, spies have long been a fixture on film. Yet since the 007-driven 1960s boom, espionage has also become a staple of the small screen. State secrets, surveillance and intelligence work make a fascinating backdrop for TV drama, too. It’s a messy job but somebody has to do it – and viewers love to watch it.
Our selection of the finest TV spy thrillers spans more than 60 years, taking in everything from Sixties special agent romps to Cold War classics and contemporary cyber-terrorism. Fittingly for a genre that’s often about international intrigue, our favourites travel from the US to the Middle East via mainland Europe – with several stop-offs in London, taking in Thames House, Slough House and, of course, Cambridge Circus.
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Enough about those that didn’t quite make the grade. Which TV spy dramas most reward revisiting or discovering for the first time? Here’s our countdown of the all-time top 20 – and where you can stream them tonight. Just remember to keep it a secret. You never know who might be listening in…
20. The Game (2014)
Read our The Game review
BBC iPlayer or U
19. Fauda (2015-present)
Read our Fauda review
Netflix
18. The Avengers (1961-1969)
) – to travel the globe, catching dangerous foes and getting into mildly kitschy scrapes. Stylish clothes, Bentley cars and a jazzy soundtrack add up to a true cult classic.
Amazon Prime Video
17. Tehran (2020-present)
Read our Tehran review
Apple TV+
16. Callan (1967-1972)
), a crack shot and karate expert with hidden depths. Gritty, haunting and downbeat, it was the anti-Bond. Woodward later riffed on the role in The Equalizer.
Plex
15. A Perfect Spy (1987)
, it was gloomy but utterly gripping. Strong support came from Iain Cuthbertson, Peggy Ashcroft and especially Ray McAnally as Pym’s conman father.
Apple TV+
14. The Professionals (1977-1983)
). Their handler was Major George Cowley (Gordon Jackson). Whizzing around in a Ford Capri, they fought terrorists and suspected spies by any means necessary (“Fight fire with fire!” barked Cowley). Pacy and politically incorrect, it was spoofed by The Comic Strip as Bonehead and Foyle, aka The Bullshitters. In Ashes To Ashes, DCI Gene Hunt tells DI Alex Drake: “We’re a team: Bodie and Doyle. I’m the one in the SAS and you can be the one with the girl’s hair.”
ITVX
13. Deutschland 83-89 (2015-2020)
Read our Deutschland 83 review
channel4.com
12. Killing Eve (2018-2022)
Read our Killing Eve review
BBC iPlayer, Netflix or Disney+
11. A Spy Among Friends (2022)
Read our A Spy Among Friends review
ITVX
10. 24 (2001-2014)
). With cinematic production values and ambitious stunts, it was heart-thumpingly tense as that beeping clock counted down on Jack racing to save the world. Cunning terrorists, corrupt politicians and treacherous colleagues faced off against him – and were usually defeated. Launching two months after 9/11, it presciently tapped into America’s trauma and paranoia. Its tricks grew tired towards the end but this dizzying thrill ride was a game-changer for small-screen spy drama.
Disney+
9. The Night Manager (2016-present)
Read our The Night Manager review
BBC iPlayer or Amazon Prime Video
8. The Prisoner (1967-1968)
) who quits his highly classified government position but is gassed, abducted and wakes up imprisoned in an idyllic coastal village controlled by mysterious forces. The primary location of Portmeirion took second billing only to the show’s creator, director and star McGoohan. Kafka-esque, Orwellian and tapping into the concerns of 1960s counter-culture, it cast a hypnotic spell across just 17 episodes. As unforgettable and influential as it was baffling.
ITVX or Amazon Prime Video
7. Homeland (2011-2020)
Read our Homeland review
Disney+
6. Smiley’s People (1982)
) called out of retirement to investigate the murder of one of his old assets and take on his nemesis: the elusive Soviet spymaster codenamed “Karla”. Viewers are flung into a morally murky world where everyone is a double or even triple agent, usually with at least two names and a tendency to spout espionage jargon. Unremittingly dark, tense and complex, the labyrinthine thriller masterfully captured the atmosphere of Cold War mistrust – and Guinness was mesmerising.
ITVX
5. Spooks (2002-2011)
Read our Spooks review
BBC iPlayer, U or NOW
4. The Bureau (2015-2020)
, is coming soon. This is the original and best.
Paramount+
3. Slow Horses (2022-present)
Read our Slow Horses review
Apple TV+
2. The Americans (2013-2018)
Read our The Americans review
or Disney+
1. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (1979)
TV proved the perfect medium to do justice to John le Carré’s landmark espionage novel. This seven-part BBC adaptation had the confidence to capture every nuance, pregnant pause and inscrutable silence. Alec Guinness delivered his best late-career performance as retired MI6 operative George Smiley, brought back to “The Circus” to covertly root out a Soviet mole.
’s evocative score was peerless. The ensemble cast was impeccable. At the centre of it all sits BAFTA-winning Guinness, understated yet magnetic as the world-weary but relentless spy. Le Carré approved, citing the series as his favourite screen adaptation of his work. High praise indeed.
Amazon Prime Video or Apple TV+
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