![]() The reason the spy seems intriguingly exempt from regular rules of ethics is because of what C.S. What’s a little housebreaking or homicide when you’ve already made outright lying and theft a routine matter of business? You can’t be a secret agent without lying, and usually stealing. ![]() He seems above the law-perhaps because a spy is already morally compromised. A secret agent can commandeer (and crash) an unsuspecting citizen’s car, or break into a house, or drug a politician, or steal a top-secret file, with no bureaucratic consequences, and, to all appearances, no moral qualms. With this knowledge, they do anything necessary to stop the villains, making decisions a court or congress could never make.īecause Hollywood secret agents are part of a special circle beyond the rules, we are oddly comfortable watching spies do things we wouldn’t want to see a policeman do. Mission Impossible’s Hunt and his few associates are the only ones who know about the terrorist syndicate the undercover agents and their handlers in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. are the only ones who know about the neo-Nazi organization’s atomic bomb. ![]() They are uniquely powerful because secrecy implies special knowledge-a special group or individual who really knows what’s going on, who really knows the workings of international politics and plots. Similarly, in U.N.C.L.E., the KGB agent Illya Kuryakin at one point takes down his own Russian policeman merely because they are blocking his mission. MI’s Ethan Hunt and his Impossible Mission Force, even as they track down the villains, is threatened by bureaucratic powers-like the irate CIA director, frustrated that the IMF is out of his regulatory reach. This is the secret of the secret agent: he seems to execute justice when the official system is too bogged down in bureaucracy or rules to catch the bad guys. Living in a world where justice is often hampered by bureaucracy, we like the idea of someone who is not bound by the traditional rules of operation someone who can move outside the strict public structures of good and evil someone belonging neither to the military nor the police and exempt from their rules, yet holding all their power and expertise. Mission Impossible 5’s Ethan Hunt likewise makes full use of over-the-top high-tech gadgets in elaborate chase scenes and break-ins, to out-wit the villains in dazzling European and colorful Middle Eastern cities.īut beyond the superficial 007-like qualities, secret agents appeal to American audiences on another level, too. U.N.C.L.E‘s Napoleon Solo is suave, womanizing, and witty, with government funds and gadgetry at his disposal, and with the courage and cleverness to get out of anything. Yes, some appeal lies in the glamorous popular Hollywood portrayal: Bond-like spies have no lack of money, fancy gadgets, and missions in exotic locales. What is it about the secret agent that charms us? Two of the summer spy blockbusters, the fifth Mission Impossible and The Man from U.N.C.L.E., releasing as they did back-to-back, tell us something about the mysterious appeal of spies. Whether you are fascinated by the world of espionage or just enjoy secret agent TV shows every now and again, the best spy TV shows are listed here for your perusal.Spy films have routinely titillated American audiences at least since the Cold War, and this year is no exception, with Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., American Ultra, Agent 47, and Spectre all hitting theaters. The shows on this list range from Chuck to The Avengers, plus many more TV series about spies and spy characters. The list of spy television shows below includes information like the program's cast, creator, and premiere date when available. Do you prefer newer American spy shows, or classic British spy series? Don't let your favorite spy television programs in history fall to the bottom of the list - be sure to vote them up so they have the chance to reach the top spot. Popular spy TV shows have been a staple of television for years, so there's often debate about what the most entertaining spy show of all time is. This list of the greatest spy TV shows also includes pictures from the shows when available. The very best spy shows on television, ranked from best to worst, including British spy TV shows and series.
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