Whether you're a seasoned spy movie fan or just looking for adventure, these 10 must-watch series will take you on a wild ride through the dangerous world of diplomacy and espionage.

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The Diplomat (2023 - ) 

Keri Russell (The Americans) headlines this high-end thriller as Kate Wyler, a US State Department career diplomat more comfortable in Kabul than Calvin Klein. She is appointed US Ambassador to London after a British aircraft carrier is attacked in the Middle East. Russell is backed up with a stellar cast that includes Rufus Sewell as Wyler's 'wife', ex-Ambassador Hal Wyler, and Ali Ahn as CIA London Chief of Station Eidra Graham. The Diplomat is part-West Wing, part Veep. (Netflix)

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White House Plumbers (2023)

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The White House Plumbers' satirical spin on the real-life Watergate break-in at the Democratic election HQ in 1972 is riveting. The story revolves around two main characters: ex-CIA officer and dirty tricks specialist E. Howard Hunt (Woody Harrelson) and former FBI agent G. Gordon Liddy (Justin Theroux), both larger-than-life characters who believe they are above the law - or, at least able to get around it. When Hunt and Liddy decide to bug the Democratic National Committee headquarters, they find out they may have overestimated their own abilities. (HBO)
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Condor (2018 - )

Paranoid thriller Condor follows Joe Turner (Max Irons) a millennial CIA analyst who discovers everyone in his office is dead. Are millions of other lives also at stake? The series is a thrilling take on James Grady's novel Six Days of the Condor, burrowing deeper into truth, lies, and deception. (Prime Video)

Messiah (2020) 

CIA officer Eva Geller (Michelle Monaghan) is on a high-stakes mission to find out if a ‘Messiah’ is a divine entity or a con artist. Her journey questions her to reevaluate her own spiritual convictions. (Netflix)

Traitors (2019) ‍

Traitors is the story of a young English woman (Emma Appleton) who helps an American agent root out Russian infiltration of the British government at the end of World War II. It poses the age-old question: Can anyone really be trusted in the spying game? (Netflix, Apple TV, Prime Video, GooglePlay, YouTube)

The Little Drummer Girl (2018)

Charlie (Florence Pugh) is ab English actress recruited by Mossad to infiltrate an assassin's terrorist cell. But is she being recruited to become a spy or a terrorist? (GooglePlay, YouTube, Prime Video) 

Deutschland 83-89 (2015-2020)‍

Reluctant East German border guard Martin Rauch (Jonas Nay) is sent to West Germany in 1983 to spy on Major General Edel’s team. His aunt Leonora - brilliantly played by Maria Schrader - is one of his Stasi handlers. As Deutschland unfolds over the three series, the Berlin Wall comes tumbling down and old loyalties are tested. (Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, SKY TV in the UK) 

The Bureau/Le Bureau des Légendes (2015 - 2020) 

French undercover agent Guillaume Debailly, codename ‘Malotru’, is recalled to Paris after six years in Damascus and struggles to reconnect with his old life - made more difficult when his Syrian lover Nadia shows up. The Bureau is based on stories by former French spies and centers around the Bureau of Legends who train deep-cover agents to use false identities. (French with English subtitles. Prime Video.)

Spy City (2019 - 2020)‍

In Spy City, an English spy (Dominic Cooper) is sent to Berlin, Germany in 1961 to find a traitor in the UK Embassy or among the Allies, shortly before the construction of the Berlin Wall. (Prime Video, BritBox)

Hanna (2019-2021) 

Highly trained female assassins - and one very skilled ex-CIA operative - prove women aren’t just as capable as men when it comes to spy thrillers, they may even be better. Women steal the show in Hanna, Season Three. (Prime Video) 

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HONORABLE MENTION: 

Tell Me Who I Am (2020-21)

Spanish thriller Tell Me Who I Am examines the 20th century European conflicts through the eyes of a socialist-turned-wartime spy. Gritty and glamorous, the series flips between past and present. Irene Escolar stars as Amelia Garayoa. (Apple TV, Netflix in some countries)

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The Hunters (2020 - ) 

Spy fans are spoiled for choice with plenty of other espionage series, so (if you haven't already) you may want to also check out: The Hunters (2020 - ) with Al Pacino; Covert Affairs (2010-2014); Mr Robot (2015-2019); The Americans (2013-2018); Jack Ryan (2018 - ); and Burn Notice (2007-2013). (Hulu, Vudu, GooglePlay, YouTube, Prime Video, Apple TV).