Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

Limited Series – A Spy Among Friends

Play trailer Poster for Limited Series – A Spy Among Friends Dec 2022 Drama Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
88% Tomatometer 25 Reviews 80% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
In England in 1963, Nicholas Elliott works for MI6 as an intelligence officer but is left in turmoil when he learns his close friend and colleague, Kim Philby, had been secretly working as a double agent for the KGB, defecting to the Soviet Union.
A Spy Among Friends — Limited Series

What to Know

Critics Consensus

More cerebral than outright thrilling, A Spy Among Friends is an intelligent tale of espionage elevated by a pair of sterling performances.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More
Ben Dowell The Times (UK) 07/10/2023
4/5
The cloistered, nicotine-stained rooms feel deliberately evocative of the best John le Carré adaptations, to which this occasionally feels like an homage, while flashbacks to 1930s Vienna and wartime London add texture to the story. Go to Full Review
Manuel Betancourt AV Club 03/17/2023
This series is more Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy than The Spy Who Loved Me, with a stellar ensemble that makes even the most seemingly drab and dry scenes (two people in a room talking) feel like high-stakes drama with spidery diplomatic repercussions. Go to Full Review
Daniel D'Addario Variety 03/13/2023
Pearce’s performance is suitably charming, and among the small satisfactions of this series is discovering just how hollow that charm is. Go to Full Review
Stephanie Bunbury Deadline Hollywood Daily 09/26/2023
The unfolding of their negotiations and the nature of the friendship underpinning them is not seat-of-your-pants televisual excitement, but it is the stuff of sustained intrigue -- enough to keep us watching for six episodes, certainly. Go to Full Review
Christopher Connor Yahoo! Movies UK 07/19/2023
A Spy Among Friends is a series packed full of standout performances that help negate its sometimes languid pacing, Lewis and Pearce especially share phenomenal chemistry that really captures the years of friendship and memories shared by the pair. Go to Full Review
Eilis O'Hanlon Sunday Independent (Ireland) 07/14/2023
Watching it again confirmed that what I really like about A Spy Among Friends is its slow-burning quality. It is dialogue, rather than action, driven and that means you have to concentrate. That’s something of a lost art these days. Go to Full Review
Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
Anastasia G Aug 11 One of the best shows spy shows. Gives Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy's vibe. Cast is awesome and the ending is great. See more CMax L Jun 16 I liked the show when i first watched it… but now that I have read the book I can’t help but feeling this is such a missed opportunity. There is such good source material to work with, but characters are shallow and pale in comparison to the actual prototypes that have been very well documented. Also a pity that the show does not capture the intrigues of the tradecraft, like, at all. See more David F Jan 27 While I think it nails the atmosphere of globe trotting espionage, betrayal, and decades long double-crossing, it felt too padded out for the material at hand. It really just shows the endgame of the Philby unmasking and the fallout but it spends hour after hour going into the minutiae of the ensuing interrogations to exhausting effect. See more CLYDE C 08/05/2024 Just watched for the second time. A brilliant acting masterpiece. Damian Lewis has recreated Nicholas Elliot, RP accent , cadence, movements, tone, clothing, and sarcasm. Best Series of any year or age. Schedule an appointment. See more Avindu G 03/24/2024 Best observers and escape artists deciding fate of many during a turbulent period in history. With a little advancement in surveillance techniques spy stories of world war era are naturally thrilling yet this series has a very distinct personality that sets it far apart from light hearted spy comedies. Masterful performances by the cast brings the silent wars of intelligence officers to life tremendously. Great visuals and special effects to stress meaning into each scene. Good audio that fits well with both time line and nature of story. Dialogues adds colour to each character. A spy among friends is a little slow but a worthy watch. See more william N 06/24/2023 A more traditional spy film that focuses on the mental and strategies than thrilling chases. Excellent performances. See more Read all reviews
A Spy Among Friends — Limited Series

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Dec 7, 2022 Boom-Ooh-Yatatatah Kim Philby's connection to the KGB and his recent defection to the USSR puts his close friend Nicholas Elliott in the crosshairs of MI5. Details Episode 2 Aired Dec 7, 2022 The Admiral's Glass Desperate for answers, MI5 investigator Lily Thomas adopts a hammer-and-tongs approach to grill Nicholas Elliott about Kim Philby's secret meeting at the Admiral's Glass. Details Episode 3 Aired Dec 7, 2022 Allegory of the Catholic Faith Lily Thomas learns everything about Erich Vermehren, a Catholic traditionalist who entered the Abwehr and played a crucial role in turning the tide of WWII. Details Episode 4 Aired Dec 7, 2022 Vodka When a crazy turn of events in Moscow reduces Kim Philby's years' worth of work to naught, a glass of vodka seems to be the only source of comfort left in his life. Details Episode 5 Aired Dec 7, 2022 Snow While Nicholas Elliott gets Lily Thomas to figure Sir Roger Hollis out, the walls seem to be closing in on Anthony Blunt. Back in Moscow, Kim Philby ends up unconscious in the snow. Details Episode 6 Aired Dec 7, 2022 No Man's Land Nicholas Elliott cleverly answers Sir Roger Hollis's questions related to the Beirut tapes. After all is said and done, certain things remain under wraps and a complicated friendship reaches its breaking point. Details
Bodyguard 93% 84% Bodyguard Watchlist The North Water 96% 88% The North Water Watchlist TRAILER for The North Water Malpractice 93% 83% Malpractice Watchlist Baghdad Central 83% % Baghdad Central Watchlist Dalgliesh 75% 93% Dalgliesh Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Season Info

Director
Nick Murphy
Executive Producer
Nick Murphy, Alexander Cary
Network
MGM+
Genre
Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
British English
Release Date
Dec 7, 2022