10 Best Spy Shows Of All Time, Ranked

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Espionage has always been popular on both the page and the screen. Whether it's an epic war story that involves someone going undercover behind enemy lines, or following a more direct mission between an assassin and their solo target, we just love to see all the sneaking around and double crossing that is inherent in spy fiction — or, at times, spy stories based on real events.

While there is no shortage of films about spies, including one starring Tom Cruise that spawned a nearly $5 billion franchise, even the best spy movies can sometimes be limited by their format. On the other hand, spy-centered TV shows and miniseries have so much more room to spread out and really dig deep. Characters are better developed, twists and turns feel more satisfyingly earned, and missions don't have to be simplified in order to be solved in two hours.

These shows all make good on that potential, taking audiences on the kind of thrilling espionage ride that can only unfold over weeks, months, or in some cases, years. They were chosen and ranked utilizing a combination of critic and audience scores, with the former taking into account both original reception and subsequent reappraisal for older entries.

• Cast: Guy Pearce, Damian Lewis, Anna Maxwell Martin
• Director: Nick Murphy
• Number of episodes: 6
• Where to watch: MGM+, Britbox 

In the introduction, we alluded to spy shows based on true stories — and that's exactly what we are kicking this list off with. The 2022 miniseries "A Spy Among Friends" is based on Ben Macintyre's 2014 book "A Spy Among Friends: Kim Philby and the Great Betrayal," which tells the story of Philby, the real life journalist-turned-British-intelligence-officer who was later revealed to be secretly leaking sensitive information to the Soviet Union. The book, like the miniseries, not only covers Philby's actions, but examines the way they came to affect those closest to him.

Guy Pearce portrays Philby, with Damian Lewis as Philby's friend and colleague Nicholas Elliott. They shine as the main leads of "A Spy Among Friends," a slow-burn six-parter that might not bring the big action or thrilling drama typically inherent in spy fiction, but excels because of that fact. This one is for fans of deeply cerebral intrigue that rewards a patient viewer, not for those looking for the instant gratification of cool gadgets and sexy double crosses.

• Cast: Patrick Macnee, Diana Rigg, Honor Blackman
• Creator: Sydney Newman
• Number of episodes: 161 (some of which are now considered lost)
• Where to watch: Plex

Of course, the spy genre isn't all serious. In fact, some of the most beloved spy fiction of all time is that which leans more on the fun side — and no, we aren't strictly talking about "Austin Powers" and other such parodies. The "James Bond" movies, for instance, have long had fun with the tenants of the genre, especially back in the Sean Connery and Roger Moore eras. And for those looking for a spy show cut from that same cloth, look no further than "The Avengers." Insert obligatory reminder that we aren't talking about Marvel's "Avengers" here.

"The Avengers" and '60s and '70s era Bond are so closely related that two Bond girls are part of the cast of this show: Diana Rigg and Honor Blackman. They play Emma Peel and Catherine Gale, respectively, two of the secret agent partners of spy protagonist John Steed (Patrick Macnee). Initially, the main character was Dr. David Keel (Ian Hendry), who became a secret agent to avenge the murder of his fiancée and was being helped in that endeavor by Steed. But once Hendry left the series, the focus was switched to Steed and his assistants.

"The Avengers" is as close as we've gotten thus far to a 007 TV show, only it followed the opposite creative direction of the films in that it started as more of a gritty crime show, eventually morphing into the delightfully campy romp that would define its legacy.

• Cast: Jodie Comer, Sandra Oh, Fiona Shaw
• Creator: Phoebe Waller-Bridge
• Number of episodes: 32
• Where to watch: Paramount+

Disgraced MI5 officer Eve Polastri (Sandra Oh) becomes an unofficial secret agent for MI6 to help them track down one of the most dangerous assassins in the world. That assassin, known as Villanelle (Jodie Comer), soon becomes more than a job for Eve — she becomes an obsession. An obsession which, it turns out, eventually goes both ways. Thus begins the extremely complicated cat and mouse game at the center of "Killing Eve," the sexy dark comedy spy thriller than ran for four seasons on BBC America.

"Killing Eve" would've finished much higher on this list if it maintained the extremely high quality of its first two seasons. And, more importantly, if it didn't end with a series finale that received massive backlash and was labeled a betrayal to its fans. But its excellent first two seasons and good third season more than justify the show's inclusion among the best spy shows of all time — especially since many fans consider Season 3's finale to be a satisfying conclusion to Eve and Villanelle's story, and recommend that newcomers just stop there and pretend that Season 4 doesn't exist.

• Cast: Peter Graves, Barbara Bain, Greg Morris
• Creator: Bruce Geller
• Number of episodes: 171
• Where to watch: Paramount+

Any movie or TV show you've seen in the last 60 years that is built around carefully executed manipulation using disguises, gadgets, and crafty psychological trickery owes more than a little gratitude to "Mission: Impossible." Whereas so many other spy shows around that time were just trying to replicate the specific vibe and sense of cool of James Bond, "Mission: Impossible" forged its own path in the genre. In doing so, it blazed the trail for anyone wanting to create spy fiction that wasn't about suave English gentlemen wooing beautiful women, but still wanted it to ooze style.

From the iconic "your mission, should you choose to accept it" line that kicked off most episodes, to a theme song so engrained in pop culture that you know it even if you've never seen the show, "Mission: Impossible" has contributed greatly to the zeitgeist. It created so strong and so timeless of a foundation that it was one of the rare '60s shows to be successfully revived on the big screen decades later — something that several other shows on this list tried and failed miserably at.

• Cast: Don Adams, Barbara Feldon, Edward Platt
• Creators: Mel Brooks, Buck Henry
• Number of episodes: 138
• Where to watch: Amazon Prime, Apple TV

Just as James Bond was inspiring a full-fledged movie franchise and Inspector Clouseau was laying the foundation for multiple generations of spy spoofs, "Get Smart" hit television as a perfect send-up and tribute to both. A fact about Mel Brooks you might not know is that he co-created "Get Smart" with filmmaker Buck Henry, and the show has all the hallmarks of a great Brooks comedy, clearly coming from a place of love and reverence for the works it is poking fun at. That is far too often lost in lesser genre spoofs, which miss the point when they come across as laughing at their source material, rather than with it.

Don Adams plays Maxwell Smart (also known as Agent 86), who doesn't seem particularly skilled at being a secret agent and only ever solves cases by accident. Well, he does so with the help of his partner, Agent 99 (Barbara Feldon), the actual brains and skill behind the operation. "Get Smart" rightfully earned a number of Emmys during its run for writing, directing, and Adams' performance as Maxwell.

Adams would later voice the titular character on the animated series "Inspector Gadget," a great spy show in its own right that we would've easily included if this had been a top 20 list.

• Cast: Joe Cole, Lucy Boynton, Tom Hollander
• Director: James Watkins
• Number of episodes: 6
• Where to watch: AMC+

In terms of all the other shows on this list that have a film namesake, the show came first. However, the reverse happened with "The Ipcress File," which was first a 1965 film before eventually being made into a 2022 miniseries. Both are based on the 1962 novel of the same name by Len Deighton, which kicked off a prolific career of spy stories from the author that stretched well into the '90s and saw a handful of other screen adaptations.

Rather than try to set it in the modern era, 2022's "The Ipcress File" remained in 1963. That choice also carried over into the series' overall vibe, which felt like a throwback spy story in the best possible way. While the most recent run of "James Bond" movies have all taken place in the modern day, it's nice to see a throwback to the classic Cold War era of spy fiction.

Actor Joe Cole had some big shoes to fill in playing intelligence agent Harry Palmer, previously played by the great Michael Caine across the original film and several follow ups. But he holds his own in this fun and stylish homage to '60s British spy stories.

• Cast: Gary Oldman, Jack Lowden, Kristin Scott Thomas
• Creator: Will Smith
• Number of episodes (so far): 30
• Where to watch: Apple TV

Other than some guest spots here and there, Gary Oldman hadn't done any significant television work in about 14 years when he was announced as the lead in Apple TV's spy series "Slow Horses." In an exclusive interview with Looper, Oldman explained why the show brought him to the small screen: "I love watching series. I love watching television and was hoping to maybe find something to have a go at long-form. This came in and it seemed like the perfect [fit]. It all came together."

Oldman also spoke of how much fun it is to play Jackson Lamb, the protagonist of "Slow Horses." Lamb is indeed one of the best television characters in years, the complete opposite of the smooth, charming archetype that typically fronts a spy thriller. Lamb wears wrinkled clothes, he never seems to brush his hair, and he thinks nothing of expelling gas as it suits him. But he is ultimately incredibly skilled at his job, and is a great boss to his team of agents that consists of people who were deemed as rejects and were shuffled off to desk work — but ultimately prove that they are better agents than they were given credit for.

As of this writing, "Slow Horses" has had five incredible seasons that haven't seen any dip in quality, with at least two more already greenlit.

• Cast: Jonas Nay, Maria Schrader, Ulrich Noethen
• Creators: Anna Winger, Joerg Winger
• Number of episodes: 26
• Where to watch: Apple TV

Most of the focus thus far has been on the more classic version of spy fiction — dealing with crafty secret agents, shifty assassins, and shocking double crosses — as well as the place where spy fiction overlaps with crime drama. But one of the best spy shows of all time covers a sometimes underappreciated facet of the genre, dealing with espionage as it occurs on wartime battlefields. And that is depicted in the excellent "Deutschland 83," "Deutschland 86," and "Deutschland 89," each season titled after the year in which it takes place.

Jonas Nay plays Martin Rauch, an East German soldier who secretly infiltrates the West German military while assuming the identity of a dead lieutenant. Without giving too much away, as twists and turns are a big part of what makes this series so fun to watch, Rauch is then drawn back into action for various reasons in the subsequent two seasons — each time, needing to go undercover or work in secret in some capacity.

The "Deutschland" trilogy leans heavily into its era setting, not only the geopolitical strife but also the pop culture of the time. The '80s are a somewhat untapped era for spy shows — and the spy fiction that was actually released during that decade is often badly aged camp — which is one of the many things that makes this series special.

• Cast: Claire Danes, Mandy Patinkin, Damian Lewis
• Creators: Alex Gansa, Howard Gordon
• Number of episodes: 96
• Where to watch: Netflix, Hulu

"Homeland" is one of those shows that has its own dedicated Wikipedia page just for the awards it has won (and been nominated for), if that clues you into how acclaimed it was during its eight-season run. Equally impressive is that, despite lasting longer than most spy shows at this level of production, it remained critically acclaimed throughout, with its final season managing a strong 85% on Rotten Tomatoes.

As for the premise of "Homeland," we don't want to give too much away in case you haven't seen it yet. Where the show goes, and what these characters do as the seasons go on, is the type of stuff you don't see coming until it happens. But the basic conceit is that CIA agent Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) becomes convinced that a well-respected congressman and highly decorated former Marine sergeant (Damian Lewis) is secretly conspiring with al-Qaeda against the United States.

Naturally, nobody believes her, so she takes to investigating him on her own — and thus begins some of the most intense and well-crafted cat-and-mouse psychological warfare ever seen on television in any genre.

• Cast: Keri Russell, Matthew Rhys, Keidrich Sellati
• Creator: Joe Weisberg
• Number of episodes: 75
• Where to watch: Disney+

A lot of the secret agents in spy fiction blur the lines of morality in the name of completing their mission. That sort of goes with the territory. However, the brilliance of "The Americans" is that it takes that conceit several steps further by making the main protagonists be KGB spies who are embedded in the U.S. as a mild-mannered couple as they lie, cheat, and kill in the name of their motherland. Few spy shows or movies follow the POV of the "bad guys," which is one of the many reasons why "The Americans" is unlike anything else in the genre.

While Elizabeth/Nadezhda (Keri Russell) and Philip/Mischa (Matthew Rhys) do objectively bad things, the show still remarkably avoids taking sides. You never fully love or hate the couple, and find yourself condemning some of their actions while supporting others. Much of this stems from the characters themselves questioning what is asked of them and not always being entirely sure if their actions are truly noble.

Calling "The Americans" one of the best TV shows of the 2010s is praise that shouldn't be taken lightly, given how many incredible series lived in that decade. But it isn't just one of the best spy shows, or the best shows of the 2010s. "The Americans" is one of TV's all-time greatest dramas, period.