Best tv shows like Family of Spies
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Fact based story of John A. Walker, Jr., a Navy Chief Warrant Officer with access to top secret cryptographic communications. As a result of mounting debts, he sold secrets to the Soviets in 1967, a practice that he continued thereafter. He further sought to involve his four children into the espionage until his wife caught onto his activities.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 298
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 175 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Best tv shows and movies like Family of Spies (1990):
Similar in 79%
My Little Assassin (1999)
Plot Summary:
1981: Marita Lorenz checks into an Havana hotel and, in a flashback, remembers 22 years' before. At 19, visiting Cuba from New York, she comes to the attention of Fidel Castro, the country's rebel president. He invites her to be his secretary and to be part of the making of the new Cuba. She accepts, but soon learns he already has a capable secretary; Marita's duties lie elsewhere. She becomes pregnant. She's also come to the attention of the FBI and the CIA, so when she wakes up in a US hospital after what may have been a botched abortion against her will in Cuba, her government presses her into service as an assassin: her job, to go back to Cuba and kill her former lover.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 234
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: sincere, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 78%
I Know You Know (2008)
Plot Summary:
Jamie, an 11-year-old boy, is fascinated by his father Charlie’s espionage work until the world of spies becomes all too real. Charlie lives in his own reality—an undercover agent, always on an important mission, always on the move. Life for Charlie is highly charged and on the edge. He is unpredictable, explosive, yet kind hearted and fiercely protective of his Jamie who hero-worships his father.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 596
Genere: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 81 min
Plot tags: uplifting, semi serious, exciting, touching, humorous, witty, clever, realistic
Similar in 84%
Pack of Lies (1987)
Plot Summary:
A couple learns that their friendly neighbours might be Russian spies.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 420
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, serious, realistic, suspenseful, talky
Similar in 87%
The House on Garibaldi Street (1979)
Plot Summary:
When Israeli officials learn than Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann may be living in Argentina, they send a team of secret agents to apprehend him.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 340
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: exciting, tense, sincere, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 80%
Brezhnev (2005)
Plot Summary:
About the last days of Leonid Brezhnev, the Secretary General of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. He is sick and depressed, but he is still trying to enjoy some pleasures of life. He is hunting, eating, and sleeping a lot. While awake, he is recalling his life and his career. Most depressing are his painful thoughts about his treason against Khrushchev, who promoted Brezhnev to the top. Other senile members of the Politbureau, are nervous about the choice of a successor. Andropov anxiously interrogates the doctor about Brezhnev's imminent death. He asks, "How soon?".
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 253
Genere: Drama
Country: Russia
Duration: 208 min
Plot tags: serious, captivating, suspense, political thriller, realistic, disturbing
Similar in 77%
Agent X (2015)
Plot Summary:
Hidden from the view of the public - and even from the President - there is a top secret agent who is trained and ready to serve, deployed only at the careful discretion of the Vice President.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Action, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, realistic, suspenseful, captivating, tense, political, action adventure
Similar in 75%
House of Hancock (2015)
Plot Summary:
House of Hancock tells the epic true story of the Hancock dynasty and the bizarre love triangle that emerged between Lang, his daughter Gina, and his beautiful Filipina housekeeper Rose.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 137
Genere: Drama
Country: Australia
Duration:
Plot tags: serious, captivating, realistic, epic, saga
Similar in 77%
HaMidrasha (2015)
Plot Summary:
Cadets from every level of Israeli society undergo intense training to join their country's elite, highly classified intelligence service, the Mossad. The series revolves around a secret Mossad compound called 'HaMidrasha', which is surrounded by surveillance cameras and is equipped with technological devices. The compound operates a training course in which 13 trainees are sent to complicated missions in order to test their suitability for the occupation, and their improvisation, seduction and impersonation abilities. Yonna, the commander of the course, criticizes the mediocrity of Mossad's agents and demands from the new trainees a higher level of execution. He decides to create a new training program to test his trainees via unusual and radical situations, in which, apart from excellence, Yonna demands a creative "out of the box" thinking.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 705
Genere: Drama
Country: Israel
Duration: 44 min
Plot tags: tense, serious, realistic, captivating, suspenseful
Similar in 87%
The Innocent (1993)
Plot Summary:
A young engineer is sent to post-WWII Berlin to help the Americans in spying on the Russians. In a time and place where discretion is still a man’s best friend, he falls in love with a mysterious woman who will take him on the dark side of evil.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: Germany, UK
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags: sexual, political thriller, independent film, exciting, sexy, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 80%
Space (1985)
Plot Summary:
A 13-hour mini-series detailing James A. Michner's fictional account of the American space program from the years after World War II to the Apollo landings on the moon in the early 1970's.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 253
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 780 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, captivating, realistic
Similar in 75%
Agent of Influence (2002)
Plot Summary:
This story of espionage and counter-espionage is based on the novel by Ian Adams. Suspicious circumstances surrounded the mysterious death of a Canadian diplomat. At the height of The Cold War in October 1964, John Watkins, Canada's former ambassador to Moscow and a close friend of Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson, is kidnapped and held in a hotel for questioning by the RCMP at the urging of the CIA. Several days into the interrogation he died. The official obituary claimed that he suffered a heart attack in the company of friends during a farewell supper celebrating his illustrious career.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 346
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: bleak, captivating, realistic, exciting, rough, serious, suspenseful
Similar in 86%
Aldrich Ames: Traitor Within (1998)
Plot Summary:
Fact-based story about a 90's espionage case that was chronicled as the worst case of espionage in US history.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 360
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 80%
The Agency (2001)
Plot Summary:
The Agency is a CBS television drama that followed the inner-workings of the CIA. The series was created by Michael Frost Beckner and was executive produced by Michael Frost Beckner, Shaun Cassidy Productions and Radiant Productions in association with Universal Network Television and CBS Productions. It aired from September 27, 2001 until May 17, 2003, lasting two seasons. It featured unprecedented filming from the actual CIA headquarters. The show was controversial regarding its exploration of current international affairs and its treatment of the ethical conflicts inherent in intelligence work. Beckner's pilot script, written in March 2001, posited a re-invented CIA tasked with a "War on Terror" after Osama Bin Laden's Al Qaeda terrorist organization plots a lethal attack on the west. The pilot was to premiere at CIA Headquarters on September 18, 2001 and set to air on CBS September 21, 2001, however, the actual 9/11 attacks convinced the network to hold the pilot and instead air a later episode. That first episode was aired later as the third episode of the first season. The September 11, 2001 terrorist events changed the way Americans viewed topical entertainment and "The Agency", at the time, was one of the most topical offering on network television. The producers of the series quickly responded to this new American perspective on world affairs, but CBS chose to cancel the show shortly after the second season's final episode.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: rough, realistic, suspenseful, cerebral, exciting, serious
Similar in 84%
Reilly: Ace of Spies (1983)
Plot Summary:
A dramatization of the missions and adventures of the greatest spy in British history.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 720 min
Plot tags: political thriller, tense, serious, captivating, realistic, suspenseful, vintage, period drama
Similar in 88%
Little Nikita (1988)
Plot Summary:
Roy Parmenter is an FBI agent in San Diego; 20 years ago his partner was killed by a Soviet spy, nicknamed Scuba, still at large. Scuba is now trying to extort the Soviets; to prove he's serious, he's killing their agents one by one, including "sleepers," agents under deep cover awaiting orders. Roy interviews a high school lad, Jeff Grant, an applicant to the Air Force Academy. In a routine background check, Roy discovers that Jeff's parents are sleepers. He must see if Jeff is also a spy, confront the parents yet protect them, and catch his nemesis. Meanwhile, the Soviets have sent their own spy-catcher, the loner Karpov, to reel in Scuba. Alliances shift; it's cat and mouse.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: exciting, tense, suspenseful, cult classic, serious, realistic, psychological, sexy, clever, brutal
Similar in 75%
Legends (2014)
Plot Summary:
Working for the FBI's Deep Cover Operations division, Martin Odum can transform himself into a different person -- whether it's an assignment as a Serbian extremist, a corrupt Chicago police officer, a British special forces colonel, or a legendary computer hacker. But when he learns that his life, itself, may be a lie, he faces the demands of his job and a desire to solve the mystery of his identity. And given the choice between the two, Odum doesn't always make the right decision. From the producers of "Homeland," "Legends" is based on Robert Littell's award-winning book.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, suspenseful, realistic, detective, action adventure, gloomy
Similar in 86%
The Gordin Cell (2012)
Plot Summary:
A married pair of former spies is forced to face their past when asked to surrender their son to Russian Intelligence to become a spy himself. Will he choose to betray his parents or his native country?.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 185
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: Israel
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: tense, atmospheric, captivating, suspenseful, clever, serious, realistic
Similar in 81%
Cambridge Spies (2003)
Plot Summary:
In 1934, four brilliant Cambridge men are recruited to spy for Russia. Fueled by youthful idealism, a passion for social justice and a talent for lying, they take huge personal risks to pass Britain's biggest secrets to Moscow. Based on true events.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, History
Country: UK
Duration: 235 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, contemplative, tense, suspense, political, political thriller, period piece, period drama
Similar in 76%
The Little Drummer Girl (1984)
Plot Summary:
An American Actress with a penchant for lying is forceably recruited by Mosad, the Israeli intelligence agency to trap a Palestinian bomber, by pretending to be the girlfriend of his dead brother.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 130 min
Plot tags: political thriller, realistic, suspenseful, tense, serious, political, eighties
Similar in 83%
Pascali's Island (1988)
Plot Summary:
1908: Pascali, a spy for the Sultan, sends reports to Istanbul that nobody reads. His suspicions are roused when a British archaeologist appears, who may not be quite what he seems.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: tense, serious, realistic, independent film, period drama
Similar in 83%
Farewell (2009)
Plot Summary:
Engaging, emotional and riveting, FAREWELL is an intricate and highly intelligent thriller pulled from the pages of history— about an ordinary man thrust into the biggest theft of Soviet information of the Cold War. Ronald Reagan called this piece of history - largely unknown until now - “one of the most important espionage cases of the 20th century.” FAREWELL begins in 1981, after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. A French businessman based in Moscow, Pierre Froment, (Guillaume Canet) makes an unlikely connection with Grigoriev (Emir Kusturica), a senior KGB officer disenchanted with what the Communist ideal has become under Brezhnev. Grigoriev begins passing Froment highly sensitive information about the Soviet spy network in the US.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama, Romance, Thriller
Country: France
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: tense, serious, realistic, suspenseful, political, sincere
Similar in 88%
Master Spy: The Robert Hanssen Story (2002)
Plot Summary:
Drama. TV Movie.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 428
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 200 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, suspenseful, contemplative
Similar in 78%
Daniel (1983)
Plot Summary:
The fictionalized story of Daniel, the son of Paul and Rochelle Isaacson, who were executed as Soviet spies in the 1950s. As a graduate student in New York in the 1960s, Daniel is involved in the antiwar protest movement and contrasts his experiences to the memory of his parents and his belief that they were wrongfully convicted.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 130 min
Plot tags: psychological, realistic, sincere, serious, retro, political thriller, contemplative, vintage
Similar in 84%
Proof (2004)
Plot Summary:
The discovery of a connection between a small-time thief's murder and the death of a crooked accountant, peeks the interest of investigative reporter Terry Corcoran. Further digging leads him into a sordid scandal involving human trafficking, high finance and high stakes politics in this explosive Irish television series.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 209
Genere: Drama
Country: Ireland, Denmark
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, exciting, tense, captivating, suspense, suspenseful, detective
Similar in 85%
The Astronaut Wives Club (2015)
Plot Summary:
Based on the book by Lily Koppel, this 10 episode limited series tells the story of the women who were key players behind some of the biggest events in American history. As America’s astronauts were launched on death-defying missions, Life Magazine documented the astronauts’ families, capturing the behind-the-scenes lives of their young wives. Overnight, these women were transformed from military spouses into American royalty. As their celebrity rose and tragedy began to touch their lives, they rallied together.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 42 min
Plot tags: serious, captivating, realistic, psychological, period drama
Similar in 82%
Smiley's People (1982)
Plot Summary:
Called out of retirement to settle the affairs of a friend, Smiley finds his old organization, the Circus, so overwhelmed by political considerations that it doesn't want to know what happened. He begins to follow up the clues of his friends past days, discovering that the clues lead to a high person in the Russian Secret service, and a secret important enough to kill for. Smiley continues to put together the pieces a step ahead or a step behind the Russian killers.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, suspenseful, psychological, tense, road movie, atmospheric, sexy, thought provoking, clever
Similar in 77%
Enigma (1982)
Plot Summary:
Five highly-trained KGB agents are sent to the west to assassinate several Soviet dissidents. In order to stop the diabolical plot, an American agent must infiltrate Soviet intelligence and obtain information from a Russian computer.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: UK, France
Duration: 122 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, intense, serious, realistic, political, political thriller, independent film, exciting, romantic, atmospheric
Similar in 75%
The Game (2014)
Plot Summary:
London 1972. When a defecting KGB officer, Arkady Malinov, reveals Operation Glass, a devastating Soviet plot that could change the course of the Cold War, Daddy, the head of MI5, assembles a secret team to investigate. As the Soviets awaken a list of sleeper agents all over Britain, Daddy's team must move swiftly to gain information about the plot.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 59 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, suspenseful, tense, clever, serious, captivating, realistic, stylized, period drama
Similar in 80%
The Executioner (1970)
Plot Summary:
A British intelligence agent must track down a fellow spy suspected of being a double agent.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 450
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, talky, suspense, eurospy
Similar in 78%
The Company (2007)
Plot Summary:
Real-life figures from the Cold War era mix with a fictional story based on a group of CIA operatives and their counterparts in the KGB, MI6, and the Mossad.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama, History, Romance, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 286 min
Plot tags: tense, bleak, epic, captivating, suspenseful, serious, realistic