From ‘Mission: Impossible’ to ‘Slow Horses,’ here’s why we love watching spies

The spy genre is more than just splashy gimmicks helmed by a suave protagonist. The ubiquity of these stories reveals something deeper, not just about our world, but about ourselves.

Is it the nonstop action, or the meshing of mystery and intrigue? Is it the Aston Martin car chases, always along some scenic route? The exotic locales? The beautiful love interests — culminating in a steamy rendezvous? Or, is it just the British accents? Whatever it is, there’s something about spy flicks we can’t get enough of. Since the genre’s emergence, espionage has taken over both big and small screens, from long-standing franchises like James Bond, to newer efforts like the “Kingsman” series or the subversive “The 355.” On TV, the success of shows like “Homeland,” “The Americans,” and the newer “Slow Horses” — which begins its fourth season Wednesday on Apple TV+ — highlight our collective fascination with spy narratives. Even in a time where the genre movie has all but faded in favor of endless remakes and sequels, where television shows are often canceled shortly after they air, spy stories still grip our imaginations and studios’ pockets. But the genre is more than just splashy gimmicks helmed by a suave protagonist. The ubiquity of these stories reveals something deeper, not just about our world, but about ourselves. As a genre, espionage was first born from literature, where spy novels and spy fiction grew in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, alongside increasing globalization and imperial force, said film historian Samhita Sunya. An early example is Rudyard Kipling’s 1901 novel, “Kim,” which follows an Irish boy living in India during British rule, who eventually becomes a spy.