For a group that's supposed to go unnoticed, one thing I couldn't help but notice this year is how many hot spies there were! I'm talking about onscreen, but I would certainly bet this applies in real life too.
Perhaps it was that we all craved an escape to a foreign location, or an escape from the world, or just an escape from looking at plain faces, but this year's crop of onscreen spies was absolutely stellar. Stick on your fake mustache and let's recap.
This all starts with Slow Horses, one of my very favorite shows in recent years. The Ocean's 11 alchemy of comedy, action, suspense, and friendship make this the show I look forward to most every year. It's led by one of our finest working actors today, Jack Lowden — also now a Golden Globe nominee! Which is 100% warranted, because the performance he gives in this show sucks you right in. It's nuanced and specific, funny and tragic, and often all within the span of a single scene.
His character, River Cartwright, is blinded by his own determination, and I am blinded by his talent. Somehow this JV spy has chemistry with everyone he encounters across London — and beyond. I recommend this show to everyone. So if you haven't watched it yet, you're just blatantly ignoring me at your own peril.
It feels as though it were several years ago at this point, but — if you can believe it — Prime Video's Mr. & Mrs. Smith was actually earlier this year. Maya Erskine and Donald Glover were so damn good in this show.
I devoured and delighted in every episode. From its modern updates, such as the sticky sharing locations conversation filled with witty banter, to its exotic locales, to its top-notch action scenes, this show was a real ride in every episode. As all good spy shows are, it was packed with humorous moments and winks just as much as it featured fights and flights. It felt like watching a dream life in all the ways, except the whole pesky thing of two people having to live and work together all the time.
The best movie I saw this year was Hit Man (no coincidence that I accidentally typed in Hot Man here) starring Glen Powell as a professional killer. So he wasn't quite a spy, but with all those different disguises and the way he repeatedly took care of business, I'm grouping it into this category.
Powell gave the most movie-star performance I've seen in some time: He was charming and confident and knocked those monologues out of the park. He was romantic and menacing and just so natural the whole way through. Whatever lies this guy tried to sell me, I'd be buying — and tipping.
It seems as though many streaming services saved the best for last this year and have released several Hot Spies in the past few weeks alone. While I admittedly have not seen The Agency on Paramount+ yet, it's racking up praise across the internet, which is no easy feat — well, unless you have Michael Fassbender as your star.
The same holds true for A Man on The Inside on Netflix — with Ted Danson as the lead, how could it possibly be anything less than excellent? Danson reteams with many of his friends from The Good Place for this steal-your-heart comedy about a retired professor who moves into a retirement community to investigate a stolen necklace. The friendships he forges along the way will make you smile and cry, and Danson looks amazing in his spiffy suits — with or without the pocket square (wink).
But if you're looking for a Netflix series that's a little darker, say, blood splattered across the face of the man who voices Paddington bear, try Black Doves. Ben Wishaw stars opposite Keira Knightley, and both are fantastic as they untangle a very tangled web across London. One case I haven't solved just yet though: How is Kiera Knightley so cool? (And before the debates even start: Yes, this is a Christmas show.)
And finally, if you've been fascinated by the UnitedHealthcare investigation lately, it is alarming how many similarities it has in common with The Day of the Jackal on Peacock. I started watching this series last month, but as I caught up recently, it was hard to remember which was the fictional reboot series, or if I was still in a TikTok hole of conspiracies (and memes). Eddie Redmayne stars as The Jackal, as you've never seen him before.
Literally. The disguises he employs are next-level as he traipses across Europe, stoic and enigmatic. He pulls off some impressive action scenes, and while it might be rude to the hair, makeup, and costume departments to say sometimes he just looks his hottest when he pulls on a baseball cap to flee a scene incognito, he's truly fascinating to watch every step of the way — with British intelligence nipping at his heels. You can't help but root for the "bad guy" in this one, as it's already been renewed for a second season.
So while other people want to bicker about what's going to happen to the Bond franchise, let them. There are too many other good stories about spies available to watch right now from your home — until you're able to make it to the European beaches and slopes and picturesque towns yourself, that is. Car chases not included.
