‘Jack Ryan’ Meets ‘The Americans’ in This Tense Paramount+ Spy Thriller
Collider has published a recommendation piece spotlighting The Agency, a spy thriller streaming on Paramount+ that the writer argues deserves far more attention than it has received. The article positions the series as a rare blend of the two dominant modes of the genre — the geopolitical intrigue of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan and the emotionally driven, identity-focused drama of The Americans — and praises it as one of the smartest contemporary espionage shows on television.
The Agency premiered in late 2024 and features a notable cast led by Michael Fassbender, Jeffrey Wright, Jodie Turner-Smith and Richard Gere, yet the piece notes it has generated little buzz. Fassbender plays Brandon Colby, a CIA operative codenamed "Martian", who has spent six years undercover in Africa before being abruptly recalled to London Station. Rather than opening with the construction of a cover identity, as many spy stories do, the series begins by dismantling one, forcing its protagonist to shed his carefully built persona and re-enter a world he has been absent from for more than half a decade.
- Paramount+'s The Agency is an under-watched, highly praised spy thriller.
- It blends Jack Ryan's intrigue with The Americans' emotional depth.
- Fassbender leads as a CIA operative recalled from six years undercover.