• Spy thrillers like "The Night Agent" focus on conspiracy theories, clandestine operations, and spies' characters.
  • "The Agency" attracts attention with its stellar cast and character-driven stories, including psychological horror.
  • "Rabbit Hole" follows the story of a corporate spy facing a frame-up for murder while dodging law enforcement.

Crime and spy thrillers are always popular, with a surge in the trend in the last few years, and the Netflix dramaThe Night Agent is an example of that genre. The series is an adaptation of the books of the same name by Matthew Quirk, and is currently in its second season.

Similar shows have stories that focus on conspiracy theories, clandestine operations, national secrets, and spies. Although the adventure and action drive the plot, the characters and their plans and machinations hook the viewer.

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7 The Agency

A Gritty Story With A Stellar Cast

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The Agency
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Release Date
November 29, 2024
Network
Paramount+ with Showtime
Directors
Joe Wright
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The Agency gets a lot of attention because of the notable cast, which includes big names like Ricard Gere and Michael Fassbender, but it also includes a lot of character-driven stories and psychological horror. The covert organization at the center of the plot is the CIA, and the setting is either their headquarters in London or their base of operations at Langley.

Fassbender plays Brandon Colby, a CIA agent formerly under deep cover who is compelled to return to civilian life, and part of the drama revolves around whether he's been emotionally capable of being his authentic self. He reconnects with his daughter and a former love interest, but his own past, which includes a healthy amount of post-traumatic stress, is always coming back to haunt him.

6 Rabbit Hole

The Story Of A Corporate Spy

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Rabbit Hole
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Release Date
2023 - 2023-00-00
Showrunner
Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
Directors
Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
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Keifer Sutherland's character, John Weir, is an anti-hero, a corporate spy who steals and sells the darkest, deepest secrets of the corporate world to the highest bidder. This can refer to R&D formulas, employee information, stock reports, and even state-related information that can be used for bribery and extortion.

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Weir's career is about to come to a close when a mysterious group that shares the same common interests when it comes to private information frames him for murder. The protagonist now has to clear his name while trying to dodge not only the employees of the cabal, but also various law-enforcement agencies who are already in hot pursuit.

5 Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan

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Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan
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Release Date
2018 - 2023-00-00
Network
Prime Video
Showrunner
Carlton Cuse
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There are so many versions of the Jack Ryan books that include both TV shows and movies, never mind the spinoffs, that the franchise is referred to as "the Ryanverse." The show begins in the first season by telling the story of Ryan's transition from a desk job to fieldwork. The next three seasons take place in multiple locations as his career unfolds.

In the fourth and last season, Ryan takes on the role of acting CIA director, and he's faced with the task of rooting out corruption in his own organization. Drug cartels and terrorists have infiltrated the CIA and the US government at the highest levels, and there are few honest agents left who can stop them.

4 Pine Gap

A Secret In The Outback

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Pine Gap
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Drama
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Thriller
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2018 - 2018-00-00
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Streaming
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There are several interesting theories about secret American intelligence gathering bases throughout the globe, and Pine Gap is the story of one in the wilderness of Australia. This is actually a real place, located in almost the exact center of the continent, and the series is a dramatized retelling of historical events.

Because the show is grounded in real-life events, the show has been asked by the governments of both China and Vietnam to edit out scenes that include the controversial "nine-line dash" from certain maps, a reminder of China's claim to the same area. The focus of this show is on planning, politics, and communication with less emphasis on action, but the characters and their dramas make up for the lack of fight scenes and explosions.

3 Deep State

Revisiting The Lore Of MI6

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Deep State
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Release Date
2018 - 2019-00-00
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Deep State is a British series about the inner workings of one of history's most famous and notorious Secret Service agencies, MI6. Made famous in pop culture because of its connections to James Bond, this show is about former agent Max Easton who returns to MI6 after the promise of it being his very last job. But as the story unfolds, it may be the last thing he ever does.

2 Berlin Station

The CIA In Western Europe

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Berlin Station
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Release Date
2016 - 2019-00-00
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Richard Armitage, the actor behind Thorin Oakenshield and the voice behind Trevor Belmont of Castlevania, stars as spy Daniel Miller in this series about a CIA agent who is sent to Berlin on a case. Miller is a former analyst who works behind a desk more than in the field, so the first season is as much about his training as his mission.

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He's been sent to uncover the source of a leak that set off a whistleblower who now enjoys worldwide fame thanks to their heroic actions. As Miller gets closer to the leak, his skills are tested. After he survives some of the darkest and most dangerous parts of the espionage game, he's given an even more important assignment, this time undercover within the German government.

1 Citadel

The Only Defense Against The Evil Plans Of Manticore

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Citadel: Diana
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Action
Drama
Sci-Fi
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Release Date
2024 - 2024-00-00
Showrunner
Gina Gardini
Directors
Arnaldo Catinari
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The Citadel is a fictional organization that uses a mix of espionage, research, and fieldwork that's intended to act as a bulwark against various malevolent forces. The show cost 300 million dollars, making it one of the most expensive American-made shows in history, and is followed by two sequel series that also feature The Citadel organization but with different characters. The protagonists are agents Mason Kane and Nadia Sinh, who discover a cabal called Manticore, but a serious accident occurs and keeps them from revealing their findings. The series begins eight years after this event when Mason appears again, but living under another name with his memory wiped until another agent reactivates him.
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The Night Agent
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Release Date
March 23, 2023
Network
Netflix
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    Gabriel Basso
    Peter Sutherland
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    Luciane Buchanan
    Rose Larkin
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    Fola Evans-Akingbola
    Chelsea Arrington
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    Sarah Desjardins
    Maddie Redfield

WHERE TO WATCH

Streaming
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Showrunner
Shawn Ryan