MI-5 (2002–2011) User Reviews (135)

`Spooks' delivers....

[prose · 15 August 2003]

I read all the hype in advance of this program being shown on ABC-TV in Australia, and thought: yeah, yeah, show me something different. Maybe it's not too different, but it does deliver. I was a bit bored inititally by the straight delivery of MI-5 characters, and how terribly seriously they take their jobs. Matthew MacFadyen is a fine choice for Tom Quinn - he's big and tall, straight-faced, and very, very serious. Keeley Hawes is also very well cast, and eminently believable.

However the last two episodes shown here - the one about the mock terrorist attack, and last night's episode about the visit of the American presidential `circus' were rivetting stuff. I found myself holding my breath for a lot longer than was healthy for me! I was fascinated by how the US presidential entourage insisted they take over MI-5 files for `security purposes'. A metaphor for the world at the moment?? The suspicion that George Bush Jnr was visiting London specifically for a secret meeting with Colonel Gadaffi to negotiate compensation for Locharbie losses was very pertinent, given that Libya came forth with compensation - in the `real' world - just this week.

I look forward to more episodes of this straighter-than-straight, larger-than-life, but very entertaining series. I don't think it's very realistic, but then, who watches TV to indulge in more reality?

Intelligent work on intelligence work

[sgspires · 31 December 2003]

I've seen these on A&E in America and from the first I was hooked. The pressure cooker atmosphere and the modern day dot-com look puts this show about "counter intelligence" on another level than today's so called spy shows.

It's not the eye-candy of Alias and frankly its better than the flat delivery of the now canned Agency or Threat Matrix (both of which strive to be too PC in their "diverseness").

The writing is very well layered. It pulls the viewer in, and there's enough original material that many times you can't "skip ahead" to the fourth act in your mind. Meaning, you haven't figured out the end by the second break.

MI-5, or Spooks, puts enough plot twists in for any true fan of the genre. Well worth the time and effort to watch. Too bad American network television can't produce a show of this caliber.

(11/17/05 comment) Also, I was so intrigued by the UK version of Spooks, that I got into downloading the shows via the Internet, and I have to say it's an even better experience. I wish A&E would run the entire episode and not a chopped up version. The editing has to do with advert breaks more than content. If you only see this on A&E then I would suggest downloading it or renting/buying the DVD sets.

One of the best things on British TV

[The Horseman · 20 May 2002]

Spooks, is quite frankly, bloody excellent. It seems to have learnt all the tricks that the best of American thrillers (e.g. '24') have picked up, and uses them to the best of their abilities. The acting, especially from McFadden, is likewise excellent (unlike many other similar programs, Spooks doesn't attempt to make the characters whiter-than-white. They're likeable, just not perfect). It also has the bravery to use storylines that are shocking, but are what make it the best.

My only criticism is that the characters from 'the government' are a bit too stereotypically slimey.

Otherwise 10 out of 10

Mondays, 9:00pm, BBC 1

Best show on television

[djames42 · 10/10 · 25 June 2006]

Just finished the last episode of series three, and was reminded why this is my favourite show of all time. I think the comparisons to 24 are quite unfair--they both deal with terrorism, but the similarities end there. Spooks is far more cerebral, and spends more effort on character and plot development.

Unlike other reviewers, I felt series three was every bit as good (and in many ways even better) than the previous two. The departure of several main characters was handled exceedingly well, and while they'll be missed, I think their replacements are quite strong and as such, the transition has been quite smooth. Kudos! (Er, no pun intended)

Wow!

[matildamother · 1 September 2003]

I absolutely LOVE this series. I got hooked with the episode involving the deep fryer and I've been hopelessly addicted ever since. This series is incredibly suspenseful and involving and I cannot wait to see what they come up with every week. The acting and writing is superb. I love this genre and I'm glad to see someone is doing something worthwhile with it. Highly recommended!!

Commissioned by MI5?

[terrencesmith666 · 24 February 2005]

Spooks has been waiting to be made ever since Fleming's Bond started the wild-fantasy spy genre. This is an attempt at a realistic depiction of the activities and lives of MI5 agents, in the way that The Bill or Casualty depict those professions. Sometimes this gives an eerie feeling of the series having been commissioned by MI5 in order to get an influx of new, preferably ethnic-minority, recruits.. but the plots are always riveting, dangerous and violent so it makes for great TV.

Most of the main characters from the first series have now left in various ways... except the boss and of course Colin.. who has to be my favourite character who no-one ever mentions. He's the most realistic spook to me.

Absolutely Brilliant

[ccjameshenry · 1 January 2005]

Spooks is, without doubt, the tensest and most dramatic (for better or for worse) drama on TV at the moment, season III is especially brilliant and with season IV scheduled to start next year i am itching with anticipation. However, there is something for everything as the story line also focuses on the relationships within spooks meaning that there is an ongoing story as well as a story per episode. SHEER BRILLIANCE The actors are brilliant and i am sure spooks will go down in history as one of the best dramas, kiss BOND goodbye a more realistic, better story is here. Enjoy one of the most memorable security-service dramas ever!

More detailed review of Spooks

[stevewillis · 13 September 2003]

Having only just registered, this review is rather late for the U.K viewers.

"Spooks" or `MI-5' in U.S listings is one of the best British drama series produced in a long time.

Whilst the plots may seem a little far fetched (sometimes!), I feel that the series puts a new spin onto the role of spies within today's society whilst maintaining a sense of the unbelievable demonstrated throughout James Bonds illustrious career, at the end of the day these characters are normal, flawed people who go home at night drink themselves into a stupor, and rarely get the warm satisfaction that goes hand in hand with 007 and his many girls.

So we have established that the portrayal of the characters is true to life.

The plots however are very Bond esque without most of the worldly travelling or white-cat stroking arch villains. These are gritty, real world narratives that could all feasibly be in the process of happening, pro-life activists, racism, the I.R.A, political slander and all this sprinkled with the inter/intra departmental politics that must surely exist within these offices and are blatantly obvious between MI-5 and MI-6, as well as a healthy dose of CIA - MI-5 competition.

Back to the characters or rather the actors.

Matthew MacFadyen's portrayal of Tom and his acting in general is top draw; he is a highly under-rated actor who would appear to have a bright future and deserves it much more than some of the current Hollywood 'thespians' who are nothing more than pretty faces.

Keeley Hawes is outstanding as the tough yet fragile (keenly highlighted in the episode 1.2) dominant femme Zoe. An outstanding character played with depth by an equally outstanding actress.

David Oyelowo puts in consistently solid performances as Danny the newer member of Tom's '5' team. Played with guile and grit, I feel series 3 will really give Danny more time and space to flourish into the high profile character that series 2 shows he has the potential to be.

Jenny Agutter and Peter Firth are both established actors having appear in films such as 'American Werewolf in London, and 'The Hunt for Red October/Pearl Harbour' respectively. They deliver everything we expect from the true thespian pedigree that they both have.

There is also a refreshing appearance of Anthony Stewart Head playing a dissident MI-5 agent. His performance shows that he is not just Giles in Buffy.

In short this series is a well worth watching, it has thrills, twists and a more natural approach to spying whilst maintaining the myth and romance surrounding the secret services.

99 Lives.

decent British spy thriller

[ivko · 6/10 · 3 April 2011]

Entertaining show about the British security service MI-5 with a writing and editing style similar to '24', but typically with one or two episode story arcs instead of season long plots. The characters are well created and nicely fleshed out with skills and personal foibles, but do seem to have disturbingly short lifespans. Politics in the show are rather conservative at the beginning of the series (which started shortly after 9/11), but gradually begin to include a lot of lefty 'new world order' conspiracy stuff as the show progresses and the Iraq war became increasingly unpopular around the world. Like all shows of this type, it portrays England as having a shockingly high rate of terrorist attacks and far too many caches of surface to air missiles floating around inside it's borders.

While the action and spy craft is usually entertaining, it does tend towards the silly on many occasions. Weaker plots include elements like a small child with a laptop defeating the entire British intelligence computer network and the "G&J" algorithm (an extremely loose and poorly understood reference to RSA style encryption used on the Internet) security loophole that allows a villain to access any computer on the Internet, but who for some completely incomprehensible reason uses it to attempt to ransom the government instead of just tapping directly into banks to take the funds. Occasionally the logic is so tortured it becomes unintentionally funny, as in one season (spoiler alert) where a group of individuals attempt a coup of the British government. During the course of the coup they kill several people including an MI-5 officer, arrange to have hundreds of people killed in a staged terrorist attack, organize the slaughter of peaceful protesters by police forces, attempt the assassination of several high-ranking government officials and the Prime Ministers own son, and create detention camps where they round up political opponents and try to set them on fire. After the good guys finally stop the plot, one of the conspirators (that's right, just one) is brought to trial and convicted. The daughter and one-time co- conspirator of the convicted man, now amazingly added to the MI-5 payroll because she had an eleventh hour change of heart, has a heated exchange with her boss because her father received 20 years in prison and she felt he should only get 5. I laughed so hard I was crying. I don't know if this is a British thing I don't get, but over here we would say that mothf***er has got to go. Apparently in Britain trying to overthrow the government is seen as more of a stern talking-to kind of thing.

One quick not for those living in the states; it bears mentioning that the show has a strong anti-American sentiment that usually colors us as either arrogant jerks, soulless corporate overlords, or weapon merchants eager to sell biological weapons to foreign leaders for all their ethnic cleansing needs. Having seen other Canadian and British shows I've become de-sensitized to this so it didn't bother me overly much. I figure we made them the emperor's lackeys in Star Wars so turnabout is fair play.

All in all this is a decent bit of action-drama. When it works it works really well, which I'd say happens about 70% of the time. The other 30% fails pretty spectacularly, but still I would say overall it's worthy of providing a few hours of diversion.

Brilliant Series 1-8, lousy 9-10...

[aldebaran68 · 8/10 · 31 August 2018]

I really love this programme from Series 1 to 8. Then for 9-10 it just seemed to lose its soul and its way. They should have stopped it after Ros died. i really hated the way the made Richard Armitages character so ambivalent, ambiguous, traumatised, and confused. The guy should have been in a loony bin, not in charge of section D. How is Spooks MI5 supposed to manage the 1001 threats to NatSecurity when its head of operations is running around with his own aghenda(s)? In fact IMHO Series 9 was almost entirely about Richard Armitage's Lucas North, and hardly at all about the plots and story lines It just got ridiculous in the end. Then Series 10 was just plain...dire. I'm struggling to get through it. After Series 8 I just couldn't empathise with any of the characters. Harry and Ruth were constantly 'on and off'. When Lucas North finally died i almost cheered! That's how far Spooks had descended into a confused mess. I shall remember Spooks from series 1-8 with fondness, and maybe get te DVDs in. The rest I shall ignore. I give it 10/10 for 1-8. Then a 3 or 4 for 9-10. So 8 as a compromise.

Brilliant series

[mccarthydeborah · 10/10 · 5 November 2021]

I came to this series in 2021 via Britbox, and I loved it from start to finish. American television could learn a thing or two from the British about storytelling.

Great show

[Thorsten-Krings · 10/10 · 6 March 2007]

Spooks is certainly one of the best shows ever made for TV. One of the reasons is the basic principle that nothing is clear cut black and white but that every single character really is very ambivalent. So on the one hand there are "heroes" (otherwise it would be boring) but on the other hand the role of the security services is not glorified. That intelligent outlook makes is good watching. Apart from that the story lines are on the one hand believable (I wouldn't go as far as to say realistic as the show keeps the number of people involved in any given case to an unrealistically low number and the cases happen one after the other) but also original. The standard of writing is very high and the authors stay clear of spy story stereotypes. There really are no flat characters in this show which makes it really delightful and no character is safe which adds to the suspense. In season three basically all three main characters which did carry the show over a number of years disappear. It is done again in a believable way and the three new characters give the show a new (although not necessarily better or worse) dimension by their MI 6 past in the middle east and the addition of a husband/ wife team. And again, the Thin Man stereotype is avoided. Personally I preferred the McFadyen character because he was less of a stereotype (essentially he was really uncool) as Penry-Jones's who acts against his posterboy image. He is a great actor but his looks really are in the way of being taken seriously. But you can't blame him for that. Generally speaking I find it amazing that they manage to tell an exciting, multi layered and ultimately satisfying story in the 60 minutes format. Spooks is also one of the few TV shows that's visually innovative.

a nice addition to american television, and a great alternative to the mind numbing onslaught of reality television

[alc1973 · 23 July 2003]

This show (titled MI-5) just landed on Tuesday nights at 10 pm, with many encores throughout the week on the A&E channel. For those of you who are not familiar with the american channels, A&E runs various biography shows, a few other british shows, among others. To put it another way, when I watched it, there were no commercials for beer or fast food. It is a smart interesting show without all the flash of "24" or "alias", which are among my favorite shows. In the first episode there was little background on the characters, which is very different for american television audiences. I felt like I had missed a few episodes. The show did not spend as much time on the tech stuff either, but somehow that didn't seem so important as a great story unfolded during the hour. Very little publicity about this show has made it out there, and I only hope that enough people will stick it out and give the show enough of an audience to continue, lest we be stuck with only more of the summer dreck from the big networks.

BBC at its best

[csm-78119 · 8/10 · 27 June 2020]

At times this is very silly but overall it's a top notch drama and looking back on it now one can see how it anticipated real world issues before they hit the headlines. It's at its best in the superb first two seasons with Matthew Macfayden and Keeley Hawes. Peter Firth is outstanding throughout.

From Across The Pond

[lbeatles551 · 10/10 · 11 July 2006]

I've been hooked and reeled. I absolutely love MI-5/Spooks. I rented all the available series and I crave for more. I'm anxiously waiting for 2005 to become available. The characters are unique and intriguing. The story lines are complex and luring. The acting is top form. As far as I'm concerned nothing here in the U.S. comes close. We had Mission Impossible (covert missions and fancy gadgetry) but MI-5 is fathoms richer, and smart. I'm a loyal fan of Keeley Hawes first finding her in Tipping the Velvet and recently viewed Our Mutual Friend. She's an outstanding actress and her MI-5 colleagues perform with such command of the art. As far as I'm concerned the BBC can do no wrong.

Very Realistic and very scary spooks is the best show the UK have produced

[vhs1999 · 10/10 · 7 September 2006]

I have been watching spooks ever since it has been broadcast here in Australia. Spooks is very realistic and follows story lines that are real close to real world events. Over the past four seasons spooks has gone through many changes and has in season 3 lost there three main leads Tom,Zoe,Danny and replaced by Adam,Ros,Zaf who still make the show just as exciting more to the point realistic and serious. These episodes are very Controversial and have got a lot of suspense but if you are looking for excitement suspense and even some character based plots well you have come to the right place,good choice of show. i would just like to say keep it up england your doing a great job.

Oh and by the way if you want something up to date to a real world event try episodes 4.01 4.02 in season 4 they were based on the London bombings.

Very, very enjoyable

[brotherfallout · 19 June 2002]

This is one of the better British TV thrillers to emerge in a few good years. What initially attracted me was another varied acting choice by Matthew MacFayden, but on watching I found myself compelled. It does suffer from some unrealism, but the characters are so interesting, the plots so varied, it makes up for it. And yes, yes, it does rip off from 24, but it hasn't tried to hide it, so in my opinion that's a good thing, seeing as 24 used some of the most innovative effects. Also, some of the secondary casting, such as Hugh Laurie's nasty Jools and Peter Firth's big boss Harry. Also, guest appearances by Anthony Head and Tim Piggot-Smith just add to the strength of this show. I eagerly await the second series, after the excellent end of the first. If you are interested in MacFayden's performance (he is one of the strongest new English talents) then check out the worthy The Way We Live Now (where he plays a cad) and the absolutely wonderful Perfect Strangers.

Spooks: The deterioration of a great show

[JSC-2 · 7/10 · 25 August 2008]

The early seasons of Spooks, a well-produced BBC action-drama about a small band of MI-5 agents serving to protect the UK, provided compelling entertainment. Giving the writers some latitude in developing plots that had the same team of MI-5 saving Britain each week from a variety of home grown and foreign militants, the show had excellent production values, good story lines and developed the characters' background to help create audience empathy. Led by Matthew Macfadyen and Peter Firth, the actors had good chemistry and, occasionally, the plot raised interesting questions about the dilemmas faced by domestic intelligence agencies.

In later seasons, however, notably five and six, and integrity of Spooks seriously deteriorated, as the quality of the plot became ridiculous, and then absurd. Life-long conspiracy theorists would have had a good laugh and Spooks adopted repetitive themes of general xenophobia, targeting particularly the United States, but also generally simplistic conspiracy themes within most of the UK Government (virtually everyone except our intrepid MI-5 team). Simultaneously, the show forgot to focus on the individual characters, providing two- dimensional studies of the new MI-5 players, with the exception of Adam (Rupert Penry- Jones), who carried the brunt of providing some unsophisticated examples of conflict. As a result, it became more difficult to care about the fate of the team, or of the country, the supposed threats so outlandish it may as well have been science fiction.

It is a shame, because obviously there is an audience for this type of show, and a basic idea that would be engrossing. If only it felt a little factual.

Not only my favourite BBC series but also one of my favourites ever

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 10 November 2011]

I love a good series, and especially one that grabs you in just from the word go and thrills you. Spooks does exactly that. I watched it right from the first episode, being intrigued by what it aimed for but not expecting it to be as good as it was, and I have been a faithful fan ever since.

The acting is definitely a high point. Rupert Penry Jones, Hermione Norris(one of those actresses who brings everything to her roles no matter the overall outcome of the show/drama), Miranda Raison and Matthew McFadyen also gave wonderful performances. But as of late, the revelation has been Peter Firth, Harry is a very interesting character and as of now the heart of the series without dominating too much that we don't care for anyone else and much more of one than you'd think.

Firth handles the brooding, gruff persona brilliantly. The cast are helped by a vast majority of things. The characters have depth and are actually intriguing, I see great characters who you identify with and keep identifying with, I see characters that are interesting to start with but lose something later on or I even see characters that are little more than cardboard cutouts. The characters of Spooks from start to finish, yes even in the secondary characters(which my previous point was mainly referring to), fit in the first category.

The writing is also wonderful, the idea at the start was always an interesting angle and the writing explores this in an intelligent manner, without feeling formulaic. The story lines are always thrilling and well-constructed, while I also love the stylish filming, crisp editing, assured direction and authentic sound quality.

All in all, an amazing series, one of my favourites. 10/10 Bethany Cox

scary

[spkelsekladden · 3/10 · 24 June 2012]

When i watched the first episode of the first season, i thought this was brilliant.But after watching half of season two I'm just bored. If this is how the real MI5 is run i would be seriously worried. They act like bloody fools. The show has been compared to the American 24 I'm not sure if thats is a good thing or a bad.

They fumble around they seem to take a lot of unnecessary risks and every episode always ended with a huge anticlimax. They could have done with some more action in the show. They build up so you sit and Wait for something exciting to happen,than it all just flattens out to nothing but some small talk and a pat on the back

First Two Series: Perfect Television

[freemantle_uk · 9/10 · 28 April 2008]

The first two Series of Spooks are perfect television, 10 out of 10, the third series is an 8 out of 10, with the quality starting to decline and after that is not worth watching.

When Spooks was first released I thought it was a brilliant show. It is a realistic spy show, looking at the counter-terrorism section of MI5. Its shows that most of their work life is focused on investigation and research, and that there was very little action in real espionage. It looked at real threats from extreme Islam, the I.R.A, anti-abortionists, Colombian drug barons and Serbian War-Criminals. It was well acted and had good production values. It had a more moral position to a show like 24, avoiding using torture and that sometimes their isn't a rush and investigations last a long time. The programme also looked the psychology and the relationships of the MI5 officers. The best example was Tom Quinn (Matthew Macfadyen), who was struggling with his relationship with Ellie Simms and her young daughter. I thought that Matthew Macfadyen was so good in the role that he could be a future Bond. The show was also brutal at times and didn't shy away from controversy. It showed the brutal murder of a female field agent in the second every episode, in the second series a teenage boy became a suicide bomber. The first two series was an example of the BBC at the best and has been called John Le Carre for the internet ages.

During the third series the quality started to decline. There are a few reasons for this, first the three main cast members were all left and in the real world senior MI5 officers don't get replaced that often. The plots became more unrealistic such as a rock star's baby son was kidnapped and MI5 investigated it because he was recently knighted and ex-SAS soldier turned mercenary was planned by an oil company to attacked another oil company's London headquarter. I also felt that MI5 and MI6 have a friendly rivalry, but in the third series it makes out that MI6 were used by the JIC to head destroy MI5: not likely to happen.

By the later series the plots got really silly, such as a Russian Billionarie tried to buy the NHS, Christain extremist attacking Muslims who tried out to be working for a bishop with links to the government or MI5 bombing a train in Tehran, etc, etc. Spooks later on show MI5 senior officers were enlightened liberals who are fighting everyone else. In real life MI5 are conservative with a small c.

In conclusion, the first three series are worth watching, but after that the show really jumps the shark.

The Best Action Show on TV

[DesbUK · 10/10 · 9 November 2007]

At a time when the schedules are top heavy with imported American action series, 'Spooks' is like a home-grown breath of fresh air. Spooks is a series which has generally improved with each successive year. It has been running in the UK since 2002, with the ninth series airing in the autumn of 2010.

The change came about around series three and four with important cast changes and more dynamic plots. It contains none of the soapy sub-plots or meandering gloom which afflicts much British detective drama. Nor is it burdened with the self-importance and brutal nastiness of the American '24'. The result moves at Formula One pace and is the most gripping and watchable British action series I can recall. The series takes place in a very real post July 7th London beset by terrorism, both external and of 'the enemy within' kind - from home grown suicide bombers to government traitors to Christian fundamentalists to FSB moles and Chinese agents.

The opening two parter of series 5 (2006) involved an MI6 led attempted coup-de-tate against the government, with only MI5 standing between Britain and martial law. It's scary and fast-paced. Other plots involve what appears to be an Al Quadiea takeover of a Saudi Trade Centre in London ( but, in reality, it's Mossad), with MI5's job hindered by a Mossad mole in their department hampering every move; and a terrorist take over of the Thames flood barrier.

Series 6 (2007) grew even more ambitious with a 10 part story line involving the team attempting to stop Iran going nuclear. Plots can be labyrinthine in their complexity, but it's glossy and big-budget looking. It benefits from some convincing performances. None of the characters are especially warm or likable - nor should they be, from Peter Firth's steely MI5 head Harry Pearce, to Herminoie Norris as Ros Myers - the best written female role on TV - and Rupert Penry Jones as the hard as nails but deeply troubled chief agent Adam Carter (who, during one episode almost has a nervous breakdown during a key operation). In episode one of series 7 (2008), Carter is killed by a car bomb and replaced by Lucus North (Richard Armitage) - fresh from a decade long incarceration in a Russian jail. Series 7 is the best of the lot, involving the return of the cold war, a Russian mole in the department (Harry is framed as the mole) and an episode in which an evil banker attempts to destroy the British economy by causing a collapse of the banking system.

Series 8 (2009) pitted MI5 against a secret global organisation called Nightingale, which has members in the CIA and the Home Office and ends with the death of Ros in a hotel bombing. Series 9 (2010) has North turning into a villain. It's all totally unpredictable. Anyone can die at any time in this series and that's what gives it its edge over other dramas.

Best Spy Series Since the Prisoner

[chuckewe · 9/10 · 5 June 2006]

Rarely do I find DVD's of Broadcast TV worthy of the expense. MI5 or Spooks is one of the rare exceptions. As an American, I've been limited to the A&E versions, which has others have stated, are edited to allow for commercials. The pace, the actors, the plots even in the edited versions are exceptional. When I found out I could purchase the series on DVD, I gladly did. The only other Broadcast series I've purchased for myself, are Secret Agent Man (danger man in the UK) The Prisoner, and the Hornblower series. I've been pleased with all. The bonus with MI5 is seeing the full episodes. Unlike American series, the UK series have short seasons which keep the story lines clear, concise, intelligent, and plot driven not profit driven. The actors are generally given fleshier roles and unlike many U.S. shows, the actors seem to be chosen on talent, rather then a "look". MI5 brings a sense of what it may really be like in the intelligent community, as a clear delineations of right and wrong crosses paths with politics, ambition, and geo-political idealogy. In short, MI5 raises many morality issues while at the same time, filling one with suspense.

British Television at its Best

[evelyn_emslie · 10/10 · 23 January 2008]

Truly a riveting show. It is not at all like its American counterparts in the sense that one has to pay close attention to the dialog of the show with its witty and often intellectual remarks.

One feels a true sense of realism watching spooks. The characters are real people with real faults. Another aspect I enjoy is the fact that there is no fear in "killing" a character off. One might consider that to be cruel but it once again lends to the realism of the show.

If you are looking to watch something to simulate the mind get the heart racing, anger, fear hope and justice watch Spooks it is in a class of its own as only the British can do.

A&E, Bring Back Spooks/MI-5!

[rsampron · 10/10 · 16 August 2006]

Some British crime dramas are so good you forget to breathe at times. That is the case with "Spooks", or as they called it when packaged for American TV, "MI-5".

We were introduced to some fantastic actors, tense scripts, rich characters, and harrowing images. There is a perpetual ethical struggle within and amongst the characters, as they search their way through the dark of the drugs trade, terrorism, and such.

I will never forget what I felt when watching a Muslim bomber preparing to blow-up innocent children in a playground.

Probably the best thing I could say is the program proved more than realistic; it was prophetic, given the events on 7/7/05.

That just shows the excellence of the program.

Sadly, we can no longer view it here in the states as A&E has pulled it. I am hoping they recirculate it to some of their other network channels, as they've done with "Midsomer Murder"s to the Biography Channel (honestly). Perhaps to BBC America?