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The early seasons of Spooks, a well-produced BBC action-drama about a small band of MI-5 agents serving to protect the UK, provided compelling entertainment. Giving the writers some latitude in developing plots that had the same team of MI-5 saving Britain each week from a variety of home grown and foreign militants, the show had excellent production values, good story lines and developed the characters' background to help create audience empathy. Led by Matthew Macfadyen and Peter Firth, the actors had good chemistry and, occasionally, the plot raised interesting questions about the dilemmas faced by domestic intelligence agencies.

In later seasons, however, notably five and six, and integrity of Spooks seriously deteriorated, as the quality of the plot became ridiculous, and then absurd. Life-long conspiracy theorists would have had a good laugh and Spooks adopted repetitive themes of general xenophobia, targeting particularly the United States, but also generally simplistic conspiracy themes within most of the UK Government (virtually everyone except our intrepid MI-5 team). Simultaneously, the show forgot to focus on the individual characters, providing two- dimensional studies of the new MI-5 players, with the exception of Adam (Rupert Penry- Jones), who carried the brunt of providing some unsophisticated examples of conflict. As a result, it became more difficult to care about the fate of the team, or of the country, the supposed threats so outlandish it may as well have been science fiction.

It is a shame, because obviously there is an audience for this type of show, and a basic idea that would be engrossing. If only it felt a little factual.

Spooks, is quite frankly, bloody excellent. It seems to have learnt all the tricks that the best of American thrillers (e.g. '24') have picked up, and uses them to the best of their abilities. The acting, especially from McFadden, is likewise excellent (unlike many other similar programs, Spooks doesn't attempt to make the characters whiter-than-white. They're likeable, just not perfect). It also has the bravery to use storylines that are shocking, but are what make it the best.

My only criticism is that the characters from 'the government' are a bit too stereotypically slimey.

Otherwise 10 out of 10

Mondays, 9:00pm, BBC 1

Just finished the last episode of series three, and was reminded why this is my favourite show of all time. I think the comparisons to 24 are quite unfair--they both deal with terrorism, but the similarities end there. Spooks is far more cerebral, and spends more effort on character and plot development.

Unlike other reviewers, I felt series three was every bit as good (and in many ways even better) than the previous two. The departure of several main characters was handled exceedingly well, and while they'll be missed, I think their replacements are quite strong and as such, the transition has been quite smooth. Kudos! (Er, no pun intended)

I've been hooked and reeled. I absolutely love MI-5/Spooks. I rented all the available series and I crave for more. I'm anxiously waiting for 2005 to become available. The characters are unique and intriguing. The story lines are complex and luring. The acting is top form. As far as I'm concerned nothing here in the U.S. comes close. We had Mission Impossible (covert missions and fancy gadgetry) but MI-5 is fathoms richer, and smart. I'm a loyal fan of Keeley Hawes first finding her in Tipping the Velvet and recently viewed Our Mutual Friend. She's an outstanding actress and her MI-5 colleagues perform with such command of the art. As far as I'm concerned the BBC can do no wrong.

I came to this series in 2021 via Britbox, and I loved it from start to finish. American television could learn a thing or two from the British about storytelling.

Truly a riveting show. It is not at all like its American counterparts in the sense that one has to pay close attention to the dialog of the show with its witty and often intellectual remarks.

One feels a true sense of realism watching spooks. The characters are real people with real faults. Another aspect I enjoy is the fact that there is no fear in "killing" a character off. One might consider that to be cruel but it once again lends to the realism of the show.

If you are looking to watch something to simulate the mind get the heart racing, anger, fear hope and justice watch Spooks it is in a class of its own as only the British can do.

Spooks is certainly one of the best shows ever made for TV. One of the reasons is the basic principle that nothing is clear cut black and white but that every single character really is very ambivalent. So on the one hand there are "heroes" (otherwise it would be boring) but on the other hand the role of the security services is not glorified. That intelligent outlook makes is good watching. Apart from that the story lines are on the one hand believable (I wouldn't go as far as to say realistic as the show keeps the number of people involved in any given case to an unrealistically low number and the cases happen one after the other) but also original. The standard of writing is very high and the authors stay clear of spy story stereotypes. There really are no flat characters in this show which makes it really delightful and no character is safe which adds to the suspense. In season three basically all three main characters which did carry the show over a number of years disappear. It is done again in a believable way and the three new characters give the show a new (although not necessarily better or worse) dimension by their MI 6 past in the middle east and the addition of a husband/ wife team. And again, the Thin Man stereotype is avoided. Personally I preferred the McFadyen character because he was less of a stereotype (essentially he was really uncool) as Penry-Jones's who acts against his posterboy image. He is a great actor but his looks really are in the way of being taken seriously. But you can't blame him for that. Generally speaking I find it amazing that they manage to tell an exciting, multi layered and ultimately satisfying story in the 60 minutes format. Spooks is also one of the few TV shows that's visually innovative.

Entertaining show about the British security service MI-5 with a writing and editing style similar to '24', but typically with one or two episode story arcs instead of season long plots. The characters are well created and nicely fleshed out with skills and personal foibles, but do seem to have disturbingly short lifespans. Politics in the show are rather conservative at the beginning of the series (which started shortly after 9/11), but gradually begin to include a lot of lefty 'new world order' conspiracy stuff as the show progresses and the Iraq war became increasingly unpopular around the world. Like all shows of this type, it portrays England as having a shockingly high rate of terrorist attacks and far too many caches of surface to air missiles floating around inside it's borders.

While the action and spy craft is usually entertaining, it does tend towards the silly on many occasions. Weaker plots include elements like a small child with a laptop defeating the entire British intelligence computer network and the "G&J" algorithm (an extremely loose and poorly understood reference to RSA style encryption used on the Internet) security loophole that allows a villain to access any computer on the Internet, but who for some completely incomprehensible reason uses it to attempt to ransom the government instead of just tapping directly into banks to take the funds. Occasionally the logic is so tortured it becomes unintentionally funny, as in one season (spoiler alert) where a group of individuals attempt a coup of the British government. During the course of the coup they kill several people including an MI-5 officer, arrange to have hundreds of people killed in a staged terrorist attack, organize the slaughter of peaceful protesters by police forces, attempt the assassination of several high-ranking government officials and the Prime Ministers own son, and create detention camps where they round up political opponents and try to set them on fire. After the good guys finally stop the plot, one of the conspirators (that's right, just one) is brought to trial and convicted. The daughter and one-time co- conspirator of the convicted man, now amazingly added to the MI-5 payroll because she had an eleventh hour change of heart, has a heated exchange with her boss because her father received 20 years in prison and she felt he should only get 5. I laughed so hard I was crying. I don't know if this is a British thing I don't get, but over here we would say that mothf***er has got to go. Apparently in Britain trying to overthrow the government is seen as more of a stern talking-to kind of thing.

One quick not for those living in the states; it bears mentioning that the show has a strong anti-American sentiment that usually colors us as either arrogant jerks, soulless corporate overlords, or weapon merchants eager to sell biological weapons to foreign leaders for all their ethnic cleansing needs. Having seen other Canadian and British shows I've become de-sensitized to this so it didn't bother me overly much. I figure we made them the emperor's lackeys in Star Wars so turnabout is fair play.

All in all this is a decent bit of action-drama. When it works it works really well, which I'd say happens about 70% of the time. The other 30% fails pretty spectacularly, but still I would say overall it's worthy of providing a few hours of diversion.

Some British crime dramas are so good you forget to breathe at times. That is the case with "Spooks", or as they called it when packaged for American TV, "MI-5".

We were introduced to some fantastic actors, tense scripts, rich characters, and harrowing images. There is a perpetual ethical struggle within and amongst the characters, as they search their way through the dark of the drugs trade, terrorism, and such.

I will never forget what I felt when watching a Muslim bomber preparing to blow-up innocent children in a playground.

Probably the best thing I could say is the program proved more than realistic; it was prophetic, given the events on 7/7/05.

That just shows the excellence of the program.

Sadly, we can no longer view it here in the states as A&E has pulled it. I am hoping they recirculate it to some of their other network channels, as they've done with "Midsomer Murder"s to the Biography Channel (honestly). Perhaps to BBC America?

UK TV writers are chronically anti-American, and there's no law against that.

But it's disturbing when Harry Pearce, head of Section D, has a warmer relationship with the #3 from Al-Qaeda (the British squeeze out a 4th syllable there-Al-Kay-EE-Dah) than he does with his US counterparts.

Throughout the series, frequent snide references are made about "the special relationship" and "the cousins." Americans are consistently portrayed as controlling and coldblooded, but surely they must have at least one redeeming trait.

I can think of two. Coming to Britain's aid twice. In one century. Across 86 episodes, I wish someone would've mentioned that. Just once.

I read all the hype in advance of this program being shown on ABC-TV in Australia, and thought: yeah, yeah, show me something different. Maybe it's not too different, but it does deliver. I was a bit bored inititally by the straight delivery of MI-5 characters, and how terribly seriously they take their jobs. Matthew MacFadyen is a fine choice for Tom Quinn - he's big and tall, straight-faced, and very, very serious. Keeley Hawes is also very well cast, and eminently believable.

However the last two episodes shown here - the one about the mock terrorist attack, and last night's episode about the visit of the American presidential `circus' were rivetting stuff. I found myself holding my breath for a lot longer than was healthy for me! I was fascinated by how the US presidential entourage insisted they take over MI-5 files for `security purposes'. A metaphor for the world at the moment?? The suspicion that George Bush Jnr was visiting London specifically for a secret meeting with Colonel Gadaffi to negotiate compensation for Locharbie losses was very pertinent, given that Libya came forth with compensation - in the `real' world - just this week.

I look forward to more episodes of this straighter-than-straight, larger-than-life, but very entertaining series. I don't think it's very realistic, but then, who watches TV to indulge in more reality?

Although this series originally ran from 2002-2011, it is eerily prescient of recent events: the rise of populism, anti-immigrant sentiment, islamophobia, the use of torture, intelligence agencies jockeying for power and meddling in politics, international rivalry, cutting-edge technology, and ruthless and duplicitous tactics to achieve the objective-du-jour. The writing is whip-smart; and the acting, direction, cinematography, and music is top-grade. In one episode, a Russian mafia dude is upbraiding a corrupt English banker, and calls him a "genitally-shriveled, English pants-pisser." There are few American or British series, current or past, that can top this. If you're considering a career in intelligence, better watch this one. Currently streaming on Britbox under the title "MI-5". Highly recommended.

At times this is very silly but overall it's a top notch drama and looking back on it now one can see how it anticipated real world issues before they hit the headlines. It's at its best in the superb first two seasons with Matthew Macfayden and Keeley Hawes. Peter Firth is outstanding throughout.

Along with Peter Firth as Harry Pearce, Nicola Walker merits attention for the British spy series, MI5. Playing the "brilliant bitch," Ruth Evershed, Ms. Walker successfully portrays a complex, somewhat brooding character whose thoughts and emotions are portrayed vividly in her well thought out facial expressions. Really great, believable acting. I loved the character, too, and was destroyed by the series ending. Kudos to Mr. Firth for his skill as well.

Rarely do I find DVD's of Broadcast TV worthy of the expense. MI5 or Spooks is one of the rare exceptions. As an American, I've been limited to the A&E versions, which has others have stated, are edited to allow for commercials. The pace, the actors, the plots even in the edited versions are exceptional. When I found out I could purchase the series on DVD, I gladly did. The only other Broadcast series I've purchased for myself, are Secret Agent Man (danger man in the UK) The Prisoner, and the Hornblower series. I've been pleased with all. The bonus with MI5 is seeing the full episodes. Unlike American series, the UK series have short seasons which keep the story lines clear, concise, intelligent, and plot driven not profit driven. The actors are generally given fleshier roles and unlike many U.S. shows, the actors seem to be chosen on talent, rather then a "look". MI5 brings a sense of what it may really be like in the intelligent community, as a clear delineations of right and wrong crosses paths with politics, ambition, and geo-political idealogy. In short, MI5 raises many morality issues while at the same time, filling one with suspense.

This show started out great. It was a mix of short-lived series Rubicon with the action of a Born movie. I was in heaven. It came to a screeching halt after the first two seasons. I just didn't have the same connection with the characters.

And what I took as anti-American sentiment was too much. I've made it through six seasons and will update my review if 1) I make it through more seasons and 2) They improve.

Sad because this had the potential to be a new favorite. It is still watchable and better than average, just don't expect the excitement of finding a new, great show to last.

Spooks is, to say the least, a series that has kept me close to the TV screen. The overall atmosphere of the series is intense and action-packed. The series builds on character development frequently, slowly unpicking the lives of the agents, giving you an insight into their lives and the choices they make.

Over time, some of the characters lose their roles in the show. When this happens, they are replaced. This keeps the viewer wondering about the new characters, and how they will perform in the team.

A magnificent aspect of this series is that it does not strive to make characters appear 'whiter than white', when compared to shows of a similar nature produced by the Americans. I'd go so far as to label this a British classic.

Throughout this show, there are emotional aspects which makes the viewer feel very close to the characters. As the show progresses, the viewer feels like they understand many of the characters there, which brings the viewer in even closer to the plot.

Speaking of the plot, the series is excellently written to the highest degree. It is clear to see that the writers have thought out the plot with careful precision, making the story even more tantalizing.

This is one of the reasons why the ending was such a devastating moment for devoted fans. We were just enjoying it too much.

I would like to say that I wholeheartedly recommend you to watch this series. The series in general is amazingly composed, and one has to congratulate the actors that have created this masterpiece.

When i watched the first episode of the first season, i thought this was brilliant.But after watching half of season two I'm just bored. If this is how the real MI5 is run i would be seriously worried. They act like bloody fools. The show has been compared to the American 24 I'm not sure if thats is a good thing or a bad.

They fumble around they seem to take a lot of unnecessary risks and every episode always ended with a huge anticlimax. They could have done with some more action in the show. They build up so you sit and Wait for something exciting to happen,than it all just flattens out to nothing but some small talk and a pat on the back