The cast of "The Little Drummer Girl" | The cast of "The Night Manager" | Source: Facebook/TheNightManagerAMC | Instagram/drummergirlshow
Apple TV+'s "Slow Horses" has it all: from dark humor and the thrill that comes with the espionage universe to a stellar cast and captivating storyline. However, as fans continue to wait for the release of the series' third season, they can enjoy these 11 best spy thriller shows like "Slow Horses."
In April 2022, Apple TV+ released the first season of "Slow Horses" — based on the novels by Mick Herron — and immediately left viewers hooked. Starring the Oscar-winning Gary Oldman, the show centers around a group of intelligent British spies who are cast aside following their career-ending mistakes.
As a result, these bright individuals are banished to Slough House, and while viewers don't know the gravity of their errors, they watch the group's determination to prove what they are capable of.
At the "dumping ground" that is Slough House, the abandoned government agents meet Oldman's character, Jackson Lamb, and they slowly form an alliance tasked with stopping sinister forces and saving Great Britain.
Oldman shares the small screen with Kristin Scott Thomas, Chris Reilly, and more in this spy thriller, which had its second season premiere in December 2022. Around this time, "Slow Horses" was also renewed for a third season.
While this may be music to the ears of some fans, the grueling wait for the third season and still only receiving one episode a week might leave other viewers itching for more intriguing shows about spies. And if that is the case for you, read further for several excellent espionage shows like "Slow Horses" to fulfill your binging desires.
'The Night Manager'
In 1993, author John le Carré penned the novel "The Night Manager," which was turned into a miniseries of the same name in 2016. In the show, Tom Hiddleston plays Jonathan Pine, a former British soldier turned night manager at a luxurious hotel in Cairo.
However, one night, Pine is hired by the head of a Foreign Office task team Angela Burr (Olivia Colman), to investigate the under-the-table dealings of an arms dealer, played by Richard Roper (Hugh Laurie).
'Killing Eve'
"Killing Eve" is another British spy series based on a novel. It has Sandra Oh playing a British intelligence investigator on the hunt for a psychopathic assassin, played by Jodie Comer.
During their game of cat and mouse, both women become increasingly obsessed with catching the one and being caught by the other. However, as lines are crossed and blurred, the higher stakes are raised, which only invites chaos. "Killing Eve" first hit TV screens in 2018 and saw its first two seasons reach critical acclaim status.
'A Spy Among Friends'
Perfect for lovers of espionage, the show is set in England in 1963 and captures the unraveling of a friendship when Nicholas, a British intelligence officer for SIS, discovers that Kim has been secretly serving as a double agent for the KGB.
'Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan'
For this one, we leave British soil and land on American shores, as John Krasinski plays the titular Jack Ryan, a well-known fictional character. In the political thriller, Krasinski plays a CIA analyst, leaving viewers impressed by how he wiggles out of life-threatening situations for three seasons.
The action-packed Amazon Prime series was renewed for a fourth and final season, leaving fanatics with more than enough episodes to keep them entertained.
'The Game'
"The Game" is a 2014 six-part thriller miniseries set in London in 1972 during the British Cold War. In the show, Brian Cox plays Daddy, the head of the organization M15, who orchestrates forming a top-secret team.
This team — consisting of characters played by Victoria Hamilton and Tom Hughes — then sets out on a mission to investigate a believed Soviet Union plot with the potential to change the course of the Cold War.
'The Night Agent'
Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso) is thrown into a world with danger around every corner in this show after a mole at the highest levels of the American government is suspected of being involved in the murder of two government officials.
As a result, Peter is trusted to find the person guilty of espionage to save the Land of the Free while protecting the two assassinated government officials' niece (Luciane Buchanan).
'Counterpart'
This 2017 series has a Sci-Fi edge as Howard Silk (JK Simmons) is a fly-under-the-radar employee of an organization with a secret. Howard works for the Office of Interchange, a United Nations organization that has had offices in Berlin for 30 years.
Its intense nature and psychological warfare make it one of the best spy series.
However, after learning that the Office of Interchange harbors a portal to a parallel dimension, Howard feels he can't trust anybody except his identical counterpart from this parallel universe.
'The Little Drummer Girl'
After a bomb explodes inside the residence of an Israeli attaché in West Germany, Mossad, an Israeli intelligence agency, picks a young English actress to infiltrate a terrorist group that has Europe on its radar.
'Rabbit Hole'
In this recently-released series, Kiefer Sutherland stars as a highly qualified spy who has a knack for causing havoc. However, during one of his closing acts, the shoe is placed on the other foot as he is framed for murder.
Desperate to clear his name, Sutherland's character finds himself working with a secret team to take on an enemy he cannot see but who is always watching him.
'The Spy'
"The Spy" is an English-language French miniseries that follows the life of Mossad spy Eli Cohen (Sacha Baron Cohen). Following his time with the Egyptian army, Eli agrees to infiltrate the Syrian Ministry of Defense after assuming a new identity.
For this action-packed series based on a true story, Cohen takes a break from his funny guy persona and delivers an impressive performance that earned him much praise.
'Homeland'
"Homeland," a gem that has been around for years, concludes our list of series like "Slow Horses." Its intense nature and psychological warfare make it one of the best spy series. Claire Danes plays Carrie Mathison, a CIA officer out for blood, as she is convinced Nicholas Brody (Lewis) is a traitor to his country.
Nicholas was a Marine Corps Scout Sniper held captive by al-Qaeda as a prisoner of war. Following his return to the United States, Claire is convinced the former marine is still working for the enemy and poses a threat to the US.
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