'Excellent' drama with Downton Abbey star is your next spy thriller obsession


Michael Fassbender stars as CIA agent Martian in Paramount+'s spy thriller, The Agency, which returns with a second season in June


© Luke Varley/Paramount+
Nicky Morris
Nicky MorrisActing TV and Film Editor
17 minutes ago
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Spy thriller fans, listen up! The gripping espionage series, The Agency, is returning to screens this June – and it's worth adding to your summer watchlist. 

If you, like me, inhaled the second season of the BBC's hit thriller The Night Manager and are on the hunt for a stylish, fast-paced spy drama to watch while you wait for the third season, look no further.  

Michael Fassbender stars as Martian in The Agency© Luke Varley/Paramount+
Michael Fassbender stars as Martian in The Agency

Based on the critically acclaimed French drama Le Bureau des Légendes and adapted by Jez and John Henry Butterworth, the Paramount+ series stars Michael Fassbender as CIA agent Martian, who is ordered to abandon his undercover life and return to London. Season two follows Martian as he embarks on a desperate mission to save his love Samia, who is a political prisoner in Sudan.

Keep reading to see a first look at season two and find out all we know about the new episodes so far…

WATCH: Have you seen season one?

What is The Agency about? 

The story follows covert CIA agent Martian (Fassbender), who is ordered to abandon his long-term undercover operation and return to London. But when the love that he left behind reappears, his mission and real identity are thrown into jeopardy, hurtling them both into a deadly game of international espionage.

Michael Fassbender as Martian in The Agency© Nick Wall/Paramount+
The series follows CIA agent Martian

What to expect from season two

Warning! Spoilers for season one ahead.

The first series ended on a major cliffhanger, with Martian agreeing to become a double agent for MI6 in order to ensure the safety of his love, Samia (Jodie Turner-Smith).

Jeffrey Wright as Henry and Richard Gere as Bosko in The Agency, episode 1, season 2, streaming on Paramount+ 2026. Photo Credit: Sophie Mutevelian/Paramount+© Sophie Mutevelian/Paramount+
Jeffrey Wright as Henry and Richard Gere as Bosko

The synopsis for the new season reads: "Martian is a CIA agent living undercover in his own life. Samia, his lover, is a political prisoner in Sudan, and he will do anything to try to save her, even past the point of treachery. The only way out is deeper in. A knife-edge Martian must walk if he is to save love, life, and his mission."

Who stars in The Agency? 

Michael Fassbender leads the cast as Martian.

He's joined by Jeffrey Wright (Westworld), Jodie Turner-Smith (Anne Boleyn), Katherine Waterson (Logan Lucky), Harriet Sansom Harris (Desperate Housewives) and John Magaro (The Big Short).

Richard Gere and Dominic West in The Agency © Paramount+
Dominic West guest stars in the show

Other cast members include Saura Lightfoot-Leon, India Fowler, Andrew Brooke, Christian Ochoa Lavernia, Reza Brojerdi, Ambreen Razia, Alex Reznik and Richard Gere.

Meanwhile, Dominic West (The Crown, Downton Abbey) and Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey, Paddington) guest star.

When will season two be released?

Season two arrives on Paramount+ on 21 June.

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