10 Best Cold War TV Shows

Cold War TV shows have a long and storied history on television, and there’s a reason why audiences haven’t gotten tired of exploring this era. The best movies about the Cold War have been highly influential in film history, but television shouldn’t be overlooked for its contributions to the genre. Many of the most popular contemporary espionage action movies have roots in older spy TV shows. While not every TV series about spies was set during the Cold War, it was because of this conflict that such a large number of stories about this period appeared.

In recent years, shows like The Americans have renewed interest in this genre and brought attention back to the classic series from decades past. Of course, the 1960s and 1980s were two of the biggest decades for series about the Cold War, as the conflict was a large part of the cultural conversation during this time. It’s interesting to see the difference between shows that touch upon counter-intelligence and action versus those that take a closer look at the everyday lives of people affected by the international implications of the conflict.

10

1983 (2018)

A Polish drama that explores a potential alternate history

Netflix released the Polish series 1983 in 2018, and though only one season has aired, it’s worth watching for its contributions to Cold War media. Set in Poland in the early 2000s,1983 takes place in a world where the Iron Curtain never fell, and the Cold War is still in full swing due to a series of terrorist attacks that impacted Poland in 1983. The series follows Kajetan (Maciej Musiał) and Anatol (Robert Więckiewicz) as they dig through history to find out the true cause of these attacks.

Though there are elements of the world in 1983 that are recognizable, the series does a great job of making this alternate timeline alien to the viewer. Simultaneously, the audience never loses the feeling that this reality could’ve easily occurred thanks to the immersive writing and vivid production design. Even though things are bleak for Kajetan and Anatol, they find sparks of revolution that keep them fighting. While 1983 isn’t the only Cold War show that introduces a parallel reality, it’s one of the strongest.

9

Get Smart (1965–1970)

A comedy-spy series that doesn’t take its espionage too seriously

Though most Cold War TV shows and movies take their subject matter very seriously, Get Smart helped to pave the way for comedy and lighthearted themes within the genre. The series follows Maxwell Smart, AKA Agent 86 (Don Adams), and Agent 99 (Barbara Feldon) as a pair of spies who go up against the evil organization KAOS. A satirical take on the spy genre that pokes fun at the tropes found in popular movies like the James Bond series Get Smart​​​​​​​ was a hilarious addition to the TV landscape.

Many of the best spy comedy movies draw inspiration from Get Smart, as it was one of the earliest examples of a parody of the enormously popular spy genre. Gadgets play a significant role in Get Smart, as the series plays with the concept of the suave hero, allowing Smart to make mistakes and look silly while fighting crime. Though the show isn’t in direct conversation with the Cold War, it drew inspiration from the stories that touched upon the tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.

8

Spy/Master (2023)

A Romanian official attempts to defect to the U.S. in this timely thriller

Spy/Master is a Romanian drama set in 1978 and follows the disastrous chain of events after the defection of a Romanian political leader to the West. Alec Secăreanu plays Victor Godeanu, the former director of the Romanian Ministry of External Affairs, who attempts to make a deal with the Americans in exchange for entrance into the U.S. and extraction from Romania for his daughter. The stakes are high in Spy/Master, and complications arise through the negotiations between rival governments that take center stage.

Godeanu’s loyalties are consistently in flux throughout Spy/Master, as his allegiance to his former government and new allies is easily swayed. However, Godeanu is merely the centerpiece of this story, as his defection spurs a series of events he never imagined. The Romanian government swiftly sends agents after Godeanu as the American agents try to uncover his motivations. As these events unfold, Spy/Master touches upon other major political conflicts that intertwine with Godeanu’s story.

7

The Sleepers (2019)

This Czech series grapples with the tenuous final years of the Cold War in Europe

The lesser-known Czech drama, The Sleepers, takes place in the wake of the Velvet Revolution in what was formerly Czechoslovakia in 1989. This was a series of demonstrations that led to the end of the Communist Party’s reign in Czechoslovakia. Tatiana Pauhofová plays Marie, a returned political exile who sets off in search of Viktor (Martin Myšička) after he disappears. The thrust of the story sees Marie attempt to determine if Viktor’s disappearance is an omen that she’s being targeted by the government.

From there, the viewer follows Marie on her perilous journey and sees her step up and become something of a spy in her own right. It’s a compelling addition to the genre and takes place during an interesting period, as the power of the Soviet Union was fading and the Cold War was coming to an end. However, this doesn’t make Marie’s life any easier or less dangerous, as the fallout of the regime change left many people uncertain about their futures.

6

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979)

This miniseries is a tense and well-written addition to the genre

TV Show

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Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Release Date

1979 – 1978

Network

BBC Two

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  Alec Guinness

  George Smiley
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  Michael Jayston

  Peter Guillam
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  Anthony Bate

  Oliver Lacon
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Many years after the series first premiered, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy was made into a well-received film, but the 1979 miniseries is just as gripping. Made during the height of the conflict, the BBC’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy has been cited as one of the best-written representations of tensions of the Cold War. Alec Guinness led the cast as George Smiley, the protagonist of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and received universal acclaim for his performance, earning him the award for Best Actor at the British Academy Television Awards.

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A tight seven-episode miniseries, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy more than earns its runtime, slowly building the tense atmosphere that culminates in an unforgettable ending. Though many pieces of media made about the Cold War revolve primarily around the U.S. and Soviet Union, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy focuses on British Intelligence, providing an interesting new window into the relationships between nations. Based on the novel of the same name by John le Carré, the series is considered a faithful adaptation of his work.

5

Deutschland 83 (2015)

This series follows an unwitting East German spy in West Germany

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Deutschland 83

Release Date

2015 – 2014

Network

RTL, Prime Video

Directors

Edward Berger

The division of East and West Germany and Berlin was a major source of tension, conflict, and espionage throughout the Cold War, and Deutschland 83 is in direct conversation with this part of the era. Starring Jonas Nay as Martin Rauch, an East German spy who goes undercover in West Germany, Deutschland 83 is an immersive look at this period and corner of the world. Martin’s life as a spy and personal assertions are at war in Deutschland 83, which makes the series easy to compare to The Americans​​​​​​.

In the years after the first installment premiered, it was followed by Deutschland 86 and Deutschland 89, quickly becoming an international hit. However, Deutschland 83 was the story that started it all and arguably the best of the trilogy. Nay anchors the series as Martin, giving the viewer insight into a piece of history so often shrouded in mystery and miscommunication. Blending humor and absurdity into its serious story, Deutschland 83 will be remembered as a pivotal piece of Cold War media.

4

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (1964–1968)

American and Soviet secret agents work together in The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

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The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

Release Date

1964 – 1967

Showrunner

Larry Gelbart, Gene Reynolds

Writers

Larry Gelbart, Gene Reynolds, others

Franchise(s)

M*A*S*H

Robert Vaughn is Napoleon Solo, and David McCallum is Illya Kuryakin in The Man From U.N.C.L.E., a revolutionary TV show that puts rival spies together. Solo is an American secret agent, while Kuryakin hails from the Soviet Union, making them supposed enemies on paper. However, they come together for the sake of dire missions of international importance and prove themselves to be quite the team. The chemistry between McCallum and Vaughn was a large part of what propelled the series over the years.

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. boasts contributions from James Bond writer Ian Fleming, giving the series authority and a firm place within the spy canon. Today, the series is well-remembered for its high-stakes storylines and the many gadgets that can be seen throughout the episodes. Even though The Man From U.N.C.L.E. movie makes changes to the original show, the movie was a strong continuation of the show, faithfully expressing the style and themes of the series.

3

Mission: Impossible (1966–1973)

This iconic TV series inspired the well-known spy franchise

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Mission: Impossible

Release Date

1966 – 1972

Directors

Reza Badiyi, Lee H. Katzin, Leonard Horn, Leslie H. Martinson, John Llewellyn Moxey, Paul Stanley, Charles R. Rondeau, Alexander Singer, Sutton Roley, Gerald Mayer, Virgil W. Vogel, Murray Golden, Marvin J. Chomsky, Lewis Allen, Richard Benedict, Bernard L. Kowalski, Michael O’Herlihy, Alf Kjellin, Georg Fenady, Robert Totten, Marc Daniels, Terry Becker, Robert Gist, Ralph Senensky

Writers

Laurence Heath, Paul Playdon, Ken Pettus, Leigh Vance, Edward J. Lakso, Ellis Marcus, Howard Browne, Barney Slater, Mann Rubin, Robert Lewin, Jerrold L. Ludwig, Arthur Weiss, Richard M. Sakal, Sy Salkowitz, James D. Buchanan, Ronald Austin, Howard Berk, Robert E. Thompson, Samuel Roeca, Arthur Rowe, Wesley Lau, Robert M. Young, John D.F. Black, Max Hodge

When audiences hear Mission: Impossible today, it’s likely that the blockbuster film franchise starring Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt is what comes to mind. However, this series wouldn’t exist without the original TV show Mission: Impossible from 1966. Though the Impossible Mission Force, the show’s expert team of spies, weren’t explicitly fighting the Soviet Union in every episode, most of their missions were in conversation with the contemporary conflicts the U.S. was engaged in. The characters typically intervened in corrupt governments and international criminal affairs.

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Watching Mission: Impossible today is still thrilling and fun, as even though the effects and stunts aren’t as complex by today’s standards, they still communicate the risks and intensity of the characters’ situations. Seeing the IMF pull off daring heists and escape just in the nick of time never gets old, no matter how many times the viewer sees this happen in Mission: Impossible​​​​​​. It originally ran for seven seasons and remains highly influential on the spy genre as a whole, not just the movies that followed it.

2

For All Mankind (2019–Present)

Alternate history is taken to the extreme in this contemporary series

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For All Mankind

9/10

Release Date

November 1, 2019

Showrunner

Ronald D. Moore

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One side of the Cold War that’s sometimes overlooked by films and TV shows is the importance of the space race and how much the U.S. and Soviet Union saw this as a representation of their power and influence. In For All Mankind, the series posits that if the Soviet Union had been the first country to land on the moon, the space race would still be going on today. For All Mankind looks at the lives of astronauts training to go to space and how the Soviet Union’s victory shook NASA to its core.

As the series progresses, it takes different pieces of history and alters them to fit the new trajectory of the world. Issues like nuclear power and social movements are infused into the fabric of the story. In For All Mankind, tensions with the Soviet Union shift and evolve but remain an essential piece of the narrative and a motivating factor for many of the characters. Since For All Mankind spans so many decades of history, each season presents a new opportunity for the show to expand upon the effects of the alternate Cold War.

1

The Americans (2013–2018)

Prestige drama meets undercover espionage in The Americans

The Americans helped bring about a resurgence in cultural conversations about the Cold War following the story of two KGB agents living outside Washington, D.C. The series is set during the early to late 1980s. Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys star as the married couple, Elizabeth and Philip Jennings, who use their relationship and children as a cover for their mission to infiltrate the U.S. government. From the first season, The Americans was quickly singled out as one of the best shows on television.

Exploring the intensity of their jobs and loyalty to the Soviet Union while navigating Elizabeth and Philip’s personal relationships and marriage, The Americans looked at the large and small themes in the story with equal weight. Though it’s set during the height of the Reagan administration and focuses on the tensions at this time, many parts of The Americans feel so vivid and immediate that the show could be set today. Though the international implications of The Americans are a major source of tension, the personal sacrifices and conflicting identities are just as impactful.