With Citadel and White House Plumbers, the race for 2023’s best spy show is on

I spy another streaming war

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It’s a good time to be a fan of the spy genre. Superhero, sci-fi, and high fantasy shows have dominated the television scene for a while now. And, even though some espionage-based TV series have made their way onto our screens during that time, fans of the genre have been feasting off morsels rather than full-blown meals.

The arrival of three potentially big spy shows in the first half of 2023, though, is set to change that.Netflix,Prime Video, andHBO Maxhave come out swinging – or, in the latter pair’s case, will eventually come out swinging – in the battle to secure the ‘best spy show’ of 2023. Fans of spycraft and thriller TV shows, then, will have plenty to enjoy, and debate about which series is best, over the next couple of months.

So, what are these so-called top-tier shows that spy fans will want to, well, keep an eye on?

First up isThe Night Agent. Unless you’ve been locked in a dark room for the past week, you’ll know thatThe Night Agenthas become Netflix’s new TV show darling. The Shawn Ryan-developed espionage series accrued an impressive 168.7 millions hours viewed in its first week post-release – viewing figures that make it the second most-watched Netflix show of 2023 so far. Given its unexpected success,Netflix has unsurprisingly renewedThe Night Agentfor a second season.

Launching to little fanfare,The Night Agentis everything you’d want in a spy series. It’s well acted, comes equipped with a tension-filled plot with multiple twists and turns, and has just enough action to break up the potential monotony of watching characters stand around discussing what to do next. With few other excellent spy-based shows available on Netflix –TreasonandThe Recruitalso landed in recent months, but struggled to appeal to the streamer’s fanbase –The Night Agentplugged a huge gap in Netflix’s back catalog to stunning effect. Expect it to join ourbest Netflix showsguide in the interim.

The Night Agentis the spy show on everyone’s lips right now. However, two big-budget series, which are set to launch within days of each other in late April and early May, will look to usurp it in the fight to be crowned ‘best espionage TV series’ of 2023.

AmazonStudios’Citadelwill be the first to challengeThe Night Agentwhen it’s released on April 28. Produced byMarvelalumni in The Russo Brothers, created byHuntersshowrunner David Weil, and starringGame of Thrones' Richard Madden andThe Matrix Resurrections' Priyanka Chopra-Jonas, Citadel is positioning itself asJames Bond-styled TV series that’ll look to corner the spy genre market on the small screen.

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There’s good reason to believe it will, too. As the above trailer shows, it looks as action-packed, stylish, narratively thrilling, and even slightly witty. Amazon has clearly thrown plenty of cash atCitadelwith the aim of turning it into another expensive franchise show.

LikeThe Rings of Power, Amazon will hopeCitadelcommands viewers' attentions. If nothing else, at least we’ll get to seeMadden go full James Bond inCitadel– something fans of the Scottish actor have wanted to witness for a while. Expect it to be part of ourbest Prime Video showsarticle very soon.

It won’t be long until Citadel is given a run for its money, however.White House Plumbers, a prestige politically charged spy-drama, debuts on HBO Max just three days later on May 1. And, while it might not have the immediate appeal ofCitadelorThe Night Agent, it could become the surprise contender for ‘best spy show’ by the year’s end.

There are plenty of reasons why it might achieve that aim, too. For starters, it’s been created by Alex Gregory and Peter Hyuck, the writers behind some of the best episodes ofFrasier,Veep, andKing of the Hill. David Mandel (The Simpsons, Curb Your Enthusiasm) is on directorial duties, so we’ll get plenty of cringe-inducing and slapstick humor as part of the story, too. Some ofSuccession’s executive producing team, including Frank Rich, are also on board.

Then there’sWhite House Plumbers' absolutely stacked cast. Woody Harrelson, Justin Theroux, Lena Headey, Domhnall Gleeson, F. Murray Abraham, Judy Greer, Kiernan Shipka, and Ike Barinholtz are just some of the big names attached to this project. Add in the fact thatWhite House Plumbersis based on the shockingly true story concerning the Watergate scandal and, of this trio of spy-centric shows, HBO’s offering could be the most dramatic and historically appealing of the lot. You can bet it’ll be part of ourbest HBO Max showslist soon.

Of course, there’s always the possibility thatCitadelandWhite House Plumberswill crash and burn. Maybe they’ll be critically panned pre-release. Maybe they won’t resonate with a wider audience. With other highly anticipated TV shows launching around late April/early May, such asDead RingersandSweet Toothseason 2, they might not perform as expected.

Regardless that happening, fans of the spy genre have three high-quality shows to look forward to (or, inThe Night Agent’s case, to enjoy right now). It’s been a long time since we can say that. Maybe, just maybe, this is a huge turning point for espionage fare on the small screen. Heaven knows we’ve been waiting a while for such a watershed moment.

For more spy genre-based coverage, read about the latestStar Warsespionage drama in ourAndorreview. Additionally, check out ourranking of every Daniel Craig James Bond movie, or watch theseseven bloodpumping spy thrillers while we wait forThe Night Agentseason 2.

As TechRadar’s senior entertainment reporter, Tom covers all of the latest movies, TV shows, and streaming service news that you need to know about. You’ll regularly find him writing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus, and many other topics of interest.

An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Tom also writes reviews, analytical articles, opinion pieces, and interview-led features on the biggest franchises, actors, directors and other industry leaders. You may see his quotes pop up in the odd official Marvel Studios video, too, such as thisMoon Knight TV spot.

Away from work, Tom can be found checking out the latest video games, immersing himself in his favorite sporting pastime of football, reading the many unread books on his shelf, staying fit at the gym, and petting every dog he comes across.

Got a scoop, interesting story, or an intriguing angle on the latest news in entertainment? Feel free to drop him a line.

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