Since I make spy video games, I've spent quite a bit of time researching the spy genre in all media. Here are my picks for the best spy TV shows, including both dramas and comedies. If you'd like to see my spy picks in other media, links are provided at the very end.

Last updated: August 2024

Dramas

• Mission: Impossible

An elite group of agents is assembled every episode for a new mission.  Their methods are complex but their goal simple - accomplish an objective without leaving a trace.  Generally, you can expect a good dose of impersonation, con artistry, gaslighting, and other forms of trickery but hardly any violence aside from a punch here or there.  Fair warning: this show from the 1960's is not an action-heavy spectacle like the later films but is instead heavy on tension

• Jack Ryan

Perhaps the best spy show in recent years, this one focuses on an analyst-turned-field-agent.  With a thinking man rather than an action hero as the main character, rarely is this show as simple as "get the bad guy."  Stars John Krasinski (The Office) and Wendell Pierce (The Wire).  Season 2 is fairly weak and can probably be skipped if you want, but seasons 1, 3, and 4 are all top notch

• Danger Man (aka Secret Agent)

A quintessential secret agent show from the 1960's.  You've almost certainly heard the theme song "Secret Agent Man" by Johnny Rivers that was used in later seasons, but likely have not seen the excellent show from which it came.  This show focuses on a NATO secret agent who takes on a new case each episode.  He will often end up being a sort of detective or taking on a new identity to infiltrate the villain's ranks.  No matter what the case, he refuses to carry a gun and still manages to always get his man.  Early episodes are 30 minutes before it became a 60-minute show in later seasons.  There is also a pseudo-sequel limited series called The Prisoner where Patrick McGoohan plays a similar character

• The Avengers

Another classic from the golden era of 1960's spy shows.  This show features Patrick Macnee as your typical gentleman spy, alongside a series of different female spies over the show's run.  His most common co-stars are Honor Blackmon and Diana Rigg, who went on to play two of the most renowned Bond girls in Goldfinger and On Her Majesty's Secret Service, respectively.  Note that the show began in black-and-white before later episodes were broadcast in color

• Alias

Whereas the other shows on this list tend to focus only on the work life of the spy, Alias not only has thrilling spy missions but also gives equal weight to the personal life of the main character played by Jennifer Garner.  She struggles to maintain the relationships in her life when she can't be honest with them and sometimes even gets called away at the drop of a hat.  As such, Alias remains the best pick for those who like a mix of spy intrigue and more relatable personal problems

• Turn: Washington's Spies

Spywork is not something exclusive to modern times - this show depicts life during the American Revolution, mostly focusing on the Culper spy ring that gathered intelligence for George Washington.  The main character is a simple farmer caught in the middle of a war and forced to choose sides.  Over the course of several seasons, we meet many important figures of the era, such as George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Benedict Arnold, and the King of England, but at its heart, this is a show about how an ordinary individual can conduct spywork that proves pivotal in the course of history

• The Americans

Another period drama (this one set during the Reagan-era Cold War), two KGB agents live undercover lives as a married couple in the Washington DC suburbs.  This show was hailed as one of the best on TV when it aired in the 2010's

• Mr. and Mrs. Smith

A similar premise to The Americans, this show featuring Donald Glover and Maya Erskine (not to be confused with the film of the same name with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie) is about two people who agree to take jobs posing as a married couple to go on spy missions together.  Note that this is quite different from the premise of the film Mr. and Smith where Pitt and Jolie worked for rival agencies and did not know the other was a spy when they got together - here, Glover and Erskine are on the same team and are both in on the spy shenanigans together.  As of 2024, there has only been one season so far, but it was Emmy nominated for Best Drama and Glover and Erskine each received a nomination for Lead Actor/Actress in a Drama Series (the Emmys take place in September 2024, so no winners have been announced yet)

• Homeland

A CIA agent played by Claire Danes suffers from bipolar disorder, which is both her greatest strength and her greatest weakness.  Is she spotting patterns which others cannot see or is she seeing things that aren't really there?  This is the closest to an unreliable narrator in a spy TV show, which makes for some gripping drama, especially as the main character's feelings toward her target complicate the situation further

• 24

Definitely an action-heavy pick compared to most shows on this list.  Kiefer Sutherland stars as a member of a fictional counter-terrorist unit who is always seemingly experiencing the worst day of his professional life.  Every season is 24 episodes corresponding to 24 hours in real-time, wherein a terrorist plot is unfolding and only federal agent Jack Bauer is capable of preventing it.  And in a post-9/11 world, he will stop at nothing to save the day.  This is not a show for the squeamish on account of the violence, but it does present some intriguing filmmaking alongside the pulse-pounding action, with simultaneous shots reminding you of where each character is and a ticking clock that never lets you forget that disaster could be just around the next corner

• Spooks (aka MI-5)

This is essentially a British take on 24 and somehow even more intense.  Each one-hour episode is essentially a self-contained movie unlike 24's serialized storytelling, and this show does not shy away from devastating consequences.  There are ten seasons plus a film called MI-5, but as a British show, the seasons are shorter than American shows like 24, so it's not as many episodes as that might lead you to believe.   If you start from the beginning, you'll see Matthew Macfadyen (Succession, Deadpool & Wolverine) as the lead character in one of his earliest roles

• The Night Manager

Tom Hiddleston stars as a night manager at a hotel who gets drawn in to the spy game.  After a murder at his hotel, he moves away and leaves his old life behind, but years later, a handler played by Olivia Colman recruits him to get close to the man responsible, played by Hugh Laurie.  This is perhaps the closest any TV show has gotten to putting James Bond on the small screen, as our spy gallivants around the globe with his new frenemy, trying to find a way to take the whole operation down from the inside.  This six-episode miniseries came out in 2016, but in 2024, it was announced The Night Manager would get two additional seasons, with Hiddleston returning to reprise his role

• Burn Notice

A more light-hearted take than most any other spy drama listed here, this show follows a former spy who has been burned (i.e. spy-talk for fired) and is stuck in Miami.  He spends his time taking on local cases like a private detective (of course using his spy skills to complete each case) so he can build a war chest and use that money to find out who burned him.  This was part of the USA channel line-up including shows like Monk and Psych, so it's a pretty breezy watch, but along the way, the main character narrates his actions, making it the best show on this list for picking up a spy trick or two you can use in your own life

• The Old Man

Nearly every other spy show on this list is about a spy actively in the game and in top form.  This show starring Jeff Bridges is about a spy long out of the game but forced back to his usual tricks when old events come to light.  It also stars John Lithgow, and the first season was excellent but ends on a cliffhanger which initially made it hard to recommend.  However, the show returns for season two in September 2024, so I can now wholeheartedly recommend checking it out

• Condor

An TV adaptation of the film Three Days of the Condor and the novel Six Days of the Condor, this updates the story of a young CIA analyst on the run for the current era.  Here, the neophyte analyst has created an algorithm that identifies potential terrorists and terrorist attacks before they can happen (think Minority Report or Person of Interest) only to become a target himself.  They keep a few of the plot points and lines of dialogue from the film, but there's enough new here to check this one out even if you've seen the Robert Redford film.  William Hurt (The Incredible Hulk and subsequent Marvel films) in particular puts in an excellent performance in this series

• Berlin Station

Here we have a show about American intelligence agents station abroad in Berlin, as the title states.  Interestingly, this show depicts both nations largely on the same side as they each try to track down a whistleblower who has leaked documents about spies all around the world but who has recently taken a particular interest in exposing the secrets of those stationed in Berlin.  Can they identify and stop the leaks before career-ending revelations are completely in the open?

• Andor

Star Wars is full of spywork, and this prequel series to Rogue One is a stellar example of a spy show.  On one side, we have Cassian Andor (Diego Luna, reprising his role from the film Rogue One) as a rebel spy recruited to sabotage an Empire stronghold.  On the other side, we have the Empire seeking to stamp out resistance fighters before they can become a bona fide network capable of causing real trouble.  This is a side of Star Wars without Jedi vs. Sith and without the Force, so don't let the Star Wars wrapper fool you - this is a genuine spy show

• Person of Interest

This is not technically a spy show, but it checks all the boxes for me.  Each episode, a team of two people - one an eccentric billionaire programmer and the other a boots-on-the-ground ex-special forces type - receive a social security number for a person of interest.  They do not know whether this person is going to be a victim or perpetrator, but they do know that there will be a serious crime that is somehow related to this person.  From there, they work outside the law to engage in all manner of spycraft, including but not limited to hacking the person's electronic devices, breaking into their home to have a look around, or even simply tailing them on the street - all to prevent a murder, kidnapping, blackmail, or who knows what from taking place.  At first, each episode is a self-contained story before later on delving into serialized storytelling.  An excellent show all around

• Counterpart

This is a science fiction take on spycraft where there exist two parallel worlds, and each world distrusts the other, with agents set to spy on the alternate world.  In short, this show takes the phrase "the other side" to new heights.  It also includes a terrific performance from JK Simmons as the central character whose life has gone in completely different directions in each world

• Spycraft

The only documentary series on this list, this Netflix show discusses real-world spycraft techniques and cases.  The later episodes get a bit repetitive discussing some of the same situations from different angles, but overall, this is a great look at some declassified cases with commentary from people who worked at intelligence agencies

Comedies

• Get Smart

This TV show from the 1960's is the top of the heap when it comes to spy comedy TV programs.  In a never-ending battle between the good guys in CONTROL and the evildoers in KAOS, good-natured but bumbling CONTROL agent Maxwell Smart is partnered with a far superior female colleague, Agent 99.  This is a very funny show that does well with both wordplay and slapstick physical comedy.  The first episode is in black-and-white, but don't let that fool you - every episode after that is in color

• Archer

In this animated comedy, the suave secret agent Sterling Archer is the top man at an independent spy agency.  An agency run by his mother, no less.  And where his partner in the field is his ex.  Which is to say, this is a spy show by way of the workplace comedy, where there's always a mission, and there's always office bickering.  Everyone gets on each other's nerves in hilarious ways - I guess when the world is at stake, tensions run high and consideration for your fellow office workers becomes an afterthought

• Chuck

A guy named Chuck is stuck in a dead-end Geek Squad-type job until he one day opens up an email from his old college roommate and his life is forever changed.  Upon opening that email, he's exposed to all the information the US government's spy agencies currently possess, and it's all stored in the depths of his brain.  The CIA and NSA each assign him handlers, and he instantly becomes the US government's top asset.  The only problem - he's still stuck working his dead-end job and has to keep this new life a secret from his closest friends and family.  So it's basically a comedic take on Alias where the main character lives a double life and has to keep the spy life from encroaching on their normal workaday life.  But it's a great setup for some fish-out-of-water spy comedy as well as some nerd humor at his day job

• Slow Horses

Whereas most spy media focus on an agency's top operative - the sort that every man wants to be and every woman wants to be with - this show (adapted from a series of novels) focuses on those at the bottom rung of the ladder.  Here, the main characters are the spies who have disgraced themselves and who have been sent off to the far reaches of the intelligence community in a division known as Slow House (the people themselves are Slow Horses).  What we're left with is "what if 24, but instead of Jack Bauer, it's a group of people who are terrible at their job?" where impending terrorist activity somehow ends up in the lap of these castoffs.  Their one saving grace is their leader - a well-regarded but apathetic spymaster played by Gary Oldman - who works with what little he's given to attempt to avert disaster.  A very funny show where whenever you think they've finally made a positive move, it's always one step forward and two steps back.  Though be warned, this show does include some violence akin to what you'd find on 24 in order to establish the villains as credible threats

• Leverage

This is not technically a spy show, but it carries many of the same elements and is a worthwhile inclusion.  A group of criminals - one grifter, one bruiser, one hacker, one thief, and one mastermind - come together to use their skills for good.  Each episode they take on a case where an innocent civilian has been done wrong - something that is just on the "right" side of the law but clearly morally wrong (e.g. a small business owner turns down a buyout offer only for his rent to skyrocket or a hospital patient's legitimate insurance claim is rejected).  Where the system has failed, this group steps in to provide "leverage" against those wielding power.  Through elaborate grifts, heists, and other assorted tactics, hilarity ensues, the wrongdoers are brought to justice, and order is restored.  A breezy, enjoyable case-of-the-week show

• The "You Only Move Twice" episode of the The Simpsons

This is the episode of The Simpsons where Homer gets a new job working for a megalomaniac villain named Hank Scorpio.  Only Homer has no idea he's working for a Bond villain, and Homer finds that serving as a supervisor who successfully motivates employees of the organization's nuclear division is essentially his dream job.  A standout episode of The Simpsons, and that's saying something

• The "Threat Level Midnight" episode of The Office

A mild-mannered manager at a paper company (played by Steve Carrell) has decided to write and film a spy movie, and he's cast everyone in the office in various roles.  In the resulting - and incredibly campy - spy movie, secret agent Michael Scarn (Carrell) is called on to stop the villain Goldenface (played by John Krasinski).  Which weirdly pits the actor who went on to play Maxwell Smart (Carrell) vs. the actor who went on to play Jack Ryan (Krasinski).   Still, this makes great use of the actors on The Office to cast them in different roles and even bring back some previous cast members of the show.   If you like your humor to be meta, then this is a great pick as a comedic spy movie within a comedic TV show

Well, there you go - the best spy TV shows ever made. For top-notch spy stories in other media, check out these other links below:

• The best spy video games ever made
• The best spy films ever made (dramas and comedies)
• The best spy books and graphic novels - coming soon