Spy Games: The Rise of the Four Starry Drama Emmy Contenders

This Emmy season, four Best Drama contenders are turning the venerable spy genre on its head. Three new shows, "The Agency" (Paramount+/Showtime), "The Day of the Jackal" (Peacock), and "Black Doves" (Netflix) are already prepping their second seasons, while one established series, "Slow Horses" (AppleTV+), will premiere Season 5 on September 24. "Slow Horses" Season 4 has already scored a number of critic and guild nominations, following nine Emmy Primetime nominations and one win (showrunner/writer Will Smith) for Season 3. While critically acclaimed and popular, the new shows are playing catch-up with the already established "Slow Horses." But this year, anything can happen. Three of these shows are British, while the American "The Agency" just looks British: It's set at the CIA London office, is written by the British Jez and John-Henry Butterworth, and stars Irish Michael Fassbender playing American and British actress Jodie Turner-Smith playing Sudanese. "The Day of the Jackal" (Peacock) is adapted by showrunner Ronan Bennett from Frederick Forsyth's 1971 novel and Fred Zinnemann's 1973 movie. Eddie Redmayne, who also serves as an executive producer, collaborated with the team to craft this update of a classic spy thriller. Redmayne's lone wolf assassin is a sociopath mercenary who seeks humanity despite his horrific actions. The show also features a brilliant gun designer who can pack long-range sniper rifles into small undetectable spaces. "Slow Horses" (Apple TV+) is adapted by showrunner Will Smith and his writer's room from Mick Herron's series of "Slow Horses" bestsellers. The show features Gary Oldman as wily veteran Jackson Lamb, whose dilapidated London Slough House harbors a posse of failed MI5 agents. The show is known for its humor and thrills, but also for its human spies who are fallible and struggling with relatable issues. "Black Doves" (Netflix) is a fantasy spy series created by showrunner Joe Barton. The show is about friendship and the relationship between two old friends who reconnect in the espionage world. Keira Knightley plays Helen Webb, a tough-as-nails London spy who years ago was recruited by an agency for hire. As an undercover agent, she marries a rising politician and raises a traditional family, but on the side, she embarks on a passionate affair that ends in tragedy. She is obsessed with tracking down her lover's killer and is watched over by her old chum, freelance assassin Sam Young (Ben Whishaw). Finally, "The Agency: Central Intelligence" (Paramount+/Showtime) is adapted from Eric Rochant's French series "Le Bureau des Legendes." Michael Fassbender plays Martian, a CIA agent who is abruptly pulled out of his undercover assignment in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia after six years. He returns to CIA's London offices to re-engage with his bosses and submit to ongoing psychological evaluation from a therapist. But he's left his true love behind, Sami Zahir, a Sudanese academic played by Jodie Turner-Smith. In this year's Emmy season, all these shows are competing for attention and awards. But with their unique takes on the spy genre and compelling characters, they are sure to keep viewers on the edge of their seats until the end of the season.