# BBC 1 spy show "Spooks" comes to the U.S. this week. Anyone seen it? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 21, 2003, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-1-spy-show-spooks-comes-to-the-u-s-this-week-anyone-seen-it/189869 "2003-07-21T07:50:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Murcielago](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@Murcielago](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Murcielago)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-1-spy-show-spooks-comes-to-the-u-s-this-week-anyone-seen-it/189869/1 "2003-07-21T07:50:18Z")
The A&E channel begins a run of [the show](http://www.memorabletv.com/onthebox/spooks.htm) this Tuesday, renamed [_MI-5_](http://www.aetv.com/tv/shows/mi5/mi5_homepage.html) . Looks like it could be an interesting “cloak and dagger” drama with psychological overtones, similar to the John le Carre style of storytelling. Any opinions on the show from the UK constituency? ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-1-spy-show-spooks-comes-to-the-u-s-this-week-anyone-seen-it/189869/2 "2003-07-21T08:26:38Z")
It’s a good show. A little like “24” in its visual style, it is similar to le Carre in the way it shows the day-to-day fieldcraft of spying, but it mixes in more humour and soap-opera elements. There are some fun characters (and at least one extremely grisly death – watch out!). ---
**Author:** ![Martiju](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e8c25b/32.png) [@Martiju](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martiju)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-1-spy-show-spooks-comes-to-the-u-s-this-week-anyone-seen-it/189869/3 "2003-07-21T09:33:31Z")
One of the best dramas I’ve seen for a long time - manages to carry the balance of realism and drama. Many very unexpected twists as well as it breaks the rules for a lot of TV drama. ---
**Author:** ![garius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e19b73/32.png) [@garius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garius)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-1-spy-show-spooks-comes-to-the-u-s-this-week-anyone-seen-it/189869/4 "2003-07-21T10:26:26Z")
highly recommend it - certainly one of the few decent dramas on tv at the moment. I will be tuning in for tonight’s episode here in the UK - something about stealing top-secret missile plans before the french get them. Can’t wait 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![refusal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac91a4/32.png) [@refusal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/refusal)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-1-spy-show-spooks-comes-to-the-u-s-this-week-anyone-seen-it/189869/5 "2003-07-21T11:05:23Z")
As usual, I have to disagree. It’s probably OK if you like the 24-style implausible plots, wild soap opera-ish elements, and tense but ridiculous situations. However, if you want anything with realism, complex characters, or that actually reflects what the security forces do, it’s possibly not so accurate. Maybe I’m a cynic, but I far preferred Between the Lines which showed MI5 as shadowy, power-hungry, morally dubious, manipulative, and very English. I also disagree that Spooks is particularly like John Le Carre, since Le Carre’s themes of loyalty and betrayal and nothing much happening are totally at odds with Spooks’s whizz-bang style. ---
**Author:** ![Boo\_Boo\_Foo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@Boo\_Boo\_Foo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boo_Boo_Foo)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-1-spy-show-spooks-comes-to-the-u-s-this-week-anyone-seen-it/189869/6 "2003-07-21T11:54:11Z")
My inherent conceit would argue that I’m a good judge of these things - that is, I can discern good from bad - compelling from mediocre. And I have to say, the first time I watched an episode it contained the grisly death referred to above. But when push comes to shove, I trust Mrs Boo Boo’s judgement even more so… and when we watched the next week’s episode, Mrs Boo Boo was able to discern the somewhat contrived nature of the program. And then she let loose the death sentence… she turned to me during a supposedly gripping moment which wasn’t that dramatic at all and said her killer words… Blah… Blah… Blah… And we haven’t watched an episode since. In short, once you can recognise the formulaic nature of the show - that is, 30% plot; 30% soap opera; 30% exaggeration; and 10% blatant plagiarism; well, it all becomes a bit blah blah blah if you know what I mean. ---
**Author:** ![kris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@kris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kris)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-1-spy-show-spooks-comes-to-the-u-s-this-week-anyone-seen-it/189869/7 "2003-07-21T13:37:02Z")
REFUSAL: “and very English” how very Scottish. 🙂 * * * But anyway, I think Spooks is pretty good. series one is better than series two but still pretty good. The death in episode two of series one (you know which death I mean) is supppppperbbbbbbb. I don’t care what anyone else thinks. I loved it. In series two the episode when they are all trapped in the grid is also very good. What do you Yanks think of it??? Chris. ---
**Author:** ![Murcielago](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@Murcielago](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Murcielago)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-1-spy-show-spooks-comes-to-the-u-s-this-week-anyone-seen-it/189869/8 "2003-07-21T16:50:27Z")
Thanks for the feedback. I look forward to the show as a break from summer reruns and the latest “reality TV” misery. Do the stories usually span several episodes or does each show stand on its own? BTW: grisly death? Always a plus in my book. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![kris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@kris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kris)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-1-spy-show-spooks-comes-to-the-u-s-this-week-anyone-seen-it/189869/9 "2003-07-21T17:01:28Z")
BTW: grisly death? Always a plus in my book. - lol. Me too. The main plot for each episode (e.g. A terrorist bombing) runs for just the lengh of that one episode. However, the other storylines (e.g. Love interests) run through the series. Hope you enjoy it. Chris.