This is a great time to be a fan of spy shows. As a fan of the genre, it sure felt until about a month or so ago that we were in some kind of extended fallow period when it comes to new titles worth getting excited about — and then, all of a sudden, several streamers started dropping one new show after the other on us.
2024 is ending with three top-tier spy shows having debuted in recent weeks on three different streamers. All three managed to avoid common pitfalls of the genre, like hokey Hollywood theatrics in lieu of authenticity and quality storytelling, in addition to giving viewers not only some of the best spy drama on the small screen in ages, but some of the best drama of the year, period. Below, I’m going to take a closer look at each of the three new spy shows, zeroing in on what I like about them and why.
The Day of the Jackal (Peacock)
The first of the year-end spate of spy shows arrived back in November, with Peacock’s series adaptation of the classic Frederick Forsyth novel — which, in turn, was adapted into an acclaimed 1973 film from director Fred Zinnemann.
The Peacock series is a contemporary reimagining of the story, with Eddie Redmayne starring as the titular Jackal. He’s an expert hitman who’s also a master of disguise, and in an interview with me Redmayne explained that the latter is what especially drew him to the role. Redmayne, in other words, saw the Jackal as a kind of actor, which became his entry point into the character.
From my previous coverage of the series: At one point in the show, “a cabal of financiers enlists the Jackal’s help in eliminating a repugnant sort of uber-rich narcissist, one who’s earned the ire of the one-percenters by developing River, a revolutionary software program that promises to make all of the world’s financial transactions, every single one, completely transparent. The rich can’t have that, and so down he must fall. In the meantime, Mr. Catch Him if You Can will have an antagonist hot on his heels trying to thwart his next contract killing — an MI6 officer (Lashana Lynch) who’s every bit as knowledgeable as he is about guns, and just as driven to win.
“Two perfect foils, each the other’s match, in a game of cat-and-mouse wherein neither is encumbered by such prosaic matters as collateral damage or the price of victory.”
Elaborately staged hits, an intricate puzzle box of a mystery, and a top-notch cast make The Day of the Jackal a supremely satisfying thrill ride from start to finish. And, thankfully, it’s coming back for another season. Otherwise, I don’t think I could have taken that jaw-dropping death at the end.
Black Doves (Netflix)
This next spy show is actually #1 on Netflix’s latest weekly list of its most-watched shows in the world at the moment.
The big draw here, at least for me, is the series’ star Keira Knightley as you’ve never seen her before. Miss Elizabeth Bennet herself forgoes her usual period dress and flowery language in order to get visceral with knives and guns in a twist-filled and super-violent espionage drama, one that also adds a murder mystery and geopolitical intrigue for good measure.
If you like your spy shows with a copious amount of action, violence, and gunplay, Black Doves has you more than covered on that score. In an early scene, and this is what I mean about seeing Knightley as you’ve never seen her before, Ben Whishaw’s triggerman Sam bursts into a room just in the knick of time to save Knightley’s Helen Webb by blasting her assailant’s head off with a shotgun — spraying a geyser of blood and body matter all over Knightley’s face.
Speaking of that scene, nearly every interaction between Knightley and Whishaw is absolute gold, filled with cracking dialogue and palpable tenderness for each other. Both the characters and the actors playing them clearly have a tremendous amount of affection for each other. I also particularly enjoyed the lovely phrase Sam would always tell Helen whenever she asked him for something: “Darling, I will certainly endeavor to try.”
The Agency (Paramount+ with Showtime)
This third and final spy show of the bunch happens to be my personal favorite. And that’s because it’s actually a remake of what, in my opinion, is the greatest spy show of all time — Le Bureau des Légendes, a show that was sort of like France’s answer to Homeland.
Starring Michael Fassbender as a CIA officer who’s just “come in from the cold,” The Agency is available via the Paramount+ with Showtime add-on. And as a testament to what a first-rate show it is, Showtime revealed earlier this month that the espionage thriller was the most streamed new series in Showtime’s history, with 5.1 million global cross-platform viewers. It was also renewed for Season 2 on the heels of its debut.
As for what it’s about, the story follows an officer code-named Martian (Fassbender), a covert CIA agent who’s ordered to abandon his undercover life and return to London Station. “When the love he left behind reappears, romance reignites. His career, his real identity and his mission are pitted against his heart; hurling them both into a deadly game of international intrigue and espionage.”
What’s so captivating about this show is the degree of realism it’s clearly aiming for. There’s nothing all that sexy about the work, as spy shows so often go for. It’s emotionally draining, obviously dangerous, and the kind of job that requires immense sacrifice. Viewers spend a lot of time inside London Station, so it also becomes something of a workplace drama. A lot of spying, it turns out, is simply a decision-maker at headquarters making the right call about what a grainy image on the other end of a drone feed is or isn’t. Sorry, Hollywood.
