20 Greatest Spy TV Shows of All Time

Spies are cool, aren’t they? With their trench coats, the encrypted messages, and the way they seem to know more than everyone else in the room, they are hard to look away from. In the movies, we get the high-octane, stylish version, where James Bond parachutes into danger with a martini in hand and Ethan Hunt dangles from ceilings and Jason Bourne punches his way through memory loss. But TV does things differently.

In the television landscape, the spy genre has stretched its legs and settled in for something darker and deeper. It has not just given us missions, but also the aftermath, the emotional and psychological toll, the messy relationships, and the slow unraveling of jaw-dropping secrets.

Spy TV shows are a different territory altogether. They thrive on long-form storytelling, where arcs simmer for seasons and characters evolve at a deliberate pace. You get double agents with complicated loyalties and spies who question their orders. There’s room for everything, and when done right, it is incredibly rewarding.

Keeping all that in mind, we have rounded up the 20 greatest spy TV series of all time.

‘Nikita’ (2010 – 2013)

Maggie Q plays Nikita Mears, a rogue assassin who escapes from a covert U.S. government agency called Division, which recruits troubled youth, fakes their deaths, and trains them to become elite spies and ruthless killers. Nikita was one of their best, until she broke ranks after her fiancé was murdered by the people she trusted. Now, she’s on a mission to dismantle Division from the outside while secretly mentoring a mole named Alex.

Revenge and Rogue Missions

Heavy with backstory, each season of Nikita reveals more about Division’s twisted hierarchy, from global conspiracies to internal mutinies. The sleek direction and intense pacing, the explosive action and emotional depth, all keep you hooked from the very first episode. Maggie Q’s female lead is tough and always in control. And, of course, the spy elements are top tier.

‘The Blacklist’ (2013 – 2023)

In The Blacklist, Raymond “Red” Reddington, an international criminal, walks into FBI headquarters, surrenders, and drops a bombshell that he’s got a list of the world’s most dangerous criminals and that he’ll help catch them all, but only if he works with rookie profiler Elizabeth Keen. From there, the series spirals into a decade-long dance of betrayals, secrets, and mind games.

A Cat-and-Mouse Thriller

TV procedurals have an expiration date, and it’s usually five or six seasons. Once a show crosses that mark, it’s nearly impossible to maintain the drama. But even ten seasons deep, The Blacklist never loses its edge. The show has got everything from covert missions and encrypted intel to global conspiracies and a criminal-turned-asset who is always five steps ahead. Thanks to James Spader’s mesmerizing performance, the series remains dark, weird, and always unpredictable.

‘Babylon Berlin’ (2017 – 2025)

Set against the politically charged backdrop of Berlin in 1929, Babylon Berlin is a German spy thriller that follows Inspector Gereon Rath, a WWI veteran battling PTSD and morphine addiction, as he gets transferred from Cologne to Berlin to investigate an extortion ring. The simple case eventually steers towards spy work as Gereon must navigate a city teetering between decadence and collapse.

Carries Historical Weight

Starting slow and eventually delivering a hypnotic payoff, Babylon Berlin is directed by Tom Tykwer and team. It is a visually stunning show complete with noir shadows, jazz-soaked corruption, and smoky intrigue. Even though aspects like coded messages and undercover against are woven into its fabric, it’s not your typical spy thriller. It is richer, stranger, more graceful, and more immersive.

‘The Little Drummer Girl’ (2018)

The late 1970s were just as volatile as any other decade and The Little Drummer Girl tells why. It follows Charlie Ross, a passionate and rebellious English actress who is recruited by Mossad to infiltrate a Palestinian terror call operating across Europe. Her journey begins with a romantic encounter with Gadi Becker in Greece, but he turns out to be an Israeli intelligence officer.

Espionage With a Side of Existential Dread

Directed by Park Chan-wook, this six-part miniseries is a feast for the senses. Its cerebral, moody, and character-driven narrative is elevated by a phenomenal turn from Florence Pugh as Charlie. The pacing is deliberate, and there are several plot twists, but it’s all worth the wait. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds an impressive 95% approval rating, which makes it a must-watch for fans of espionage.

‘Deutschland 83’ (2015)

Deutschland 83 transports you into the thick of Cold War paranoia and introduces you to Martin Rauch, a 24-year-old East German border guard who is yanked from his quiet life and thirst into West Germany as a reluctant undercover spy. His mission is to pose as military aide and gather intel on NATO’s nuclear strategy. But the more he acts, the more trouble he gets in.

Gripping Cold War Vibes

A riveting, critically acclaimed spy series, this German-language thriller is a total sleeper hit. It has got that perfect mix of retro aesthetic, political tension, and coming-of-age awkwardness. Jonas Nay nails the role of Martin. He’s not James Bond. He’s green, conflicted, and always one misstep away from blowing his cover. Which is part of the appeal. Deutschland 83 is only one season, but it has spawned sequels, including Deutschland 86 and Deutschland 89.

‘The Game’ (2014 – 2015)

Tom Hughes stars as Joe Lambe, a young MI5 operative in 1972 London. He is haunted by a failed defection attempt and a lost love, but when a Soviet sleeper agent named Arkady offers intel on a mysterious operation, Joe is pulled right back into the fold by his boss, codenamed “Daddy.” A team made of surveillance experts, analysts, and field agents, is assembled to investigate the threat.

A Hidden Gem

The Game is a six-part BBC series in the slow-burning espionage genre. Co-written and created by Toby Whithouse, it boasts crisp direction, clever dialogue, and an atmosphere that is drenched in paranoia. Hughes brings a standout intensity to his tortured protagonist and is backed by a quietly authoritative performance from Brian Cox as his boss. The spycraft is grounded and methodical and authentic as well.

‘Burn Notice’ (2007 – 2013)

In Burn Notice, Jeffrey Donovan’s Michael Westen is a US spy who gets “burned.” He is cut off from his agency, stripped of resources, and dumped in Miami with no explanation. That’s the beginning of the series. It then steers into covert missions, DIY spy work, and personal vendettas, as Michael teams up with his trigger-happy ex-girlfriend Fiona, his buddy Sam Axe, and his meddling but well-meaning mom.

Action-Packed Spin on the Spy Genre

This one is pure fun. Seven seasons of slick narrative, clever spy tips, and Miami heat make it a breezy binge. Each episode of the series brings a standalone case and combines it with the overarching mystery of who burned Michael and why. Speaking of which, Donovan is incredible, but the supporting cast – Gabrielle Anwar, Bruce Campbell, and Sharon Glass – is just as deft in balancing humor and tension.

‘Killing Eve’ (2018 – 2022)

Eve Polastri is a bored MI5 analyst with a fascination for female assassins. Villanelle is a stylish, psychopathic killer working for a shadowy organization called The Twelve. When Eve is recruited by MI6 to track Villanelle, the chase becomes personal and twisted. Their cat-and-mouse dynamic evolves across four seasons into the kind of mutual obsession that defies logic, borders, and morality.

Dark and Addictive Spy Thriller

Killing Eve is a genre-defying masterpiece that subverts conventional spy tropes in the most delightful ways. It is part spy thriller, part dark comedy, and part psychological drama led by the electrifying chemistry between Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer. Also, each season has a different female showrunner, which gives the series a fresh voice and perspective every time. Critics adored the first two seasons, and even when the plot got messy, performances stayed top-tier.

‘Person of Interest’ (2011 – 2016)

Blending science fiction into the premise, Person of Interest takes place after 9/11. It follows reclusive billionaire Harold Finch, who builds a supercomputer called “The Machine” to predict crimes before they happen. The government uses it to prevent terrorism, but Finch taps into its irrelevant data and gets ex-CIA operative John Reese to intervene.

It’s Got Action, Brains, and Drama

Even though the initial episodes revolve around a new “person of interest,” the show expands into a sprawling narrative about artificial intelligence, surveillance, and mortality. Even the Machine evolves alongside the team, which is interesting because it probes moral and ethical questions. The spy elements are tech-driven and modern and sharper than the rest of the titles on the list.

‘Counterpart’ (2017 – 2019)

In Counterpart, J.K. Simmons has a dual role. The plot follows Howard Silk, a mild-mannered bureaucrat working at a Berlin agency. One day, he discovers that his workplace is guarding a portal to a parallel Earth that was identical to ours until a split decades ago. On the other side, Silk’s counterpart is a hardened spy with secrets as scars.

Complex Parallel Lives

Counterpart is criminally underrated. It boasts two seasons of razor-sharp storytelling, moody direction, and a brilliant performance by Simmons. The way he portrays both the meek and unassuming Howard and his ruthless counterpart is jaw-dropping. It’s a spy drama, sure, but it’s also layered with philosophical depth because the narrative explores choices and their consequences, and it makes you think and feel.