Prime Video’s New 6-Part Spy Thriller Is Worth An Easy One-Night Binge
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Published Mar 26, 2026, 6:56 PM EDT
Greg is a Lead TV Writer & Critic at Screen Rant who also covers Movies and Music. He's published over 2500 articles at SR, including weekly binge guides and dozens of reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. He previously worked in Development at ABC Television & Lawrence Bender Productions.
Greg majored in Film Production at Chapman University's Dodge College. Greg also has years of broadcast TV production experience at major networks such as NBC, TNT, and ESPN. He currently lives in Greater Boston.
Prime Video's new 6-part spy thriller series starring Oscar winner Riz Ahmed just dropped earlier this week and is worth an easy one-night binge. Flipping the traditional spy thriller genre on its head, this 6-part series is more of a satirical drama than a classic by-the-books thriller, but uses the expected tropes of the genre heavily to tell its innovative story.
Prime Video's New 6-Part Series 'Bait' Just Dropped
Bait is a new Prime Video series that was released entirely on Wednesday, March 25, 2026. Part spy thriller, part drama, and part comedy, it's one of the most unique new series to be added to Prime Video so far this year. Ahmed stars as Shah Latif, a struggling actor who shockingly lands an audition to be the next James Bond. Since Ahmed was loosely speculated to be chosen as the next 007 in real life, replacing Daniel Craig, the series has a meta layer to it.
After Shah receives the news in Bait, he accidentally leaks it to the news, causing an instant frenzy in both the media and his personal life. While the series is often funny, it also has a thought-provoking layer to it, as Shah questions whether he is the right fit for such an iconic and legendary movie role that would surely define his career. Shah must deal with everyone from internet trolls to his own family members, who all seem to have a sharp opinion about who the next James Bond should be.
One of the most interesting qualities of Bait is how it uses spy thriller themes and filming techniques to tell what is mostly a dramatic story with comedic elements. For example, the series is mostly shot using a shaky handheld camera, which viewers would expect to see in a gritty action or thriller movie, especially during fight or chase scenes. There is also the theme of Shah's ethnicity and how it creates paranoia within him in the Western landscape, comparing this feeling to being in a spy thriller movie.
Bait Is Worth An Easy One Night Binge This Weekend
Bait is truly one of the most bingeable new series on any streaming platform right now. With a total runtime of less than 3 hours, slightly longer than most action thriller blockbuster movies, it's incredibly easy to watch the entire series from start to finish in just one sitting. In fact, we recommend watching it that way to get the most out of the fast-paced and punchy story.
Netflix's 6-part psychological thriller series is still quietly one of the streamer's best shows to binge-watch, even 5 years after it was released.
Bait is not only an instant streaming hit on Prime Video right now, but it is also a hit with critics, earning a near-perfect and Certified Fresh 95% Rotten Tomatoes score along with a high audience rating of 89%. This makes it one of the most celebrated new releases this week, and out of the entire month of March 2026.
At the time of writing, Bait has just cracked into Prime Video's U.S. Top 10 streaming list and currently ranks #9. It will hope to crack into the top 5 or even 3, but will be up against huge streaming hits like Scarpetta, Young Sherlock, Cross, and Jury Duty: Company Retreat. If you're looking for an easy one-night binge and one of the best new shows to watch on Prime Video this weekend, it has got to be Bait, as it looks to make a big surge in viewership over the next few days.
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