Who doesn’t love a good spy thriller? The high stakes, the cloak-and-dagger meetings, the top-secret files.
The shadowy world of intelligence agencies has always been fertile ground for writers and directors. From the streets of Tehran to the high-rises of London and MI5 headquarters, to the endless corridors of the CIA.
Here’s a look at the best spy series currently available on streaming platforms.
Homeland (Netflix)
We kick off with the apex. Homeland debuted in 2011 and wrapped up its eight seasons in 2020. Hailed as one of the best series ever, it received numerous awards and accolades.
Based on the Israeli series Prisoners of War, Homeland follows CIA agent Carrie Mathison, a brilliant but troubled officer who suffers from bipolar disorder. Her mentor, Saul, is always on her side, but he just might be the only one.
Despite her results, Carrie is seen as untrustworthy and mercurial. So, when she is the only one who believes that an American Marine rescued after eight years in captivity is secretly a traitor, no one believes her.
That is the premise of the first season and it’s amazing, non-stop action. Does the same go for every season? Not really. Carrie’s adventures take her far and wide, and while the series as a whole is stellar, there are some misfires here and there.
The Americans (Prime Video)
I will keep saying it: this is by far the most underrated series ever. The Americans ran for six seasons and is perfect.
The Americans takes place in the 80s and tells the story of a couple of Soviet spies, now named Philip and Elizabeth. On the surface, they are the all-American couple: house in the suburbs, white picket fence, kids, friendly neighbours.
Behind closed doors, though, they are secretly working to destabilise the country from the inside.
While the espionage is great and the couple is always teetering on the edge of being found out, what sets this series apart is its examination of home life. How do you raise children to be citizens of a country you are working to destroy? How can you pretend to live a married life when your partner was chosen for you because of the mission? And what happens when your loyalty to the homeland clashes with your loyalty to your family?
Fauda (Netflix)
Another Israeli series, Fauda was released in 2015 and is still ongoing, with the fifth season out in September. It tells the story of Doron Kabilio, an operative in an undercover Israeli counterterrorism unit whose task is to blend in with Palestinian communities.
Fauda is Arabic for chaos and the show delivers on the titular promise. There are no sharply dressed men or cocktail dresses here: Fauda is gritty, violent and doesn’t shy away from depicting the true ugliness of war.
Given the current situation in Gaza, Fauda has received backlash from both sides. While the narrative is clearly from an Israeli perspective, Palestinian characters get significant screen time and their plight is portrayed in a way that a lot of people in Israel found unsettling.
Personal beliefs aside, Fauda is gripping TV.
The Night Manager (Prime Video)
Based on John le Carré’s novel of the same name, The Night Manager tells the story of former British soldier Jonathan Pine, who now works in the hotel industry and is secretly recruited to spy on an international arms dealer.
Breathtaking locations, expensive suits and a lavish lifestyle cannot hide the greed, corruption and decay that lurk just below the surface. Pine is thrown into the world of espionage and somehow must find his way back.
The Night Manager was originally a limited series, but after a decade, Tom Hiddleston (who portrays Pine) decided to return to the character for a much-anticipated second season.
Slow Horses (Apple TV)
With a sixth season currently streaming, Slow Horses is probably the most successful show currently on TV. Based on the books by Mick Herron, it tells the story of a group of misfit MI5 agents who were cast aside to rot or resign, assigned to a department where careers go to die.
Jack Lowden plays River Cartwright, a young agent who ends up in the department after a training exercise goes horribly wrong, and is trying to find his way back into the good graces of his bosses.
Gary Oldman steals the show as the Slow Horses’ department head, Jackson Lamb, a rude, unhygienic, offensive older operative who regularly belittles everyone around him. This is a façade, though: despite appearances, Lamb is still as sharp and as deadly as ever.
The series is a massive success for Apple TV, and the production company has already confirmed that all nine books in the series will be adapted.