Last week I offered you my list of the top ten most bingeable series for your pandemic-lockdown viewing pleasure. Today, I bring you another list of binge-worthy television and streaming to help keep you sane and entertained, with my list of the top five best espionage shows to watch while you’re stuck at home.
There are some big contenders (including The Man From U.N.C.L.E., I Spy, Mission: Impossible, The Saint, La Femme Nikita, The Avengers, Get Smart, Chuck, 24, Counterpart, Archer, Quantico, Burn Notice, and The Spy to name a few) I left off my list for various reasons. This could be because despite being great cult classics many of us love, they simply won’t necessarily hold up for a large younger modern audiences’ expectations. This doesn’t mean they aren’t well worth a watch, but rather that they just didn’t meet all of the criteria I require for this particular list.
Some other shows failed to make the list because they are frankly problematic for one reason or another — be it inherent racism or sexism, or certain positive/glamorizing portrayals of awful behaviors, or other such things. (If you personally don’t care about such things, then obviously you’re free to make your own list that ignores such concerns.)
And some shows didn’t make my list simply because unfortunately I haven’t had a chance to watch them yet. I can only make recommendations based on what I know and can personally vouch for, after all. So don’t worry, if your favorite show doesn’t appear below, that isn’t a slight against it.
But of course, you are free to also check out any/all of those aforementioned series too, as you’ll definitely find plenty to enjoy among them.
Now, let’s get to it. Here is my list of the best espionage series you should binge-watch while you’re home for lockdown…
- The Americans — The single greatest espionage series of all time is also one of the single greatest hour-long shows in television history. Every episode is a mini-movie, with performances (especially from spectacular leads Kerri Russell and Matthew Rhys), writing, directing, and general technical quality on par with award-worthy cinematic offerings. This is the definition of must-see television.
- Alias — An action-packed, twist-filled extravaganza that helped cement creator J.J. Abrams’ status as one of the best new creative minds in Hollywood. It hits the ground running and never relents, filled with a terrific ensemble cast and terrific lead performance by Jennifer Garner as well as great action sequences filled with fistfights, gunfights, car chases, break-ins and outs, and much more to keep you thrilled.
- The Night Manager — A mesmerizing slow burn driven by character and plot more than action. It’s also the closest thing we’ve had to a James Bond tv show. Another example of a series where every episode feels like watching a feature film, it sports an all-star cast including Tom Hiddleston in (to beat a dead horse) what plays like a perfect audition for the role of James Bond when Daniel Craig vacates that role.
- Homeland — Driven by shocking twists and a brilliant lead performance from Claire Danes, it turns the concept of spy thrillers on its head while tackling serious issues beyond merely questions of espionage, crime, and terrorism. Mental health is a central crisis not only for Danes, but for others as well, including Damian Lewis’ masterfully portrayed conflicted victim of mind control. Powerful and provacative.
- Jack Ryan (Season 1)— This small-screen reboot of Tom Clancy’s spy series gets everything right in the season I’ve been able to see so far (season 2 is on my watch-list soon though). It takes its time setting everything in motion, with complex sympathetic portrayals of everyone’s perspective — even the bad guys — and with a tremendous cast led by John Krasinski as the best incarnation to date of the titular hero.
And that wraps up this list of the top ten best espionage series for you to binge at home as the COVID-19 pandemic continues, dear readers. Check back here again soon for more of my coronavirus watch-lists, and in the meantime be safe, stay healthy, and binge away!
