Genres within television and film have evolved over the years, with several being combined to form new genres and sub-genres. One such instance has seen spy and espionage television and films — which incorporate elements of thrillers, dramas, and more action-oriented fare.
More often than not, spy shows on TV emphasize the action element — comparable to the likes of James Bond. More rarely, however, shows will lean more towards the espionage side of things, in which spies and agents get sent deep into the heart of an intriguing plot.
Updated on April 21st, 2023 by Tom Steel: Spy and espionage thrillers continue to be among the most intense genres out there, in both film and television. April 2023 has seen two huge new spy releases added to the genre, in the Apple TV+ movie Ghosted, and the Amazon Prime series Citadel. With all the fresh hype surrounding these, this list has been updated to include more of the best spy and espionage television shows out there.
15 Alias
5 Seasons, 105 Episodes
Alias is an action thriller series that debuted back in 2001, boasting a strong cast and lasting for five seasons. Jennifer Garner stars in this J. J. Abrams espionage thriller, as CIA double agent Sydney Bristow, who juggles a work-life balance while going between multiple aliases.
Big names from Quentin Tarantino to Bradley Cooper have also appeared in Alias, which presents just over 100 episodes of intense action. Alias may not be as refined as most modern television shows, but it delivers on quintessential spy goodness, even on a rewatch.
14 Slow Horses
2 Seasons, 12 Episodes
Slow Horses is a recent addition to the spy thriller genre, now two seasons deep since its 2022 debut, with two more seasons approved. Slow Horses' unique premise focuses on MI5 service rejects who are confined to paper-pushing jobs, yet find themselves working serious cases.
Slow Horses' draw is its exceptional cast, with Gary Oldman, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Jack Lowden leading the way, but it keeps retention with its unique charm. There are no other spy and espionage shows like Slow Horses, and the Apple TV+ series deserves more recognition.
13 The Spy
1 Season, 6 Episodes
Sacha Baron Cohen is synonymous with outrageous comedy, but in 2019 he starred in a serious espionage thriller called The Spy. The Spy is an English-language French miniseries, with 6 episodes following a Mossad spy named Eli Cohen.
The Spy follows Cohen as he transitions from his time with the Egyptian army to infiltrating the Syrian Ministry of Defense. Cohen assumes a new identity, drawing comparisons to how Sash Baron Cohen has rarely taken on such a serious role. The Spy is easy to binge-watch, but has everything a short intense thriller needs, from high stakes to incredible performances.
12 Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
7 Seasons, 136 Episodes
The MCU has always been intimidating through its sheer volume in numbers, and around the events of The Avengers, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. arrived as a series to help fill in the gaps. The series was initially focused on a very-alive Agent Coulson, returning after his sacrifice in The Avengers, and had recurring cameos from Maria Hill, Nick Fury and many more.
As a standalone series, however, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. focuses on the titular peacekeeping and spy agency, as they seek to locate and solve various unusual disturbances. The show went on for seven seasons, featuring countless twists, turns, and ventures into more sci-fi scenarios. Not only does it add a lot of context to an MCU marathon, but it's a fun and entertaining spy show by itself.
11 The Blacklist
9 Seasons, 196 Episodes
The Blacklist is an American crime thriller, starring James Spader as a former U.S. Navy Officer-turned-criminal, named Raymond "Red" Reddington. Red offers the FBI a blacklist in return for immunity and certain quirky perks.
While the show finds itself in the thriller, mystery, and crime genres, the fact Red helps the FBI with his list (which contains criminals and spies), adds The Blacklist to the spy and espionage sub-genres. Initially released in 2013, The Blacklist has amassed nine seasons and almost 200 episodes total.
10 The Night Manager
1 Season, 6 Episodes
Airing originally on the BBC in 2016, The Night Manager is an espionage thriller that is often overlooked, despite indisputably being one of the best shows of the genre. It has since been imported to AMC in the US, broadening its accessibility. The show packs a lot in its six episodes, full of tension, suspense, and stellar acting.
With the MCU's Tom Hiddleston and House actor Hugh Laurie leading a very talented cast, the premise of The Night Manager sees a night manager of a hotel going undercover to help take down an arms dealing ring, with chaos and suspense duly ensuing.
9 Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan
3 Seasons, 24 Episodes
John Krasinski may be The Office's Jim Halpert to many, but since 2018 he has been starring in Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan as the titular, Jack Ryan. Jack Ryan is a well-known fictional character, formerly played by the likes of Chris Pine, Ben Affleck and Harrison Ford. However, this Amazon Prime series has three seasons in the books, and is renewed for a fourth and final season.
Jack Ryan follows the titular CIA analyst as he gets roped into the field and some seriously unsafe situations. In fact, Jack Ryan gets involved and performs well above his station, and is later seen as a full-on officer. Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan is an intense spy and political thriller, with a strong cast and exceptional action sequences.
8 Burn Notice
7 Seasons, 111 Episodes, 1 Movie
American espionage television series Burn Notice has seven seasons and a movie to its name, airing from 2007 to 2013. Jeffrey Donovan's Michael Westen has been disavowed by the CIA and fans follow along for what that entails.
Being burned as a spy can ruin a person's life, since their previous life is separated from their new circumstances. Burn Notice show immediately catches the audience's attention as Westen searches for the truth. Burn Notice is a must-watch for fans of spy and espionage television shows and has even influenced aspects of more modern shows within the genre.
7 The Americans
6 Seasons, 75 Episodes
Premiering in 2013 and lasting for six riveting seasons, The Americans has earned its place as one of the best spy thrillers and dramas out there. Set during the Cold War and focusing on two Russian agents who are posing as an American couple with a family, the show explores the roles and pressures on both sides.
While at times The Americans gives ample air time to the Jennings family's domestic life, the tension is always lingering. After all, it's never going to be easy when it comes to spies being spies. The Americans deserves its rave reviews and remains a must-watch for fans of spy dramas.
6 Archer
13 Seasons, 131 Episodes
Compared to other top spy and espionage television shows, Archer is certainly different. The animated comedy is full of outlandish schemes and raunchy humor. It focuses on the titular character Archer and the spy organization he is a part of, called the International Secret Intelligence Service, headed by his mother. Naturally, there are many conflicts of interest.
The team is a hilarious mixture of characters, with some displaying pure vulgarity and incompetence, while others just suffer for their association with Archer and company. Premiering in 2009, Archer has 12 seasons under its belt, and while the reviews tend to vary every season, it's funny and unique enough to warrant a mention.
5 Person Of Interest
5 Seasons, 103 Episodes
Jonathan Nolan's Person of Interest is predominately a crime drama, about Harold Finch and John Reese, as they create and use "The Machine," a surveillance AI that predicts crimes that will occur. It can identify the people involved, but it doesn't necessarily identify the specifics and important factors, which creates a sense of intrigue and mystery.
Person of Interest can also be considered an espionage procedural in how it presents itself. It has the tension and suspense to help it feel at home in the spy and espionage genres. The show ran from 2011 until 2016, with five seasons to its name.
4 24
9 Seasons, 192 Episodes, 1 Movie, 1 Miniseries (24: Live Another Day)
For everything that renowned actor Kiefer Sutherland has done throughout his career, he will always be remembered for his role as Jack Bauer in the action drama series 24. The intense thriller series initially stood out for its unique premise
24 had 24 episodes per season, and each episode covered an hour of the same day. The show lasted for nine total seasons, with eight of those continuing the initial format. 24 helped to redefine espionage action thrillers and will forever be remembered for its unique methods of building up tension and effective execution of its premise.
3 Killing Eve
4 Seasons, 32 Episodes
The spy thriller series Killing Eve has become a huge hit since its inception in 2018. Both Jodie Comer and Sandra Oh excelled in their roles as Villanelle and Eve Polastri, respectively.
Pitting the two main characters on opposite sides — Oh is a member of MI6 and Comer is doing The Twelve's bidding — Killing Eve focuses on the complicated relationship between the two leads. As stakes are raised, and lines are blurred, chaos ensues. Similar to Chuck, Killing Eve is an action-packed spy series but has plenty of comedy to make it a mixed bag, and certainly worth watching.
2 Chuck
5 Seasons, 91 Episodes
As far as television shows go, Chuck is one of the best multi-genre mashups. It has action, comedy, and romance, but at its core, it is a spy drama. It centers on Zachary Levi's Chuck Bartowski, who receives an encoded email that embeds many of the United States' most secret files into his brain, making him a Human Intersect.
Given a team of agents comprising Yvonne Strahovski's Sarah Walker and Adam Baldwin's John Casey, Chuck is protected and used as a valuable asset to the NSA and CSI. Chuck has a little bit of everything for everyone, making it one of the best spy series out there.
1 Homeland
8 Seasons, 96 Episodes
While there are spy shows that opt to integrate comedy to help complement the espionage and action, Homeland thrives on its thriller tropes and psychological warfare, making it one of the most intense and engrossing spy/espionage shows out there. Spanning eight seasons from 2011 to 2020, Homeland focuses on Carrie Mathison, played by Claire Danes, and her work with the CIA.
Claire's investigations into Damian Lewis' Nicholas Brody and the pair's interactions help to make the first few seasons particularly captivating. The later seasons even move past the dynamic that drove the early episodes of the series and arguably get even better — as opposed to getting diminishing returns like with many long-running shows.