The Pretender
Hero of a thousand faces. Man of a thousand lives.
Created by Craig W. Van Sickle, Steven Long Mitchell
On NBC
A serialized thriller about an escaped prodigy navigating identity and autonomy while evading capture, balancing episodic good deeds with an ongoing conspiracy.
Raised in a secret facility built for experimenting on children, Jarod is a genius who can master any profession and become anyone he has to be. When he realizes as an adult that he's actually a prisoner and his captors are not as benevolent as he's been told, he breaks out. While trying to find his real identity, Jarod helps those he encounters and tries to avoid the woman sent to retrieve him.
Clusters
Where to watch
Questions people ask
Is The Pretender sad? Somewhat. More sad than 72% of series.
Does The Pretender leave you hopeful? Somewhat. More hopeful than 69% of series.
Is The Pretender scary? Somewhat. More frightening than 59% of series.
Is The Pretender violent? About average. Almost exactly mid-range.
Is The Pretender easy watching? About average. Almost exactly mid-range.
These describe how the series comes across across its whole run, compared with other well-known series. They are not a content list — nothing here was counted or checked episode by episode, so for age-suitability or specific content use a classification board or a dedicated content-warning service.
Cinnamon Score
How much this series gives you that nothing else will, and whether it delivers.
Familiar shape, done well.
How unlike any other series this one feels
How much more it delivers than it promises
How much audiences actually like it
Ensemble
Everything like The Pretender, and what each one shares →
Like The Pretender
Nearest across the full emotional profile.
Same Mood as The Pretender
Nearest on what's most distinctive about this one.
Like The Pretender, But Darker
Similar, pushed toward heavier and more intense.
Like The Pretender, But Lighter
Similar, pushed toward warmer and easier.
Like The Pretender, But Less Popular
Same territory, far fewer people have seen it.
