If you already have a Slow Horses-shaped hole in your life after the stunning season four finale, you might be in need of something new to sink your teeth into before season five comes out.
Critics have loaded praise onto the Gary Oldman-starring Apple TV+ crime thriller about a team of underperforming MI5 intelligence service agents, hailing it as a “magnificent ride” and “one of the best shows on TV right now”.
But if you’re still on the hunt for your next spy thriller fix, TV buffs are remembering another solid espionage show starring Succession’s Brian Cox.
BBC series The Game came out in 2014 to rave reviews from critics and viewers, scoring a 95 per cent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Cold War-era TV mini-series written by Being Human creator Toby Whithouse stars Tom Hughes (Victoria, The English) Jonathan Aris (His Dark Materials, Avenue 5) Victoria Hamilton (The Crown, COBRA), Paul Ritter (Friday Night Dinner, Chernobyl) and tells the story of the “invisible wars fought by MI5”.
Though there was only one season and just six episodes, the stakes are high, the plots twisty and the characters intriguing. And just like Slow Horses, it’s set in London.
At the time of release, HuffPost UK said the show “excels in the realms of atmosphere, tension and mood, and these are the vital things that a spy drama can’t get wrong”, while The Guardian described it as a show that “thickens with intrigue”.
Collider recently remembered The Game as a “captivating historical thriller set”, while one fan of Slow Horses praised the “fantastic” drama.
The Game also notably aired pre-Succession – which ran for four seasons from 2018-2023 – meaning Brian Cox’s role in this thriller may have flown under the radar for now die-hard fans of the Golden Globe-winning show.
Meanwhile, if you’re ready to expand your horizons from spy and espionage thrillers into some gripping detective and police series, this list might help get you started.
The Game is available to watch on Sky Go or rent on Prime Video.