# Tell me a secret...agent show you like **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [October 2, 2020, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-a-secret-agent-show-you-like/922005 "2020-10-02T02:14:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-a-secret-agent-show-you-like/922005/21 "2020-10-02T13:03:24Z")
**Get Smart** & **Chuck** would be my top 2. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-a-secret-agent-show-you-like/922005/22 "2020-10-02T13:29:54Z")
**Archer** Spy shows are ridiculous anyway, might as well get some intentional laughs out of 'em. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-a-secret-agent-show-you-like/922005/23 "2020-10-02T13:30:03Z")
> [@digs](#): > > We still wonder how it happened, because we usually encouraged our grade school aged kids to watch intelligent, challenging television, buuuut… as soon as **ALIAS** came on, the kids would jump in our bed and giggle whenever Sydney Bristow dropkicked a bad guy. > > Recently rewatched it on Netflix, and it holds up. Jennifer Garner and Bradley Cooper are great as friends, and Victor Garber makes a wonderful "Spy Dad I’d also give it a bonus point for the central starting premise: Sydney — like Marcus Dixon, and who knows how many others — was the sort of person who’d enthusiastically go to to work for the CIA; and a guy (a) who doesn’t actually work for the CIA (b) just showed up and said whatever a CIA recruiter would’ve. The simplicity of that is a thing of beauty. ---
**Author:** ![gdave](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gdave/32/3683_2.png) [@gdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gdave)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-a-secret-agent-show-you-like/922005/24 "2020-10-02T13:41:27Z")
Most of mine have already been mentioned. I’m working my way through _Alias_ again at the moment. It really holds up, surprisingly well. On a big screen HD TV some of the effects now look clunky, some of the “exotic foreign” locations are obviously in L.A., and binge-watching it, on the third or fourth time through the series, some of the plots don’t quite hold together. But it has so much _momentum_, the acting, directing, editing, and scoring are done just _so_ well, it really carries you on through even the bits that don’t quite work. The show runners displayed a truly astonishing ability to repeatedly jump the shark, blow up the show’s premise, and do an internal soft re-boot, while still maintaining character arcs and the over-arching mystery box plotline. At least up until the last season, where a writer’s strike and having to shoot around the Jennifer Garner’s then burgeoning movie schedule and trying to set up characters to potentially continue the series without her finally knocked the series off of the amazing high-wire act they’d been brilliantly sustaining. Plus, the over-arching plot is a mystery box, and those just usually don’t end well. But up until then, it’s astonishingly good. I actually didn’t particularly care for _Chuck_ that much when it originally aired, but re-watching it, it is just plain _fun_. At least the first two seasons or so, before its high concept kinda bogs it down, and it pretty much abandons it by the fourth season. Still, those first two seasons at least are often brilliant. I loved _Burn Notice_ when it originally aired. I found the voice-over by the main character explaining what he was doing and why fascinating and immersive. Re-watching it recently…it didn’t hold up quite as well for me, personally. The fact that it was fairly low budget basic cable show really came through in a bad way in a number of episodes, and seeing it for the second time, it didn’t seem as innovative or fresh, but I think it probably still would for a first time viewer. Plus, Bruce Campbell! One I haven’t seen mentioned yet that I really liked was _Nikita_. No, not that version. Or that one. The one I liked was the CW version, starring Maggie Q. I haven’t re-watched it, so I don’t know how well it would hold up, but at the time, I thought it was a surprisingly well plotted and acted, twisty, turny, combination of “house of mirrors” espionage, paranoid conspiracy and high strangeness conspiracy, and action-adventure spy-fi. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-a-secret-agent-show-you-like/922005/25 "2020-10-02T14:11:37Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > FWIW, [here](https://www.imdb.com/list/ls041385132/) is IMDB’s " Top 100 Spy & Espionage TV Shows". In all of that very lengthy list, including a few 60s spy/action shows, and they couldn’t include _[The Sandbaggers](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sandbaggers)_? I found it interesting, well-written, and it at least looked like they were trying to be realistic. The creator of the show disappearing with his girlfriend in the outer reaches of the Aleutians, under mysterious circumstances, is the icing on the cake. Usually was on the local PBS station when I was a kid. Broadcasted it the same nights as The Prisoner. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-a-secret-agent-show-you-like/922005/26 "2020-10-02T14:13:22Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > **Archer** > > Spy shows are ridiculous anyway, might as well get some intentional laughs out of 'em. The first four seasons are some of the funniest television ever written. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-a-secret-agent-show-you-like/922005/27 "2020-10-02T14:36:49Z")
Yep. The DVR is set to record every episode of _Archer_ that comes on. I don’t care if I’ve seen it 5 times before. It’s still funnier than most of the stuff on elsewhere. _Malory: Is Krieger hard at work?_ _Sterling: He literally might be, yes._ ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-a-secret-agent-show-you-like/922005/28 "2020-10-02T15:54:54Z")
The secret ingredient is “phone.” SMOKEBOMB! ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-a-secret-agent-show-you-like/922005/29 "2020-10-02T17:34:56Z")
A recent one I don’t think was mentioned was [Counterpart](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counterpart_(TV_series)) on the premium cable channel Starz. It had a really weird premise but was very good but sadly cancelled after only two seasons. And I second the recommendation for MI-5, which was called Spooks when originally aired in the UK. ---
**Author:** ![medstar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f07891/32.png) [@medstar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/medstar)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-a-secret-agent-show-you-like/922005/30 "2020-10-02T19:20:44Z")
My choice is “My Own Worst Enemy”. It starred Christian Slater as a man with dual personalities, a secret agent and a family man who were starting to realize the other personality. It aired a few years ago and I really like it. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-a-secret-agent-show-you-like/922005/31 "2020-10-02T20:34:37Z")
Any spy thriller shows available now on Netflix or Amazon Prime that I should check out? _(Given that I’ve seen and loved almost everything mentioned here so far)?_ ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2020, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-a-secret-agent-show-you-like/922005/32 "2020-10-03T15:08:09Z")
In addition to the already mentioned **Chuck** , I’d add **Scarecrow and Mrs. King**. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2020, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-a-secret-agent-show-you-like/922005/33 "2020-10-04T00:04:15Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Definitely _The Sandbaggers_ . The most realistic spy show ever. It ignored the cliches of the genre and never made things easy for the characters, who many times failed in their mission. Roy Marsden was spectacularly good. Second. Brilliant show, and nearly every episode ended with a big icy chill down my back. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2020, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-a-secret-agent-show-you-like/922005/34 "2020-10-04T00:06:41Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > A recent one I don’t think was mentioned was [Counterpart](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counterpart_(TV_series)) on the premium cable channel Starz. It had a really weird premise but was very good but sadly cancelled after only two seasons. Wife and I watched during maximum quarantine - agree entirely. J. K. Simmons was excellent - took a while get the whole gist of it at the start but things filled in later. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2020, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-a-secret-agent-show-you-like/922005/35 "2020-10-04T01:50:33Z")
One that is more on the silly side of the secret agent things - [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJ0VXVCKBOQ) I give you Scifi (before Syfy) Channel’s Invisible Man series. While absolutely wacky, it had fun chemistry between the characters, a willingness to poke fun at itself, and occasional chilling moments where you saw the absolute lack of oversight and willingness to abuse that we often hand-wave away in more serious spy shows. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2020, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-a-secret-agent-show-you-like/922005/36 "2020-10-04T02:13:41Z")
I loved this show! The best secret agents the Department of Fish and Game, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Department of Health and Human Services, the United States Postal Service, and the Bureau of Weights and Measures ever had. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2020, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-a-secret-agent-show-you-like/922005/37 "2020-10-04T06:58:15Z")
Get Smart I Spy The Prisoner Danger Man - we watched the whole run, and the last couple of seasons told you why Drake resigned. And Number 6 was so Drake, though it could never be admitted, otherwise the creator of Danger Man would get royalties. And who remembers the deservedly short lived “Secret Life of Henry Phyfe” with Red Buttons? ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2020, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-a-secret-agent-show-you-like/922005/38 "2020-10-04T08:12:50Z")
I saw a spy series on free-to-air TV here, called _[Whiskey Cavalier](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whiskey_Cavalier)_. Pretty much in the light-and-fluffy-with-acceptable-action department, but I enjoyed the chemistry between the two leads who were quite likeable (Maggie from Walking Dead, and a guy). It only lasted one season, but wrapped up its loose ends, if not the gaping plot holes, satisfactorily. Not sure where it would air in the US. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-a-secret-agent-show-you-like/922005.md?page=1)