"Spooks" (2002) TV series 2002-????

User Rating:

8.6/10   

Creator:

David Wolstencroft

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

Release Date:

22 July 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Your life depends on us.

Plot:

The missions of MI-5, the UK's intelligence organization.

Plot Keywords:

Intelligence Agency | Undercover | Interracial Relationship | Terrorism Prevention | Counter Espionage

Awards:

5 wins & 21 nominations

Cast

Peter Firth	...	Harry Pearce (72 episodes, 2002-2009)
Hugh Simon	...	Malcolm Wynn-Jones (63 episodes, 2002-2009)
Rupert Penry-Jones	...	Adam Carter (41 episodes, 2004-2008)
Miranda Raison	...	Jo Portman (36 episodes, 2005-2009)
Nicola Walker	...	Ruth Evershed (36 episodes, 2003-2009)
Hermione Norris	...	Ros Myers (34 episodes, 2006-2009)
Rory MacGregor	...	Colin Wells (31 episodes, 2002-2006)

Also Known As:

MI-5 (USA)

Runtime:

60 min (64 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Hungary:16 | Australia:M (some episodes) | Netherlands:12 | Australia:MA (some episodes) | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Freemason's Hall, Great Queen Street, Covent Garden, London, England, UK

Company:

Kudos Film and Television

Trivia:

The lamp shades hanging from the ceiling of the Grid in season 1 are actually bins from Ikea turned upside down.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: At numerous times throughout series 1 notably in "One Last Dance" and "Traitor's Gate" close-ups of intelligence files show that all the information is the same and all relates to Mary Kane's terminated pregnancy from episode 1 "Thou Shalt Not Kill".

Quotes:

Jools Siviter: Lively on this side of the river, isn't it?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Take a Look at the Lawman: The Making of 'Life on Mars' (2006) (V)

Soundtrack:

Spooks

Intelligent work on intelligence work

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.