Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb in Slow Horses Season 2.Image via Apple TV+
By
Jessie Nguyen
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Maddie P
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Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents:
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Apple TV+'s Slow Horses follows a dysfunctional group of British intelligence officers who, as a result of their career-ending mistakes and failures, are housed at MI5's "dumping ground" department called Slough House.
It's wonderful to immerse within the Slow Horses and Espionage universe, but for fans looking for more intriguing spy drama, there are several other series like it. The British spy genre is prevalent in the program, which is adored for its slow-moving action and morally gray characters. Thankfully, there are several excellent espionage shows like Slow Horses available that fans can binge that have a similar vibe to the Apple TV+ show.
40 'Leverage' (2008–2012)
The cast of Leverage, including Gina Bellman, Aldis Hodge, Timothy Hutton, Beth Reisgaf, and Christian Kane.Image via TNT
When the disenfranchised are abused by a corrupt entity, they can get justice using the team from Leverage. The series follows an eclectic group who use their collective skills of thievery, hacking, and manipulation to even the playing field for those who are left with nowhere to turn. Led by an ex-insurance investigator, Nathan Ford (Timothy Hutton), the team of experts can steal, sabotage, or ruin the most powerful for the little guy.
So the team on Leverage isn’t on the radar of any government intelligence agency, but as a team of intelligent people who work outside the law, the shows are similar in spirit. Each also carries a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor, although Slow Horses is far more cynical in nature. As an alternative to the elaborate plotting that covers a season of Slow Horses, Leverage allows the viewer to drop in for an episode at a time. —Brad LaCour
39 'The Assets' (2014)
Aldrich Ames adjusts his glasses in The Assets.Image via ABC
The hunt for a mole is at the center of the espionage miniseries The Assets. Set in 1984, The Assets follows the real-life hunt and capture of CIA traitor Aldrich Ames, played in the series by Paul Rhys. Jodie Whittaker stars as Sandra Grimes, A CIA officer determined to find the mole within her organization before more of the department’s assets are compromised and killed.
Based on the book Circle of Treason: A CIA Account of Traitor Aldrich Ames and the Men He Betrayed by Sandra Grimes and Jeanne Vertefeuille, The Assets offers espionage intrigue with the added knowledge that these events are, unfortunately, true. The Assets is a self-contained 8-episode miniseries, so there’s no worry of a cliffhanger going unresolved, even if the series did not complete its run on ABC before being cancelled. This type of slow-burning narrative was always destined to work better on a streamer than a Network, lending itself better to a binge than a week-to-week revisit. —Brad LaCour
38 'MI-5 (Spooks)' (2002-2011)
Matthew Macfadyen as British Intelligence officer Tom Quinn standing in a street in Spooks aka MI-5.Image via BBC
Before Matthew Macfadyen became a pain sponge on Succession, he worked for British intelligence on MI-5. The long-running spy series follows the intelligence officers who operate in the elite MI-5 counter-terrorism organization. No agent was safe from a shocking death in the fast-paced world of MI-5, where threats were ever-present, and decisions rarely offered clear moral ramifications.
MI-5 is a fairly accessible show for new viewers to jump in on, often featuring self-contained episodes, with a few narrative arcs that expanded over many weeks before they were resolved. Typical storylines covered expected spy fare like preventing high-profile terrorist attacks or current event-inspired drama while lightly diving into the agents’ personal lives. For spy fans who want a long series to devour, MI-5 has 10 seasons of clandestine drama and action to get lost in. —Brad LaCour
37 'Patriot' (2015–2018)
John Tavner (Michael Dorman) plays guitar on the street in Patriot.Image via Amazon Prime Video
If the dark humor in Slow Horses is one of its features you appreciate the most, then the Amazon series Patriot is a must-watch. Emotionally despondent spy John Tavner (Michael Dorman) is drowning in depression, but he’s pulled into a new assignment that requires him to go undercover at a piping company. When one mistake leads to another, John’s world threatens to crumble around him in a bleakly comedic way.
Patriot is as much a dark comedy as it is a spy drama, so fans of either will have a deep level of appreciation for the series. The world John exists in is almost surreal, where his abnormal job pushes him into outlandish scenarios that he drifts in and out of with a weariness that is often laugh-out-loud funny. The show’s quirkiness might have made it too niche for a general audience, but Patriot is an underappreciated gem that deserves more love. —Brad LaCour
36 'Dept. Q' (2025–)
Matthew Goode as Carl Morck center with Alexej Manvelov as Akram and Leah Byrne as Rose in Dept. Q.Image via Netflix
If a group of misfits led by an anti-social curmudgeon is your favorite niche genre, then Dept. Q will likely become a new favorite. The crime drama follows Carl Morck (Matthew Goode), a prickly detective who returns to work after nearly dying from an attack at a crime scene. When Carl’s boss assigns him to a one-person cold case division in the basement, far away from his fellow officers, he finds a case that could still have a happy ending.
There’s an underdog quality to Dept. Q that aligns well with Slow Horses, where even though no spy work is involved, the two shows draw comparisons to one another. Goode is well-cast as the acerbic but intelligent detective, revealing enough vulnerability at the right times to keep his character from being one-note. The show was an immediate hit upon its premiere, and with a Dept. Q Season 2 already in the works, this crime series could easily be a long-term fixture, with a format of each season establishing a new case. —Brad LaCour
35 'Liaison' (2023)
Liaison Image via Apple TV+
Apple TV+’s first French-English original series, Liaison, tells the story of Gabriel Delage (Vincent Cassel) and Alison Rowdy (Eva Green), two intelligence agents and former lovers, who are put together on a task force to thwart international cyberattacks threatening the world. As they combat external threats, Alison and Gabriel must also learn to confront their past demons and long-buried secrets that could prove to be disastrous for their future as well as that of their mission.
Liaison, like Slow Horses, is also a high-stakes contemporary spy thriller and packs an intense, multilayered plot with political and espionage thriller elements. But the narrative of the French-English series is more character-focused and leans more towards the passionate and enduring romance between the protagonists, which often feels clichéd. The series earned mixed reviews from the audience but earned praise for the leading performances by Eva Green and Vincent Cassel, which sparked great on-screen chemistry.
34 'The Agency' (2024–)
Michael Fassbender as Martian and Katherine Waterston as Naomi in the elevator in 'The Agency'Image via Showtime
Led by Michael Fassbender and Jodie Turner-Smith, The Agency follows covert CIA agent Brandon Colby, codename 'Martian’ (Fassbender), who is ordered to abandon his undercover life and return to his station. When his love interest, Dr. Samia Fatima 'Sami' Zahir (Turner-Smith) from his past life, reappears, reigniting the romance, Martian finds himself pitting his mission and duties for his nation against his emotions in a dangerous game of international espionage. Richard Gere, Jeffrey Wright, and Katherine Waterston round up the show’s ensemble cast.
A remake of the highly acclaimed French series Le Bureau des Légendes, The Agency matches the tone and pace of its parent show. Still, it stands out with its distinctive storytelling style, intriguing plot lines, and remarkable cinematography, amplified by Fassbender's solid performance. Like Slow Horses, The Agency revives the spy thriller genre with a contemporary narrative on spycraft, more so by focusing on its psychological and emotional impact on agents.
33 'The Night Agent' (2023–)
Peter and Rose hiding in the forest in The Night AgentImage via Netflix
A Neftlix spy drama series, The Night Agent follows an FBI agent, Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso), who is drawn into a massive plot involving a mole at the highest levels of the American government. He embarks on a desperate search for the traitor in order to preserve the country, all the while defending former CEO Rose Larkin (Luciane Buchanan) from the assassins of her aunt and uncle.
Similar to Slow Horses, another book-based television program, The Night Agent captivates viewers with a compelling plot, loads of action, and faithfulness to the original source material. Although the series' storyline isn't a genre breakthrough, its execution is amusing and engaging, and does a good job of keeping viewers glued to their seats.
32 'Rabbit Hole' (2023)
Rabbit Hole is spy thriller series that centers on a corporate spy, John Weir (Kiefer Sutherland), who is skilled at deceit and destroying lives. On his final mission, a mystery cabal frames him for murder and turns the tables on him, giving him a taste of his own medicine. As a result, he is forced to play a cat-and-mouse game to free himself.
The appeal of Rabbit Hole is due to a command of key elements, including a snappy narrative, disciplined execution, and a carefully chosen cast led by Sutherland's captivating and authoritative character. Moreover, the viewers are increasingly confident that Sutherland's inner Jack Bauer will surface as they delve deeper into this rabbit hole.
31 'Special Ops: Lioness' (2023–)
Image via Paramount
Starring A-listers like Zoë Saldaña, Nicole Kidman, and Morgan Freeman, Special Ops: Lioness is based on a real-life CIA program. Also known as Lioness, the series follows a young Marine, Joe McNamara, who is recruited to spearhead the CIA’s war on terror and lead an undercover operation that enlists female operatives known as Lionesses. Featuring dangerous missions and clandestine security operations, Special Ops: Lioness joins the ranks of popular thriller shows like Jack Ryan.
Special Ops: Lioness is a reminder that Taylor Sheridan is equally convincing with crime thrillers as he is with Westerns. Like Slow Horses, Special Ops: Lioness is also a spy thriller, but it digs deeper into the espionage operations, as well as the psychological impacts of the missions on the protagonists. Even though the series has received overall mixed reviews for its story and narrative, its cast performance and cinematography are praiseworthy (Saldaña’s convincing portrayal of Joe in particular).
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