What’s it rated? TV-MA
When? 2024
Where’s it showing? Paramount Plus with Showtime
Based on critically acclaimed French TV series Le Bureau des Légendes (2015-2020), this George Clooney and Grant Heslov-produced American version follows covert CIA agent “Martian” (Michael Fassbender), who after a long undercover assignment in Africa under the name “Paul Lewis” is ordered to return to London Station and work as a senior case officer under Henry Ogletree (Jeffrey Wright), his former mentor.
Much of the series concerns itself with the difficult transition back to “normal” life and the psychological toll espionage takes on those involved. Martian’s new life is challenged when his former lover, Sudanese anthropologist Dr. Samia “Sami” Zahir (Jodie Turner-Smith), turns up in London. He’s also trying to reestablish a relationship with his daughter, Poppy (India Fowler). The series’ incredible ensemble cast also includes Richard Gere, Katherine Waterson, and Harriet Sansom Harris. This cerebral approach to the spy thriller clearly attracted top-notch talent.
Martian has been so deep undercover it’s no longer clear who he is. He doesn’t know why he was so abruptly ordered back or why his apartment is bugged. He seems to truly love Sami, but does she have secrets of her own? It’s unpacked through sharply written dialogue with plenty of twists and turns. (10 44- to 60-min. episodes) Δ
This article appears in Jan 16-26, 2025.