The Agency (2024 TV series)
| The Agency | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster | |
| Genre | Spy fiction Drama |
| Created by | Jez Butterworth & John-Henry Butterworth |
| Based on | The Bureau (Le Bureau des Légendes) by Eric Rochant |
| Starring |
|
| Opening theme | "Love Is Blindness" by Jack White |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 4 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producer | Simone Goodridge |
| Running time | 44–60 minutes |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | Paramount+ with Showtime |
| Release | November 29, 2024 – present |
The Agency is an American espionage thriller television series from Paramount+ with Showtime produced by George Clooney and Grant Heslov and starring Michael Fassbender, Jeffrey Wright, Jodie Turner-Smith, and Richard Gere. The series premiered on November 29, 2024, and is based on the critically acclaimed French series Le Bureau des Légendes, created by Éric Rochant, that aired on Canal+ from 2015 to 2020.
In December 2024, the series was renewed for a second season.
Premise
[edit]A covert CIA agent's mission is abruptly ended sending him back to London Station where the love he left behind unexpectedly reappears hurling them both into a deadly game of international intrigue and espionage.[1]
Cast and characters
[edit]Main
[edit]- Michael Fassbender as Brandon, codename 'Martian', previously CIA NOC operative in Africa for 6 years, and now a senior case officer. His cover name in Africa was Paul Lewis.
- Jeffrey Wright as Henry Ogletree, Martian's boss and mentor, the CIA London Deputy Station Chief. His official cover is the Foreign Service Support Attaché
- Jodie Turner-Smith as Dr. Sami Zahir, an anthropologist and Martian's love interest
- Richard Gere as James Bradley, codename 'Bosko', the CIA London Station Chief.
- Katherine Waterston as Naomi, Martian's former CIA case officer
- Harriet Sansom Harris as Dr. Rachel Blake, a CIA clinical psychologist assigned to London from Langley
- Ambreen Razia as Blair, a CIA case officer
- John Magaro as Owen, a CIA case officer
- Saura Lightfoot-Leon as Daniela 'Danny' Ruiz Morata, a new CIA field officer
Recurring
[edit]- India Fowler as Poppy, Martian's daughter
- Curtis Lum as Guo
- Marcin Zarzeczny as Alexei Orekhov
- Violet Verigo as Sandy
- Andrew Brooke as Grandpa, a CIA field agent
- Adam Nagaitis as Grandma, a CIA field agent
- Reza Brojerdi as Reza
- Alex Reznik as Coyote, a CIA non-official deep cover agent in Belarus
- Bilal Hasna as Simon, a CIA technician
- Tom Vaughan-Lawlor as Ben, a senior CIA technician
- Sabrina Wu as Raine
- Edward Holcroft as Dr. Charlie Remy, Ogletree's brother-in-law, a Delta Force operator and deep cover agent in occupied Ukraine
- Sergej Onopko as Dr. Koval, Special Operations Forces soldier undercover with Remy in Ukraine
- Oleksandr Rudynsky as Boutenko, a Special Operations Forces soldier undercover with Remy and Koval in Ukraine
- Tim Samuels as Alex Kent-Jones
Guest
[edit]- Hugh Bonneville as James Richardson
- Dominic West as CIA Director
Episodes
[edit]| No. | Title | Directed by | Teleplay by [2] | Original air date [3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Bends" | Joe Wright | Jez Butterworth & John-Henry Butterworth | November 29, 2024 |
| 2 | "Wooden Duck" | Joe Wright | Jez Butterworth & John-Henry Butterworth | November 29, 2024 |
| 3 | "Hawk from a Handsaw" | Philip Martin | Jez Butterworth & John-Henry Butterworth | December 6, 2024 |
| 4 | "Quarterback Blitz" | Philip Martin | Jez Butterworth & John-Henry Butterworth | December 13, 2024 |
| 5 | "Rat Trap"[4] | TBA | Jez Butterworth & John-Henry Butterworth | December 20, 2024 |
| 6 | "Spy For Sale"[5] | TBA | Jez Butterworth & John-Henry Butterworth | December 27, 2024 |
| 7 | "Hard Landing"[6] | TBA | Jez Butterworth & John-Henry Butterworth | January 3, 2025 |
| 8 | "Truth Will Set You Free"[7] | TBA | Jez Butterworth & John-Henry Butterworth | January 10, 2025 |
| 9 | "The Rubicon"[8] | TBA | Jez Butterworth & John-Henry Butterworth | January 17, 2025 |
| 10 | "Overtaken By Events"[9] | TBA | Jez Butterworth & John-Henry Butterworth | January 24, 2025 |
Production
[edit]Development
[edit]The project received a straight to series order from Showtime, now known as the Paramount+ with Showtime channel which is a part of the Showtime Networks portfolio,[10] in February 2023. It is based on The Bureau a French espionage show created, directed and produced by Eric Rochant. It initially had the title of The Department.[11]
The series is produced by George Clooney and Grant Heslov's Smokehouse Pictures, MTV Entertainment Studios and 101 Studios. It is executive produced by Keith Cox and Nina L. Diaz of MTVE Studios, David C. Glasser, Ron Burkle, David Hutkin and Bob Yari of 101 Studios, Alex Berger for The Originals Productions in France, and Ashley Stern and Pascal Breton for the Paris-based company Federation Studios/Federation Entertainment of America.[12]
Joe Wright is set to direct the first two episodes with Jez Butterworth and John-Henry Butterworth writing all 10 episodes.[13] Clooney was originally set to direct.[14]
In December 2024, the series was renewed for a second season.[15]
Casting
[edit]Production started in June 2024, with the title changed to The Agency. Michael Fassbender is an executive producer, as well as in a starring role, played in the French series by Mathieu Kassovitz.[16][17] Shortly afterwards, Jeffrey Wright, Richard Gere, Jodie Turner-Smith, Katherine Waterston and John Magaro joined the cast.[18][19][20][21]
Further cast members were revealed in August 2024, including Alex Reznik, Andrew Brooke, Harriet Sansom Harris, India Fowler and Saura Lightfoot-Leon.[22]
Filming
[edit]Filming took place in London in 2024.[23][24]
Filming also took place in Tallinn, Estonia in September 2024,[25] and Cairo, Egypt in October 2024.
Broadcast
[edit]The Agency premiered with the first two episodes on Paramount Global's premium streaming service Paramount+ with Showtime on November 29, 2024 in the United States, before making its Showtime Networks debut which includes the Paramount+ with Showtime channel[10] two days later,[3] with worldwide streaming following on November 30.[26][27]
Reception
[edit]The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 67% approval rating with an average rating of 6/10, based on 30 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus is, "Emphasizing spycraft's heavy toll to both intriguing and tiresome effect, The Agency situates its all-star cast in a sumptuously-shot world of espionage."[28] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 66 out of 100 based on 21 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[29]
References
[edit]- ^ "About The Agency". Paramount+. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
- ^ "The Agency". Writers Guild of America West. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
- ^ a b "Shows A-Z - agency, the on Showtime". The Futon Critic. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
- ^ "The Agency: Season 1, Episode 5". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
- ^ "The Agency: Season 1, Episode 6". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
- ^ "The Agency: Season 1, Episode 7". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
- ^ "The Agency: Season 1, Episode 8". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
- ^ "The Agency: Season 1, Episode 9". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
- ^ "The Agency: Season 1, Episode 10". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
- ^ a b "About Parmount+ With Showtime". paramountpluswithshowtime.com. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
- ^ Goldberg, Lesley (6 February 2023). "'Dexter,' 'Billions' Spinoffs in the Works as Showtime Doubles Down on Franchise Plan". Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 6 February 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
- ^ Keslassy, Elsa (27 February 2024). "Michael Fassbender in Talks to Star in George Clooney's Espionage Thriller Series 'The Department' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
- ^ Porter, Rick (5 March 2024). "Paramount+ Sets Creative Team for Spy Drama 'The Department'". Hollywood me Reporter. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
- ^ Otterson, Joe (6 February 2023). "George Clooney to Direct Showtime Political Thriller Series 'The Department'". Variety. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
- ^ Campione, Katie (4 December 2024). "'The Agency' Renewed For Season 2 At Showtime After Record Debut Weekend". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
- ^ Porter, Rick (24 June 2024). "Michael Fassbender to Topline Paramount+ Spy Thriller 'The Agency'". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
- ^ White, James (27 February 2024). "Michael Fassbender To Star In Spy Series The Department For Director George Clooney". Empire. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (1 July 2024). "Richard Gere Joins 'The Agency' Showtime Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
- ^ Goldbart, Max (15 July 2024). "Jodie Turner-Smith The Latest To Join Showtime's 'The Agency'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
- ^ Grobar, Matt (25 July 2024). "Katherine Waterston Joins Showtime's 'The Agency' As Series Regular". Deadline. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
- ^ Petski, Denise (1 August 2024). "John Magaro Joins Showtime's 'The Agency' As Series Regular". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
- ^ Porter, Rick (22 August 2024). "Showtime Spy Thriller 'The Agency' Adds Five to Cast (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
- ^ Ghosh, Suchismita (8 March 2024). "Joe Wright and George Clooney's The Department Starts Filming in London This Month". Cinemaholic. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
- ^ "The Department". Film & Television Industry Alliance. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
- ^ Kalugina, Jelizaveta; Ots, Mait; Cole, Michael (30 August 2024). "Tallinn's Laagna tee to close to traffic during filming of Hollywood spy thriller". ERR News. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
- ^ Petski, Denise (5 March 2024). "Joe Wright, Jez & John-Henry Butterworth Board 'The Department' Based On French Series 'The Bureau'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
- ^ Balderston, Michael (23 October 2024). "Michael Fassbender spy drama The Agency gets surprising release date that has me stoked". yahoo.com. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
- ^ "The Agency: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 2 December 2024. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
- ^ "The Agency". Metacritic. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
