That said, over the years, interest in spy TV shows has grown immensely, with the rise of streaming making it easier for shows to bring globe-trotting adventures on the level of high-end movies to the small screen. British spy thrillers like Slow Horses have become some of the genre's most popular releases in recent years. However, American shows have also risen.
Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, Lioness, Black Doves, and more have had incredible success on streaming. All those shows have something in common, as they are not only engaging spy thrillers with plenty of twists and turns, but they feature major stars. Some names included in those spy shows are John Krasinski, Zoe Saldaña, Keira Knightley, Nicole Kidman, Morgan Freeman, Michael Kelly, and many more.
2026 is a year when there are several spy series yet to come, with new seasons of hit shows like Lioness, Black Doves, Slow Horses, and the debut of projects like The Savant. Looking at all the espionage series that have been released in 2026 so far, six of them emerge as the best. Here they are, ranked:
6
Citadel
First up is Citadel season 2. Prime Video saw the return of the most expensive spy series of all time with a new batch of episodes on May 6. Citadel season 2 stands at a 71% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes and a low 52% audience score. After season 1 dealt with the memory loss arc and how Mason Kane was the secret traitor, Citadel season 2 came up with a major change.
Citadel season 2 succeeds as an ensemble series, expanding the action beyond just Richard Madden's Mason and Priyanka Chopra Jonas' Nadia Sinh. To stop a villain with the technology to mind-control anyone and turn them into an assassin on the fly, Stanley Tucci's Bernard Orlick assembles a team. The dynamic between the characters is fun and Citadel becomes more memorable, although not necessarily better than others on the list.
5
Unfamiliar
Unfamiliar is one of the new spy thriller series on the list. The German series follows a couple of veteran spies whose lives get turned upside down when a man who knows about the darkest secrets from their past shows up at the safe house they are protecting. With a teenage daughter and not knowing whether they can trust one another, Simon and Meret go on an intense ride.
Unfamiliar has a strong 78% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 69% audience score. Unfamiliar feels somewhat similar in tone with one of the genre's best releases, The Americans. Unfamiliar is a dark series that keeps the audience on its toes. While not as action-packed as Citadel, its character work is more impactful, which is a must for a solid spy thriller. Dark's Andreas Pietschmann appears.
4
Ponies
Ponies is the one new spy thriller series on the list to debut in 2026. For anyone looking for a hilarious spy series with charismatic characters that are not experienced at the espionage game, then Ponies will offer exactly what you are looking for. In the Peacock thriller, two secretaries whose husbands, CIA agents, are killed, become spies in Moscow to find out what really happened.
Ponies' cast is led by Game of Thrones' Daenerys Targaryen actress Emilia Clarke as Bea Grant and The White Lotus' Haley Lu Richardson as Twila Hasbeck. Ponies is currently at a near-perfect 94% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes and a stellar 83% audience score. The spy thriller series is highly entertaining and fast-paced, but the remaining shows offer more depth, spectacle, or both.
3
The Night Manager
A decade after the show's first season premiered, the star-studded The Night Manager season 2 debuted on Prime Video on January 1. For the show's return, The Night Manager's cast brought back key stars like Tom Hiddleston, Hugh Laurie, Olivia Colman, and more. The spy thriller series also added stars like Diego Calva (Babylon), Camila Morrone (Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen), Indira Varma (Game of Thrones), Kirby Howell-Baptiste (The Sandman), and others.
In The Night Manager season 2, the show takes into account the many years that have passed since the spy series debuted. Hiddleston's Jonathan Pine goes rogue, with the show taking an intense turn that makes season 2 its most eventful yet. On Rotten Tomatoes, The Night Manager season 2 holds a high 86% critics' score and a 61% audience score.
2
The Night Agent
The second-best spy thriller series released in 2026 so far is one of Netflix's most exciting original shows. While The Night Agent was surpassed by Jon Bernthal's His & Hers this year and left Netflix's 10 Most-Watched TV Shows of all time list, the show has come back with one of its best seasons. The Night Agent season 3 was a major change.
While Rose Larkin's absence was felt, the overall story was much stronger than season 2's to make up for that. Gabriel Basso's Peter Sutherland remains an action hero worth following, grappling with his morals in season 3 but still trying to do what is right as he fights to expose a major conspiracy. Louis Herthum's Jacob Monroe, the show's biggest villain, is developed immensely, and the spy series soars. The Night Agent season 3 has an 86% critics' score and an 82% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
1
The Agency
Finally, the best spy thriller series of 2026 as of June is the latest to arrive. All 10 episodes of The Agency season 2 were released on Paramount+ this Sunday, June 21. The spy series stars Michael Fassbender as Martian, a former undercover agent. After becoming a mole in the CIA's London Station in the season 1 finale, season 2 becomes bigger and better as Martian lies to friends and enemies alike.
He will do anything to save his beloved, Samia Zahir. After being somewhat slow in season 1, The Agency season 2 ups the tempo while keeping the character development as its main focus, with thrilling political games, shocking reveals, explosive action sequences, and a pitch-perfect finale. In ScreenRant's The Agency season 2 review, the spy thriller series received a perfect 10 out of 10 score, showcasing how it is the genre's best in 2026.
-
Release Date
April 28, 2023
Network
Prime Video
-
Richard Madden
Mason Kane / Kyle Conroy
-
-
Release Date
February 5, 2026
Network
Netflix
-
Release Date
January 15, 2026
Network
Peacock
Cast
-
-
Haley Lu Richardson
Twila
-
-
Release Date
2023 - 2026-00-00
Network
Netflix
-
-
Luciane Buchanan
Rose Larkin
-
Release Date
December 1, 2024
Network
Paramount+ with Showtime
English (US) ·