HBO beats Apple and Amazon with strong spy series

HBO Max Does It Again: Where Amazon and Apple have launched very expensive but disappointing spy franchises in recent weeks, the streaming service now stands out with a gem of a miniseries: Spy/Master. The numbers don’t lie.

Both Amazon and Apple have been trying to score in recent weeks with a spy story rife with big names. amazon delivered Citadel off, a new show from the directors behind Avengers Endgame. The start of a large-scale international espionage franchise. Apple released the movie Ghosted, starring Chris Evans and Ana de Armas and the creators of the Deadpool movies in the lead.

Amazon, not Apple, I’m stumped

In both cases, the result was unfortunately very disappointing. Giving big budgets to big names can build ratings, but take away the famous faces and often (and in this case) you’re left with soulless action franchises. Sure, it’s technically about spies, but that approach is more of an excuse for James Bond-like action than a true spy plot.

HBO Presents Spy/Master

Fortunately, we still have HBO Max. The streaming service lives up to its reputation again this week with Spy/Master, a quality series about a KBG spy who has infiltrated the Romanian government. You can already stream the first two episodes on HBO Max from last week. The miniseries will eventually consist of six episodes.

Some Numbers First: Scores on IMDb Spy/Master a fat man 8.9. It’s too early for a Rotten Tomatoes rating, but the reviews that have already poured in are very positive. De Volkskrant writes that the creators “bring a deliciously complex story to life (…) in a clever and funny way.” mashable calls Spy/Master “A gripping Cold War thriller. So. A lot. Suspense.”

KGB agent in trouble

Okay all that praise, but what is the spy series about? Director Christopher Smith transports you to 1978. We follow Romanian spy Victor Godeanu, practically the right-hand man of Nicolae Ceaușescu, the President of Romania. However, Godeanu has been secretly passing confidential information from the Romanian government to the KGB, the main secret service of the Soviet Union, for fifteen years.

Little by little, however, the spy’s Romanian colleagues are discovering his practices. A KGB agent warns Godeanu that it is time to return to the Soviet Union. Escape. However, Godeanu has very different plans. He is convinced that it is time to defect. We won’t reveal the rest, but with that intrigue as a starting point, you know you’re in for a wonderfully exciting spy story.

A story that is partly based on true events, and that apparently has also been transformed into a series in an excellent way. In other words: from now on you have prepared a high-quality spy series with which you can get rid of the bad taste in your mouth. ghost in Citadel wash quickly and effectively. Make your own judgement: Spy/Master is now available to stream on HBO Max.

Volkskrant