31 articles
1983 (TV series)
1983 is Netflix's first Polish original series, an eight-episode alternate-history thriller created by Joshua Long, directed by Agnieszka Holland and three others, premiering 30 November 2018, set in a 2003 Poland where the Iron Curtain never fell.
Black Doves
Black Doves is a British Netflix spy thriller created by Joe Barton, starring Keira Knightley as Helen Webb and Ben Whishaw as Sam Young; Season 1 premiered December 5, 2024, and Season 2 arrives November 5, 2026.
Black Earth Rising
Black Earth Rising is a 2018 eight-part BBC Two/Netflix thriller written and directed by Hugo Blick, starring Michaela Coel as Rwandan genocide survivor Kate Ashby, exploring post-genocide justice, the ICC, and RPF reprisals.
Designated Survivor (TV series)
Designated Survivor is an American political thriller (2016–2019) starring Kiefer Sutherland as Tom Kirkman, a HUD secretary who becomes president after a State of the Union attack; two ABC seasons, one Netflix season.
Edge of Darkness
Edge of Darkness: 1985 BBC Two six-part serial by Troy Kennedy Martin, directed by Martin Campbell, starring Bob Peck as detective Ronald Craven investigating his daughter's murder; won six BAFTAs, remade as a 2010 Mel Gibson film.
Embassy (upcoming TV series)
Embassy is an upcoming six-part geopolitical action thriller created by Rom Lotan, starring Anna Kendrick, Sam Heughan, and J.K. Simmons. Filmed in Cologne and London, it will stream on MGM+ in the U.S. and Prime Video in several other territories; no premiere date announced.
Hostage (TV series)
Hostage is a 2025 Netflix British political thriller limited series, five episodes created by Matt Charman, starring Suranne Jones as UK PM Abigail Dalton and Julie Delpy as French President Vivienne Toussaint, released August 21, 2025.
House of Cards (American TV series)
House of Cards: American Netflix political thriller, 2013-2018, six seasons, created by Beau Willimon from Michael Dobbs's novel and the 1990 BBC series; starred Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright as the Underwoods; ended after Spacey allegations.
House of Cards (British TV series)
House of Cards (British TV series): 1990 BBC1 four-part political thriller adapted by Andrew Davies from Michael Dobbs's novel, starring Ian Richardson as chief whip Francis Urquhart; basis of the 2013 Netflix remake.
In From the Cold
In From the Cold is a 2022 Netflix spy thriller series created by Adam Glass, starring Margarita Levieva as Jenny Franklin, a New Jersey mom and dormant Russian assassin with shape-shifting powers; 8 episodes, canceled after one season.
Kleo
Kleo is a German Netflix action-thriller series (2022–2024) by the HaRiBo team, starring Jella Haase as ex-Stasi assassin Kleo Straub seeking revenge after the Berlin Wall falls; two seasons, Grimme and German Television Award winner.
Liaison
Liaison is a 2023 Apple TV+ six-part Anglo-French espionage thriller created by Virginie Brac, directed by Stephen Hopkins, starring Vincent Cassel and Eva Green as former lovers fighting cyberattacks on post-Brexit Britain; critically panned at 42% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Marseille (2016 TV series)
Marseille (2016–2018) is Netflix's first French original series, a political drama created by Dan Franck starring Gérard Depardieu as mayor Robert Taro versus protégé Lucas Barrès (Benoît Magimel); two seasons, 16 episodes, panned by critics, canceled in 2018.
Paris Has Fallen
Paris Has Fallen is a 2024 eight-episode political-action thriller TV series spin-off of the Has Fallen film franchise, created by Howard Overman, premiering on Canal+ (23 September 2024) and Hulu (6 December 2024), starring Tewfik Jallab and Ritu Arya.
Prisoner (British TV series)
The Prisoner (1967–1968), British ITV/ITC allegorical spy-science fiction series of 17 episodes created by and starring Patrick McGoohan as Number Six, abducted after resigning to The Village, filmed at Portmeirion, Wales; distinct from the Australian soap Prisoner and the Sky thriller.
Red Eye (British TV series)
Red Eye is a British conspiracy thriller television series. The show, which premiered in 2024, follows a doctor and detective on an overnight flight from London to Beijing.
Spy/Master
Spy/Master is a 2023 HBO Max Romanian-German Cold War espionage series created by Adina Sădeanu and Kirsten Peters, directed by Christopher Smith, about fictional KGB double agent Victor Godeanu, inspired by Ion Mihai Pacepa's defection.
State of Affairs (TV series)
State of Affairs is an NBC political drama (premiered November 17, 2014) starring Katherine Heigl as CIA analyst Charleston Tucker, who briefs President Constance Payton (Alfre Woodard) via the daily PDB; one season, reviewed as derivative of Homeland and Scandal.
State of Play (TV series)
State of Play is a 2003 six-part BBC One political conspiracy thriller written by Paul Abbott and directed by David Yates, starring John Simm, David Morrissey, Kelly Macdonald, and Bill Nighy as Herald journalists uncovering oil-backed government corruption; it won a 2004 Peabody Award and was adapted into a 2009 Hollywood film.
The Agency (2001 TV series)
The Agency (2001 TV series) is a CBS CIA drama, 2001-2003, 44 episodes, created by Michael Frost Beckner; first series allowed to film inside CIA headquarters; canceled after season 2, distinct from the 2024 remake.
The Agency (2024 TV series)
The Agency (2024 TV series) is a Paramount+ with Showtime espionage drama adapted from the French series Le Bureau des Légendes, starring Michael Fassbender as CIA agent Martian, with Jeffrey Wright, Jodie Turner-Smith, and Richard Gere; season 2 streamed June 21, 2026.
The Copenhagen Test
The Copenhagen Test is a Peacock sci-fi espionage thriller created by Thomas Brandon, starring Simu Liu and Melissa Barrera. Eight episodes premiered December 27, 2025; Peacock cancelled it April 16, 2026 after one season.
The Enemy Within (TV series)
The Enemy Within is a 2019 NBC spy thriller series created by Ken Woodruff, starring Jennifer Carpenter as traitor Erica Shepherd and Morris Chestnut as FBI agent Will Keaton; 13 episodes, cancelled after one season.
The Madness (TV series)
The Madness is a 2024 Netflix eight-episode limited conspiracy thriller created by Stephen Belber, starring Colman Domingo as CNN pundit Muncie Daniels, framed for murdering a white supremacist in the Poconos; released November 28, 2024.
The Saint (TV series)
The Saint (ITV, 1962–1969) is a British adventure series starring Roger Moore as Leslie Charteris's Simon Templar, a Robin Hood-style adventurer; 118 episodes (71 black and white, 47 color), produced by Robert S. Baker for Lew Grade's ITC, later revived with Ian Ogilvy and Simon Dutton.
The Spy
The Spy is a 2019 six-episode Netflix limited series by Gideon Raff starring Sacha Baron Cohen as Mossad agent Eli Cohen, who infiltrated Syria as Kamel Amin Thaabet and was executed there on May 18, 1965.
The Undeclared War
The Undeclared War is a British Channel 4/Peacock cyber-thriller created by Peter Kosminsky and Colin Callender, set in 2024 as GCHQ analysts counter Russian cyber-attacks before a UK election; season 1 (2022, six episodes) starred Hannah Khalique-Brown and Simon Pegg, and a 2026 season 2 added a mole plot and Chinese threat.
The Veil
The Veil is a 2024 six-episode FX/Hulu spy thriller miniseries created by Steven Knight, starring Elisabeth Moss as MI6 agent Imogen Salter and Yumna Marwan as Adilah El Idrissi; Metascore 52, ended May 28, 2024.
Trinity (TV series)
Trinity is an upcoming eight-episode Netflix political thriller created by Jed Mercurio (Bodyguard, Line of Duty), starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw as naval officer Katherine Decker and Richard Madden as Secretary of Defense Webb Preston, with Marcia Gay Harden; filmed in Vancouver, 2026 release, date unconfirmed.
Unfamiliar
Unfamiliar is a 2026 German-language Netflix spy thriller series, six episodes, created by Paul Coates and produced by Gaumont, starring Susanne Wolff and Felix Kramer as ex-BND spies running a Berlin safe house.