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For Sale Apr 7, 2026 at 3:57 AM

Before Game of Thrones & Streaming made TV budgets swell, which TV series/episode(No miniseries) made prior to 2010 had the best action sequence?

Posted by MrGittz

So much of TV today has action sequences bigger than some movies. Disney+, Apple TV, HBO Max & Netflix spend billions on “content”. Prior to game of thrones with it’s big battles, dragons, exotic locations plus the streaming wars? This was practically unheard of. TV shows just didn’t have the resources, the time or money. Even the most popular of shows couldn’t afford big complex action sequences. Oh they tried and, yes, some fared better than others. But usually Shows of pre streaming war era like LOST spent so much on location or actor ensemble that they couldn’t have a smoke monster appear when they wanted. Maybe that made some shows better having to come up with creative work arounds. I love looking at TV shows made prior to the big spending days of the Streaming Wars & seeing what they were able to do with limited resources. My own opinion? Star Trek Deep Space Nine consistently blew me away while watching it for first time during the pandemic. Episodes like The Way of the Warrior with the Klingon’s attacking DS9 or bigger still, Sacrifice of Angels, where Sisko retakes a dominion held DS9. Those have incredible ambition for the time. This was the mid 90s. Episodes shot within 7-9 days. With VFX shots that rival mid budget movies. I only wish we could have the show in HD today. So. What are some of the best action sequences made for TV prior to 2010?(again no Miniseries otherwise Band of Brothers will be the obvious choice)
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CountVanillula Apr 7, 2026 +103
It rarely gets mentioned anymore, but *Alias (2001)*, for all of its ridiculousness, had a lot of nice kicky-punchy stuff in cool looking locales.
103
DrSpacemanSpliff Apr 7, 2026 +6
That first episode is still one of the best.
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CortexCraft_ Apr 7, 2026 +95
24’s real-time shootouts and prison riot scenes always felt insanely intense for network tv back then
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iwellyess Apr 7, 2026 +21
Every episode was like an action movie, great show
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Tarquin11 Apr 7, 2026 +134
The Adama Maneuver from BSG. A couple scenes from Rome. Jack Bauer kidnapping Logan in 24.
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friskyjohnson Apr 7, 2026 +15
"Jump!"
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CobaltAesir Apr 7, 2026 +37
[The Adama Maneuver](https://youtu.be/evodPpqb9H4) was THE sci-fi thing I'd wanted to see on TV for most of my life. I remember playing with lego spaceships as a kid and imagining similar things. I was bouncing up and down in my chair when I saw the episode for the first time.
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TheRealRomanRoy Apr 7, 2026 +3
Man I tried to rewatch Battlestar Galactica a few years ago and it did NOT look that good. This video you shared looks great. I wonder if it’s cause I was watching it on my big screen vs my phone here?
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mossbum Apr 7, 2026 +3
The blu-rays look pretty dang good. I man, you can tell it’s 20 years old but still.
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wrosecrans Apr 11, 2026 +1
I sometimes say BSG is the first modern TV show. The way it looks is kind of stylized to a specific moment in time, so you can definitely tell it wasn't made in the 2020's. But it's pretty crazy to compare BSG to shows that were on the air just ~5 years earlier. The five years before BSG is a much bigger cultural/technology/stylistic divide than the nearly 25 years since BSG started. In 97/98, Star Trek was still doing their VFX using mostly physical plastic models shot on motion control stages with 35mm film cameras. BSG in 2003 was shot on digital, did all CGI for the VFX, and had way more mature compositing tools to put it all together. You'd think there was 25 years between early Voyager and BSG.
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Substantial_Plan_632 Apr 7, 2026 +46
For me, it's hands-down the Battle of New Caprica in "Exodus, Part II" of Battlestar Galactica. Back in 2006, this was an on-screen spectacle with so much happening simultaneously on the ground and in space.
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peacefinder Apr 7, 2026 +6
It is amazing how well that held together. It’s - depending on how you count it - three to six separate battles, plus command perspectives from both sides. It all unfolds together, the battles interact with one another, at every point it is presented clearly and understandably to the viewer, and even with all that there are still a few surprises. Surpassing [Babylon 5’s battle of proxima 3](https://youtu.be/bE7lZv6LmrM) was no small feat.
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wrosecrans Apr 11, 2026 +1
And it was all done on the budget that Sci Fi channel had. Which wasn't nothing in those days. Cable TV did better business in those days than it does today. But the battle of New Caprica was made for waaay less money than like what Friends was spending to make a sitcom.
1
ThisNameIsHilarious Apr 7, 2026 +30
There was a scene in a post Super Bowl Alias episode where Jennifer Garner escaped from and blew up a 747 before the credits.
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Truecoat Apr 7, 2026 +4
That was one that came to mind for me.
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historianLA Apr 7, 2026 +1
If I remember correctly alias also sort of pioneered the plot pacing that is now pretty common in streaming. Episodes tended to start and end with action but have much more dialog and exposition in the middle third. It meant that a lot of episodes ended in cliffhangers that then had to be resolved in the opening of the next episode. In modern streaming it is to keep the viewer hooked on that screen at that moment but back then it was to keep people coming back week after week to know what was going to happen.
1
batmandrew Apr 7, 2026 +22
The scene in which the FBI raids an apartment a terminator is using in “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” is incredible. Johnny Cash is used to great effect. https://youtu.be/NWZFkPiFlkE?si=3pHlLLcqx7J_QIVb
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Justin_123456 Apr 7, 2026 +8
Sarah Connor Chronicles remains my favourite Terminator since T2 or T3.
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kehakas Apr 11, 2026 +1
I'm gonna disagree. It's a fine sequence but you see nothing except the underwater shot of bodies falling into the pool. I haven't seen this show in like 20 years but I'm pretty sure there are actual Terminator fights in the show that actually show something.
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gollumaniac Apr 7, 2026 +98
BSG had awesome action sequences.
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Sig3000 Apr 7, 2026 +35
BattleStar Galactica 
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GrizzlyP33 Apr 7, 2026 +7
Oh I thought it was Buttsore Galaga, that makes way more sense.
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Gilshem Apr 7, 2026 +6
I just rewatched ‘Resurrection Ship, Pt. 1’ and the scene where Adama sends the Raptor and Vipers to get Tyrol and Agathon is this messy chaotic soup, but then as one all the Vipers turn on the new Dradus signal. It was so damn cool.
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moosebaloney Apr 8, 2026 +1
Beets, Bears, BSG !!!
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MrPoopMonster Apr 7, 2026 +35
Burn Notice had some cool sequences with a lot of things blowing up. But even though it was just two dudes fighting in the mud I loved when Dan and Hearst's man fought to the death in Deadwood. It wasn't fancy or flashy, just dirty and brutal.
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TheTresStateArea Apr 7, 2026 +8
Burn Notice absolutely
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ExhaustedandTiredOut Apr 7, 2026 +31
Stargate sg1 and Stargate Atlantis were good for one or two a season. BASR in Atlantis is amazing
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HighsideHero5x Apr 7, 2026 +6
It’s a shame Stargate doesn’t get the love it should. Very excited for the new project in the works, really hoping it takes off and gets popularity
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gerryf19 Apr 7, 2026 +56
Band of Brothers & the Pacific were in the early aughts and had very large budgets for the time and incredibly realistic battle situations
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Arkham19 Apr 7, 2026 +10
Those were both mini-series though.
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super-queer Apr 7, 2026 +13
have you ever seen xena warrior princess? specifically One Against An Army?
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bpod1113 Apr 7, 2026 +10
Spartacus
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kukov Apr 7, 2026 +17
You nailed it: it's DS9.
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theangrypragmatist Apr 9, 2026 +1
I remember watching that episode on my little 13" CRT tv when the episode released and just being blown away.
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Ninguna Apr 7, 2026 +8
When Janice killed Richie.
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MrGittz Apr 7, 2026 +9
They buried him. On a hill. Pinecones all around Anyways I wouldn’t really describe that as an action scene. Whatever happened there.
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Lil_Mcgee Apr 8, 2026 +1
Tony fighting >!Ralph!< is a good one from The Sopranos. Feels like an authentically messy depiction of two people two people trying to kill one another. Obviously difficult to compare it to more action focused shows but in terms of realism I feel like it's up there.
1
RacingLucas Apr 7, 2026 +7
Alias
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GromByzlnyk Apr 7, 2026 +8
Strike Back in many episodes. The first scene in season 2 is great and it keeps getting more ridiculous.
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Justin_123456 Apr 7, 2026 +2
Love Strikeback. Definitely the best special forces gunfight show. The Unit walked so Strikeback could run. (And Seal Team tripped). Edit: This is the scene that got me hooked, from the Delhi hotel siege. https://youtu.be/CxYoWdo4Vt0?si=ydw50Kyuitp2Pd44
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fullmoon63 Apr 7, 2026 +5
Prison Break.*..* not traditional ‘action,’ but the escape sequences and riots were incredibly tense.
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emailunavailable Apr 7, 2026 +9
There was a pretty gnarly fight between Sydney and "Francie" in the season two finale of ALIAS that I really dig. Also, Buffy vs. Faith in "Graduation Day 1" of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER. And, it still counts because it was filmed in 2009, Spartacus and Crixus against Theokoles in "Shadow Games" of SPARTACUS: BLOOD AND SAND.
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KrawhithamNZ Apr 7, 2026 +8
The reason 24 episode Star Trek had the budget for a few action sequences was that they crammed most of the seasons budget into a couple of episodes. I'm currently rewatching Voyager and it's funny how many times the ship gets attacked, but we only see the bridge crew and the shaking. No view of the outside to see the weapons fire.  My personal favourite budget save was DS9 needing to visit Empok Nor, which is a station 100% identical to DS9. Change some lighting and make it look abandoned... We got a very different episode that in reality required zero new sets and minimal rework of VFX
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Funandgeeky Apr 7, 2026 +4
Babylon 5 consistently did more with less. The episode Severed Dreams is one of the most intense and action packed episodes of any show of that era. It was such a good episode it won the Hugo. 
4
aLegionOfDavids Apr 8, 2026 +3
The Stargates, 24, Burn Notice, The Shield are ones that come to mind
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UHeardAboutPluto Apr 7, 2026 +3
Miami Vice was king of them all in the 80s. Nash Bridges spent big in the 90s.
3
kremlingrasso Apr 7, 2026 +1
Yeah most of what people recommend are still the peak TV era. Miami vice had amazing shootouts, almost John Woo level. Compared to other shows of the era like A team or knight rider they were gritty and brutal shootouts.
1
UHeardAboutPluto Apr 7, 2026 +2
The “In the Air Tonight” driving scene from the Pilot still holds up to this day.
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evertonblue Apr 7, 2026 +3
Buffy. Sarah Michelle Gellar is incredible.
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Material-Lab-7992 Apr 8, 2026 +1
I was rewatching the episode with the institute battle the other day and though "man I bet this felt f****** wild back in the day".
1
NatureTrailToHell3D Apr 7, 2026 +4
The 80s had the right combination of c**** actors and used cars to pull off some fun action. It you count car chase scenes as action, then The Dukes of Hazard was great. They must have bought half the 1969 Dodge Chargers in existence with the number of cars they wrecked. Next up is The A-Team. They had long action sequences where they’d have to invade a cartel or something, taking down a bunch of bad guys and blow up a complex. Not high end special effects, c**** cars and lots of tiny fireworks to simulate bullet hits, but good action. In the 80s, helicopters were also c****. Airwolf had a lot of helicopter chase scenes, firing bullets or rockets, and blowing up a ton of stuff.
4
peterlinddk Apr 7, 2026 +3
>In the 80s, helicopters were also c****. Airwolf had a lot of helicopter chase scenes, firing bullets or rockets, and blowing up a ton of stuff. To be fair, most of the enemy-helicopters in Airwolf were considerate enough to fly behind a mountain before exploding :)
3
Sea_Perspective6891 Apr 7, 2026 +2
I liked Knight Rider & believed it could have became something more than a shitty remake. Most of the show was fun & full of action using ahead of its time sci fi tech although some of it came off as 70's trucker/country western movie corny. I also like how it's one of the few 80's action franchises that weren't hit by a terrible franchise killer movie like The A-Team & Dukes of Hazard was but I guess that's kind of what the remake did.
2
LostAbbott Apr 7, 2026 +1
Hell yes!  These three shows were absolutely amazing.  They were light years ahead of what had come before.  For me at least they defined what a action show could be.  Sure there are plenty of great action movies from the 70's, but shows always kind of half assed the action with lame "karate chop" moves, or hardly believeable leg sweeps.  What was worse is the "gun punch" move where guys would push the gun forward while supposedly shooting it.  These shows did away with all of that fake c*** and really allowed us to feel what real action could be. Excellent post! Thank you so much for taking the time to write it up.
1
ashishkp_jha Apr 7, 2026 +2
Person of Interest hand combat
2
brenster23 Apr 8, 2026 +2
Person of interest season 3 episode 10 the devil share, the scene where Reese ambushed a team of swat members was fantastic. 
2
ThrowingChicken Apr 8, 2026 +2
If early 2010 is allowed then I present Season 1, Episode 23 of Community, directed by Justin Lin. Modern Warfare.
2
PaodeQueijoNow Apr 7, 2026 +1
Alias!
1
i3order Apr 7, 2026 +1
Highlander the series had some corny but fun fights.
1
neo_sporin Apr 7, 2026 +1
Opposite answer—-Heroes season 1 Finale was suuuuuuch a let down for me. All that buildup to have Nathan use strong woman’s punches to subdue Sylar.
1
lunard1 Apr 7, 2026 +1
I would go with 24 too...every episode emulated a die hard movie..plenty of action.
1
smurfsundermybed Apr 7, 2026 +1
If you want music video style action, Fastlane. McG basically made a bunch of 45 minute videos.
1
jsher736 Apr 11, 2026 +1
the gladiator fight in Rome
1
quadriceritops Apr 7, 2026 +1
24 hours. It was fun. Bombs were often ready to go off. lol or a team of Assassins. I really did get into it for awhile. Now no.
1
Shoshke Apr 7, 2026 -12
How has The Sopranos nor been mentioned? Long Term Parking, stellar performance all around, and one of the many examples of the show being able to make you empathetic to absolutely horrible people.
-12
KeremyJyles Apr 7, 2026 +10
Because it's asking about best action sequences and The Sopranos, great as it was, simply isn't part of that conversation.
10
MrGittz Apr 7, 2026 +6
Sopranos is the GOAT but did you even read what this is about?
6
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