Paramount+'s 2-Season Spy Thriller Series Beat Amazon To James Bond

Published Sep 21, 2026, 8:30 PM EDT Sean is a senior writer for ScreenRant and has been writing about new TV releases since December 2023. He has received multiple advance screenings of popular shows and ideated his own coverage read by hundreds of thousands of readers. Sean is a self-published author of a Western novel. Sean has also written award-winning opinion pieces related to local politics while getting his Bachelor's degree in journalism. Paramount+ has a two-season spy thriller series that can give viewers a preview of Amazon's version of James Bond early. Amazon gained creative control of James Bond from Eon in 2025, and the company behind Prime Video and MGM+ has moved very quickly to put their own mark on the iconic franchise. The search for the new James Bond is currently underway, with Amazon reportedly having a "shortlist" of potential 007s, and Denis Villeneuve and Steven Knight's Bond 26 is moving right along in its production. Amazon is moving quickly with Bond, but there's still quite a bit of waiting to do for fans of the franchise. After all, Bond 26 is now the longest it's ever taken to find a new Bond actor, and since the lead role hasn't even been cast yet, the movie likely won't be out until 2028 at the earliest. Daniel Craig gave up the mantle with 2021's No Time to Die, and fans will have to wait at least another year to see him replaced by Amazon. As fast as Amazon is moving with casting its own Bond and starting a new reboot, however, the company has been beaten to the punch by another streaming service, Paramount+. While Paramount doesn't own the rights to 007, the company did produce a standalone spy thriller series in 2024 that already has two seasons and works as the perfect stopgap while waiting for Bond 26: Michael Fassbender's The Agency. Michael Fassbender's The Agency Feels Like A TV Version Of Daniel Craig's James Bond Though it doesn't have any connection to 007, Michael Fassbender's The Agency feels like a spiritual successor to James Bond, and particularly Daniel Craig's iteration of the character. The Agency follows a CIA agent nicknamed "Martian" (Fassbender) as he's recalled from a mission in Ethiopia. Martian, however, started a romance with Dr. Zahir (Jodie Turner-Smith) while in Ethiopia, and when she finds him back in London, their lives are turned upside down. Just on its synopsis alone, The Agency bears some remarkable similarities to Craig's Bond. Both main characters are aging yet still incredibly charming and competent spies. Both fall in love with women while on a mission, namely Madeleine Swann in the later Bond films. Both are gritty and realistic portrayals of spyfare in the Information Age, a trait Craig's Bond movies were famous for. In short, The Agency is basically Daniel Craig's Bond but in the CIA instead of MI6. The Agency has broad similarities to Craig's Bond, but it also offers everything you could want out of the latter's movies. The Agency is jam-packed with slick and smart action scenes, international intrigue and political games, and a focus on the internal workings of a spy agency that's just as tense as its biggest fight scenes. All of that is wrapped around a torrid love affair and a very self-serious exploration of the spy thriller genre, just like Daniel Craig's James Bond movies. Now That Amazon Owns 007, There Will Likely Be A James Bond Show That Feels Like The Agency Image courtesy of Sophie Mutevelian/Paramount+ Interestingly enough, Paramount+ and The Agency may have beaten Amazon and James Bond in another area. Now that Amazon owns the creative rights to 007, there's a very solid chance that the franchise eventually inspires its first television show. Amazon is constantly looking for more original content for Prime Video and MGM+, and those streamers also have a particular affinity for spy thrillers like Jack Ryan and Citadel. A James Bond show is no longer out of the question. In the near future, Amazon may decide to give 007 his own show or, possibly, a spinoff focusing on one of MI6's other colorful characters, like Moneypenny. If that does happen, however, Paramount+ and The Agency still beat Amazon to the punch of doing a "James Bond" show. It doesn't have the title or any of the associated lore, but The Agency has already scratched the itch to see a 007-like spy thriller expanded into a multi-season episodic format. There's even a chance that Amazon's potential James Bond show could end up feeling like The Agency instead of the other way around. After all, The Agency has already been around since 2024, has two seasons under its belt, and is one of the more prominent spy thriller shows of the streaming era. The Agency may have started out feeling like a James Bond show, but it may end up overshadowing Amazon's possible plans to put 007 on television. Release Date December 1, 2024 Network Paramount+ with Showtime Showrunner Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth Directors Joe Wright, Zetna Fuentes, Neil Burger