Alex Rider is every kid’s James Bond fantasy come to life - just what if the MI6 tapped a kid to become a secret spy in their own James Bond adventure? The Alex Rider series explores the spy novel series of the same name, where MI6 recruits young Alex Rider and trains him to become a spy to fulfill covert missions.
Now possessing its own Amazon Prime series, new and old Alex Rider fans can once again see the eponymous character in a modern take of his adventures. And those who want to experience the same thrill with other characters and stories can definitely enjoy some old and recent spy shows.
10 Chuck (2007-2012)
Who says spy-fi only has to focus on over-the-top action and suspense? Chuck subverts the spy fiction genre by telling a story of a spy learning as he conducts his missions. In the story, Chuck Bartowski becomes a CIA recruit by chance, as an encoded email from an old friend-turned-CIA operative has embedded the country’s spy secrets into Chuck’s brain. Thanks to his knowledge, Chuck became the agency’s go-to guy for some of the world’s most dangerous missions.
It’s this hilarious premise that made Chuck such a memorable series. After all, it’s this blend of spy drama and action-comedy that sets Chuck apart from other modern spies such as Sydney Bristow and Jack Bauer.
9 Alias (2001-2006)
Arguably the grandmother of spy-fi series, Alias is the perfect way to begin the age of spies on the eve of the 21st Century. Alias tells the story of Sydney Bristow, a double-agent boasting a flowery career at the CIA and her “other role” as a criminal operative of SD-6. What at first started as Sydney using multiple identities in her efforts against the SD-6 evolves into a more high-stakes story as the series progresses. Subplots of the series will eventually involve conspiracies and even ancient artifacts from a mysterious figure.
Despite its rather flashy spy-fi premise today, Alias had quite a huge impact on fans at the time of its release. The real CIA actually had Garner appear in a recruitment video to attract fans from college campuses into joining the Agency.
8 Nikita (2010-2013)
Nikita starring Maggie Q is the second adaptation of the French film La Femme Nikita. Introducing the character that arguably popularized the femme fatale, Nikita tells the story of the eponymous character - a former death row convict who finds a second shot at life after she awakens in a facility called Division. Nikita soon learns that Division is a government project that “reforms” former criminals into agents set to protect the United States.
While each Nikita incarnation escapes Division, the 2010 version will have her plot Division’s destruction from the inside. To do that, she enlists the help of Alex, a protege she trained specifically to survive Division training and eventually sabotage their missions. The two-toned perspectives of both protagonists do great for story and character development, with each episode featuring interesting sub-plots. Fans of spy-fi will take delight watching Nikita, both for its stellar fight choreography and a delightful taste in fashion.
7 The Americans (2013-2018)
It’s one thing to become a spy, and another to become an agent deep in the heart of enemy territory. The Americans is a period drama set during the latter years of the Cold War, where a seemingly-ordinary American couple are in reality KGB intelligence officers in disguise. However, their illusion of day-to-day family life starts to take an interesting turn when an FBI agent, in counterintelligence, no less, moves in next door.
Its creator, former CIA officer Joe Weisberg, did incredibly well to infuse the high tensions of a busy family life with the high stakes of doing missions for one’s nation. The series will eventually force the protagonists to question their beliefs, values, and loyalty. To further cement its status as a must-watch, The Americans received numerous accolades through its run - most notably being one of the rare shows to ever earn two Peabody Awards, an honor reserved for some of the “most powerful stories” in media.
6 Deutschland Series (2015, 2018, 2020)
Spy-fi fans who enjoyed The Americans might want another alternate take on an espionage period drama, and Deutschland might have just the way to scratch that itch. Set close to the fall of the Berlin Wall, Deutschland 83 tells the story of Martin Rauch, an East German native who becomes a Stasi spy in West Germany. Despite its weak initial reception, the series eventually became a critical hit, to the point of earning a Peabody Award. It released two sequels, Deutschland 86 in 2018, and Deutschland 89 in 2020.
Contrary to The Americans, Martin Rauch is a young lad reluctant in his role - something that will affect both his mission and his growth throughout the series. It’s this perspective of a youngster that gives it quite an Alex Rider vibe, except this time its real-world historical setting poses far greater risks for young Martin in a merciless Cold War-era Germany.
5 The Blacklist (2013-Present)
Rarely does a series catch viewers off-guard and have themselves questioning the truth for nine seasons and counting. The Blacklist follows the story of Raymond “Red” Reddington who, for some reason, decides to turn himself over to the FBI after escaping capture for decades. Reddington offers information about other high-profile criminals, but he’s only willing to share them with FBI profiler Elizabeth Keen. Thus begins the journey of both Liz and viewers to unveil the true purpose of Reddington’s willful capture and the true nature of their relationship.
Albeit not directly involving spies, The Blacklist actively features intelligence officers capturing some of the most dangerous fictional criminals ever to grace television. Unlike other cookie-cutter criminals, The Blacklist spares no terror in crafting each villain of the episode. One such criminal, for instance, runs an adoption agency that just somehow finds the right baby for every client. And no, the twist is much worse than what you’re thinking.
4 24 (2001-2010)
In terms of television formatting, nothing perhaps beats 24 in terms of producing suspense throughout an episode’s run. As the name implies, 24 tells the story of Jack Bauer’s life as a counterterrorism agent in a blow-by-blow, hour-by-hour format. Each 24-episode season highlights an actual day in the life of Jack Bauer as he averts one catastrophe to the next.
Such was the surprising use of this format that the series gained praise for this “elevation” of the serial style in television. After all, viewers see Jack Bauer race against the clock “as it happens,” adding to the suspense of the series’ gripping storylines.
3 Burn Notice (2007-2013)
Burn Notice takes its title from the concept of “burn notices,” or the time when intelligence agencies “burn” their relationships with their operatives. When a spy is burned, their relationship with their agency is terminated, as though leaving them with “no identity.” The series tells the story of Michael Western, a former agent that got “burned” in a mission in Nigeria before being sent back to Florida. However, his misadventures begin after realizing that someone from the agency wanted to “burn” him, and his desire to know who will slowly lead him back to the very line of work that abandoned him.
Despite its episodic format, Burn Notice was quite the memorable treat for those who want a more casual take on espionage drama. The narrative surrounding the bigger mystery of Western’s “untimely burning” is a treat to discover, and the supporting cast just makes Western’s charming-but-standoffish character quite an entertaining spy figure.
2 Killing Eve (2018-2022)
Sometimes, enemies try to outdo themselves so much to the point of knowing each other better than friends, and Killing Eve does this in such a hilariously dangerous way. Based on the “Villanelle” novel series, Killing Eve tells the story of Eve Polastri, a British intelligence agent tasked to capture psychopath assassin Villanelle. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) for the both of them, this cat and mouse endeavor eventually becomes a mutual obsession - to the point where the two begin exploring their lives instead of their missions.
The relationship between the two protagonists do a great job keeping viewers glued to the screen, as there’s no telling whether the characters eventually do kill each other or end up being together. The huge contrasts in each protagonist’s personalities, and when put on top of the skillful handling of their engagements, make Killing Eve quite an enjoyable experience. Killing Eve will have its fourth and final season premiere in 2022.
1 Marvel’s Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013-2020)
After the success of The Avengers within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel decided to explore the “little guys” doing the busy work after heroes save the day. Thus enters Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Focusing more on superhero spy-fi than conventional thriller, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. focuses on the adventures of Phil Coulson, who turns out to be alive after the events of The Avengers, and a ragtag team of agents.
Unlike the Avengers, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will have heroes and viewers take a sneak peek at what happens when super spies deal with superpowered threats. Soon, they save the world a couple of times without the world even knowing - facing threats such as Hydra, Hive, rogue Inhumans, and other beings. What makes Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. such a delightful series is its canonical connection within the greater MCU landscape - with fans giving the occasional gripe as to why the crew never even got to meet the Avengers in some crossover format.
The first two seasons of Alex Rider are available on Amazon Prime Video, with Season 2 having recently released last December 2021.