An opinion piece from Collider revisits *Patriot*, an obscure Amazon Prime Video spy series created by Steven Conrad, arguing it deserves wider recognition as a cult classic eight years after its debut. The article makes the case that, unlike most espionage dramas that glamorise spycraft, *Patriot* is a downbeat, darkly comic and experimental show that defies easy genre classification, blending mundane workplace satire with existential unease about identity and honesty.

The series follows John Tavner (Michael Dorman), an intelligence agent working for his father Tom (Terry O'Quinn), who goes undercover as "John Lakeman" at a Milwaukee industrial firm run by Leslie Claret (Kurtwood Smith) while secretly aspiring to be a folk singer. The piece highlights how the show draws parallels between the tedium of covert work and blue-collar labour, and traces John's shifting relationships with his father, his congressman brother Edward (Michael Chernus), and his boss Leslie, as his refusal to conform strains his family and professional ties.