TV’s Top 15 Spy Shows Ranked From Worst to Best

15. Allegiance (2015)

What if you found out your parents were undercover Russian spies? Well, Alex O'Connor, a skilled young CIA analyst, is hit with this bombshell in NBC's Allegiance. The O'Connor family finds itself entangled in a sinister Russian plot, pitting national loyalties against family bonds. Alex grapples with the deception while being thrust into espionage's shadowy dance.

14. The Assets (2014)

Spies are everywhere in The Assets. Based on the true story of Aldrich Ames, one of the most notorious traitors in U.S. history, the show centers around the efforts of tenacious CIA officer Sandy Grimes. She's on a mission to unmask a mole within the agency, who has been feeding secrets to the Soviet Union. The stakes? Oh, just the lives of spies and the safety of the nation.

13. Berlin Station (2016-2019)

Set against the backdrop of the German capital, Berlin Station spins the tale of Daniel Miller, a CIA operative thrust into the murky waters of fieldwork. His task is as dangerous as it is clandestine: uncover the source of a leak who has been funneling information to a now-famous whistleblower. The spies' game of cat and mouse unravels in a city where the Cold War's legacy still lurks.

12. Turn: Washington's Spies (2014-2017)

The American Revolutionary War is replete with espionage, none more intriguing than the Culper Ring, depicted in Turn. We follow Abraham Woodhull, a farmer living behind enemy lines, as he joins childhood friends in covert operations. They gather intelligence for General Washington, dancing on a knife's edge where trust is a luxury and betrayal is often just a misunderstanding away.

11. Rubicon (2010)

The intelligence analyst's world is more than secret messages and undercover operations; it's a puzzle, and Rubicon dives head-first into this cerebral realm. Will Travers discovers a hidden pattern in crossword puzzles (no, seriously!) that catapults him into a conspiracy infused with danger and deception. Each piece of the enigma unearths unsettling secrets, with the echo of betrayal resonating in the hallways of power.

10. The Night Manager (2016)

Welcome to the luxurious yet perilous world of arms dealing. Jonathan Pine, the night manager of a swanky hotel, is recruited by British Intelligence to infiltrate the inner circle of Richard Roper, an affable but sinister arms dealer. Pine's descent into the world of espionage is painted across exotic locales, where each opulent setting is teeming with threats unseen and alliances unpredictable.

9. Harlots (2017-2019)

Espionage blends with power and seduction in Hulu's Harlots. Margaret Wells struggles to reconcile her roles as a mother and a brothel owner in 18th century London. In a world teeming with espionage and secrets, women wield intelligence like weapons, with information changing hands amidst whispered secrets. This isn't James Bond-style espionage; it's a game of survival where knowledge equals power.

8. Spooks (MI-5) (2002-2011)

British espionage takes center stage in Spooks, where MI-5 agents navigate the dicey waters of international and domestic threats. Each episode unfolds a new crisis: terrorism, organized crime, or cyber warfare. We get a close look at the operatives – their fears, their personal lives, and the sacrifices that come with the territory. Senior Case Officer Tom Quinn's leadership is tested amidst the crucible of danger, where every decision has far-reaching implications.

7. The Bureau (Le Bureau des Légendes) (2015-present)

French intelligence is in the spotlight in The Bureau. The series follows Guillaume Debailly, an undercover agent returning from a six-year mission in Syria. Back in Paris, the line between his fabricated identity and reality blurs. Old alliances and enmities resurface, and intelligence games are played with lives hanging in the balance. It's a ballet of shadows and secrets where personal and professional lives intertwine.

6. The Man in the High Castle (2015-2019)

Alternative history and espionage intertwine in The Man in the High Castle. It's the 1960s, and the Axis powers won World War II. The U.S. is divided – the Nazis control the East, Japan the West, with a neutral zone in between. Juliana Crain becomes embroiled in a shadowy resistance movement after coming across a mysterious film reel. It depicts a world where the Allies won the war – a dangerous secret that catapults her into the ruthless world of espionage.

5. The Americans (2013-2018)

Philip and Elizabeth Jennings aren't your average suburban couple. They're Soviet spies, planted in the heart of America during the Cold War. The Americans unspools their intricate dance of deception: juggling familial bonds, ideological allegiances, and the unrelenting tension of undercover life. Every stolen secret, every covert operation, carries the weight of international geopolitics and the haunting specter of discovery.

4. Homeland (2011-2020)

Carrie Mathison, a brilliant but volatile CIA officer, suspects that Nicholas Brody, a war hero returning from captivity in Iraq, has been turned. Homeland is charged with paranoia and suspense, as Mathison's dogged pursuit of the truth unveils a complex web of terrorism, politics, and power plays. Every lead pursued, every allegiance questioned, spirals the world closer to chaos, with national security and global stability hanging in the balance.

3. Counterpart (2017-2019)

Howard Silk, a lowly cog in a UN spy agency, discovers that the organization guards a crossing into a parallel Earth. In Counterpart, espionage takes a metaphysical turn. Silk meets his "other", and the interplay between the two worlds reveals secrets that are as unsettling as they are dangerous. It's a narrative where identity, loyalty, and reality are as fluid as the murky waters of international espionage.

2. Killing Eve (2018-2022)

Eve Polastri, a bored MI6 security officer, becomes obsessed with Villanelle, a psychopathic assassin, igniting a cat-and-mouse game across Europe. Killing Eve redefines the spy thriller, blending dark comedy with deadly stakes. Each kill, each chase, draws the two women closer – a dangerous dance where the roles of hunter and hunted, protagonist and antagonist, are perpetually in flux.

1. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979)

In the murky world of British Intelligence during the Cold War, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a masterclass in espionage storytelling. George Smiley, a retired MI6 officer, is recalled to unmask a Soviet mole within the agency. The investigation, as clandestine as it is dangerous, reveals a web of deception, betrayal, and political machinations. Every revelation, every unturned stone, carries the gravity of national security and the haunting specter of betrayal.