The best spy shows on TV

From Prime Target to Slow Horses, these are the most gripping espionage shows on television

Luciane Buchanan plays Rose Larkin in spy show The Night Agent
Luciane Buchanan plays Rose Larkin in spy show The Night Agent
(Image credit: Christopher Saunders / Netflix)

Espionage has long been a "fixture on film", said Michael Hogan in The Telegraph. But "state secrets" and "surveillance" also make a "fascinating backdrop" for a TV show.

It doesn't take an undercover agent to notice just how many spy shows have "infiltrated" the streaming giants recently, said Nadia Khomami in The Guardian. Many of these thrillers feature "flawed" protagonists facing a "shadowy threat" from within their own ranks.

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Irenie Forshaw is a features writer at The Week, covering arts, culture and travel. She began her career in journalism at Leeds University, where she wrote for the student newspaper, The Gryphon, before working at The Guardian and The New Statesman Group. Irenie then became a senior writer at Elite Traveler, where she oversaw The Experts column.