MomSkoop
Spy shows have a special magic that pulls viewers into worlds of secret missions, hidden identities, and dangerous games of cat and mouse.
Whether you love intense action sequences or prefer slow-burning suspense filled with betrayals and plot twists, there’s something thrilling about watching covert operatives risk everything for their missions.
These shows offer escapism, mystery, and characters who live double lives that keep audiences hooked episode after episode.
1. The Night Manager (2016)
Jonathan Pine, a former British soldier turned luxury hotel manager, gets recruited to bring down one of the world’s most dangerous arms dealers.
His mission requires him to abandon his safe life and infiltrate the inner circle of a ruthless criminal mastermind.
Every conversation feels like a chess match where one wrong move could mean death.
Based on John le Carré’s novel, the show delivers sophisticated storytelling with stunning international locations.
2. Slow Horses (2022–present)
Slough House serves as the dumping ground for MI5 agents who messed up badly enough to get sidelined but not fired outright.
These so-called “slow horses” handle boring paperwork while their careers rot away under the leadership of the brilliant but slovenly Jackson Lamb.
What starts as punishment duty quickly spirals into genuine danger when these misfits stumble into real threats.
The show balances sharp humor with legitimate spy craft, creating characters you genuinely care about despite their flaws.
3. The Night Agent (2023–present)
Peter Sutherland works the night shift answering an emergency phone that never rings—until it finally does.
That single call launches him into a deadly conspiracy involving moles inside the government and threats that reach the highest levels of power.
Action sequences blend seamlessly with paranoid suspense as Peter races to figure out who he can actually trust.
The show became a massive hit because it delivers exactly what viewers crave: nonstop excitement with just enough mystery.
4. Lioness (2023–present)
Special operations require a different kind of warrior, and the CIA’s Lioness program recruits women for the most dangerous undercover assignments imaginable.
These operatives embed themselves inside terrorist organizations, gathering intelligence while living constantly on the knife’s edge between discovery and survival.
Created by Taylor Sheridan, the series doesn’t shy away from the brutal realities of modern warfare and espionage, as Zoe Saldaña leads a talented cast through morally complex situations.
The action hits hard and fast, but the show also explores the psychological toll on these women and their families.
5. Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan (2018–2023)
Jack Ryan spent his career as a CIA analyst safely behind a desk, using his brilliant mind to track terrorist financing and decode threats.
Everything changes when his research uncovers a dangerous pattern that forces him out into the field where bullets fly and split-second decisions determine who lives or dies.
John Krasinski transforms the iconic Tom Clancy character for modern audiences, blending intelligence with action-hero capabilities.
Each season tackles different global threats, from terrorism to political corruption, keeping the stories fresh.
6. 24 (2001–2010; 2014 event series)
Imagine living through the worst day of your life in real time, with each episode representing exactly one hour.
That’s the revolutionary concept behind this groundbreaking series starring Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer, a Counter Terrorist Unit agent who faces impossible choices every single minute.
The show’s ticking clock format creates relentless tension as Jack races against time to stop terrorist attacks, political assassinations, and nuclear threats.
Split-screen sequences and constant cliffhangers made it appointment television during its original run, and the moral dilemmas Jack faces sparked countless debates about how far is too far.
7. Black Doves (2024–present)
London’s shadows hide countless secrets, and Helen Webb has been keeping some of the biggest ones for a decade.
Working as a deep-cover spy while maintaining her façade as a politician’s wife, she’s perfected the art of deception until a personal tragedy forces everything into the light.
This Netflix series drips with atmospheric tension and morally ambiguous characters who blur the lines between hero and villain.
Keira Knightley delivers a layered performance as a woman whose entire existence is built on lies as the show explores themes of identity, loyalty, and the devastating cost of living undercover.
8. Andor (2022–2025)
Star Wars finally embraced the espionage thriller genre with this mature, politically charged prequel to Rogue One.
Cassian Andor’s transformation from selfish survivor to committed rebel spy unfolds through covert operations, prison breaks, and the dangerous work of building a resistance against overwhelming imperial power.
Unlike typical Star Wars adventures, this series focuses on ordinary people making extraordinary sacrifices in the shadows.
The show tackles themes of authoritarianism, surveillance states, and the personal cost of revolution with surprising depth.
9. Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2024–present)
Two strangers receive an unusual assignment: pose as a married couple while completing dangerous missions around the globe.
The catch? They’re both highly trained operatives who must learn to trust each other while maintaining their deadly cover story.
Donald Glover and Maya Erskine reimagine the film concept as a series exploring what happens when the spy game intersects with relationship dynamics.
Each mission tests not just their professional skills but their ability to function as partners in every sense.
10. The Day of the Jackal (2024–present)
A legendary assassin known only as the Jackal accepts a high-profile contract that will either cement his reputation or end his career permanently.
British intelligence gets wind of the plot and assigns their best agent to hunt him down before he can complete his lethal mission.
Eddie Redmayne brings chilling precision to the role of a methodical killer who plans every detail with obsessive care.
The series becomes a masterclass in suspense as hunter and hunted play an elaborate game across Europe.
11. The Americans (2013–2018)
Philip and Elizabeth Jennings seem like the perfect American couple living the suburban dream in 1980s Washington D.C., but they’re actually deep-cover KGB agents stealing secrets and manipulating assets for the Soviet Union.
Their arranged marriage becomes real even as their missions grow increasingly dangerous and morally complicated.
This critically acclaimed series explores the impossible balancing act of maintaining family life while committing espionage and sometimes murder.
Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys deliver career-defining performances as spies torn between duty and humanity.
12. Alias (2001–2006)
Sydney Bristow thought she was working for a secret division of the CIA until she discovered the truth: her employer is actually a criminal organization called SD-6.
Now she’s playing the most dangerous game imaginable—working as a double agent for the real CIA while pretending loyalty to the people who want to kill her.
J.J. Abrams created this wildly entertaining series that defined early 2000s spy television with elaborate disguises, shocking plot twists, and globe-trotting adventures.
Jennifer Garner became a star playing a character who kicks serious butt while navigating complicated relationships and family secrets.