We seem to be living in a new golden age of spy series just now. Between Slow Horses, The Day Of The Jackal, A Man On The Inside, and the about-to-drop banger that is Netflix's Black Doves, it would appear that we just can't get enough screen spycraft. And another such show, Michael Fassbender led Paramount+ deep cover thriller The Agency, has already proven itself another hit with audiences. So much so in fact that, per Variety's reporting, the show has already scored a Season 2 renewal despite having only dropped its first episode last week.
According to viewing figures shared by Paramount, the show — a co-production with Showtime — snagged an impressive 5.1 million viewers for its season premiere, making it the most watched new series in Showtime's history. And honestly, it's not hard to see why. Boasting a killer cast including the likes of Fassbender, Jeffrey Wright, Richard Gere, Katherine Waterston, and Jodie Turner-Smith, The Agency — an English-language reimagining of French series Le Bureau des Legendes — offers a fascinating alternative angle on espionage. By zeroing in on Fassbender's 'Martian', a top spook who's spent six years in deep cover and finds himself having a crisis of confidence (and humanity) upon his return to Earth (well, London), the show makes for a fascinating deconstruction of what it takes to be a spy — and what it essentially means to be human.
“The success of The Agency is proof that our new Showtime slate is poised to propel Paramount+ to its next phase of growth,” said Paramount Global Co-CEO and President & CEO of Showtime & MTV Entertainment Studios Chris McCarthy in a statement accompanying the series' renewal. “This achievement is a testament to the creative power of the team led by George Clooney, Jez Butterworth, Joe Wright and David Glasser and our incredible cast including Michael Fassbender, Richard Gere, Jodie Turner-Smith and Jeffrey Wright.”
We don't know when The Agency will return, who will be in it, or indeed what a second season will entail. But with the first season having only just gotten going, we've got plenty more spycraft shenanigans with our new favourite Martian to look forward to yet.