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Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.

The Ballad of Wallis Island (James Griffiths)

You know when you hear a song and it transports you back to an era or a memory or a moment? It’s this involuntary mental reflex that can be marvelous, painful, or some combination of the two; all intensified by the emotion of the music that triggers it. This familiar phenomenon provides the backbeat for The Ballad of Wallis Island, a comedy that envelops you in its charm while plucking a serenade on your heartstrings. The film itself is an evocation of a memory for writers/stars Tim Key & Tom Basden and director James Griffiths––a feature shot in eighteen days based on a short film they made eighteen years ago. – Kent W. (full...

Apple TV+ is recruiting a former doctor to escape a prison!

Hugh Laurie is widely recognized for his work as Dr. Gregory House on the Fox medical drama series House. His work on the show not only earned him a lot of support and appreciation from critics and audiences but also several accolades, including two Golden Globe Awards. Laurie was listed as the most-watched leading man on television in the 2011 Guinness World Records.

Laurie is an accomplished actor who has starred in several TV shows, including the miniseries The Night Manager alongside Tom Hiddleston, in which he portrayed the antagonist. Now, Hugh Laurie is set to make his comeback on television with Apple TV+’s recently announced thriller series.

Hugh Laurie set to lead Apple TV+’s The Wanted Man

English actor Hugh Laurie, who was regarded as one of the highest-paid actors on television back in 2011 when he appeared as Dr.

Hugh Laurie is returning to television — not that he's really gone anywhere, but it does feel like the acclaimed House actor has been extremely selective about projects since his iconic medical procedural series took its final on-screen bow in 2012. According to new reports, the actor has hopped aboard George Kay's latest crime thriller, an AppleTV+ series called The Wanted Man. And he'll be starring in it alongside another award-winning sort: Thandiwe Newton.

In a new report from The Hollywood Reporter, the series — which will consist of eight episodes in its first season — comes from the mind of creator/showrunner George Kay. The British writer is most known for Lupin, his popular Netflix series, as well as AppleTV+'s other crime thriller, Hijack. He also wrote the television miniseries The Long Shadow, which was highly acclaimed and well-received in the UK.

As for this project, The Wanted Man centers on...

Yet another revenge thriller motivated by a dead wife, The Amateur at least has in its favour that its source text is 50-years-old. That's significantly newer than the weirdly regressive A Working Man, but where that had Sylvester Stallone and David Ayer moderating, this finds ways to be more sexist, and, if anything, more nihilistic.

The book it's based on is by Robert Littel, he's previously had work adapted for television, but neither Legend (starring Sean Bean as various undercover identities) nor The Company (with an even longer list of recognisable names). Littel's one of the lesser known but much loved figures of spy literature, a genre unto itself. John LeCarre attributed much of his success to being an alternative to Ian Fleming. There's a coldness in Le Carre that's different to that of Bond, and a different coldness again in Littel's work. His first novel, The Defection Of Aj.

Sometimes, it is possible to have too many options.

That is especially true of the current streaming age when there are multiple streaming services with impressive, immense film libraries and algorithms that are all pointing you in different directions but none making it particularly easy for you to actually pick something to watch. Buried in every streaming platform’s library are also underrated titles that are rarely promoted by them and, therefore, frustratingly difficult to find.

It’s for all of those reasons and more that TheWrap has picked out three underrated and forgotten films that are streaming right now on Max that you should consider watching this weekend.

“Unstoppable” (20th Century Fox) “Unstoppable” (2010)

One of the most effective and entertaining blockbusters of the early 2010s, Tony Scott’s “Unstoppable” stars Chris Pine and Denzel Washington as two men who decide to face the wrath of industrial America head-on. Based on a real-life incident,...

Exclusive: Bernie Gunther is heading to the small screen.

Apple TV+ has greenlit a long-gestating TV adaptation of the late Philip Kerr’s popular Berlin Noir books from Oscar-winning Conclave writer Peter Straughan, Doctor Who producer Bad Wolf, and Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman’s Playtone.

The untitled drama is based on Kerr’s final book Metropolis, which told the iconic detective’s origin story. Set in 1928, Metropolis follows newly promoted police officer Gunther in the intimidating elite Berlin Murder Squad, investigating what seems to be a serial killer targeting victims on the fringes of society. Gunther’s Berlin is described as a “city of unprecedented freedom and dizzying turbulence, the Nazis a distant nightmare waiting in the wings.”

We are told Apple is kicking off with Gunther’s origin story but there is scope to adapt more Berlin Noir books via the studio’s option. Gunther was made famous...

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Black Bag is a spy thriller drama film directed by Steven Soderbergh from a screenplay by David Koepp. The 2025 film follows British intelligence officer George Woodhouse, who is given the task of finding the identity of a double agent, but the only problem is that his wife is amongst the suspects. Black Bag stars Cate Blanchett, Michael Fassbender, Marisa Abela, Tom Burke, Naomie Harris, Regé-Jean Page, and Pierce Brosnan. So, if you loved the thrilling drama, intense mystery, and compelling characters in Black Bag, here are some similar shows you should check out next.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Rent on Prime Video) Credit – StudioCanal

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a Cold War spy thriller drama film directed by Tomas Alfredson from a screenplay co-written by Bridget O’Connor and Peter Straughan. Based on the 1974 novel of the same name by John le Carré,...

Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.

The Actor (Duke Johnson)

For as much light as The Actor is bathed in, it’s equally shrouded in darkness. Duke Johnson’s solo directorial debut is a film of bleary sun and swallowing night and almost nothing in-between. It wouldn’t make sense to depict the in-between. That would be realistic, and The Actor is anything but real. Jubilant strings swell over vintage opening credits as we peer at the peaks of skyscrapers in a still, top-of-the-cityscape shot not too dissimilar from the angle we get on Saffron City in the original Super Smash Bros. The twinkling black-and-white image has a glowy 1950s TV-hour charm, the text surrounded by mid-century atomic sparkle logos (see: poster). It transitions neatly into the doomy...

It’s been a month since Peter Straughan won his first Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for Conclave, and the screenwriter still can’t believe the reception the film has had.

“I had no idea Conclave was going to do what it did,” Straughan told an audience at Dublin’s screenwriting festival Storyhouse on Thursday. “To be honest, I thought it was going to be this nice, quiet little film that a few people would see.”

Straughan adapted the film, which is directed by Edward Berger and stars Ralph Fiennes and Isabella Rossellini, from the 2016 novel by Robert Harris. The political potboiler is set within the Vatican and follows Cardinal Lomeli (Fiennes) as he oversees a secretive papal election following the sudden death of the Pope. In addition to the Oscar, Straughan won a BAFTA and a Golden Globe earlier this year for his adaptation.

The prolific writer, whose...

Certain movie directors — Hitchcock and Tarantino come to mind — constitute a genre unto themselves. Steven Soderbergh was never like that, at least not until he started making his “little” films: the cleverly plotted low-budget indie palate cleansers that he got into the habit of directing in between his more deluxe features. He did it as a way to recharge his batteries, and to remind himself that moviemaking is supposed to be fun.

You could say that Soderbergh’s first official “little” film was “Full Frontal” (2002), an all-star Hollywood satire made for $2 million, or you could say that it was “Bubble” (2005), a Middle American existential crime drama that also happened to be the first day-and-date release. In a way, though, the original Soderbergh “little” film was “Schizopolis,” the aggro experimental doodle he made all by himself and released in 1996, as a way to clear his pipes after what he characterized as...

As it clocks 13 Years, Subhash K Jha revisits the espionage thriller Agent Vinod, which featured Saif Ali Khan in his slick, cool spy avatar. We also hear from director Sriram Raghavan about making the intriguing film.

Sriram Raghavan’s Agent Vinod travels all across the world to capture some of the most never-seen spots in the world, the plot, an intelligent, clever, urbane, and wry melange of Jason Bourne and James Bond, Farz, and Mission Impossible, finally finds its most assured resting-place in apana jahaan Delhi.

The last half-hour, when an international terrorist outfit attempts to blow up Delhi, has the grammar of an espionage thriller so riveting and so right that you wonder what took director Sriram Raghavan so long to get there. The plot, perched precariously on the brink of self-indulgence, never spins out of control.

Raghavan, a late bloomer if ever there was one, has only done...

Shaken, stirred, or even streamed, spy movies make up many of the most exciting, edge-of-your-seat stories the movies have to offer. From the harrowing heights of the “Mission: Impossible” franchise to the suave savvy of six James Bonds, espionage has become the thematic ground on which some of cinema’s most epic dramas, thrillers, and comedies are built. Even films primarily centered on other subject matter make frequent use of spy drama beats, proving it’s a bedrock source for onscreen entertainment.

The espionage genre is as old as filmmaking itself with silent spy movies set against the backdrop of World War I (1914’s “The German Spy Peril” is on YouTube) testing the medium’s limitations early in the 20th century. Literary works inspired many more of the spy movies to follow. Over the years, filmmakers have repeatedly adapted the works of John le Carré, Robert Ludlum, Ian Fleming, and...

(L to R) Regé-Jean Page as Col. James Stokes, Naomie Harris as Dr. Zoe Vaughn, Michael Fassbender as George Woodhouse, Cate Blanchett as Kathryn St. Jean, Tom Burke as Freddie Smalls, and Marisa Abela as Clarissa Dubose in director Steven Soderbergh’s Black Bag, a Focus Features release. Credit: Claudette Barius/Focus Features © 2025 All Rights Reserved.

Like a smart, stylish, twisty spy thriller with a dash of dry British humor? Then Steven Soderbergh has a film for you. Black Bag stars Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchet as married spies George and Kathryn in this cleverly-written British-set spy thriller. When George is assigned to uncover a leak in MI6, one that risks exposing a top-secret plan called Severus, the pressure is on. “Fun and games,” as George puts it, ensue.

But it is not comedy but spy thriller jolts and twists we get. The film’s title comes from a term these married spies,...

Tom Wambsgans, international spy? If the latest John le Carré adaptation hoping to make it to the small screen has its way, we'd be nearly halfway there. That's right, Successionstar (and many people's favorite Darcy) Matthew Macfadyen is attached to star in the latest mysterious spy thriller story writ large by the prolific and beloved le Carré. Legacy of Spies, based on the author's series of George Smiley-fronted novels, is said to be the latest project from independent production studio The Ink Factory.

According to a report from TheWrap, Macfadyen will play the iconic George Smiley in a series that will ultimately be executive produced by the highly-regarded writer and executive producer Graham Yost. With several scripts already ready to go, it seems as though The Ink Factory is excited to get this series green lit for a network or streamer. And it makes sense: John le Carré's work...

I spy with my little eye, something beginning with “spy.” If you guessed “spy thrillers” then congratulations, you win! Now you not only have the love and respect of your peers but also our picks for the 13 best modern spy thrillers. These are the greatest espionage movies since the year 2000, packed with action, or intrigue, or stunts, or all three.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to watch all of these spy movies and report back to us. We think it’ll be easy for a special agent like you!

Pierce Brosnan and Geoffrey Rush in “The Tailor of Panama” (Sony) ‘The Tailor of Panama’ (2001)

Pierce Brosnan’s best spy movie isn’t about James Bond. He plays a despicable espionage agent in John Boorman’s riveting and intelligent “The Tailor of Panama,” based on a novel by spy writer extraordinaire John le Carré (who co-wrote the...

Gold Derby's top news stories for March 13, 2025. Black Mirror Season 7 premiere date, trailer revealed

Black Mirror Season 7 will premiere on April 10 with six episodes, including a sequel to 2017's "USS Callister" episode with Cristin Milioti. The streamer also announced new cast members Michele Austin, Ben Bailey Smith, Asim Chaudhry, Josh Finan, James Nelson-Joyce, Will Poulter, Jay Simpson, and Michael Workéyè. Previously announced cast members were Awkwafina, Milanka Brooks, Peter Capaldi, Emma Corrin, Patsy Ferran, Paul Giamatti, Lewis Gribben, Osy Ikhile, Rashida Jones, Siena Kelly, Billy Magnussen, Rosy McEwen, Cristin Milioti, Chris O’Dowd, Issa Rae, Paul G. Raymond, Tracee Ellis Ross, Jimmi Simpson, and Harriet Walter. Watch the trailer below.

Babygirl gets streaming date on Max

This calls for a glass of milk. Babygirl will make its streaming debut on Max on April 25. The Halina Reijn film, starring Nicole Kidman, Harris Dickinson, Sophie Wilde, and Antonio Banderas, will make its HBO...

Matthew Macfadyen has booked his next TV role!

The 50-year-old Emmy-winning actor is attached to star in the upcoming Legacy of Spies TV series based on the spy novels by John le Carré. Matthew will be playing career intelligence officer George Smiley.

Keep reading to find out more…The project is described as “an amalgamation of a number of le Carré’s novels, including The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and The Honorable Schoolboy, as well as others and some unpublished work,” according to Variety.

The Ink Factory, which owns the rights to le Carré’s work, is producing the project and Fifth Season is distributing the drama in both Europe and the United States.

Other stars that have played George Smiley on screen include Rupert Davies in 1965’s The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, Gary Oldman in 2011’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,...

“Succession” star Matthew Macfadyen may have found his next TV project. According to early reports, the Emmy-winning actor is attached to star as the lead in The Ink Factory’s new show, “Legacy of Spies,” which is based on author John le Carré’s series of George Smiley novels.

If the project finds a home and is greenlit, Macfadyen will play Smiley, the legendary intelligence officer at the center of multiple le Carré novels. The rights to the author’s work are owned by The Ink Factory, which is producing “Legacy of Spies.” Fifth Season is set to distribute the project, which has reportedly been shopped around and has already caught the attention of multiple potential buyers.

“Legacy of Spies” will draw inspiration from all of le Carré’s Smiley novels, as well as some of the author’s unpublished work. Ink Factory co-founder Stephen Cornwell and Clarissa Ingram have...

A TV series based on the works of John le Carré with Matthew Macfadyen attached to star is heating up the marketplace.

Variety has learned that the drama “Legacy of Spies” is currently in the works from producer The Ink Factory and with Fifth Season onboard to distribute. Macfadyen would star as George Smiley, a central character in a number of le Carré’s novels. Stephen Cornwell and Clarissa Ingram have written the initial scripts for the potential series, with Graham Yost onboard as an executive producer.

The project is described as an amalgamation of a number of le Carré’s novels, including “The Spy Who Came In From The Cold,” “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,” and “The Honorable Schoolboy,” as well as others and some unpublished work.

According to an individual with knowledge of the project, it has already been pitched to buyers both in the U.S. and U.

Emmy winner Matthew Macfadyen (Succession) is attached to star as George Smiley in Legacy Of Spies, a TV series project based on John le Carré’s series of novels featuring the career intelligence officer character.

The Ink Factory, which owns the rights to le Carré’s work, is producing and Fifth Season is distributing the drama, which has been shopped on both sides of the Atlantic, drawing interest from potential buyers, sources said.

The pitch comes with multiple scripts written by Ink Factory co-founder Stephen Cornwell and Clarissa Ingram. Silo creator Graham Yost is executive producing the potential series, based on le Carré’s series of novels featuring the character George Smiley, The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Honorable Schoolboy and several others, as well as some unpublished materials.

Macfadyen follows a long line of actors who have previously portrayed the character on-screen...

Plot: A British spy (Michael Fassbender), working for an MI5-like organization, is tasked with tracking down a traitor who has allegedly sold a device that could trigger a nuclear meltdown to a Russian dissident. Things are complicated when one of his chief suspects turns out to be his beloved wife (Cate Blanchett).

Review: If you read Steven Soderbergh’s annual “Seen; Read” lists, you’ll note that among his diverse tastes in film, he has a particular fondness for spy movies – with the George Lazenby James Bond movie, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, long noted as one of his favourites. He’s been toying with doing a spy movie for years, with him and George Clooney having famously almost made their own version of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Now, Soderbergh finally gets his chance, his movie owes less to the cinematic world of 007 than his own,...

“The secret of a happy marriage remains a secret.” — Henny Youngman

Boundaries are important in any relationship, much less a till-death-do-us-part union in which both parties are spies involved in highly classified operations for a British intelligence agency. Steven Soderbergh and David Koepp get it. They understand the need for a little space between the personal and the professional when the fate of the world is at stake. Which is why the director and screenwriter of Black Bag have devised an easy one-stop-shop solution for the couple at the center of their espionage thriller.

Steven Soderbergh’s cooly romantic “Black Bag” might present itself as a chatty little thriller in the vein of John le Carré, but this slinky movie’s semi-compelling spycraft is almost entirely in the service of testing the marriage between two of Britain’s most elite security operatives — of asking just how much full transparency really matters between two people who have always been faithful to each other where it counts. Every couple has its secrets, but at what point does love threaten to become a cover story for each partner’s own private missions?

It’s often said that every strong relationship is based on a foundation of trust, but trust isn’t necessarily the same thing as truth. On the contrary, trust can be the sum of a million different falsehoods, omissions, and selectively told stories — trust is knowing that someone will only hide something from you because...

Director Steven Soderbergh and screenwriter David Koepp again deliver greatness with Black Bag, a crisp spy thriller and whodunit that will keep you guessing until the very end. Their second feature of the new year, after the creepy Presence, and third collaboration overall (including 2022's Kimi), boasts an all-star cast in a twisting odyssey of murder, betrayal, and lust. Black Bag skillfully avoids lame genre clichés by keeping the narrative taut and firmly grounded in realism. There are no overblown action scenes, silly gadgets, macho heroics, or slinky femme fatales here.

The opening scene introduces George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbender), a senior British intelligence officer, at a roaring London nightclub. He clandestinely meets Meacham (Gustaf Skarsgård), a colleague assigned with a specific task. Meacham confirms that a top-secret program has indeed been stolen from the government. He hands George a list of five possible suspects with the clearance, aptitude, and opportunity to commit the crime.

George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbender) has a problem on his hands: his wife, Kathryn (Cate Blanchett), is a spy. Well, actually, they're both spies. Together with their few friends, they are top operatives in British Intelligence. The trouble is that Kathryn might have involved herself in a classic case of double-dealing, selling world-changing technologies to the highest bidder. The MacGuffin in this film is Severus, a digital worm that can wriggle itself right into the heart of a nuclear facility, allowing unsanctioned control over its core. Upon receiving a list of five names from a trusted colleague, George learns that Kathryn could potentially be brokering a deal that could come with a surcharge of 20,000 human lives.

For all intents and purposes, George and Kathryn are happily married; they host dinner parties, play parlor games, have a nightcap ritual of lovemaking, and, above all, maintain a strict and simple code that one would help the other,...

If a James Bond or Mission: Impossible film excised all its action scenes––save a stray explosion or gunshot––while employing a script with a pop John le Carré sensibility, it might resemble something like Steven Soderbergh’s Black Bag. A hyper-slick, suave spy thriller, it’s mainly relegated to dinner tables and office rooms as stages for rapid-fire, gleefully barbed verbal sparring scripted by David Koepp, returning to the genre after Ethan Hunt’s first outing. Primarily focusing on a trio of couples working in British intelligence, Koepp’s script poses the question: it is possible to have a healthy relationship when there’s no such thing as separating work from life, particularly when your job description is one of a professional liar?

Although the budget allows a dash of globe-trotting requisite for its genre, most of the week-long story takes place in London. We’re introduced to George Woodhouse...

Few TV series come with such a prestigious pedigree as “The Sympathizer“. Adapted from a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel; co-produced by HBO and top-of-the-line independent film studio A24; co-created, co-produced, co-written and co-directed by Park Chan-wook; also helmed by top Brazilian film director Fernando Meirelles; and co-starring Hollywood mega-star Robert Downey Jr. in no less than five (!) different roles. In fact the miracle is that the show, a miniseries in seven episodes, is never weighed down by the sheer expectations sustaining it. On the contrary, it manages to offer a thrilling, fun and heartbreaking roller-coaster ride into the story of its refugee characters.

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As prestigious as it is, “The Sympathizer” is also a highly unlikely production. After all, none of the main filmmakers or producers involved hails from Vietnam or from the Vietnamese-American community at the heart of the show,...

Release the white smoke! Academy voters have awarded “Conclave” the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. Written by Peter Straughan, adapting a 2016 Robert Harris novel of the same name, the papal election drama has now sweeped just about every major screenplay award it was eligible for, including the Golden Globes, the Critics Choice Awards, the BAFTA Awards, and the USC Scripter Awards.

First premiering at the 2024 Telluride Film Festival, the Edward Berger film starring Oscar nominees Ralph Fiennes and Isabella Rossellini gained a reputation for being one of the most crowdpleasing watches of 2024. The Focus Features release, which first hit theaters on October 25, 2024, has since been a mainstay in theaters, making nearly $100 million worldwide.

The film adaptation of “Conclave” notably stays very faithful to the book, even sticking to its unpredictable twist ending. Oscar winner Straughan told IndieWire in November 2024 that he took that approach because “the book, it’s very precise and controlled.

With a gap spanning more than two years between its first and second seasons, The Recruitfinally returned to screens with its sophomore season on January 30, 2025. Although the season had been intended to release much earlier, Hollywood's strikes and Netflix's post-production process delayed the release of the season. However, this delay only contributed to steadily building fan anticipation for Season 2. Especially given that Season 1 ended on the most thrilling cliffhanger, audiences were eager to see where The Recruit Season 2 would take them.

Noah Centineo reprises his role as young CIA lawyer Owen Hendricks, the titular character of the series. Centineo is joined by both familiar and unfamiliar faces, with some of the former including Vondie Curtis-Hall as Walter Nyland, Aarti Mann as Violet Ebner, Colton Dunn as Lester Kitchens and Maddie Hasson as Nichka Lashin. The new season, which sees Owen become entangled in a dangerous game of international politics,...

Prolific director Steven Soderbergh has already released one film this year that was met with critical acclaim (Presence), and now his second movie of 2025, Black Bag, is yet again being heralded as a masterpiece. Starring Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender as a pair of legendary intelligence agents, the film follows Fassbender's character of George Woodhouse as his loyalty to his country and his marriage is put to the test when his wife, Kathryn, is suspected of betraying the nation. Hitting theaters on March 14, 2025, folks who saw an early screening of the film have thus far had nothing but good things to say about it on social media.

Taking to X, Drew Taylor from The Wrap calls Black Bag one of Soderbergh's "very best," while also adding that it's "a tense, taut, crackling spy movie whose note-perfect script by David Koepp is equal parts Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Mission: Impossible.

Quick Links'The Recruit' Is a Huge Hit on NetflixWhat Is 'The Night Manager' About?John le Carré Remains the Preeminent Spy Storyteller

Season 2 of Netflix's flashy legal-spy drama The Recruit has shot to the top of the most-viewed charts following its January 30, 2025, bow. While the show has drawn acclaim for Noah Centineo's charms as CIA newbie Owen Hendricks learning the tricks of the trade, the premise hardly reinvents the espionage genre. For spy-hards looking for a more mature and genuine depiction of spycraft and international espionage, look no further than the BBC One/Prime Video adaptation of John la Carre's The Night Manager.

Following a near-decade-long absence, The Night Manager has been officially renewed for a second season on Prime Video, with original cast members Olivia Colman and Alistair Petrie set to reprise their roles. Between the best spy author on record, the superb cast, and top-notch direction,...

Anil Kapoor Celebrates 2 Years of The Night Manager with BTS SnapsAnil Kapoor just lit up Instagram, celebrating the two-year anniversary of The Night Manager, and fans are loving it! Since its debut in 2023, the show has been a massive hit with both viewers and critics.

To celebrate, Anil shared a bunch of behind-the-scenes shots featuring his co-stars Aditya Roy Kapur and Sobhita Dhulipala. These pics offer a fun peek into the show’s production and have fans buzzing with excitement.

One standout photo shows Anil giving Aditya a cheeky kiss, while another captures him with Sobhita and the show’s creator, Sandeep Modi. He even included a snap of the Emmy nomination certificate, which is pretty cool!

Fans have been pouring into the comments with their love and congratulations. One fan exclaimed, “Wow, two years already! The Night Manager is still one of my all-time favorites!” Another chimed in, “Anil sir,...

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The Recruit is a spy action adventure and comedy-drama series created by Alexi Hawley. The Netflix series follows Owen Hendricks, a young man, as he begins working for the CIA as a lawyer and soon finds himself in the middle of a dangerous situation after a dangerous woman threatens to expose the CIA’s highly classified secrets if he doesn’t fulfill her demands. The Recruit stars Noah Centineo, Laura Haddock, Aarti Mann, Colton Dunn, Fivel Stewart, Daniel Quincy Annoh, Kristian Bruun, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Teo Yoo, and Kaylah Zander. So, if you loved the thrilling action, hilarious comedy, and compelling characters in The Recruit, here are some similar shows you should check out next.

Slow Horses (Apple TV+ & Prime Video Add-On) Credit – Apple TV+

Slow Horses is a British spy action thriller and dark comedy-drama series created by Will Smith.

Tales of secret agents and conspiracies are becoming more popular on television. In recent months, fans have been treated to amazing shows like Black Doves, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and The Agency (the American adaptation of the French thrillerLe Bureau des Légendes), among others.

In film, the genre has always been popular. It began to flourish during the two World Wars, where counterintelligence was crucial in victories. Later, during the Cold War, spy work was essential in preventing another major global conflict. Even better, talented authors like Ian Fleming and John le Carré preferred the genre, so Hollywood and other film industries always had somewhere to look.

Ideally, spy tales need to play out for more minutes (or on more pages), for them to be intriguing, and in the age of streaming services, television has proved to be the perfect platform. Most importantly, today’s espionage stories aren’t monotonous.

HBOsChernobyl released in 2019 to rave reviews from critics. A disturbing portrayal of one of the worst nuclear disasters in history, it examined the events leading up to the accident, efforts to contain it, and its social and political aftermath. Viewers got to experience the entire timeline from numerous perspectives, including the scientist trying to solve the problem, workers who risked their lives to help, and regular people who found themselves in danger of radiation poisoning. While much of the narrative was about the scientific side of the incident, what Chernobyl revealed about politics in the Soviet Union was even more terrifying.

Fans of Chernobyl got to see that, while the nuclear meltdown was directly caused by technical failures at the power plant, these failures were rooted in Soviet culture and its authoritarian government. From the prioritizing of image over substance to the fear of taking responsibility and purges of perceived enemies,...

Kathy Burke may be on the screen for less than ten minutes in Tomas Alfredson’s 2011 remake of John le Carre spy thriller Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, but in a cast studded with big names — among them Academy Award winners Gary Oldman and Colin Firth, two-time Academy Award nominee John Hurt, and Emmy winner Benedict Cumberbatch — her performance is one of the most accomplished, and one of the most consequential. Playing sacked intelligence analyst Connie Sachs, her big scene opposite Gary Oldman’s Smiley gives the audience their first real insight into the way British intelligence worked at the height of the Cold War.

War can be one of the most challenging times for civilians and soldiers in any country. Many harrowing stories have emerged from battlefields and the aftermath of conflict. While wars are usually initiated for specific reasons, the consequences negatively impact all those involved. Widespread deaths, severe physical and mental trauma, and the displacement of civilians are just a few of the many repercussions of war.

Numerous animated films have been created against the backdrop of war, depicting moments during conflicts or the aftermath. While some stories highlight heroism, many narrate sad and realistic tales inspired by true events. In the realm of animation, some of the most poignant films revolve around the sadness of war.

Related Gary Oldman's 14-Year-Old Cold War Thriller Is 1 of the Best Spy Movies Ever Made

The Cold War drama Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a superb adaptation of the John le Carré novel and...

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The Night Agent is a conspiracy action thriller drama series created by Shawn Ryan. Based on the novel of the same name by Matthew Quirk, the Netflix series follows FBI agent Peter Sutherland as he begins his job at the White House, but he soon finds himself embroiled in a vast conspiracy involving people high up in the current administration. The Night Agent stars Gabriel Basso, Luciane Buchanan, Fola Evans-Akingbola, Sarah Desjardins, Eve Harlow, and Phoenix Raei. So, if you loved the intense story, thrilling action, and compelling characters in The Night Agent, here are some similar shows you should check out next.

Jack Ryan (Prime Video) Credit – Prime Video

Jack Ryan is a spy action thriller drama series created by Carlton Cuse and Graham Roland. Based on the characters created by Tom Clancy, the Prime Video series follows Jack Ryan,...

The spy thriller is a popular genre with countless films, plenty of major hits, and several long-running franchises. Secret agents like Jason Bourne and Mission: Impossible's Ethan Hunt are major American action heroes and, of course, James Bond remains the most iconic British spy. In 2011, however, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy gave audiences a different type of spy drama and a protagonist that easily rivals these other classics. The film is certainly slower and less action-packed than other movies in the genre and Garry Oldman's George Smiley isn't tough or suave like Bourne or Bond but, over two decades later, it's still one of the best spy thrillers of all time.

Set primarily in London in the early 1970s, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy focuses on the inner workings of British intelligence and counter-intelligence during the Cold War. Garry Oldman stars as George Smiley, a former senior official in "The Circus,...

Get the latest scoop on everything you need to know about today’s Jeopardy! episode airing on Wednesday, 22 January 2025 including the Final Jeopardy, contestants and today’s winner!

Today’s Final Jeopardy 1/22/2025 (From Real Life to Fiction) – Wednesday, 22 January 2025

These 2 British authors based characters – Dikko Henderson & Old Craw – on Richard Hughes, Journalist & Double Agent

Today’s Final Jeopardy Answer – Wednesday, 22 January 2025

The Final Jeopardy Answer is: Ian Fleming and John le Carré

Today’s Results & Who Won Jeopardy! Tonight – Wednesday, 22 January 2025

The results of today’s game will be updated when it airs – warning: spoilers below!

Returning ChampionContestantContestant Marko Saric

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Math Professor

Final Score: $11,600

Round 2 Score: $5,800

Round 1 Score: $3,000Mehal Shah

Seattle, Washington

Software Engineer

Winning Score: $13,799

Round 2 Score: $19,800

Round 1 Score: $7,400Paul Clauson

Madison Heights, Michigan

Tax Analyst

Final Score: $9,900

Round 2 Score: $12,400

Round 1 Score: $2,000 Final Jeopardy Video & Today’s Highlights Jeopardy! Recaps

Final Jeopardy 1/22/25 (From Real Life...

Find out everything you need to know about the Jeopardy! Wednesday, 22 January 2025 episode, including the Final Jeopardy, answer and who won Jeopardy tonight!

Today’s Final Jeopardy – Wednesday, 22 January 2025

The Final Jeopardy for the Wednesday, 22 January 2025 episode is as follows:

Today's Final Jeopardy From Real Life to Fiction - These 2 British authors based characters – Dikko Henderson & Old Craw – on Richard Hughes, Journalist & Double Agent Today’s Final Jeopardy Answer – Wednesday, 22 January 2025

The answer for Today’s Final Jeopardy for the Wednesday, 22 January 2025 episode is:

Final Jeopardy Answer Who are Ian Fleming and John le Carré? Who Won Jeopardy Tonight? – Wednesday, 22 January 2025

Looking to find out how the contestants did on Wednesday, 22 January 2025? Find out all the contestant scores below.

Returning ChampionContestantContestant Marko Saric

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Math Professor

Final Score: $11,600

Round 2 Score: $5,800

Round 1 Score: $3,000Mehal Shah

Seattle, Washington

Software Engineer

Winning Score: $13,799

Round 2 Score: $19,800

Round 1 Score: $7,400Paul Clauson

Madison Heights,...

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One of the coolest and most beloved sub-genres for thriller, action, and drama fans is the spy genre, and there’s a good reason. In a spy film or series, we get complicated and cool characters who put their lives on the line by going against numerous people, and instead of always letting their guns talk, they use more covert tactics, which are always thrilling to watch. So, Prime Video being what it is, it has a large library of content, and also some of the best spy shows you can find, and that’s what inspired us to compile a list of the best spy shows you can watch on Prime Video right now.

Citadel: Honey Bunny Credit – Prime Video

Citadel: Honey Bunny is an Indian spy action thriller drama series created by Sita R. Menon.

When the best James Bond movie ever made, "Casino Royale," debuted in 2006, it introduced audiences to a new, rugged, and much more grounded version of the famous spy. Gone were the elaborate Q gadgets and impossible-to-escape death traps. In fact, Q as a character was removed from the films entirely. All these Bond trademarks would find their way back into the franchise with 2012's "Skyfall" — still the biggest Bond movie ever, despite not being very good — but for "Casino Royale," they were eschewed in favor of a cinematic realism that rendered Bond's origin in suitably gritty terms.

But by the time Daniel Craig's tenure as Bond ended, much of that tasteful restraint had been abandoned — a fact never more obvious than when Eon Productions and director Cary Fukunaga decided to have Craig's formerly grounded spy killed off by an entire cluster of missiles at the end of "No Time to Die.

2024 for Hindi movies was like a kickback to the countless number of Box-office turners we got last year. After the sheer storm that movies like Pathaan, Jawan, Animal, and Gadar 2 brought out at the Box Office (their questionable quality aside), 2024 turned out to be a year where Hindi cinema got its mojo back – in particular the little gems that often go unnoticed.

Sure there was the usual pile of absolute garbage across all fronts and genres, but this year could be seen as a slightly better outing for Bollywood. Thanks in large part to some small-budgeted fares that had minor ambitions and even minor Box office runs. However, for those of us who like to go out of our way to get to the core of such movies, it was a good time.

In the following list, I’d like to point out those movies that were competently made,...

Years after the first season of the BBC spy drama The Night Manager aired, season 2 was officially announced with Tom Hiddleston returning. Based on the book by MI6 intelligence officer turned novelist John le Carré, The Night Manager was adapted for the small screen by Hanna creator David Farr and directed by Bird Box helmer Susanne Bier. The series brought together some of Britain’s finest acting talents with Tom Hiddleston playing Jonathan Pine, a luxury hotel night manager and former soldier who is roped into infiltrating arms dealer Richard Roper’s (Hugh Laurie) inner circle.

The first season of The Night Manager received widespread critical acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic and the series went on to win three Golden Globes, two Emmys, and three BAFTAs. Although the first season covered almost all of John le Carré’s novel, the success of The Night Manager left viewers wanting more.

Francophiles, adventurous TV viewers, and those prone to scoffing at streamer algorithms may remember the first time they came across The Bureau, a drama set within the General Directorate for External Security (in French, the Dgse). Actor-director Matthieu Kassovitz played Guillaume Debailly — code name: Malotru — a spy who’d abruptly come in from the cold after a six-year undercover stint in Syria. He’s attempting to adjust to life out of the field and back in the office; like his mission, his romantic relationship with a history professor from Damascus...

Big Brit stars including Tom Hiddleston, Tamara Lawrance and Walking Dead star Andrew Lincoln are set to grace the small screen next year. Here, we round up the biggest shows coming out of the UK in 2025, as The Night Manager returns, Steven Knight’s latest drops and, just maybe, the next big hit launches. Read on, and feel free to add your own thoughts in the comments section.

‘The Night Manager’

Tom Hiddleston’s Jonathan Pine is back baby, and he’ll be on TV for a little while. A supercharged double-season order of one of the shows that defined TV’s golden era was actioned earlier this year and Season 2 will land in 2k25 with a brand new director in I Hate Suzie’s Georgi Banks-Davies and new American co-producer in Prime Video, which replaces AMC. Last seen in the back of a paddy wagon driven...

As much as we enjoy James Bond movies, we have to admit that their portrayal of the spy world is patently ludicrous. Respectfully, it's always been primarily a masculine power fantasy that treats being a spy like being a superhero, and has no bearing on what actual spycraft is like. As opposed to Ian Fleming's approach to spy literature, John le Carré's approach was relatively more accurate and grounded (while still not being quite a documentary). Le Carré used his real-world experience serving in MI5 and MI6 to inspire his novels, leading to some of the most authentically detailed spy stories ever written. One of his best books was adapted into a prestige film in 2011, which is one of the reasons why Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy became one of the best spy films ever made.

50: Wolverine (v1) #87 W: Larry Hama P: Adam Kubert I: Dan Green C:Marie Javins

This issue was never not going to make the list. I choose it because it centres around Maverick but of course, it is a Wolverine story first and foremost. When I got into collecting Wolverine comics one of the things I wanted to learn about first was the history of Team X. In that regard this issue delivers as it alternates between the past and present. In te present Maverick has contracted the Legacy Virus and is attempting to trick Wolverine into killing him. The flashbacks reveal how Maverick would go to any lengths to complete a mission after Sabretooth has sabotaged their exit route. There are elements in this story that are touched upon in novels and cartoons that I had read before this issue, so to see it in comics was very cool.

It is pleasing to see how effortlessly director Steven Soderbergh makes the kind of of low-key espionage potboilers Black Bag, or previously with Michael Fassbender, Haywire, seem.  Collaborating again with screenwriter David Koepp this spy drama about George Woodhouse (Fassbender) and his wife Kathryn (Cate Blanchett) who work separately, and together, get pitted against each other by government agency paranoia.  The trailer dropped today, and feels like the right blend between modern day James Bond, and a more grounded and dour John le Carré, without any obvious sacrifices in entertainment or intelligence.   Black Bag comes out via the steadfastly reliable Focus Features in March 2025....

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...