Their motives are not self-serving-the risks of espionage in the contexts they serve in are too high to draw in selfish people. Heroic spies are an entirely different type of human being, set apart from ordinary clandestine players not by the tradecraft they use-which is universal-but by their fundamental values. They like sneaking around and manipulating others, and feel superior to their oblivious targets drawn into hidden games of secrecy and deception. Some want money, or the excitement of a James Bond adventure, or to believe they are playing dramatic, if hidden, roles in historical events. These motivations are often self-serving. Intelligence officers who handle espionage sources-variously called informants, assets, or agents, to distinguish them from the professionals-and the psychologists they consult with study the motives of agents closely. What do people outside the clandestine world not see? For those of us in the business, it was rare to see an agent’s heroism come to light, though we get to witness their bravery covertly on a routine basis in our daily work. It has been widely reported in the media that the plot failed because the operative chosen by AQ was in fact a agent of British or Saudi Intelligence Services. Intelligence officials foiled an al Qaeda plot to bring down a plane by having a suicide operative smuggle on board a nonmetallic exploding device concealed beneath his clothing. In early May, the world learned of a real example of heroic espionage. What goes on in the mind of those who inhabit the clandestine world? Like the FBI’s most wanted list, we’ll keep updating this dossier as more information becomes available.Every few years, major news breaks about spying, with stories of spectacular heroism and shocking betrayal.
#Types of secret agents series#
We considered more than Tomatometer scores to finalize our spy show ranking, however we also looked at variables like how many seasons each series has, how each of those seasons scored, how many reviews determined those scores, and whether those seasons were Certified Fresh, We looked at other reputable media lists of top spy series to help gauge where to place some classic series without enough reviews to register a Tomatometer score, and then applied a dose of editorial discretion to break some ties and rank some titles based on their cultural resonance.Ĭheck out Rotten Tomatoes’ list of best spy shows ever before it self destructs in three … two … just kidding. Spycraft can also be quite funny, as in Mel Brooks and Buck Henry’s beloved Get Smart, which ran on NBC and CBS in the late ’60s, and the long-running animated FX comedy Archer, which has a 93% Tomatometer score. Le Carré’s The Night Manager (featuring one of Britain’s top Toms) and, most recently, The Little Drummer Girl both aired on AMC, are Certified Fresh at 90% on the Tomatometer, and rank high on our spy series list. The espionage stories of John le Carré have also had televised adaptations. Simmons as both a mild-mannered bureaucratic pencil pusher and his aggro alt-universe counterpart, who hunt dangerous reality-hopping spies. Where should a complicated sci-fi caper like Starz’s Counterpart stand? The series, which returns for season 2 on December 9, finished off its first season with one of those rare, perfect 100% Certified Fresh Tomatometer scores. Should it receive a lower ranking on our ultimate spy show list than a classic like CBS’s Mission: Impossible? Also of note: They both have catchy theme songs. But the series - which has a 96% series-level Tomatometer score, every season of which is Certified Fresh (including one 100% CF season), and is regarded by critics as one of the greatest shows in this Golden Age of Television - is also about marriage, parenting, and history’s winning side’s ability to whitewash facts. With its propensity for disguises, double-crosses, and surveillance, FX’s Cold War–era drama The Americans, is certainly about spies.
#Types of secret agents tv#
(Photo by FX) The 50 Best Spy TV Shows Everĭeciding which series are worthy of inclusion on a list of the best spy shows and streaming series ever is a matter of mystery itself.
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