Michael Fassbender's Spy Thriller Series Is Easily One Of Paramount+'s Most Bingeable Shows

2026 is already full of great TV shows, to the extent that there's simply too much to watch, and it's all very overwhelming. If, however, you've somehow managed to keep up with the incessant stream of small-screen offerings, then you might consider checking out "The Agency" over on Paramount+. Season 1 of the Michael Fassbender-led spy thriller series was a hit back in 2024, but because it debuted on Paramount+ with Showtime, it didn't have quite the impact it might have enjoyed had it launched on a bigger streamer. Now, with the arrival of Season 2, both seasons of the series are available to watch for all Paramount+ subscribers.

"The Agency" is a remake of the acclaimed French espionage thriller series "Le Bureau des Legendes," later named simply "The Bureau." That series ran for five seasons and enjoyed stellar reviews throughout its run. "The Agency" Season 1 didn't quite match that critical record, but it was well received and boasts a top-notch cast.

Fassbender plays a CIA officer known only by his codename "Martian," who's spent six years in Africa as part of a complex undercover mission. At the start of the series, he's ordered to stop his work in the field and return to the agency's London Station. While on his mission, Martian started a relationship with university professor Dr. Samia Zahir (Jodie Turner-Smith) and is surprised to learn that, after abandoning her in Ethiopia, she, too, is in London. Things otherwise seem off. Martian's agency-provided apartment is bugged, and he's followed by other agents. Meanwhile, an officer named "Coyote" is captured overseas, and Martian begins to wonder if his swift withdrawal from the field has something to do with it.

Alongside Michael Fassbender, "The Agency" features Jeffrey Wright as Martian's boss and London Deputy Station Chief Henry Ogletree. He's overseen by Richard Gere's Station Chief James Bradley, and there are some great clashes between the two. There's also Harriet Sansom Harris as psychologist Dr. Rachel Blake, who "Frasier" fans will recognize as the eponymous doctor's eccentric agent Bebe Glazer.

Season 1 of "The Agency" premiered in December 2024 and achieved immediate success. As Deadline reported at the time, the show enjoyed a "record debut weekend," earning itself a remarkably swift Season 2 renewal. It also garnered decent reviews, with Season 1 earning a solid 66% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. Those looking for shows like Netflix's "The Night Agent" should enjoy "The Agency." But more than that, Fassbender's spy series offers its own take on the genre that's perhaps a little more mature than the Netflix alternative.

Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com enjoyed the cerebral John le Carré-esque approach to spycraft, even going so far as to suggest that the late master of spy fiction would "love" "The Agency." Tellerico also praised the show for treating its audience as intelligent viewers who don't require constant exposition dumps to figure out what's going on. Hillary Frey of Slate felt similarly, describing the show thusly: "It's smart, it moves, it's got great people in it." Clearly, that was enough to tempt fans back for Season 2, which, according to FlixPatrol, is working its way up the global most-watched TV charts on Paramount+.

"The Agency" Season 2 hit Paramount+ on June 21, 2026. This time, rather than being restricted to those with a Showtime add-on, the season debuted as a Paramount+ Original, which means subscribers on the basic "Paramount+ Essential" tier can watch both seasons of the show. That makes "The Agency" a tantalizing potential binge-watch for Paramount+ subscribers who have yet to catch up with the inaugural season.

It's also a smart move on the part of Paramount. Showtime subscriptions couldn't have been all that numerous in 2024, given that Paramount+ currently has a subscriber base of 79.6 million (Netflix has 325 million subscribers). As Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com put it in his Season 1 review, "I'm not sure what it says about the current landscape that [the show is] getting buried on a streaming service most people don't have." Moving it to the main Paramount+ subscription should help the show build more momentum among audiences.

But there's also the fact that "The Agency" was created and written by Jez and John-Henry Butterworth. The former is also responsible for the perfect "Yellowstone" replacement, "Mobland." Per Deadline, the Tom Hardy-led Paramount+ series had the biggest global series premiere week on the streamer in 2025 and went on to become the second biggest original series in Paramount+ history, just behind Taylor Sheridan's "Landman." With "The Agency" also hailing from Butterworth, it looks as though the British multi-hyphenate is becoming somewhat of a Sheridan replacement for Paramount+, which is helpful considering the "Yellowstone" creator is headed for NBCUniversal in 2029. 

Now, with "The Agency" becoming available to all subscribers, the streamer looks to be positioning Butterworth as their next big creator, so now is a great time to catch up on his spy series.