old Man is rated TV-MA. As of August 19, 2026, Midcredits content scores put its violence at intense (77/100), sexual content at mild (16/100), language at intense (73/100), drug and alcohol content at mild (24/100) and frightening material at intense (67/100). Overall it is heavier than 48% of TV-MA shows.

Ratings in 31 other countries
  • Canada18+
  • AustraliaMA 15+
  • Germany12
  • France16
  • Ireland16
  • New Zealand16
  • South Korea15
  • Brazil18
  • ArgentinaSAM 16
  • Austria12
  • Belgium16
  • BG16
  • Denmark15
  • FinlandK16
  • Greece16
  • Hungary16
  • LU16
  • MexicoB-15
  • Netherlands16
  • Norway18
  • Poland16
  • Portugal16
  • PRTV-MA
  • RO18
  • SingaporeNC16
  • Spain16
  • SwedenFrån 15 år
  • Switzerland12
  • Taiwan15+
  • Türkiye18+
  • VITV-MA
Overall
Intense · all five categories
Heavier than 70% of all showsHeavier than 48% of TV-MA shows
Violence & Gore
Intense · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
typical for a TV-MA show
heavier than 66%
Sex & Nudity
Mild
light for a TV-MA show
heavier than 4%
Profanity
Intense · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
typical for a TV-MA show
heavier than 63%
Alcohol & Drugs
Mild
light for a TV-MA show
heavier than 4%
Frightening / Intense
Intense
typical for a TV-MA show
heavier than 62%

Point along a line to see a well-known title at that level.

The reason to think twice is violence, language, and frightening material. Everything else sits at or below what TV-MA shows usually carry.

Source: Midcredits content scores, 0 (none) to 100 (severe) per category, with each standing ranked against other shows that have them.

What content warnings does The Old Man have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Cast and crew

Who is in The Old Man?

Cast

2 of the cast already had the standing of a top-10% working actor.

Jeff Bridges
as Dan Chase
Globe nominee: Golden Globe nomination — Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - DramaTop draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
John Lithgow
as Harold Harper
Globe nominee: Golden Globe nomination — Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical-Comedy or Drama Television SeriesTop draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Alia Shawkat
as Angela Adams
Veteran: 15 or more years in, with as much work as the typical long-career actor.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Amy Brenneman
as Zoe McDonald
Veteran: 15 or more years in, with as much work as the typical long-career actor.
Gbenga Akinnagbe
as Julian Carson
Bill Heck
as Young Dan Chase
E.J. Bonilla
as Raymond Waters
Leem Lubany
as Belour Daadfar
Pej Vahdat
as Young Faraz Hamzad
Navid Negahban
as Faraz Hamzad
Career best: Their highest-reaching show role by billing, audience size and rating.

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What are shows like The Old Man?

TMDB's suggestions for shows like The Old Man include Condor (2018), The Terminal List (2022) and The Night Manager (2016).

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What other shows share a tag with The Old Man?

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